What Specifications Should an $800 Gaming PC Have In 2023?

Want to know the best specifications for an $800 gaming PC so that you don’t end up making a mistake and getting ripped off?

Don’t worry when I was in your shoes as an inexperienced gamer, I too was very anxious when selecting specifications for my PC. I admit, it can get rather confusing at times, but with the right information, knowing the specs is not a very difficult ordeal.

Through the years in my PC gaming journey, I have built as well as reviewed many PCs and therefore, know a thing or two about what the ideal specifications should be for an $800 PC.

In this article, you are going to get an easy-to-digest on not the best specifications for a gaming PC at the $800 price, but I will also recommend the PC components that are worth looking into.

So, let’s begin, shall we?

The $800 gaming PCs fall in the mid-tier category. In this price range, you have plenty of options in each PC component category, but as stated earlier, I am only going to tell you the best and the most viable ones.

CPU

The CPU, also commonly known as a processor, is the brain of the computer that accomplishes all the tasks that happen on a computer.

For the $800, the ideal CPU spec that you are looking for is a 6-core 12-thread processor. The best options that you have available to you include an Intel I5 12400 or the AMD Ryzen 5 5600.

The AMD may be a bit of a stretch for this budget hence Intel I5 12400 should do things nicely.

Graphics Card

A graphic card is responsible for rendering the graphics of a game and, therefore, is trivial to a good gaming PC.

For the $800 price range, you ideally want a graphics card with 6GB more VRAM. Talking about the options, there isn’t much competition here, and the Nvidia GTX 1660 Super takes the podium as the best graphic card at this price range.

RAM

The RAM is responsible for how smoothly you can multitask on a PC. Basically, it controls all the currently open applications on a computer.

In 2023 and onwards, it has become essential to get 16GB for a gaming PC. 8GB is just not enough anymore and limits the functionality of the PC quite a bit because these days a single game can take upwards of 10GB RAM.

 Therefore, the ideal RAM is 16GB capacity that is running in a dual-channel configuration at a speed of 3000+ MHz.

Storage

The storage space that a person needs depends on the use of each individual. Some people like storing a lot of games, programs, and files on their computers, while others favor a more cloud approach to things.

Regardless of the case, 500GB is a must. You should never go below 500GB and always favor SSD rather than the traditional HDD. The latter is a lot slower and, hence, will bog down the speed of your whole PC.

The ideal storage, therefore, is a 500GB SSD or more.

Other Specifications

Although the CPU, GPU, RAM, and Storage form the core of any gaming PC they are not the only specs worth considering. The following are also essential specs of a gaming PC.

• Motherboard: There aren’t any hard rules regarding motherboards. A motherboard should be compatible with the CPU, and that is about it. The ideal spec for the motherboard, hence, will be any motherboard that is compatible with the CPU and has 4 RAM slots and preferably built-in Wi-Fi as well.
• Power Supply: A power supply, as the name suggests, supplies the whole PC with power; therefore, at a budget of $800, you should get a 500-650W power supply. This power capacity will be enough for any build that you can put up in the $800 price range.
• Case: There aren’t any stringent requirements around the case, so get the one that you prefer to look at. Before buying, just make sure that the case you are interested in has proper airflow and at least 5 case fan mounts.

Related PC Guides

Check out some of our related PC guides below.

• What Specifications Should a $1000 Gaming PC Have?
• What Specifications Should a $1500 Gaming PC Have?
• What Specifications Should a $2000 Gaming PC Have?
• What Specifications Should a $500 Gaming PC Have?

To conclude, it is quite apparent that at the $800 price tag options for combining different specifications in order to make a gaming PC are endless.

That said, though, the following are the specifications that I consider to be ideal for any $800 gaming PC. 

• Intel i5 12400 or AMD Ryzen 5 5600 processor
• Nvidia GTX 1660 graphics card
• 16GB RAM
• 500+ GB SSD
• 500-650W power supply
• Built-in Wi-Fi (optional)
• 4 RAM slots on the motherboard

Regardless of if you are looking to source parts to build a gaming PC yourself or buying a prebuilt gaming PC the aforementioned specifications should be a benchmark for that computer. 

Check out the prebuilt gaming PCs under $800 article to learn more. 

At the $800 price point, you can’t get any better than these specifications, so chances are you will need to sacrifice in some areas. 

Before closing off the article, do let me know whether you agree or disagree with my specification list in the comment section down below.