Best desktop gaming pcs

If you're not ready for the time commitment and frustration that comes with building a rig yourself, plus the headache of build components coming in and out of stock, buying a pre-built can give you a great starting point. There's always the option to further upgrade with a new processor, memory, or storage. If you want the best possible looking games, there are still reasons to buy a gaming PC. The gaming consoles currently on the market may offer some of the best in 4K gaming, but you can just get more raw graphical power packed into a gaming desktop.

Asus even fitted the rig with plenty of storage, giving you GB of high-speed NVMe storage to run the OS and your favorite games as well as a 1TB hard drive for your expanded library. HP has brought some compelling value thanks to the Omen Gaming Desktop. But, if you want serious processing cores at a great price, then this is the machine for you.

Plus, the super solid liquid cooling system should protect the desktop from overheating and keep everything running smoothly. At just 6. Making a gaming PC isn't as hard as it might seem, but building a compact gaming PC is a serious challenge. Even veteran builders can struggle with getting everything to fit right while keeping an eye on important details like airflow.

Somehow, Zotac has been able to do just that. The Zotac Zbox Magnus One delivers an incredibly compact gaming PC that's loaded with all the performance you need for competitive gaming.

Whether you're trying to game at p and p with high frame rates or 4K with stunning graphics, you'll find this rig up the task. Plus, it's got plenty of storage for your favorite games. All of that comes in a chassis that takes up less than a third of a cubic foot. It's perfect if you're looking to pack a ton of power within a small space. If you're ready to throw down some serious cash for one of the most capable gaming desktops money can buy, there isn't really a much better option than the Alienware Aurora Ryzen Editon R Not only will you be able to enjoy true 4K 60fps PC gaming, but you'll also be able to squeeze out quality ray tracing effects from this gaming desktop's GPU without having to greatly sacrifice frame rate.

Of course, those are just the base specs. Dell allows for some seriously impressive upgrades, including a bump to the core Ryzen 9 X and up to GB of memory. With all this graphical and processing power, the Alienware Aurora is easily capable of providing a solid gaming experience and could also serve as a solid video production machine.

Alternatively, this gaming desktop could easily serve as a streaming PC without any noticeable hit on its gaming prowess if you max it out. High-end gamers will be able to get a lot out of this highly customizable machine. If you prefer a gaming PC with a more unassuming design, the Dell XPS Tower Special Edition puts powerful gaming hardware into a sleek-but-simple chassis, so no one will know you're not using it for work. The case is surprisingly compact, but it still boasts four USB 3.

What's more, you get a tool-less design similar to the Alienware Aurora for super easy upgrades. There are 3 PCIe slots to add graphics cards, sound cards, and more to even further customize your machine. Want a gaming PC that will make people do a double-take? The Maingear Turbo might be the one to do just that. This compact PC may look fairly unassuming given its small stature and muted design, but a quick peek through the tempered glass side panel will show off what makes this machine purr.

Therefore, you'll have tons of performance potential with 12 cores and little worry over overheating. This combination of hardware will let your compact PC handle just about any gaming demands you have for it, including smooth 4K gaming.

This machine is also customizable, so you can pick and choose what it comes loaded with. Consoles have had the advantage over gaming PCs for their ability to easily slot into media centers and TV stands. This has made them an easy addition to living rooms for gaming, but the MSI Trident 3 turns the tables. The MSI Trident 3 comes in at just 3. A PlayStation 5. Meanwhile, the RTX inside will offer up great visuals.

This experience is nearly indistinguishable from native 4K without the same performance hit of that higher resolution. The Corsair Vengeance a Series brings it. Like the Intel-based Vengeance i, this model comes built into a Corsair D Airflow case for phenomenal airflow to keep your system cool even under pressure, not to mention the computer comes with a bunch of fans.

In this configuration, Corsair is including a water-cooler AMD Ryzen 9 X with plenty of cores to handle your gaming and streaming at the same time. Meanwhile, the RTX Ti can deliver exceptional graphics in your games and even help facilitate your streaming with Nvidia ShadowPlay.

Getting your gaming PC prebuilt can save a lot of time and hassle for you, and this is still the case no matter where you are in the world. The latest AMD Ryzen processors are exemplary in terms of both performance and price. The Ryzen 9 X stands out as a spectacular chip not just for productivity but also for gaming.

That core, thread CPU shows just how far AMD has managed to push its smart chiplet-based Zen 3 architecture to in order to deliver an affordable, seriously high core-count processor for a gaming PC. And where old AMD chips couldn't keep pace with Intel when it comes to gaming, the current Ryzen range absolutely can, especially when paired with one of the latest AMD or Nvidia graphics cards. There are currently six different configurations on offer, though you can dig in and customize before you buy if you would prefer a different CPU or GPU or more SSD capacity.

You should definitely take a look in the configuration options, because the lowest spec option only comes with a single stick of DDR4 memory, which will halve the available bandwidth compared to running a pair of them, even at the same capacity. That's expensive, however, and there aren't options to, say, either have one 8GB stick or two 4GB sticks.

Take a look at the SSD on offer, too. Alienware is offering both the dark and light chassis options for the current lineup, and however you feel about the design, it does certainly make for a striking machine.

