HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop TG01-1022 2020, Core i3-10100, 8GB, 256GB SSD, GTX 1650 SUPER, Shadow Black

A 2020 budget build still being sold at 2025 prices. The GTX 1650 SUPER is okay, but 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD make this a frustrating experience out of the box.

The GTX 1650 SUPER is the star here, and it's a decent little card for esports titles like Fortnite, Valorant, and Rocket League. The i3-10100 with its 4.3GHz boost holds up okay for a quad-core, but it's not going to impress anyone in heavier workloads. The real surprise is how much the 8GB of RAM hurts. Our database puts this config in the bottom 3% for memory, and you'll notice stuttering if you try to multitask while gaming. The 256GB NVMe SSD is fast for boot times, but it fills up after a couple of modern games.

The Lenovo Legion Tower 5a Gen 10 absolutely demolishes this HP in every category that matters, with better CPU, GPU, and RAM options for not much more money. The Apple Mac mini M4 Pro is a different beast entirely, aimed at creators and productivity users, but it makes the HP look ancient in terms of efficiency and raw CPU power. Even the Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 offers a more balanced spec sheet for office work. The HP only wins if you're strictly on a tight budget and need a discrete GPU right now.

At $730 USD, this is a tough sell in 2025. You're paying for a 2020-era CPU and GPU combo that was mid-range even then. The social proof is strong with a 4.5-star rating from over 1,200 buyers, but that doesn't change the fact that you can build or find a better-specced machine for similar money. If you catch this on a deep sale, maybe. At full price, skip it.

The HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop TG01-1022 is a budget tower that knows exactly what it is: a starter PC for light gaming and everyday work. The one thing to know is that it's riding on a GTX 1650 SUPER and an i3-10100, which means 1080p gaming at medium settings is the ceiling, and that's fine if you set expectations right. But the 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD are tight, and you'll feel that squeeze almost immediately.

If you're looking to play modern AAA games at high settings or do any kind of content creation, this isn't it. Go get a Lenovo Legion Tower 5a Gen 10 or build your own with at least 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD. This HP is for casual users and kids doing homework, not serious gamers.

The HP Pavilion TG01-1022 is a fine entry point if you've never owned a gaming PC and you find it heavily discounted. But at its current price, the 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD are dealbreakers for anyone serious about gaming. You'll spend another $100-$150 upgrading those within the first year, and at that point you should have just bought a better machine from the start.