Building a gaming setup on a budget
What a complete setup actually needs, the order to buy it in, and where not to spend.
A setup is built over time, and the order you buy in matters more than the total you spend. Here is a practical sequence.
What do I need for a complete gaming setup?
Essential: the console or PC, a screen, one controller, and a way to hear sound.
Next: a second controller if anyone else plays, a comfortable chair, and somewhere stable to put everything.
Later: a headset with a microphone, extra storage, a better screen, lighting.
Everything past the first list is an improvement, not a requirement. A console, a decent screen and a controller is a complete setup.
What should I buy first when building a setup?
In this order:
1. The console or PC. Everything else depends on it. Do not compromise here to afford accessories — accessories can wait, the machine cannot.
2. The screen. The single biggest upgrade to how games look and feel after the console itself. A mid-range console on a good screen beats an expensive console on a bad one. Prioritise low input lag and decent contrast over resolution and size.
3. A second controller. If more than one person plays, this comes before anything else — it changes what the setup can do rather than how well it does it.
4. A chair. Underrated. If you play for hours, a proper chair affects your experience more than most accessories. A good office chair is usually better value than a branded gaming chair.
5. A headset. Needed for voice chat and for playing without disturbing others.
6. Storage. Once you are deleting games to install new ones.
How do I build a good setup on a limited budget?
Buy pre-owned where it makes sense. A pre-owned console from us carries a real warranty — up to one year on PS4 and PS5, six months on Switch and Xbox Series, one month on controllers. That is a very different proposition from buying privately with no cover.
Sell what you are not using. We buy selected used consoles and games in cash, so an old machine can fund part of the new setup. Bring it to a branch for an inspection and quote.
Use installments deliberately. We offer plans from EGP 1,000 upward through a range of apps and banks, and the CIB 6-month plan carries no fees. Spreading the cost of the console to afford a better screen is often a smarter allocation than buying both cheaply.
Buy games used and sell them back. A disc console lowers the running cost of everything you play — and within 10 days of purchase we buy a game back regardless of stock needs, at a better value, if it is in excellent condition.
Where not to spend
RGB lighting, branded desk mats, very high DPI mice, cheap wireless anything, and "gaming" versions of ordinary products at a markup. None of these change how you play.
Come to any branch or call 16280 with your budget and we will tell you honestly where it is best spent.