The Aurora cases are not necessarily the easiest to upgrade due to their bespoke design. They're awkward to dig into if you want to start upgrading yourself, and you will soon see why they don't offer tempered glass side panels yet once you look inside. But as a starter machine, the Alienware Aurora R10 will not do you wrong. And given the general component drought right now, that you can bag an all-AMD Alienware machine with just a few months lead time is pretty great.

You'll also get a Rocket Lake Core i5 KF, an impressively speedy gaming chip that doesn't demand either crazy cooling or a heap of power. This pairing will deliver seriously high-end gaming performance without breaking the bank. While the extra-terrestrial styling may not appeal to everyone, the performance of Alienware's Aurora R12 gaming PCs remains undeniable. Alienware also offers eight discrete configurations on its site, from low-end gaming rigs sporting the GTX Super and Core i5 F, all the way up to RTX gaming monsters.

That gives you a range of Alienware gaming machines from reasonably affordable p gaming right up to blistering 4K workload-smashing performance, and the Alienware AIO cooling system will help keep the cozy interior of the case at a reasonable temperature, too.

While the actual configs Alienware offers are great starting points, as with the Ryzen Edition, it's absolutely worth digging around in the customization options when it comes to picking the right rig for you. The memory issue is something you must be aware with when buying Alienware products. This will double your memory bandwidth, and it's a bit off that it's otherwise sold with the weaker solitary stick. Thanks to their Cypress Cove core architecture, the new Intel Core i5 chips make great gaming CPUs and would definitely be our picks if you're looking for a new Aurora R12 build.

We have played with the RTX version of the last-gen Aurora R10, sans liquid chilled GPU, and in gaming terms, you're not going to get a lot higher frame rates than you would with the RTX build.

That's not a massive surprise given our testing of the RTX at launch; it only makes sense if you need that 24GB frame buffer for creative work. The unconventional case design exploits every inch of its limited space, but it initially feels a bit awkward to tinker with. However, access to nearly every part of the PC without tools is a definite plus, as this expedites upgrades and maintenance—so long as you're familiar with the design.

There's an obvious priority on providing a convenient, premium product with some potential for upgrades, and the Aurora design just about accomplishes that goal. The issue with all gaming PCs and parts right now is availability. And that's currently hitting Alienware as hard as the everyone else.

Picking up a new Aurora R12 rig today means you're not going actually to receive it for a month at best. There's a reason Razer is desperate to follow Corsair's lead; it's one of the biggest names in PC gaming hardware right now.

Through continual product expansion, and some super-smart acquisitions, Corsair now has its fingers in pretty much every facet of our hobby. In fact, CPUs, motherboards, and GPUs are the only places you won't find a Corsair logo, but with its impressive line of premium gaming PCs, that logo will still contain all three: the very finest of all that technical jazz. And if you're looking to kick start your career as the next big Twitch streamer, Corsair's integration of Elgato streaming tech in its PCs means they're a great option for the budding stream-star.

What makes this system stand out is the optional Elgato 4K60 Pro capture card in the specific "Streaming" machines. Sure, you can just use OBS Studio or Nvidia's Shadowplay or whatever it's calling itself these days , but there will always be some overhead to deal with. Using a professional capture card can really take the load off.

And that's especially good for broadcasting a livestream. Since Corsair acquired Elgato, it now has access to some of the world's best streaming hardware for its Vengeance rigs. Pair that with Corsair's classic component quality, and you have a recipe for not only great gaming PCs but fantastic streaming rigs, too. You've got to hand it to Corsair; it sure knows how to build a fine PC.

But the Vengeance gaming PCs are more straightforward, and that means they're also far easier to upgrade down the line. Corsair's chassis are among the best around, and they're most accessible for DIY projects, which makes the Vengeance machines a great first PC with a view to getting into the upgrade game later on.

The only issue with that is Corsair doesn't really lend itself to the more affordable end of the PC spectrum. Read our full Corsair Vengeance A review. Hewlett Packard has been around since before the Second World War, and that historical expertise is evident in the design and construction of the Omen line of gaming PCs. You can also take that configuration to the memory and storage requirements, too, allowing you to really tailor your system. HP Omen rigs are on the more restrained side of PC gaming, so you won't find an over-elaborate liquid cooling system or a massive suite of spectacular RGB lighting.

Omen systems are appropriately named dense black blocks of computing power. If you value smooth lines and compact design over the flash and spectacle of RGB, you'll appreciate the dark, slightly brooding aesthetic of the HP lineup. We haven't specifically reviewed the latest range of gaming systems from HP, but we've been testing its gaming PCs since the Obelisk range, and we've always appreciated its no-unnecessary-frills approach to system-building and the value proposition of its rigs.

Origin PC's Chronos machine is a slight form factor build that can house the most powerful gaming components around. And, to be honest, that you can squeeze a core Ryzen 9 X and an Nvidia GeForce RTX in there means you could have yourself one hell of a powerful workstation, too. That next-gen hardware is now available in the Chronos V2 design. But that leads to the path of supreme expense. Origin PCs aren't cheap, but they are well-built and super-customizable, and you could still create a far more affordable gaming machine from a Ryzen 5 X and an RTX pairing.

If you're not sold on the actual Origin Chronos chassis and maybe fancy a little more Perspex in your build, you can go for the lovely Fractal Define Nano S instead.

There's also the Fractal ERA if you're the serious type. That will negate any potential thermal issues you might encounter dropping high-end components into the smaller confines of the Chronos case.