Building a PC on a budget is becoming increasingly complex, with new peripherals, CPUs, GPUs and components dropping left and right. That said, the good thing about a PC is that you can always upgrade components one at a time as you go along.
In this article, we’re going over two gaming PC builds under INR 30,000. One will be a complete build, including all the peripherals you’ll need, and the other is just the CPU build if you’ve already got the peripherals.
Also read: Intel Core i9 vs Core i7 vs Core i5 vs Core i3
Best Gaming PC under ₹30000 (including peripherals)
Since this build includes peripherals like monitors, keyboards and mice, among other devices, you won’t have much of a budget for your CPU. We’ll be cheaping out on peripherals to have the maximum budget available for our CPU.
Peripherals
So let’s go over the peripherals first. We’re including all the basics you’ll need — a monitor, keyboard, mouse and a set of speakers.
Monitor
Brand and Model: Enter Black HD | Price: INR 4,130
There are not a lot of good monitors available for cheap on the market. However, Enter’s Black monitor fits a 15.4-inch LED-backlit panel running at 1920 x 1200 pixels along with a VGA and HDMI connection for just around 4000 rupees. At this price point, it’s a pretty good deal.
Here are some alternatives for you as well:
- Zebster ZEB-v16HD: INR 3,975
- Secureye LED Monitor: INR 3,740
You can get the Enter Black monitor here
Keyboard and Mouse
Brand and Model: Zebronics Zeb-Transformer | Price: INR 1,399
For our input devices, we’re going with a keyboard and mouse combo from Zebronics. It’s a well-known brand for producing peripherals at the lower end of the price range, and this combo is not any different.
You get a full-size RGB keyboard with integrated media keys and a braided cable. As for the mouse, there’s RGB, six programmable buttons, and the DPI goes as high as 3200.
However, here are some alternatives for you:
- EvoFox X-Team Fireblade combo: INR 1,299
- Logitech MK215 wireless keyboard mouse combo: INR 1,195
You can get the Zebronics Keyboard and Mouse Combo here
Optional peripherals
If you have the extra cash, we would recommend buying these as well. The first two are from my desk.
- F&D F203G 2.1 Speakers: INR 1,899
- Redgear MPR800 Mousepad: INR 1,299
- Redgear Cloak RGB Gaming Headphones: INR 799
CPU
So with the peripherals out of the way, we can now start picking out components for our CPU.
Processor
Brand and Model: Intel 10th Gen Core i3 10105F | Price: INR 7,645
The processor is by far an essential part of your build, and hence, we’re spending as much as we can on one. We’re going with the 10th Gen Core i3 10105F, which will give you four cores eight threads and has a turbo boost clock of up to 4.40GHz. There’s one problem, though, the processor requires a discrete GPU. However, since we’re building a computer, that will soon be resolved.
While this isn’t the latest and greatest of processors, the i3 should handle modern games relatively well and can last you for at least a couple of years, considering it is already two generations old.
You can get the Intel 10th Gen Core i3 10105F here
Motherboard
Brand and Model: MSI H410M PRO-VH | Price: INR 5,299
Just like the processor, the motherboard also plays a rather important role in your build. We’re going with MSI’s H410M PRO-VH. Not only does it support our 10th Gen i3, but it also gives you a lot of room for upgradability when it comes to graphics, thanks to the PCIe Gen 3 slot that can support up to RTX 30 series cards. You get dual DDR4 memory slots for up to 64GB memory, Intel Gigabit LAN and a ton of IO, including a VGA. HDMI and a DVI-D port.
You can get the MSI H410M PRO-VH here
Memory
Brand and Model: Crucial CT8G4DFRA32A | Price: INR 2,800
When it comes to RAM, you need to have an absolute minimum of 8GB. Here, the stick we’re going with is an 8GB DDR4 memory module running at 3200Mhz. This is as good as it gets at this price range and should handle your PC rather well. However, it’s always advisable to jump up to 16 whenever you can, so feel free to buy another one of these when you can and throw them in for a dual-channel configuration.
Here are some alternatives for you:
- Daichi 8GB DDR4 1600MHz RAM: INR 2,200
- Crucial 8GB DDR4 2666 MHz RAM: INR 2,715
You can get the Crucial CT8G4DFRA32A RAM here
Graphics card
Brand and Model: Asus GeForce GT710 | Price: INR 4,998
There isn’t much to this GPU other than the 2GB of DDR5 VRAM that you get. It doesn’t require a fan and is relatively low profile and low on the power draw (19W). While this isn’t going to give you top of the line performance, you’ll still get better performance than you would with integrated graphics.
You can get the Asus GeForce GT710 here
Storage
Brand and Model: Toshiba MK3276GSX | Price: INR 1,299
In terms of Storage, SSDs are the way to go. However, when you’re strapped for cash, SSDs on the cheap won’t offer much storage. An SSD for this price range will only be 128GB which is very little space considering you’ll be installing Windows and games and software on the same drive. And while 320GB isn’t enough space, it’s undoubtedly more than 128GB.
