We built a Prime Day PC for less than $850, and we didn't even have to use an 8GB GPU

If you're in the market for a budget gaming rig and don't want to shop around for parts this Amazon Prime Day, then we've put together an epic budget build using parts on sale at Amazon (and rivals) during the Big Deal Days event.

Market conditions mean we couldn't quite squeeze out an $800 rig without significant compromises, such as skimping on the RAM or just stuffing all the parts into a ziplock bag rather than a real case. However, we've still produced a brilliant machine that will smash 1080p gaming and features a handy 16GB GPU, all for just $850.

• Check out all the deals in Amazon's Prime Day Sale

While you can't please everyone with a PC build, this is a great starting point for anyone wanting to get a head start on building a budget rig during this sales event. You'll get an 8-core processor, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB M.2 SSD, and the plucky RX 9060 XT with 16GB of VRAM.

As is often the case, Amazon isn't always the best place to buy parts during its own sales events, so you'll find Newegg and even B&H Photo have come in clutch to get us under budget. We attempted a similar build during the main Prime Day sale this summer, so scroll on down to see how this one has panned out by contrast.

$850 Prime Day gaming PC: Quick list

• AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor: $158 at Amazon
• Gigabyte B550 Eagle Wi-Fi 6 motherboard: was $119 now $89 at Amazon
• PowerColor Reaper AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT: was $369 now $349 at Amazon
• PNY 32GB (2 x 16GB) XLR8 3200 MHz DDR4: $69 at B&H Photo
• Samsung 990 EVO Plus SSD 1TB: was $104.99 now $59.99 at Amazon
• Phanteks XT Pro: was $59 now $49.99 at Newegg
• Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 80+ Gold 600W: was $69.99 now $53.19 at Amazon

$850 Prime Day gaming PC

AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor + Free 1TB SSD: $158 at Amazon

This is the same processor we chose the last time we built this. The dynamite Ryzen 7 5800XT comes with 4.8GHz peak clock speeds and eight cores of Zen 3 power. Grabbing this CPU from Amazon is now cheaper than Newegg. What's more, 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 will push you around $10 over budget.

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Gigabyte B550 Eagle Wi-Fi 6: was $119.99 now $89.99 at Amazon

All-time low price!

The AM4 Gigabyte Eagle will seat our 5800XT and the DDR4 RAM we've chosen for this build. It comes with Wi-Fi, a decent array of connectivity, and at just $89.99, is extremely affordable.

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PowerColor Reaper AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB GDDR6: was $369.99 now $349.99 at Amazon

While the discount here is modest, the star of our show is actually cheaper than it was the last time we recommended it at just $349. AMD wins again in our budget build for GPU, as it does for CPU. Get $20 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.

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PNY 32GB XLR8 3200 MHz DDR4: $69.99 at BHPhoto

Our first foray away from Amazon is to B&H Photo for 32GB of PNY DDR4 RAM. 32GB of RAM is a non-negotiable for us and an impressive spec to boast in a build this cheap.

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Samsung 990 EVO Plus SSD 1TB: was $104.99 now $59.99 at Amazon

A great all-round M.2 SSD that won't break the bank, but doesn't skimp on performance. Naturally, you can opt for more storage, but this cheap drive is key to keeping us under budget.

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Phanteks XT Pro: was $59.99 now $49.99 at Newegg

With a $10 rebate on offer, this Phanteks XT Pro case costs less than 50 bucks and gets you a tempered glass window, one fan (with support for plenty more), radiator support for liquid cooling (if you'd like to upgrade down the line), and plenty of space for our GPU and all the other parts. It's not the flashiest case in the world, but it's understated and solid, perfect for what we need.

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Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 80+ Gold 600W: was $69.99 now $53.19 at Amazon

600W will be plenty of power for our rig, and this Thermaltake Toughpower comes with an 80+ Gold rating and a nifty discount to see us over the line.

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And there you have it, a capable and affordable gaming PC that will handle 1080p and even some 1440p for a little shy of $850, no corners cut.

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.