Can you build a gaming PC for under $1,000 in Australia right now?

Almost. The trick is not to build your dream PC in one go. Start with a cheap, solid base and upgrade it over time. A starter gaming PC built that way costs $1,029 from two Australian stores right now, just $29 over the line. That’s before Windows.

It saves money in two places, the graphics card and the SSD, which are the easiest parts to upgrade later. The parts that are hard to swap, like the motherboard, power supply and case, are picked to leave room to grow. Here’s the build, how to upgrade it, and what $1,000 buys if you’d rather skip the PC altogether.

Why it costs more than it used to

Memory is the big problem. AI data centres are buying up memory chips, and the prices PC makers pay have shot up. Research firm TrendForce expected DRAM contract prices to rise 90 to 95 per cent in the first three months of 2026 alone, The Register reported in February. In late September, TrendForce said it expects another 10 to 15 per cent rise this quarter.

You can see it on the shelf. The cheapest 32GB DDR5 kit we found in stock was $639 at Computer Alliance. That’s more than an RTX 5060 graphics card, which PC Case Gear sells for $629.

Older DDR4 memory has held up much better. PC Case Gear’s cheapest in-stock 16GB DDR5 kit was $409, while a 16GB DDR4 kit was $179. That $230 difference is why this build uses AMD’s older AM4 platform with DDR4 memory.

The starter build: $1,029

This build is aimed at 1080p gaming. Every part was listed in stock when we checked.

Part	What we picked	Store	Price
Processor	AMD Ryzen 5 5500 (cooler included)	PC Case Gear	$129
Motherboard	ASUS Prime B550M-K ARGB (AM4, micro-ATX)	PC Case Gear	$109
Memory	PNY XLR8 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3200	PC Case Gear	$179
Graphics	MSI GeForce RTX 3050 Ventus 2X E 6GB	Computer Alliance	$349
Storage	PNY CS1031 500GB NVMe SSD	PC Case Gear	$129
Power supply	MSI MAG A650BN 650W, 80 Plus Bronze	Computer Alliance	$65
Case	Cooler Master Elite 301 ARGB	PC Case Gear	$69
Total			$1,029

Why these parts:

• The graphics card is the stopgap. The RTX 3050 6GB is the cheapest card here that’s worth gaming on: every card below it at Computer Alliance had 4GB of video memory or less. It’s the first thing to upgrade.
• The motherboard leaves room to grow. ASUS’s B550 board has two M.2 slots, so you can add a second SSD later without removing the first. It also takes up to 64GB of memory.
• The power supply is bigger than it needs to be. Computer Alliance lists 300W as the recommended power supply for this RTX 3050. The 650W unit is there for the next graphics card, not this one.
• The case is the right size. It takes micro-ATX boards and, according to PC Case Gear, graphics cards up to 365mm long.
• Check the BIOS. Before you buy, check ASUS’s CPU support list to make sure the board’s BIOS supports your processor.

If you already have an old PC with a case, power supply and SSD you can reuse, the rest of the build comes to $766. Check that the old power supply has enough wattage for the graphics card you plan to end up with.

How to upgrade it later

These are the upgrades in the order we’d make them, with today’s prices:

Upgrade	What to buy	Price today	What changes
1. Graphics card	Intel Arc B580 12GB (PC Case Gear)	$449	Twice the video memory of the RTX 3050
2. Storage	Kingston NV3 1TB in the second M.2 slot (PC Case Gear)	$229	Room for more big games, keeping the first SSD
3. Memory	PNY XLR8 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 (PC Case Gear)	$369	Doubles the memory. The board has two slots, so this replaces the 16GB kit.
4. Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5700X (Computer Alliance)	$319	Eight cores instead of six. Sold without a cooler.
	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (Computer Alliance)	$549	The other drop-in option for this AM4 board

The graphics card makes the biggest difference, which is why it comes first. Gamers Nexus found the Arc B580 “poses considerable value as compared to the RTX 4060 and RX 7600”. The power supply has room for more than that, too:

• Intel lists 600W as the minimum for the B580.
• NVIDIA lists 550W of system power for the RTX 5060 and 600W for the RTX 5060 Ti. NVIDIA based those figures on a PC with a much more powerful Ryzen 9 processor.