Here are some alternatives that you can get:
- Geonix 500GB SATA HDD: INR 1,474
- Consistent 500GB SATA HDD: INR 1,449
You can get the Toshiba MK3276GSX HDD here
Case
Brand and Model: Finger’s Gallant C4 | Price: INR 2,499
Now, this isn’t a very flashy case, but for the price of the case, you’re also getting a 450W power supply which should be more than enough for the components in this build.
You can get the Finger's Gallant C4 case here
Price breakout
Here’s a breakdown of everything included in this build.
| Catagory | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Peripherals | Peripherals | – |
| Monitor | Enter Black HD | INR 4,130 |
| Keyboard/Mouse | Zebronics Zeb-Transformer | INR 1,399 |
| CPU | CPU | – |
| Processor | Intel 10th Gen Core i3 10105F | INR 7,645 |
| Motherboard | MSI H410M PRO-VH | INR 5,299 |
| RAM | Crucial CT8G4DFRA32A | INR 2,800 |
| Graphics Card | Asus GeForce GT710 | INR 4,998 |
| Storage | Toshiba MK3276GSX | INR 1,299 |
| Case + PSU | Finger’s Gallant C4 | INR 2,499 |
| Total Price | INR 30,069 |
Also read: Nvidia graphic cards comparison: Which one is better for PC and Mobile?
Best Gaming PC under ₹30000 (without peripherals)
If you don’t have to buy peripherals, you have far more money to spend on better peripherals, so let’s get started.
Processor
Brand and Model: Intel 10th Gen Core i3 10105F | Price: INR 7,645
We’ll be using the same Intel 10th Gen Core i3 10105F as processors above this jump significantly in price and would be out of budget. The 10th gen i3 will still give you plenty of performance with the upgraded GPU.
To reiterate, the processor gives you four cores, eight threads and has a turbo boost clock of up to 4.40GHz. Once again, while this isn’t the latest and greatest when it comes to processors, the i3 should handle modern games relatively well and can last you for at least a couple of years, considering it’s already two generations old.
You can get the Intel 10th Gen Core i3 10105F here
Motherboard
Brand and Model: MSI H410M PRO-VH | Price: INR 5,299
Just like the processor, the motherboard also plays a rather important role in your build. We’re going with MSI’s H410M PRO-VH. Not only does it support our 10th Gen i3, but it also gives you a lot of room for upgradability when it comes to graphics, thanks to the PCIe Gen 3 slot that can support up to RTX 30 series cards. You get dual DDR4 memory slots for up to 64GB memory, Intel Gigabit LAN and a ton of IO, including a VGA. HDMI and a DVI-D port.
You can get the MSI H410M PRO-VH here
Memory
Brand and Model: Crucial CT8G4DFRA32A | Price: INR 2,800
The RAM module is also getting reused. Since we’re going with an upgraded GPU this time around, the memory will be used to its full extent. This also means that upgrading memory to 16GB In a dual-channel configuration is even more important, so be sure to try that out as well.
Here are some alternatives for you:
- Daichi 8GB DDR4 1600MHz RAM: INR 2,200
- Crucial 8GB DDR4 2666 MHz RAM: INR 2,715
You can get the Crucial CT8G4DFRA32A RAM here
Graphics card
Brand and Model: Colorful GeForce GT 1030 | Price: INR 9,400
This GPU is a serious upgrade from the aforementioned GT710. You get 4GB of dedicated DDR4 VRAM, which might look less on paper, and yes, DDR4 is a slower standard, but the increase in the number of shaders and teraflops means better performance in-game.
However, if you’re bent on getting DDR5, you can opt for this card’s 2GB DDR5 variant. It’s also slightly cheaper at INR 8,949 and will perform better than the 2GB DDR4 variant. Either way, you’ll be picking a good card.
You can get the Colorful GeForce GT 1030 here
Storage
Brand and Model: Geonix Black SSD | Price: INR 2,188
Yes, you’re only getting 240GB of storage here, a majority of which would be taken by Windows. However, the performance boost you’ll get from the other components can be impacted if you’re using slow storage. You might not be able to load up many games on here, but you certainly will be able to get better performance. The SSD also comes with a three-year warranty, so you’re covered on that front as well.
Here are some alternatives for you as well:
- WD Green SATA SSD 128GB: INR 1,999
- Crucial BX500 480GB NAND SATA SSD: INR 3,945
You can get the Geonix Black SSD here
Case
Brand and Model: Artis ICE 3.0 | Price: INR 2,599
We’ll be going with the Artis ICE 3.0 case for this build. This is a microATX case with an inbuilt 400W PSU. and an 80mm cooling fan which should take care of any extra heat generated by the upgraded GPU we’re using.
You can get the Artis ICE 3.0 case here
Price breakout
Here’s a breakdown of everything included in this build.
| Catagory | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel 10th Gen Core i3 10105F | INR 7,645 |
| Motherboard | MSI H410M PRO-VH | INR 5,299 |
| RAM | Crucial CT8G4DFRA32A | INR 2,800 |
| Graphics Card | Colourful GeForce GT 1030 | INR 9,400 |
| Storage | Geonix Black SSD | INR 2,188 |
| Case + PSU | Artis ICE 3.0 | INR 2,599 |
| Total Price | INR 29,931 |
Also read: How to check which Motherboard you have in Windows 10?
