So you want to be a gamer, a streamer, or a video editor. You want to see the best that the internet and modern technology has to offer; maybe you want to contribute to those offerings. But you feel that you aren’t biased, not because you aren’t skilled but because you aren’t balling on that old Windows 95 computer.
You are finding yourself caught between a gaming rig and a gaming laptop, but are weighing out the pros and the cons between what things are better to compromise. While gaming laptops provide portability and a sense of freedom, a gaming desktop will not only perform better, but are also less expensive to upgrade and repair throughout the years. Sure, you may also have to invest in accessories like a gaming monitor, a keyboard and mouse, but nothing sets the bar high like owning your own gaming setup. So you say to yourself, “I need to buy a gaming PC.”
You have set your sights on a $1,500 budget and you want to search for the best prebuilt PC that money can buy. But where do you start? How do you start? Do you start hunting for single parts to slowly put together over time?No, you want to get started now and start seeing frame rates today.
Why should I buy a prebuilt gaming PC?
There are numerous reasons to purchase a gaming desktop that is already built for you. The first reason in favor of buying a prebuilt gaming PC is time convenience. By ordering a fully assembled prebuilt computer, rather than a collection of parts, the entire computer will arrive at your door, ready to use, as soon as it’s out of the box.
You don’t need to ask questions about compatibility, or parts that will or won’t work together, or are or aren’t in stock to buy. You don’t need to spend time attaching parts together, or screwing things down, or testing to see if everything works.
At VRLA Tech, we do all of that compatibility, assembly, and testing work for you. But that’s not all the support we provide; If it happens that something does go wrong, you don’t need to track down customer support contacts for each individual component to try to find where the problem is– instead, you have a single point of contact for all technical support who can quickly resolve any issues you may encounter.
In past years, prebuilt computers and the companies that sell them have had a bit of a poor reputation. Some of this reputation comes from a set of poor choices made by some builders, but a lot of it is in a culture of people who insist that “you must build your own computer, or it doesn’t count.”
That culture is really just gatekeeping.
As to the poor choices, those usually take the form of either unbalanced part choices, utilizing proprietary and difficult-to-replace components, or the presence of unnecessary software coming preinstalled on the systems. At VRLA Tech, we don’t make those choices; the computers we provide are all designed to offer the best balance available between different components, so that no individual component is overpriced and underused, or underpriced and overworked.
As a System Integrator, we utilize all standard-issue components, built to standard component form factors and compatibility profiles. Therefore, all components we use can be easily replaced for long-term repairs or future upgrades.
This also means that, upon customer request, we have the flexibility to special-order specific components to build exactly the computer you want (while still watching for component compatibility). And as for software, every system we build is given an activated copy of Windows, the set of critical device drivers required to operate all components, a package of RGB control software, and that’s it. No excessive software, no excessive idle resource usage, no unwanted programs to clean up.
Where do I buy a Prebuilt Gaming PC?
It may seem as though hearing about a cheap gaming pc is merely just a myth. On the contrary, you may actually hear that prebuilt computers are very expensive.
That is exactly what we aim to counter today. Low budget gaming PCs are becoming more and more available to any enthusiast that wishes to begin their gaming, video-editing and streaming journey.
At the current moment, VRLA Tech offers three highly capable prebuilt gaming PCs for under $1000, and a fourth currently on sale for $1100.There is a lot to be said about choosing a prebuilt Gaming PC, a topic on which we have also recently published an article; but here, let’s review VRLA Tech’s four best prebuilt gaming pcs under $1,500: the VRLA Tech Spark Gaming PC, Aurora Gaming PC, Legacy Gaming PC, and Apollo Gaming PC.
VRLA Tech Spark Gaming PC – $649.99
SPECS:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600G APU 6-Core 12-Thread with AMD Radeon Vega Integrated Graphics
RAM: 2x8GB DDR4
Storage: 500GB SSD
Power Supply: EVGA 600W 80+ rated power supply
Cooling: AMD Wraith cooler + 3 high performance 120mm RGB fans
The Spark Gaming PC is our most affordable entry-level PC choice for beginners who are looking into buying a prebuilt gaming computer.
It is extremely power efficient, consuming only 100W under full load. It is entirely capable of playing simple games like Minecraft and Roblox, but it is also able to play more flashy games like Valorant, Fortnite, and Final Fantasy XIV at 1080p.
This set of abilities comes from it being an APU-based system, utilizing the extremely versatile AMD Ryzen 5 5600G, which combines the full might of Zen 3 cores with an actual gaming-capable integrated graphics processor.
