Enhance your setup with the best gaming PCs available

Obtaining the top gaming PC might significantly alter your experience. I’ve reviewed and had firsthand experience with a number of the units on this list to help you make an easier decision, regardless of whether you’re wanting to invest in a high-end setup or a more affordable tower.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer for the best gaming PC, which is why I’ve included a variety of alternatives with differing degrees of upgradability and in different form factors. Having said that, I can heartily suggest the Corsair One i500, which has a really svelte form factor, top-tier technology, and a tonne of power. But because of its small size, it has less room to cut and swap out parts, which is where alternatives like the Alienware Aurora R16 and Acer Predator Orion 7000 come into play.

A top-tier gaming PC will often have one of the greatest graphics cards and processors available. These are the two most crucial considerations when selecting a rig, and I go into more depth about each of them later in the post. These are some of the most expensive parts you can put in a setup, so if you want to play games as cheaply as possible, I suggest looking at the top gaming PCs under $200. These options are targeted at lesser resolutions, such as 1080p, and come from reputable manufacturers like HP, Lenovo, and Acer.

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The best gaming PC in 2024

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Complete reviews of each of our top-rated gaming PC choices can be found below. We have thoroughly tested each one, so you can be certain that our suggestions are reliable.

The Corsair One i500 gaming PC is an incredible device that seamlessly combines amazing gaming performance and design into a single, compact PC that complements both your current PC gaming setup and the dcor of your living room.

This stunning gaming PC is not inexpensive at all, with a front panel made of wood and side panels made of cloth that resemble stereo speakers. You could undoubtedly find a gaming PC with an Intel Core i9-14900K and Nvidia RTX 4090 for cheaper, starting at $3,599.99/£3,499.99, but it certainly won’t look as good or have AIO liquid cooling for both the CPU and GPU.

The CPU and GPU upgrades will be much more difficult, so this is really only for people who want a one-and-done PC gaming solution that they won’t need to fiddle with for many years to come. However, you can quickly replace the RAM and SSD by unscrewing a few screws.

The HP Victus 15L is an affordable gaming PC, and it makes no secret of that. Compared to the other systems in this list, it is less powerful, less ostentatious, and has less robustness. That need not be a negative thing, though, since it means that even the more powerful models are still reasonably priced and that it is a viable option for setups where desktop space is limited due to its small size.

In our testing, we discovered that the HP Victus 15L provides good 1080p gaming performance despite being on a budget. The only adjustments needed to assure good frame rates are minor ones in the graphics settings. For the great majority of 1080p games, you should be good if you avoid using ray tracing and Ultra presets. When coupled with reasonable upgradeability and a good array of connectors on the front panel, this is a great option for anyone in need of a low-cost gaming PC.

The Acer Predator Orion 7000 (2023) is a high-end gaming desktop option that maintains its exceptional 2022 model’s performance and design in equal measure. It has a stunning design with eye-catching ARGB lighting, but maybe more importantly, it has powerful hardware designed for 4K gaming, allowing us to smoothly play almost any game at its highest graphics setting. We saw an astounding 256 frames per second at 4K Ultra with ray tracing in Final Fantasy VII Remake.

Naturally, all that power comes with a price: the device is expensive, and when you play a graphically demanding game, the fans go crazy. Nevertheless, those fans effectively maintain the system’s cooling, and the best gaming headsets will block out that sound. Overall, the chassis is excellent; it is simple to open for maintenance and updates, and it provides a sophisticated cable management solution in addition to a large number of I/O ports. However, this PC is not just function but beauty as well.

Look! Long live the Alienware Aurora! The Alienware Aurora has passed away. Yes, Dell has opted for a sleek overhaul that still gives a unique appearance without being quite so… unusual in place of its odd space-age aesthetic for its Aurora gaming desktop series.

The components inside the new chassis are just as powerful as the previous one, but it looks sleeker and features the RGB light ring that is found on the back of laptops like the Alienware x16. In our testing, it easily handled games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Dirt 5 at QHD resolution; most of them even offered 4K provided you had Nvidia DLSS 3 installed. The superb airflow of the Aurora R16 ensured cool and silent gameplay during our extensive testing process, even with its newly smaller case. A remarkable return to Dell’s product line.

For a considerable amount of time, the Intel NUC Extreme was the greatest small gaming PC. But now that it’s been cancelled, Asus has picked up the slack left by Intel and created one of the greatest gaming PCs available, particularly for people with little work spaces.

Although its entry-level specs are a little out of date, the ROG G22CH starts at a reasonable price and may reach a fair level of hardware and performance without breaking the bank.

