Best gaming PC under $1500 in 2024 – our top prebuilt picks

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If you’re looking for the best gaming PC under $1500, we’ve got you covered right here with our top picks.

Getting your hands on a pre-built gaming PC can save you a tonne of time. If you build your own, not only do you have to learn how to actually do it, but you also can spend endless time researching parts, looking for the best GPU as well as the best CPUs and cases to work with it.

Buying one that is pre-built avoids many of these issues. All of our picks here have been sensibly put together using parts that make sense with one another. If you would like something even more budget-friendly, we have our picks for the best Gaming PC under $1000, though the PCs here will be significantly more powerful.

We’ve got a detailed description of each gaming desktop meaning you can be fully informed before making your purchase. We’re confident that there’ll be something here that’s right for you. Let’s get into our picks.

Best gaming PC under $1500

We’ve selected a PC in a range of different categories here and also given each one a brief description. The main factor to keep in mind when you’re weighing up which one to go for is most likely cost. We’ve supplied you with a budget friendly option for those trying to save as many pennies as possible. However, if you can afford the PCs closer to $1500, we’d recommend them.

Best 1440p Gaming PC Under $1500 – Skytech Azure Gaming PC RTX 3070

Skytech Azure Gaming PC RTX 3070

CPU

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X

GPU

RTX 3070 8GB

RAM

16GB DDR4

Storage

1TB (NVMe)

Pros
  • Powerful GPU
  • Reasonable price
Cons
  • RAM could be higher

When you pair a Ryzen 5 CPU with a graphics card from Nvidia RTX 30 series, you’re guaranteed a phenomenal experience. Fortunately, Skytech Azure Gaming PC is no different as it offers a smooth and stunning experience on 1440p while staying above 60 frame rates per second. The spec sheet of Skytech Azure is quite long and we’ll go into the details but if I had to summarize it all, this one is an ideal choice for someone looking for 1440p gaming under $1500.

The Ryzen 5 CPUs are optimized for high-end gaming and when you pair it up with an RTX 3070, one of the best GPUs for 1440p, you can expect phenomenal performance. Throw in overclocking, and one can genuinely enable their battle station to produce more frame rates. Fortunately, with Skytech Azure, you’ll get all this and more.

Moving on, a 1TB NVMe SSD is also featured with the rig and if you’re worried about the boot timings, you won’t have to wait much when you have an NVMe SSD.

The interior and exterior of the chassis look absolutely stunning and truly offer high-end gaming PC vibes. The exterior features a solid metallic front with an RGB strip and some texture on the front and a side-tempered glass on the side. The interior is just as spacious and offers mounts for expansion slots in case 1TB isn’t enough for you. 

For just under $1500, it is one of the finest choices on the market and if you’re into pre-built gaming PCs, don’t skip this one. 

Best Value for Money Gaming PC Under $1500 – Lenovo Legion Tower 5i

Lenovo Legion Tower 5i

CPU

Intel i7-12700F

GPU

RTX 3070 8GB

RAM

16GB DDR4

Storage

1TB (NVMe)

Pros
  • Powerful GPU
  • i7 processor
Cons
  • RAM could be higher

If you’re looking for the most compact pre-built gaming PC under $1500 that truly offers the best value for money then I wouldn’t look any further, the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i is clearly the right choice. Featured with one of the best CPUs for 4K and backed by Nvidia’s RTX 3070, this PC is more than capable of offering unmatched performance, stunning visuals, and an overall very decent experience. 

While Lenovo isn’t famous for manufacturing gaming-friendly rigs, the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i is an exception. When you pair up the likes of Intel Core i7-12700F with RTX 3070, you can expect to see 60FPS capped gameplay on 1440p display in some of the most graphically-intensive games like Red Dead Redemption 2, Cyberpunk, and Warzone 2.

Moreover, the specifications of Legion Tower 5i also include 16GB of DDR4 and a 1TB NVMe SSD for internal storage. As for the aesthetics, this PC employs a stealthy all-black metallic chassis in combination with a mesh grill at the front and side-tempered glass. For enthusiasts looking for minimalistic builds and minimum RGB, you’ll love this all-new Lenovo Legion Tower 5i. 

As for the interior, it is quite roomy and can hardly handle the gigantic size of the RTX 3070. Moreover, since the case is compact and has plenty of fans, the airflow inside the case is ideal and the fact that you’ll also get a free 3-month of Xbox game pass with this purchase means that getting your hands on this one is really worth it. 

Fastest Gaming PC Under $1500 – Skytech Azure Gaming PC (32GB) 

Skytech Azure Gaming PC (32GB) 

CPU

Intel i7-12700F

GPU

RTX 3070 8GB

RAM

32GB DDR4

Storage

1TB (NVMe)

Pros
  • High RAM count
  • Powerful CPU
Cons
  • Power hungry

For the second time on our list, the Skytech Azure Gaming PC, this time around with an Intel i7-12700F instead of the Ryzen 5 5600X and 32GB of memory instead of 16GB. But, it is only a viable option if you’re comfortable with slightly increasing your budget. For just an additional few bucks, you’re getting a faster CPU and memory. This would surely play a vital role in the performance of the PC if you’re aiming to stream and show off your skills to the world.

As for the GPU, you’ll get the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 8GB with 2nd-gen real-time ray tracing. For stunning visuals, you can employ the ray-tracing and DLSS upscaling features of the card. And when it is backed by a processor that is just as capable, you ought to get top-notch performance from your PC. Factor in the 32 gigs of memory, and you’re also futureproofing your PC for the next a good few years. Aside from gaming, having some unused memory can come in handy if you decide to pick up crafting 3D objects and working on complex illustrations.

Aside from the satisfactory performance of the PC, the aesthetics of the Skytech Azure Gaming PC are quite pleasing as well. As discussed earlier, you’ll get a solid chassis with RGB strips on the front panel and texture that gives an incredible look to the PC. The side-tempered glass on one side and the honeycomb texture on the other side further contributes to the beauty of this little beast. 

Lastly, one thing that we noticed is that the motherboard only has one M.2 slot and it is already equipped with a 1TB NVMe SSD. In case you want to expand your internal storage, you will need to purchase the traditional 2.5’’ SSDs. All-in-all, if you don’t mind an additional few bucks, this one is also worth looking into.

Is 32GB overkill for a gaming PC?

32GB of RAM is overkill for many people, but for playing the most demanding games it can be useful. Some games even list it as a system requirement for playing on the highest graphic settings.

Will RAM improve FPS?

Upgrading your RAM can help you get higher frame rates. Sometimes though it may be a different component that is holding your gaming PC back.

About the Author

Rory Greig

Rory Greig works as a tech writer for Videogamer. He is a writer with a strong knowledge of gaming technology and an eye for detail. He is especially interested in graphics cards and generative AI.