Most gamers would say that the graphics card is the most important part of a gaming PC, so, it may seem odd that the Spark lacks one.
To this concern, we have two responses: one, the Ryzen 5 5600G’s integrated graphics are in fact capable of gaming (we use Final Fantasy XIV in our standard testing suite); and two, with the Spark’s easily accessible chassis and 600W power supply, the Spark gaming pc can be very easily upgraded with a dedicated graphics card.
As a CPU, the Ryzen 5 5600G is only a hair behind the Ryzen 5 5600, one of the most solidly capable mid-range CPUs on the market.The Spark gaming pc also has RGB fans as its default setting, and everyone loves RGB fans.
VRLA Tech Aurora Gaming PC – $799.99
SPECS:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 4100 4-Core 8-Thread OR Intel Core i3-12100F 4-Core 8-Thread
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
RAM: 2x8GB DDR4
Storage: 120GB SSD + 1TB HDD
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ rated power supply
Cooling: AMD Wraith cooler OR Intel Laminar RM1 cooler + 2 standard 120mm cooling fans
The Aurora Gaming PC is our next step up after the Spark. This prebuilt gaming pc has several more options for upgrades that we provide, changing out the NVIDIA GeForce 1650 for a 1660 Super, or an RTX 2060 as an entry point to NVIDIA’s Real-Time Raytracing “RTX” technology. The standard Aurora fields an AMD Ryzen 3 4100, a compact and efficient CPU for a compact and efficient computer. However, it also offers a substantial alternative for only $50 more: the Intel Core i3-12100F.
Years of past wisdom will tell you that an i3 is too slow to use for real gaming, but the Core i3-12100F is the processor that changed all that; the i3-12100F can play just about any game on the market today. Its only real suffering point is in multitasking; you can’t play Minecraft, Factorio, and Final Fantasy XIV all at the same time on the same screen very well, but you can play any one of those.
Also the Aurora comes in PINK! So many gaming computer cases come in mysterious jet black or bright and shining white, but only those as color choices. But not the Aurora, the Aurora can also be pink.
VRLA Tech Legacy Gaming PC – $949.99
SPECS:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5500 6-Core 12-Thread
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050
RAM: 2x8GB DDR4
Storage: 500GB PCIe NVMe SSD
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ rated power supply
Cooling: AMD Wraith cooler + 2 standard 120mm cooling fans
The Legacy Gaming PC is a special prebuilt gaming PC, partly because of how many technology fields it opens up to the buyer but mostly because of how many components in it have the number 5 in their names.
This is an AMD Ryzen 5 5500, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050, and 500W EVGA 80+ rated power supply (look at all those 5s, that’s six 5s!). And that set of parts brings 6 cores of AMD Zen 3 performance, and VR-capable and RTX-capable graphics. It will play games from Roblox to Call of Duty: Warzone 2.
This low budget gaming PC is a simple and convenient pre-configured system in a clean and lightweight case, which still features a vivid RGB strip down the front panel of the PC. And it all comes at a below-$1,000 price tag. Most of the other sections in this article talk about component alternatives and upgrades, but the Legacy Gaming PC doesn’t need to ask those questions. It doesn’t break the bank, it doesn’t ask questions, and it just works.
VRLA Tech Apollo Gaming PC – $1,099.99
SPECS:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 6-Core 12-Thread
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
RAM: 2x8GB DDR4
Storage: 128GB PCIe NVMe SSD + 1TB HDD
Power Supply: EVGA 600W 80+ rated power supply
Cooling: Deepcool/VRLA Tech Gammax RGB tower cooler + 2 standard 120mm cooling fans
The Apollo Gaming PC is where we break over $1000, however, there is good reason to; it’s by far our best selling prebuilt gaming PC so it’s well worth the price.
Where the Legacy was the build of all 5s, this is the build of all 6s, and the 6s are the popularly known “mid-grade” parts. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X was one of the best selling CPUs of 2022 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 was one of the best selling GPUs of 2022.
Those sales numbers are with good reason: these are the parts that offered the best balance on the market between price and performance, with 1440p gaming, 1080p RTX, and 6 cores of multitasking potential on AMD’s signature Zen 3 power and thermal efficiency.
The Apollo Gaming PC has two alternate versions. The first uses the Intel Core i5-12400, Intel’s Alder Lake answer to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X. Both variants have the same price point, and the two CPUs trade back and forth in benchmarks without a clear overall winner.
