HP Pavilion TG01-1020 2021, Core i5-10400F, 8GB, 256GB SSD, GTX 1650, Shadow Black

The HP Pavilion TG01-1020 scores 62.9 out of 100 overall, but its 98th percentile social proof and 4.5-star rating from 392 reviews tell the real story: owners love this budget gaming PC. The GTX 1650 handles 1080p gaming well, though the 8GB of RAM at the 3rd percentile and 256GB SSD at the 22nd percentile are the obvious weak spots. Plan on upgrading both if you want this thing to last.

The GTX 1650 4GB sits at the 63rd percentile in our GPU rankings, which is solidly middle of the pack for budget cards. It's a Turing architecture chip with 4GB of GDDR5, and in practice that means 1080p gaming at medium to high settings in most titles. Owners report smooth frame rates in esports games like Valorant and Fortnite, and even some 1440p play in less demanding games. The CPU is a different story. The Core i5-10400F lands at the 30th percentile, which is underwhelming for a six-core chip. It's fine for gaming and everyday multitasking, but it's not going to impress anyone doing heavy productivity work.

The 8GB of DDR4 at 2666MHz is the real bottleneck here. At the 3rd percentile, it's one of the worst RAM configurations we've seen in this category. Windows 11 alone will eat a chunk of that, leaving little headroom for background apps while gaming. The 256GB NVMe SSD at the 22nd percentile is also tight. You'll fit Windows, a few games, and not much else. The good news: both RAM and storage use standard components, so upgrades are straightforward. The cooling system struggles under sustained load according to multiple owners, which is worth keeping in mind if you plan to push this thing hard.

Stacked against the Lenovo Legion Tower 5a Gen 10, this Pavilion gets outclassed on raw specs. The Legion typically ships with newer CPUs and more RAM, which matters when the TG01-1020 is sitting at the 3rd percentile for memory. The Acer Nitro N60-180-UB33 is a closer fight, with similar budget positioning but often better storage options out of the box. The ASUS ROG G700TF-U7KF5070TI is in a completely different league with its RTX 5070 Ti, but you're paying several times the price. And the Apple Mac Studio M4 Max isn't even playing the same game, it's a workstation for creative pros, not a budget gaming tower. For the money, the Pavilion's main edge is its upgradeability and that stellar user rating, which none of these competitors can match at this price point.

Pricing on this unit is all over the place. In the US, we're seeing a USD 206 spread between two listings, from USD 790 to USD 996. At the low end, that's a genuinely competitive price for a prebuilt with a discrete GTX 1650, especially given the 98th percentile social proof. At the high end, you're paying a premium for what is ultimately a 2020-era budget build. The CAD 2,125 listing in Canada and MXN 27,113 in Mexico are harder to judge without local context, but the US spread alone means you should shop around before pulling the trigger. If you can snag this near the USD 790 mark, the value proposition gets a lot more interesting.

The HP Pavilion TG01-1020 lands in our database with a 62.9 out of 100 overall score, which sounds rough until you look at what it actually does well. The social proof is off the charts at the 98th percentile, backed by a 4.5-star average across 392 reviews. Owners genuinely like this thing. But the spec sheet tells a different story: 8GB of RAM puts it at the 3rd percentile, and the 256GB SSD sits at the 22nd. This is a budget gaming PC that leans hard on its price point and upgrade path rather than out-of-the-box muscle.

The Intel Core i5-10400F and GeForce GTX 1650 4GB combo is a 2020-era pairing that still handles 1080p gaming at medium to high settings. Users report surprising 1440p capability in lighter titles, which is more than we'd expect from a GTX 1650. The compact mini-tower design keeps things tidy, and the 400W PSU leaves some headroom for modest upgrades. Just don't expect to max out Cyberpunk on this thing without a GPU swap first.

Skip this if you want a machine that performs great without tinkering. The 8GB of RAM at the 3rd percentile is going to frustrate you the moment you try to game with Discord and a browser open. The 256GB SSD at the 22nd percentile means you'll be uninstalling games to make room within a month. And if you're hoping to play demanding AAA titles at high settings, the GTX 1650 at the 63rd percentile and the Core i5-10400F at the 30th percentile will leave you wanting more. This is a starter PC for people who don't mind cracking the case open and upgrading parts. If that's not you, save up for something with more RAM and storage out of the box.

The HP Pavilion TG01-1020 is a budget gaming PC that knows exactly what it is. The 62.9 overall score reflects a machine that's held back by its stock RAM and storage, but the 98th percentile social proof tells you owners are happy with what they got. At USD 790, this is a solid entry point for 1080p gaming with a clear upgrade path. At USD 996, you're overpaying for specs that were mid-range in 2020. If you're willing to add another stick of RAM and a bigger SSD down the line, this thing has legs. If you want something that performs great out of the box, look elsewhere.