We built a Prime Day PC for less than $800, and we didn't even have to use an 8GB GPU

PC parts next to a Tom's Hardware Prime Day logo
(Image credit: Future)

After throwing together our 1440p Amazon Prime Day PC build, we've turned our skills and expertise to the budget market, and delivered an absolutely dynamite rig for the savvy saver.

That's right: we're talking about a gaming PC that costs less than $800 and doesn't need to resort to an 8GB graphics card that can barely run Steam, let alone your favorite Steam titles.

As with every PC build, it's hard to please everyone, and this build may not be to everybody's taste (did somebody say white case?) Even so, not to be immodest, but we've absolutely smashed this. A powerful eight-core processor with a free cooler and SSD? A swift Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB graphics card? Plenty of storage and a reliable power supply, all in a nice case? Yes, please.

Here's the rundown. Naturally, Amazon is being continually upstaged by rivals during Prime Day, so a couple of vital components actually come from rival Newegg. We don't care, though; we'll go wherever the savings are.

$800 Prime Day gaming PC: Quick list

$800 Prime Day gaming PC

AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor + Free 1TB SSD
Save 36%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor + Free 1TB SSD: was $249 now $159 at Newegg

The first component here is vital because, as you can see, it comes with a free 1TB SSD that will save us $57 on our build. The dynamite Ryzen 7 5800XT comes with 4.8GHz peak clock speeds and eight cores of Zen 3 power. The drive in question is a Team Group MP44L M2 NVME, which earned four stars in our review, where we called it "a budget drive done right." This CPU also comes with AMD's capable Wraith Prism cooler, saving us vital cents on our build. If you insist on a third-party cooler to keep things quieter, grab this $20 Thermalright Assassin Spirit that won't send us over the $800 mark.

Asus TUF Gaming B550-PLUS
Save 24%
Asus TUF Gaming B550-PLUS: was $149 now $113 at Amazon

All-time low price!

This nifty AM4 board will seat our AM4 chip and the DDR4 RAM we'll be recommending in the build. It comes with Wi-Fi 6, more than enough slots and ports for our needs here, and a nice VRM heatsink. Overall, it looks cool as heck.

Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT
Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT: was $395 now $359 at Amazon

AMD wins again in our budget build as it did in the $1,600 build. Get $30+ off this card with 3290 MHz clock speeds and crucially, 16GB of VRAM. If you want a 16GB card from Nvidia, you won't find one for less than $400, more than half our entire budget.

Patriot  Viper Steel 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200
Patriot Viper Steel 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200: $59 at Newegg

We're back to Newegg for our RAM. A build of this budget demands DDR4, so we've picked the excellent Patriot Viper Steel. We wanted 32GB for a build that lasts, even if 16GB would have saved slightly more. This DDR4-3200 kit will suit our build to a tee, but keep an eye out for cheap DDR4-3600 kits, too.

NZXT H5 Flow 2024
Save 36%
NZXT H5 Flow 2024: was $94 now $59.99 at Amazon

Say what you want about white cases, this NZXT H5 flow is a stunning 37% off and looks absolutely brilliant. It can support plenty of fans should you want to upgrade to liquid cooling down the line, and has a tempered glass side panel. It's also built using premium materials, not papier-mache like most PC cases in this price range.

MSI MAG A650BN Gaming Power Supply - 80 Plus Bronze Certified 650W
Save 33%
MSI MAG A650BN Gaming Power Supply - 80 Plus Bronze Certified 650W: was $74.99 now $49.99 at Amazon

This MSI MAG A650BN will deliver all the juice we need to power our 9060 and 5800 XT, but doesn't break the bank. It's not modular, but you'll really struggle to do better for this price, and MSI power supplies are generally reliable. If there's one product you won't want to gamble with, it's your power supply, so sticking with a reputable brand works best here.


There you have it: an affordable PC that's built to last while delivering great gaming performance at 1080p and even 1440p, all for just about $800—and all without cutting a single corner.

We are working hard to find the best computer hardware deals for you this Amazon Prime Day. We cover the hottest deals in real-time at our Best Amazon Prime Day Deals Live page. If you're looking for more savings, check out our Amazon Prime Day deals for a range of products, or dive deeper into our specialized SSD and Storage Deals, Hard Drive Deals, Gaming Monitor Deals, Graphics Card Deals, or CPU Deals pages.

TOPICS
Jeffrey Kampman
Senior Analyst, Graphics

As the Senior Analyst, Graphics at Tom's Hardware, Jeff Kampman covers everything to do with GPUs, gaming performance, and more. From integrated graphics processors to discrete graphics cards to the hyperscale installations powering our AI future, if it's got a GPU in it, Jeff is on it. 

  • cknobman
    Wow not bad at all.
    Reply
  • punkncat
    I tend to agree with the above, however this isn't "really" a Prime Day build with parts coming off Newegg, is it?
    Reply
  • DSzymborski
    You could think of Prime Day as the name of the day(s) rather than an Amazon-specific event. Amazon's such a big retailer that them having a set day like this can affect how other retailers time sales.
    Reply
  • Notton
    AFAIK, Best Buy called it their Mid-Summer Black Friday event.
    Other places refer to similar sales as counter Prime Day sales event.
    It's not even a day anymore.
    Reply
  • Math Geek
    call it what you will, but this is still a pretty good build for the money.

    nicely done.
    Reply
  • tjvaldez01
    That's not an $800 build, it's missing keyboard, mouse, and monitor. But good system nonetheless.
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    DSzymborski said:
    You could think of Prime Day as the name of the day(s) rather than an Amazon-specific event. Amazon's such a big retailer that them having a set day like this can affect how other retailers time sales.
    Just like "Black Friday" is actually the label for 1 Nov -> 31 Jan.
    Reply