The second alternate version enters the AMD Ryzen 7000 series of CPUs, offering any of the AMD Ryzen 5 7600, AMD Ryzen 5 7600X, AMD Ryzen 7 7700, or AMD Ryzen 7 7700X. These newer CPUs do offer a substantial uplift over the previous AMD Ryzen 5000 series CPUs.
The Ryzen 5000 series were extremely strong performers for a number of years and they’re still extremely effective for their price points, but there’s no direct upgrade path out of them anymore; and in four years when they start to show their age there isn’t an in-slot upgrade option the way there was for Ryzen 1000 or 2000.
That’s where Ryzen 7000 enters; if AMD holds to the promises for the AM5 socket the same way they held to their promises for AM4 socket, it’ll be very easy to swap a Ryzen 7000 for a Ryzen 10000 (or whatever AMD decides to name them) in 2026.
But with that said, if you’d rather cross that bridge when you come to it, a Ryzen 5 5600X or Intel Core i5-12400 will easily last until 2026, and you can make new decisions then.
Unlike the other options discussed above, the Apollo Gaming PC also comes in several different cases.
The standard Apollo Gaming PC is built in the Deepcool Matrexx 55 V3, an ATX mid tower case with a transparent tempered glass front panel, with an RGB lighting strip running down the side of the glass.
However, we also offer the Corsair 4000D Airflow, and the Lian Li O11 Air Mini. Both of these alternative cases replace the transparent tempered glass front panel with a perforated mesh front panel. The Corsair 4000D Airflow is about the same size as the Deepcool Matrexx 55 V3; the Lian Li O11 Air Mini is slightly shorter (in both length and height), but wider than the Deepcool Matrexx 55 V3.
Now, the above has all been mainly a discussion of the core capabilities and parts of the systems. But those are all functional, let’s talk about how you can style your custom gaming pc.
Every custom gaming computer that we build and ship has a transparent tempered glass side wall, and many of them also have either a transparent glass or airflow-perforated mesh front panel. You can see through that and see inside the computer. And that gives the opportunity to let the computer show off a bit.
RGB fans, RGB memory, RGB CPU cooling, RGB strip lighting and tiles, we offer upgrades with them all. Even liquid cooling – on these systems running on Ryzen 5 or Intel Core i5 CPUs, liquid cooling isn’t necessary, but if you want it we have it.
We know that this article is supposed to be about the “best gaming pc under $1500”, but VRLA Tech has a sale going on right now, on a system that’s just a little above that point: The VRLA Tech Titan Gaming PC.
VRLA Tech Titan Gaming PC – $1,549.99
SPECS:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600 6-Core 12-Thread
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
RAM: 2x8GB DDR5 5200MHz
Storage: 240GB PCIe NVMe SSD + 1TB HDD
Power Supply: EVGA 650W 80+ rated power supply
Cooling: Deepcool/VRLA Tech Gammax RGB tower cooler + 2 standard 120mm cooling fans
The Titan Gaming PC is just a hair above $1500 but it’s still worth looking at due to its pairing of core parts: AMD Ryzen 5 7600, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070. $1549.99 is an unbeatable price for that level of performance. It offers the multitasking of what used to be an AMD Ryzen 7 or an Intel Core i7, at the power draw of an AMD Ryzen 5. It also brings high-quality 1440p gaming, 1080p RTX gaming, and an entrance to 4K gaming.
The Titan Gaming PC has one alternate version, which replaces the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 with an Intel Core i5-13600KF. This upgraded alternative does start to push the price a bit further out of the $1,500 range, especially because the Intel Core i5-13600KF will run at higher temperatures than the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 and thus additional cooling fans are recommended; however it is also a quite substantial uplift in performance for CPU-bound applications.
Like the Apollo Gaming PC, the Titan Gaming PC is also built in the Deepcool Matrexx 55 V3; and again like the Apollo Gaming PC, the Titan Gaming PC can also be built in the Corsair 4000D Airflow and the Lian Li O11 Air Mini.
This wraps up our selection for the best prebuilt gaming PCs under $1,500 that VRLA Tech has to offer. With the prebuilds mentioned in this blog, you may see for yourself that you can get not only high-quality features but also efficient components without having to do all the work yourself.
Finding an affordable, sensibly assembled, prebuilt gaming PC is not just a myth, it is a reality. And with the help of VRLA Tech, in just a few short days, you can join PC gamers worldwide and can too know what it feels like to be a real gamer.