To get the most out of your PC games, you need a quality PC. Who would have guessed? Now, if you’re tech-savvy enough to put together a whole computer, you might want to build your own PC. PC experts will — correctly — tell you that you can get a better PC for less money by building your own. But building your own system is more complicated than most people assume. The motherboard, the processor, the GPU, and all the other parts have to be compatible. And even if you’ve built everything right, you won’t have warranty coverage if anything breaks. With a prebuilt gaming PC, everything just works. And if it doesn’t, it’s the manufacturer’s problems, not yours.
Since there are so many prebuilt PCs on the market, we decided to make things easier by consulting with the netizens of Reddit. We’ve gotten advice from /r/gaming/, /r/pcmasterrace/, and /r/suggestapc/. Between these three subreddits, you’ll find some of the world’s most obsessed gaming PC experts. Who better to ask for advice?
From there, we narrowed our list down to the six most popular models. These PCs range from powerful, high-end beasts to more affordable systems that punch above their weight. Let’s dig in!
The iBUYPOWER Pro is a future-proof gaming PC that includes a quality mouse and keyboard.
Check Prices On AmazoniBUYPOWER is a (relatively) new manufacturer that focuses on building powerful gaming PCs. Their “Pro” system is the top of the line, and has a lot to recommend it. The 3.1 GHz processor seems underpowered at first glance, until you realize that it actually maxxes out at 5 GHz. That’s a very fast system, even leaving aside the GTX 1660 Ti GPU. Now, this GPU isn’t quite as powerful as the 2080 on the GL12 we just looked at, but at this point, we’re really splitting hairs. With the exception of slightly better raytracing, it’s a question of “six of one, a half-dozen of the other”.
The iBUYPOWER Pro also excels in terms of construction and appearance. The tempered glass side panel provides a clear view of the inner workings of your PC, complete with RGB lighting. You’re not just looking at a high-performance PC. You’re getting a conversation piece.
The 16GB of RAM is housed in two 8GB chips, which run in parallel. This might sound like some obscure technobabble, but it significantly improves system speed. Rather than every single memory request going through the same controller, requests are routed either to one chip or the other. You’ll notice improved load times, which doesn’t just mean that levels will load faster. In open-world games, it means you’ll experience less texture pop-in. And to sweeten the pot, iBUYPOWER has thrown in an excellent WASD keyboard and gaming mouse. That’s a lot of value added to an already worthy system.
The Alienware Aurora R8 is one of the few top-tier gaming PCs with an optical drive.
Check Prices On AmazonFor many years, Alienware has been one of the leading names in the gaming PC world. But ever since they were bought out by Dell, some people have been critical of their builds. To be sure, Alienware PCs used to be bleeding edge, while now they’re merely cutting edge. But with this slight downgrade comes a significant advantage: the hardware is tried and true. Dell is using hardware that works. You won’t end up with any weird, glitchy behavior down the road. You also get a Dell warranty, which is one of the best in the business.
On its face, the Aurora R8 falls right in the middle of the pack in terms of performance. The i7 processor runs at 3 GHz, but can be overclocked to 4.7 GHz. Be aware, though, that overclocking your system requires extra cooling. And while the fans on the R8 are up to the task, they run loud when the processor is under a full load.
But what impressed us the most about the Aurora R8 was the built-in optical drive. Many modern gaming PCs don’t have an optical drive, or even space for one. In the age of Steam and downloadable games, this makes sense. But if you want to play an older game, or even a DVD, you’ll be out of options. If you still want to be able to play your older, disc-based games on your new gaming PC, the R8 is a solid choice.
The CyberpowerPC Gamer Master is a great choice if you want an affordable PC that will still run current AAA games.
Check Prices On AmazonThe CyberpowerPC Gamer Master might not be the most powerful gaming PC on our list, but it’s the most powerful in its price range. The Ryzen 3 processor and Radeon R7 graphics card are both serviceable. Are you going to run Battlefield at 120 FPS? No. But you’ll be able to tool along just fine at 30 FPS, which is better than most other PCs at this price. CyberpowerPC could have built a more powerful system if they’d foregone the RGB lighting. But it looks fantastic, and you’ll be able to show it off to your friends.
At the end of the day, this is a budget choice. If you have more money to spend, you’ll do better with a more powerful machine. That said, the Gamer Master will get the job done. It even comes with a slick gaming mouse and keyboard that make your controls easier and more comfortable. The biggest bottleneck with this system is the 8GB of RAM. To get better performance, simply buy yourself another 8GB DDR4 RAM stick. That’s very affordable, much more so than upgrading a video card or processor. More to the point, it’s easy for a beginner to do. You don’t have to be a PC building guru to install a RAM stick.