There is a limit. AM4 is AMD’s older platform, and its newer Ryzen 7000, 8000 and 9000 processors use the AM5 socket, so they won’t fit this board. Once you’ve moved to a Ryzen 7 on AM4, the next processor upgrade means a new motherboard and new memory.

Or start on the newer platform

If you want the longest upgrade path, you can start on AMD’s AM5 platform instead. Swap in a Ryzen 5 7500F ($239), a Sapphire B650M-E motherboard ($99) and 16GB of DDR5 memory ($409, all at PC Case Gear). The same starter build then costs $1,359, which is $330 more. Most of that difference is the memory. Right now you pay a lot up front for the extra headroom.

Or start with a better graphics card

If you’d rather not upgrade the graphics card later, start with the Arc B580 and a 1TB SSD. This build was in stock at PC Case Gear:

Build	Processor	Graphics	Total
Starter (above, two stores)	Ryzen 5 5500	RTX 3050 6GB	$1,029
Better card, one store	Ryzen 5 5500	Arc B580 12GB	$1,243
Step up (AMD card)	Ryzen 5 5600 ($189)	Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB ($599)	$1,453
Step up (NVIDIA card)	Ryzen 5 5600 ($189)	GeForce RTX 5060 8GB ($629)	$1,483

The PC Case Gear builds use the same ASUS board, 16GB of DDR4, a 1TB Kingston NV3 SSD ($229), a Cooler Master MWE 650W power supply ($79) and the Elite 301 case. Swapping in Computer Alliance’s Gigabyte B550M H ARGB board ($98), the same Kingston SSD ($219) and an MSI 650W power supply ($65) brings the B580 build down to $1,208. That’s two orders and two delivery fees, though.

Other ways to save

• Buying used. Second-hand parts can be much cheaper, but you give up protection. The Queensland Government says “many consumer guarantees do not apply” when you buy from a private person rather than a business. Only the guarantees for clear title, undisturbed possession and freedom from hidden securities still apply.
• Waiting for Black Friday. Black Friday is on 27 November, and some stores start their sales earlier. We’ll update this page if any of these parts drop in price.

Don’t forget Windows. Microsoft’s Australian store sells Windows 10/11 Home for $249.

Or buy one already built

The cheapest gaming PC we found ready-made was PC Case Gear’s Ghost at $1,399. It has a Ryzen 5 5600, a Radeon RX 9060 8GB, 16GB of DDR4 and a 1TB SSD, with no Windows included. It arrives assembled, but it costs $370 more than our starter build.

What the same money buys in a console

If you mostly want to play rather than tinker, a PS5, Switch 2 or Xbox Series S all come in under $1,000. These were Target’s prices when we checked:

Console	Target price	RRP
Nintendo Switch 2	$699	$769.95
Xbox Series S (512GB)	$699	$699
Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle	$829	—
PlayStation 5 Digital Edition	$889	$919.95
PlayStation 5 (disc)	$949	$999.95

Games and online memberships cost extra on every console, but you won’t need Windows. RRPs are from Press Start’s reports of Sony’s, Nintendo’s and Microsoft’s Australian price changes in 2026.

The short answer

You can’t quite get a new gaming PC for under $1,000 in Australia right now, but a starter PC built to be upgraded comes close at $1,029. Start there, put the first upgrade money into a better graphics card, and add storage and memory when you need them. If $1,000 is a hard limit, reuse parts from an old PC, or put the money towards a console. We’ll keep checking prices and update this page when they move.

Prices checked around midday AEDT on Saturday 31 October 2026, for parts listed in stock. They don’t include delivery. Prices change often, so check before you buy.