BUILD A KICK-ASS BUDGET GAMING PC

ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY AREN’T LIMITED TO THE HIGH END, AS THIS $599 MACHINE PROVES

FOR ALL TOO MANY OF US, the MaximumPC Dream Machine remains just that: a dream. The hang-the-cost attitude has made for some incredible systems, and this year’s will be no different, but what if cost is a factor? What if you can’t afford to drop north of a grand on the cooling system alone? What if you want a machine that costs a fraction of what we dream up every year? What if you want a system that’s as pleasing to your pocket as it is to use?

Our budget machine aims to offer just that: an impressive all-around experience for a fraction of what we normally look at in these pages. As the title suggests, that includes being able to handle games as well. Think of it as a console that you can actually do useful things on, as well as keeping yourself entertained. It is a PC, after all. And if you have a bit more cash to hand, you can use this system as a starting point for something that answers your needs much more specifically.

A quick note: When we built our budget machine a year ago, it had the subtext of being a powerful ally for VR as well, which you’ll find lacking from the sales pitch of this year’s budget machine. That is simply because VR isn’t quite the driving force that it was. You can still play VR games on this setup, although if you’re seriously into VR gaming, you may want to upgrade the graphics card.