Best Gaming PC Under £500 UK (2026): What Your Money Actually Buys
Short answer: at £500 in the UK you are choosing between two very different machines that look identical in a product grid — a box with integrated graphics, or a PC with a real, dedicated graphics card. That one difference decides whether Fortnite runs at 165 FPS or stutters at 45. This guide shows you how to tell them apart in 30 seconds, what frame rates to expect, and where the money goes.
The one spec that matters at this price
Almost every big-name prebuilt under £500 is built around an APU — typically a Ryzen 5600G-class chip whose Vega integrated graphics borrow system memory to render games. They are fine office machines. They are not gaming PCs. At 1080p in Fortnite you can expect roughly 40–60 FPS on low settings, with dips in fights — exactly when frame rate matters.
A discrete graphics card changes the category. Our Luz ships at £499.99 with an NVIDIA GTX 1660 Super 6GB — and because it is a real graphics card with its own memory, the same games run at two to four times the frame rate, on higher settings.
Real numbers, measured on the build we ship
These are not estimates — they are measured at 1080p competitive settings on the exact configuration that leaves our bench in Harlow:
| Game | Luz (£499, GTX 1660 Super) | Typical £430–£480 iGPU prebuilt |
|---|---|---|
| Fortnite | 165 FPS | ~45–60 FPS (low) |
| Valorant | 280 FPS | ~90–120 FPS |
| Minecraft | 200 FPS | ~60–80 FPS |
| Counter-Strike 2 | 170 FPS | ~50–70 FPS |
| Warzone | 80 FPS | often unplayable |
The practical difference: a 144Hz monitor is actually worth owning with the first column. With the second, it never will be.
How a discrete GPU fits into £500
Honestly: professionally tested refurbished parts, used deliberately. In the Luz, the graphics card, processor and RAM are refurbished; the motherboard, power supply, SSD, case, cooling and Windows 11 Pro licence are brand new. Every refurbished component is tested on arrival, then stress tested again inside the finished build, and carries exactly the same parts-and-labour warranty as the new parts. That sourcing is worth roughly £150 of extra performance at this price — it is the whole trick, and we would rather explain it than hide it. More on that approach in our refurbished gaming PCs range.
A 30-second checklist for any sub-£500 listing
- Find the graphics line. If it says “Radeon Graphics”, “Vega”, or repeats the processor name — that is integrated graphics.
- No FPS numbers published? Assume there is a reason.
- “Gaming” RGB case with office internals is the oldest trick in the category. Lights are not frames.
- Check what is upgradeable. The Luz uses a standard B450 board with a spare NVMe path and a PSU with GPU power headroom — it is built to take a bigger card later.
- Check the seller stands behind it: we include a 1-year parts and labour warranty (upgradable to 3), 14-day no-quibble returns on standard builds, and free tracked, insured UK delivery with dispatch in 3–5 working days.
Who this build suits — and who should spend more
The Luz is the right call for Fortnite, Valorant, Minecraft, Roblox, Rocket League and CS2 at high frame rates, and it is the machine we recommend to most parents buying a first gaming PC. If the games are Warzone, Apex or new AAA titles at high settings — or streaming is on the menu — the step up is our under-£1000 range, where the Rayo (RTX 3070, 32GB RAM) runs Fortnite at 240 FPS and handles 1440p.
Not sure which side of that line you are on? Answer two quick questions and we will point you at the right build — or browse everything in gaming PCs under £500.
FAQ
Is a refurbished GPU risky? Graphics cards do not wear like tyres — a tested card either works to spec or it does not, which is why every card is stress tested twice before shipping and covered by the same warranty as new parts.
Can it be upgraded later? Yes — that is the design intent. RAM, storage and GPU all have a clear upgrade path, and you get lifetime advice from the person who built it.
What is actually in the box? The PC (built and tested), power cable, WiFi antenna, recovery and driver USB, quick start guide and warranty card. Windows 11 Pro is installed and updated — plug in and play.
First order? Subscribers get £35 off orders over £75 with code WELCOME35.