The best affordable gaming computers for schools allow you to enjoy the power of a machine built for gaming, but without the usual steep price tag.
The idea behind finding that sweet spot on price and power, is to ensure your school can afford to get as many machines as possible, without scrimping on performance.
It's worth considering what these are being used for as that could mean you buy a mix. Some more powerful machines for taxing gaming that requires the fastest performance, and more affordable options for those that have less pressure to perform -- such as those with lots of processing going on in the cloud, for example.
You may also want to think about setting aside budget for accessories such as gaming keyboard and mouse, headphones, webcams, and even gaming chairs.
This guide lays out the best affordable gaming computers for schools available right now.
The best affordable gaming computers for schools
1. HP Victus 15L: Best overall affordable gaming computer
The HP Victus 15L is the perfect combination of gaming specific setup for performance power while keeping that price tag well under the $1,000 mark. Despite this packing in plenty of power, it also remains relatively compact in a home console-sized setup that can make fitting many into a small space a possibility.
Inside you get all the grunt of an Intel Core 10th-gen processor backed by Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super graphics, up to 16B of RAM, and up to 1TB of storage. More than enough for most gaming needs in school then.
So when it comes to getting the most out of your space, and your budget, this is an option that does that really very well. And it's worth keeping in mind this comes from HP, which is a reputable brand that offers good support and warranty cover, so you have that longer term peace of mind also.
As a bonus this also offers a good selection of ports on the front of the machine, so it can be easily interfaced by students using their personal hardware, or for accessing external drives more easily than on if these were on the back.
An excellent affordable gaming computer for schools with a good selection of variation in specs so you can find the ideal price and power point that meets your needs.
2. Refract Gaming Jade: Best custom build
The Refract Gaming Jade is a custom-built machine that is setup by Overclockers to offer a full-on PC gaming experience without the usual steep price tag. It's worth noting this is often available in sales so you can get it for a lower price if you keep your eyes peeled.
This looks great, with see-through sides, LED lighting, and fantastic framing. But that goes further as it produces superb-looking gaming visuals too, right up to 4K quality thanks to the hardware. This usefully comes in one configuration, making things very simple when buying.
Everything is powered by the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and backed by Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti graphics, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB SSD. That makes this an entry-level gaming PC but one that should offer more than enough power for schools. It's also simple to setup and use with room to upgrade, which makes it a more future-proof option than many at this price and spec level.
It's worth noting that this is air-cooled only, so if you have a lot of these in a room it could get quite noisy. Although since most gamers have headsets on anyway this may not be much of an issue.
3. Lenovo Legion Tower 5i: Best for multi-use
The Lenovo Legion Tower 5i is around the $1,000 mark yet offers powerful gaming specs and works well for wider PC uses, too. It can be good for gaming while also providing enough grunt for video and image-editing purposes.
The tower is an eye-catcher with its glass side and multi-colored LED lighting setup. Thanks to plenty of ventilation holes on the front, this can be cooled efficiently so you get powerful performance at the 1080p-quality level, which 77fps levels on the likes of Cyberpunk 2077.
Don't expect this to offer ray-tracing level performance as that's rare at this price point without suffering on FPS performance. Instead, you can enjoy quality graphical gameplay from the Intel Core i7 CPU backed by Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti with up to 16GB of RAM and a combination 1TB HDD and 512GB SSD for storage capacity and speed combined.
4. Acer Predator Orion 3000: Best compact model
The Acer Predator Orion 3000 manages to keep the price low while also making sure the footprint of this machine is minimal. As such, this is a compact PC that won't take up too much room while still offering plenty of power at that sub-$1,000 price point. You can go higher than that with specs, if needed though.
At the base you get an Intel Core i5 11th-Gen chip backed by Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 graphics card, and up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM plus 512GB or 1TB SSD.
This system uses the company's FrostBlade cooling fans to make sure the setup remains chill even under the most intense pressure. This runs Windows with gaming-friendly features such as the Auto HDR to ensure the dynamic range is as vast as possible to give you the most realistic picture quality.
On top of all that you have a glass side with LED lighting for a truly powerful gaming machine look, plus plenty of space for future upgrades.
5. HP Omen 25L: Best performance on a budget
The HP Omen 25L is a model that stands out when it comes to design and performance. While still keeping the price low this manages to offer superb performance for 1080p gaming, meaning high frame rates on pretty much anything your throw at this machine.
You have an RBG LED lighting setup on the glass-sided main unit that features clean lines and a minimalism that really makes this look fantastic. It also offers super simple tool-free access, making it a good model for upgrades and changes whenever needed.
The top quality performance comes at the base configuration but you can spend more and get that even more powerful, if needed. On entry you get plenty with that AMD Ryzen 5 5600G CPU, AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT GPU, 8GB RAM, and 256GB SSD.
6. Asus ROG Ally: Best handheld
The Asus ROG Ally is a gaming computer compact enough to hold in your hands. This is a really great option if mobility is an important requirement, as this can go anywhere.
Thanks to a built-in 7-inch IPS 120Hz 1080p display flanked by controls and speakers, this is an all-in-one setup. Yet, despite that size, it still packs in full-powered gaming specs.
That's due to a powerful AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip running the show with the backing of an RDNA 3 GPU, a massive 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and a plentiful 512GB SSD.
Despite having all this, and in such a small package, it still manages to keep the price down, making it one of the most affordable options on this list.
7. MSI Codex R2: Best for power without compromises
The MSI Codex R2 is a powerful-yet-affordable gaming machine that offers 1080p-quality gaming and even 1440p performance without making many compromises at all.
This is thanks to plenty of grunt in the form of that Intel Core i5-14400F processor that's backed by an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU as well as 16GB dual channel DDR5 RAM and SSD storage.
This also looks the part with that RGB lighting setup that shows off the plentiful hardware as well as the space for more if needed.
8. Zhic Gaming PC: Best super cheap
The Zhic Gaming PC is a super affordable option that is sub-$500 at time of publishing. Despite that low price, it still manages to offer decent specs, including plentiful RAM at 16GB and a hefty 1TB of SSD storage. Plus, it's powered by the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G CPU and backed by AMD Radeon Vega graphics.
This is where money is clearly saved, as the graphics are built into the CPU rather than having a dedicated separate GPU. As such, this will be more limited than the other machines on this list in terms of top performance power.
That said, you can upgrade as required, so adding in a GPU to this setup may work out more affordable, and powerful, than some of the pre-built options on this list.