It’s tough to pack gaming-worthy hardware into a laptop case, but the Dell G5 does a great job.
Check Prices On AmazonThe Dell G5 isn’t just one of the best gaming PCs on the market; it’s the best gaming laptop by a long shot. Most gaming laptops are limited by their cooling systems. That makes sense. With such a small case, you’ve only got so much airflow. And with limited airflow comes limited processor speed. The G5 solves this problem by integrating dual fans, with ventilation on the sides and back of the case. As a result, you can safely overclock the processor to 4.5 GHz. That’s significantly faster than the 2.6 GHz base frequency, and powerful enough to handle any modern game.
The keyboard is also made for gaming. With durable keys, highlighted WASD keys, and blue backlighting, it’s a cut above your average laptop keyboard. And the monitor is just the right size. At 15.8 inches, it’s big enough that you won’t need to squint to see details, but compact enough to throw in your backpack and take it to your friend’s house.
One thing we should point out is that laptops are harder to upgrade than desktop PCs. They require specialized components, and laptop components generally cost more than their desktop counterparts. Furthermore, laptops are harder to open up than desktop PCs. You’ll often be dealing with plastic clips, as well as tiny screws that are covered by decals. That said, if you need a portable system, a laptop is the most obvious best choice.
The Asus ROG Strix GL12 arrives already overclocked, so you don’t have to mess with any advanced features.
Check Prices On AmazonIf you’re looking for the latest and greatest gaming PC on the market, the Asus ROG Strix GL12 is where it’s at. With the factory-overclocked Core i7-9700k processor, you’ll get exceptionally fast speeds, and you won’t have to worry about managing the settings yourself. But the RTX2080 GPU is where the GL12 really shines. It’s currently the most advanced graphics card on the market, with raytracing capabilities that will have you salivating.
Now, the GL12 is fairly pricey, but you get what you pay for. It’s capable of running any AAA game at high settings, and you can expect it to continue running the latest AAA games for the next several years. If you want a future-proof system, it’s tough to argue against this build. It can even handle VR. So while VR options are currently limited, you’ll be well-prepared for the next generation of gaming.
For a pre-built PC, this PC is also very easy to upgrade. The SDD is seated in a removable slot, similar to a DVD drive. If you decide to spend a few extra dollars to upgrade to a terabyte drive, swapping it out is quick and painless. Not only that, but there’s plenty of value added. The GL12 comes with a gaming mouse and RGB gaming keyboard. All you need to get started is a monitor.
The SkyTech Legacy Mini has a liquid cooling system, so you won’t have to worry about loud fans interrupting your gaming experience.
Check Prices On AmazonThe SkyTech Legacy Mini is one of the best mini PCs on the market. It uses the RYZEN 7 1700 processor. And while that isn’t the fastest processor available, it does overclock to 3.7 GHz, which is enough to run most modern games. It also supplements that with a GTX 1070 Ti, which has been the “standard” gaming GPU for the last year and a half. Is it going to run AAA games at 140 FPS? No. But it will run any current game at 60 FPS, and it’s designed to be future-proof for at least the next 4 or 5 years.
What we liked most about this system is that it’s liquid-cooled. Now, we understand that liquid cooling can be overrated. A lot of gamers install a liquid cooling system on their homebrew PCs, thinking that it will automatically boost performance. It won’t. But what it will do is reduce fan noise to a minimum. If you’re tired of your PC fans turning up to 11 every time the system gets a little warm, you’ll appreciate this PC. Throw in RGB lighting and a gaming mouse and keyboard, and you’ve got a great value. That said, the 500GB SDD is your only storage. You’ll want to install a second hard drive if you want to keep more of your Steam library installed at the same time.
As we hope we’ve made clear, there are a lot of good gaming PCs on the market, and many of them offer different benefits to different players. For example, the Dell G5 isn’t the most powerful PC available. But it’s portable, and it’s definitely your best choice if you’re looking for a laptop instead of a desktop.
That said, if you need a desktop PC, there are significantly better options. A laptop, even a top-tier laptop, will always underperform compared to a similarly-specced desktop. For the best overall performance, it’s tough to argue against the iBUYPOWER Pro. The Intel Core i9-9900 processor might have a relatively low base frequency, but in turbo mode it’s one of the fastest on the market.
But the iBUYPOWER Pro is expensive, and not everyone can afford such a pricey system. If you’re on a budget, consider the CyberpowerPC Gamer Master. It’s not going to run AAA games at 120 FPS for the next decade. But it’s a solid choice if you need a quality PC today. And because it’s a desktop, you can always upgrade it later.
