Building a gaming PC on a budget might seem like threading a needle, but with a sharp eye for value and the right picks, you can achieve impressive performance without breaking the bank. The current hardware market offers plenty of wallet-friendly components that pack enough power to tackle modern AAA titles and esports classics with ease.
Here, we’ll break down the best basic components to build a gaming PC under ₹30,000, focusing on performance, upgrade potential, and overall bang for your buck. Let’s dissect the build and why each choice makes sense.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5500
The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a stellar processor for budget gaming builds. With 6 cores and 12 threads, it excels in gaming and multitasking tasks. It operates at a base clock of 3.6 GHz and boosts up to 4.2 GHz, offering smooth gameplay even in demanding scenarios.
Why you should consider it for your gaming PC:
Strong single-core performance for games reliant on fewer threads.
Improved power efficiency and performance over previous generations.
Often available under ₹9,500 during sales, making it a no-brainer for this price range.
GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT
The AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT provides excellent 1080p gaming performance, making it a budget-friendly choice for your gaming pc. It handles esports titles like CS2 and Valorant effortlessly and offers decent performance in graphically intensive games like Cyberpunk 2077 at medium settings.
Key features:
4GB of GDDR6 memory, sufficient for most modern games at moderately low settings.
RDNA 2 architecture, bringing ray tracing support (albeit limited).
Price: Around ₹12,500, providing a significant bang for your buck in this segment.
A reliable motherboard ensures stability and upgrade potential, and the MSI PRO B550M-VC fits the bill perfectly. Designed for AMD’s AM4 socket, it supports the Ryzen 5 5500 and offers essential features for gaming builds.
Why it stands out:
Compatibility with DDR4 RAM up to 4400 MHz (OC).
PCIe 4.0 support for GPUs and storage devices.
Priced at approximately ₹7,500, offering a solid foundation for your PC.
RAM: Crucial Ballistix 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200
In 2025, 16GB of RAM is the bare minimum for gaming and multitasking. The Crucial Ballistix offers a reliable dual-channel configuration running at 3200 MHz, ensuring smooth game performance and fast loading times.
Benefits:
Dual-channel configuration maximises bandwidth and performance.
A lifetime warranty provides long-term reliability.
Priced at about ₹4,500, it balances affordability and performance beautifully.
Fast storage is a critical component of a modern gaming PC. The Kingston NV2 NVMe SSD delivers lightning-quick load times, responsive system performance, and sufficient space for a curated gaming library.
Advantages:
Read speeds up to 3500 MB/s and write speeds up to 2100 MB/s.
Compact M.2 form factor ensures easy installation and a clean build.
Available for ₹3,500, it’s a cost-effective yet powerful storage solution.
After getting all the basic components of your gaming PC’s foundational build, it’s time to look at how to put it all together. Putting all the PC components together into a working computer deserves an exhaustive article itself (the process of which we won’t go into too much detail here), but still, we offer some starting points for your benefit, dear reader.
Assembly tips
Power Supply: Invest in a quality 500W PSU from a reliable brand. Look for 80+ Bronze certification to ensure efficiency and stability.
Cooling Considerations: The Ryzen 5 5500 includes a Wraith Stealth cooler, which is sufficient for stock performance. If you plan to overclock, consider an aftermarket cooler for better thermals.
Cable Management: Tidy up cables using zip ties or Velcro straps. This not only improves airflow but also makes the build look more polished.
Future upgrades
Even though this build offers solid performance for its price, there’s always room for improvement as your budget allows:
Graphics Card: Upgrading to an AMD RX 7600 or NVIDIA RTX 4060 can push this build into high-performance territory, enabling better 1440p gaming.
RAM: While 16GB is sufficient, expanding to 32GB can future-proof your system for more demanding workloads or content creation.
Storage: Adding a 1TB HDD or another SSD can accommodate a growing game library or media collection.
Monitor: Pair the build with a high-refresh-rate monitor (e.g., 144Hz Full HD) to enhance the gaming experience, especially for competitive titles.
Satvik Pandey, is a self-professed Steve Jobs (not Apple) fanboy, a science & tech writer, and a sports addict. At Digit, he works as a Deputy Features Editor, and manages the daily functioning of the magazine. He also reviews audio-products (speakers, headphones, soundbars, etc.), smartwatches, projectors, and everything else that he can get his hands on. A media and communications graduate, Satvik is also an avid shutterbug, and when he's not working or gaming, he can be found fiddling with any camera he can get his hands on and helping produce videos – which means he spends an awful amount of time in our studio. His game of choice is Counter-Strike, and he's still attempting to turn pro. He can talk your ear off about the game, and we'd strongly advise you to steer clear of the topic unless you too are a CS junkie.