This compact desktop gaming PC easily handled 1080p gaming in our tests and produced excellent 1440p gaming results. Overall, then, this is a pretty well thought-out little trick box; however, the trade-off is that, because to its form-factor, upgrading this Asus gaming PC will be nearly impossible. Additionally, when playing demanding PC games or other tasks that put a strain on the fans, you will be able to hear them whine due to the mesh-paneled chassis.

The best gaming PC: FAQs

What type of PC is best for gaming?

When purchasing a new gaming PC, there are a few considerations to make because many PCs lack the hardware needed for gaming.

The graphics card is the most significant component. Ensure that the graphics card in any PC you purchase for gaming is relatively new. Really, what you should be aiming for is an Nvidia RTX 3000-series, AMD Radeon RX 6000-series, or Intel Arc graphics card (or GPU).

Next, confirm that the gaming PC has a minimum of 16GB of RAM. Even the greatest RAM, at 8GB, is insufficient to run recent PC games smoothly.

Additionally, you should get a more recent processor, such as one from AMD’s Ryzen 5000 series or Intel’s Core 11000 series. Mind you, you don’t need the best AMD or Intel processor available in these years. The finest gaming CPUs you’ll find are AMD Ryzen X3D-series processors (such the Ryzen 7 7800X3D), but an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 (or AMD Ryzen 5 or Ryzen 7) will work just fine.

A 512GB SSD will work just fine to begin with (you’ll just need to organise your game installations a little bit), as storage is not nearly as much of a problem and upgrading to one of the top SSDs is not too difficult.

We would strongly advise staying away from more boutique builds and sticking with bigger OEM manufacturers like Dell, Alienware, HP, Lenovo, Asus, and MSI if you’re not very experienced with managing gaming-specific hardware and PC construction. Although businesses like Maingear and Origin, who both produce amazing systems, are undoubtedly more in the enthusiast category, there’s nothing wrong with them. If that describes you, you’ll enjoy what they produce, but it’s best to stay with more mainstream manufacturers if you have no idea what a BIOS is.

Is it better to build or buy a gaming PC?

The question is whether to build or purchase a gaming computer. Building a system is the sole option for some PC gamers because it allows you to tailor your setup to exacting requirements. Regretfully, it’s becoming more difficult than ever to find the various parts you need to assemble a PC. Even if you might really want to, you might not be able to assemble a bespoke gaming PC.

If that’s the case, purchasing a gaming PC is perfectly acceptable. Purchasing one of the greatest gaming PCs you can afford will satisfy your need to play your favourite PC games, even though you might not be able to fully customise it to your preferences.

Should you get a gaming PC or a next-gen console?

The question of whether to purchase a gaming PC or a next-generation console may not have a clear winner, but there are a few important factors to take into account. Although both pieces of technology can play the most popular games without any issues, consoles such as the PS5 still offer exclusive games like Horizon Forbidden West that are only available on those systems.

Additionally, next-generation consoles come in an all-in-one set that includes the console and at least one controller. However, the greatest prebuilt gaming PC frequently needs a tower PC, monitor, keyboard, and mouse—the majority of which need to be bought separately. The best gaming keyboard and best gaming mouse are among the items that cost more when it comes to PC gaming accessories.

Component shortages have impacted both gaming PCs and next-generation consoles, making it challenging to locate both newer PC gaming components and consoles. It won’t be as much of an investment if you can get these things at retail, but finding fair prices among scalpers has grown more challenging. Moreover, stock frequently sells out quickly, making it challenging to obtain either device.

So, which is better—a gaming PC or a next-generation console? Not always, particularly if you lack the space to accommodate every component of a PC gaming setup. Still, the greatest gaming PC will function just as well as the newest next-generation consoles, so in the end, it comes down to what kind of gaming experience you want to have.

How expensive should the best gaming PC be?

A competent performer aiming for 1080p gaming should cost at least $1,000 / £1,000 / AU$1,500. To maintain consistent framerates at 60 frames per second, you will probably have to rely on AI upscaling techniques like FSR and DLSS at this end of the spectrum. You can get your hands on a mid-range system that can reliably game in 1440p and profit from ray tracing for $1,500 / £1,500 / $AU2,300.

A gaming PC’s price can never be determined with certainty, but the RX 4090 and RX 7900 XTX models typically cost $3,500 / £3,500 / AU$5,000 and come with state-of-the-art processors, lots of RAM, and stacked storage. In order to assist you in selecting the best product for your needs, our buying guide covers the entire price-to-performance spectrum, from mainstream to enthusiast.