How to Save Money on Your Gaming PC Setup
If you like gaming and want to move to PC gaming, there are plenty of great reasons to make the switch. Compared to consoles, gaming on a PC offers more flexibility and control, and can be cheaper in the long run due to lower game prices. However, getting started with PC gaming is often associated with a huge upfront expense since the price of gaming PCs is not cheap, whether you decide to buy a pre-built one or build your own. The good news is that there are several things that you can do to get your gaming PC set up on a budget.
Budget-Friendly PCs
As PC gaming becomes more and more popular, many manufacturers are developing more budget-friendly gaming PCs and components like these Budget Gaming Desktops. While they might not be as powerful as some of the more expensive and high-end options on the market today, they are a great way to get started without spending a huge amount of money on your first set-up.
Upgrade Later
The nature of gaming PCs is that they are often quite easy to upgrade and customize. Even if you go for a budget-friendly gaming PC with less powerful components at first, you can always upgrade certain parts later, which may work out cheaper compared to buying a more powerful gaming PC right off the bat. For example, you can update components such as RAM, the graphics card, and even the processor and hard drive for a better gaming experience without spending huge money on an entirely new PC.
Consider Building Your Own
Building your own gaming PC is a popular choice since it can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it depending on the components and parts that you choose. Deciding to build your own gaming PC can present you with several ways to save money; for example, you might want to spend more on the components that are more important for performance and speed, while keeping anything else on a smaller budget to make sure that you are optimizing the amount of money you have to spend.
Get Second-Hand Parts
Another huge advantage of building your own gaming PC or upgrading a cheaper gaming PC is that you can look for second-hand parts. Often, people decide to sell their old parts when upgrading or getting a new gaming PC, and you can find components that are in great working condition at a fraction of the retail price.
Wait Until the Sales
If you’re in no rush to get a gaming PC right away, then you might want to wait around until some of the biggest sales of the year like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. During these sales you can often find pre-built gaming PCs, PC components and peripherals for sale at a much lower price than usual to make way for new stock coming in for the next season.
Wait Until the Next Big Release
If you don’t always have to have the latest version of everything when it comes to your gaming PC and have the time to wait, then you can save money by leaving buying a new PC or new components for your PC until the next model has been released. Like most tech, components like processors can drop drastically in price once the next model is available to buy, but the good news is that they still work as well as they always have.
Shop A round for Peripherals
Once you have the actual gaming PC itself bought or built, getting peripherals such as monitors, a keyboard, mouse, speakers, and a gaming headset can quickly add up and pile more expenses on when it comes to getting your setup complete. The good news is that you don’t always have to have the best of everything to get the best gaming experience from your PC. Shopping around for these peripherals in sales or looking for second-hand deals can help you save a significant amount.
Sell Old Components
If you already have a PC and want to upgrade to a gaming PC, then you can offset the cost by selling components from your old machine or even putting the entire PC up for sale. PCs and laptops are highly sought-after and if you have one in good condition that works well, you should have no problem selling it. Or, if your PC is getting slow and old you could make more money to put towards your new gaming PC by breaking it down and selling individual parts that still work.
Also, you don’t need to worry about where to sell used computers nowadays because a lot of them are already accessible online. While gaming PCs do not come cheap, there are several things that you can do to reduce the overall price.