How Much Does a Gaming PC Cost in the UK? (2026 Price Guide)
Short answer: in the UK in 2026 a gaming PC costs anywhere from £830 for a machine with no graphics card at all to £2,422 for the high-end build we have picked below. Most people who actually want to play current games should expect to spend somewhere in the middle, because the graphics card is what sets the price.
Updated November 2026 with current UK prices. Prices move with component costs — our price-watch article tracks why and when they change.
In short
- A PC with no graphics card starts in the mid hundreds; the cheapest one with a card starts at about a thousand pounds.
- The graphics card is the biggest single cost and the part that decides your frame rate.
- Memory and storage are the next two levers, and both are easy to get wrong in either direction.
- Budget 16GB of memory and a 1TB drive as the sensible floor for a new gaming PC.
- Every build is assembled and stress-tested in the UK, arrives ready to play with Windows 11, and carries a 3-year warranty.
How Much Does a Gaming PC Cost in the UK?
The cheapest machine with a dedicated graphics card starts at £981; below that you are choosing integrated graphics, and past £1,660 you are paying for higher resolutions and settings rather than for the machine to work at all. The graphics card is what sets that line.
What Each Level of Budget Actually Buys
Every figure below is a complete, tested PC with Windows 11 installed, a 1TB NVMe drive and free UK delivery after dispatch. "From" is the lowest price of that configuration; the second figure is the same machine with the memory we would actually choose.
No graphics card: Ryzen 7 5700G with built-in graphics — from £843
The cheapest way into a desktop is our Ryzen 5 7400 build at £830; this AM4 5700G build is £843. It runs Minecraft, Roblox and everyday work well, and plays Fortnite at lower settings. With 16GB of memory it is £910. A graphics card can be added later, so this is a starting point rather than a dead end.
See every PC with built-in graphics →
Cheapest with a graphics card: Ryzen 5 5500 + RTX 3050 6GB — from £981
The entry point for real gaming. It handles Fortnite, Rocket League, EA Sports FC and Minecraft at 1080p, and most newer titles at medium settings with NVIDIA DLSS helping out. With 16GB of memory it is £1,081.
Browse RTX 3050 6GB builds → · Read our RTX 3050 guide
The sweet spot: Ryzen 5 5600 + RTX 5060 — from £1,209
Where we would spend our own money. The RTX 5060 brings DLSS 4 with Frame Generation and runs current releases at 1080p high settings, and the six-core Ryzen 5 5600 keeps it balanced. With 16GB of memory it is £1,276.
Browse RTX 5060 builds → · Read our RTX 5060 guide
Higher settings and 1440p: Ryzen 7 5700X + RX 9070 — from £1,660
For a sharper monitor and games that demand more video memory. The RX 9070 carries 16GB of VRAM for modern titles at high settings, and the eight-core Ryzen 7 5700X keeps frame times steady. With 16GB of memory it is £1,726.
Browse RX 9070 builds → · Read our RX 9070 guide
High end: Ryzen 7 7800X3D + RTX 5070 Ti — from £2,422
For high-refresh or 4K gaming. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is one of the fastest gaming processors available, and the RTX 5070 Ti brings 16GB of GDDR7 with DLSS 4. With 32GB of memory, our choice for this build, it is £2,838.
Browse RTX 5070 Ti builds → · Read our RTX 5070 Ti guide
What Actually Moves the Price
The graphics card. It is the largest single line on nearly every build and the part that determines your frame rate. Moving up one card tier changes the total more than any other single choice, which is why we price around the card first and pick the processor to suit it.
Memory. 16GB is the sensible floor for a new gaming PC in 2026 and 32GB is worthwhile if you keep dozens of tabs open or edit video alongside gaming. Beyond that you are paying for capacity you will not feel in games, so it is rarely where we would spend first.
Storage and everything else. A 1TB NVMe drive is the comfortable starting point, and the case, cooler and power supply are where budget builds quietly cut corners. Those three parts decide how long the machine stays quiet and how easy it is to upgrade later.
Why Some Gaming PCs Cost Less Than Others
Two machines with a similar part list can differ in price because the exact models differ, because cooling and power supplies differ in quality, and because warranty and testing differ between builders. A cheaper machine often saves money on precisely the parts you cannot see: the power supply, the cooler and the memory timings.
Every PC we sell is assembled, cable-managed and stress-tested before it ships, arrives with Windows 11 installed and activated, and carries a 3-year parts and labour warranty from delivery. Fitting your own parts later does not void it.
Should You Build It Yourself or Buy One Built?
Building it yourself can save a little on the parts alone, but you price every component, assemble it, install the system, solve whatever goes wrong and carry the warranty yourself. Buying built costs a little more and removes all of that, and for most people that is the better trade.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a basic gaming PC cost in the UK?
A basic gaming PC with a dedicated graphics card starts at £981 in the UK in 2026. Without a card at all, a machine built around integrated graphics starts at £830. Both figures are complete PCs with Windows 11 installed, a 1TB NVMe drive and free UK delivery after dispatch.
How much should I spend on a good gaming PC?
For 1080p gaming at high settings in current titles, plan on £1,209 to £1,276. That lands you on a six-core processor with a mid-range card and 16GB of memory, which is the sweet spot we recommend to most buyers and the configuration we would choose ourselves.
Why do gaming PCs with similar specifications have different prices?
Three reasons. The exact model of each part matters as much as its class, cooling and power supplies vary in quality, and warranty, testing and support differ between builders. We build to order, stress-test every machine and include a 3-year parts and labour warranty, which is priced into what you pay.
Which part of a gaming PC costs the most money?
The graphics card is the single largest line on almost every build, and it is the part that decides the frame rate you get. Moving up one card tier changes the price more than any other single choice, which is why we price our guides around the card rather than the processor.
Is it cheaper to build a gaming PC or buy one prebuilt?
Building one yourself can save a small amount on parts alone, but you price every component, assemble it, install the system and carry the warranty yourself. Our prebuilt machines are assembled, wired, stress-tested and shipped ready to plug in, and we have not found the difference to be worth that trade.
Can I pay for a gaming PC monthly?
Yes. At checkout you can split the cost with Klarna, PayPal or Shop Pay Installments, with 0% options available subject to status. On our cheapest PC that works out at about £277 a month over three months, and every build keeps the same 3-year warranty and free UK delivery.