You’re always going to want one of the best gaming PCs. After all, PC gaming should be an immersive experience, and there’s nothing more immersive than having all those shiny graphical effects turned up to 11 without tanking your framerate. Even if you’re not exactly on the cusp of being a pro gamer, you’ll want a bit of firepower to crank up the settings in the best PC games. And, only the best gaming PCs can get you there.
Only the best gaming PCs rocking the most cutting edge internals like Nvidia’s Super RTX graphics cards or AMD’s Navi cards can get you through playing the latest and upcoming AAA games at high settings. The best part is that you won’t even have to break that piggy bank to take one home. Just because a gaming PC is all that powerful doesn’t mean it can’t also be affordable. In fact, there are quite a few out there touting the best processors and best graphics card with a price tag that’s affordable to many.
That’s what we’re here for. To cut through the overwhelming options out there and find you the best option for your budget, we’ve put together a list of the best gaming PCs you can get right now, all of which we’ve personally reviewed. There’s a variety of options to check out on this list, from stalwarts like Alienware or newer firms like Corsair.
1. Intel Hades Canyon NUC
The best small form factor gaming PC
CPU: Intel Core i7 | Graphics: Radeon RX Vega M GL – GH | RAM: up to 64GB | Storage: up to 2TB SSD, 2TB SSD
Lots of ports
Easy to upgrade
Expensive
If you’re looking for the best gaming PC under $1,000, the Intel Hades Canyon NUC may just be your dream machine. This teeny gaming PC isn’t just cost-effective, but space-saving as well. In fact, it resembles a set-top box more than a gaming PC. Don’t let its size fool you, however – it houses all the power that the best gaming laptops should to handle the best laptop games, with an 8th-generation Intel Core i7 processor and discrete AMD Radeon graphics. You’ll have to provide your own RAM, storage and your own OS, but if you have extra PC hardware lying around, there are still plenty of savings to be had.
Read the full review: Intel Hades Canyon NUC
2. Alienware Aurora R9
Powerful gaming for all budgets
CPU: 9th-generation Intel Core i5 – i9 | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 – RTX 2080 Super | RAM: 8GB – 64GB | Storage: 1TB HDD – 2TB SSD + 2TB HDD
A broad range of specifications available
The perfect blend of form and function
That design may not age well
Alienware has a knack for concocting form factors you won’t see anywhere else, which makes its gaming laptops and desktops more appealing than their rivals. With Alienware Aurora R9, the manufacturer took things to a whole new level, design-wise. More importantly, it boasts configurations touting the most powerful internals right now. But what’s even better is that budget-minded users won’t even have to look elsewhere. This new line boasts a broad range of specifications, so that you don’t have to pay a small fortune to take it home.
Read the full review: Alienware Aurora R9
3. HP Omen Obelisk
Tricked out stunner for the hardcore gamer
CPU: Intel Core i5-8400 – i5-9600K | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti – RTX 2080Ti | RAM: up to 64GB | Storage: 1TB HDD – 1TB SSD, 3TB+3TB HDD
Lots of power
Appealing, tool-less design
Highly upgradeable
Base model hardly future-proof
This rectangular monster is definitely worthy of its moniker as it boasts lots of power… more than enough, in fact, for most gamers’ needs. When you’ve the funds for an upper-tier configuration, you’ll get a behemoth. Unfortunately, budget minded buyers will have to be satisfied with gameplay at medium settings, since the lower end models don’t pack the same firepower. Still, because of its high upgradability and tool-less design, such buyers are only an upgrade or two from the best gaming experience on Ultra or Max settings either. Plus, we’ve honestly seen more expensive machines for those specs.
Read the full review: HP Omen Obelisk review
4. MSI Trident A Plus
Plenty of power inside its sleek shape
CPU: 9th-generation Intel Core i7 | Graphics: Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512GB PCIE NVME M.2 SSD (512GB x 1) + 1TB 7200RPM – 1TB PCIE NVME SSD
Slim form factor
Powerful performance
High upgradability
Not cheap
It’s downright impressive how much power the MSI Trident A Plus boasts under the hood, especially considering its slim and small-ish form factor. The self-proclaimed most compact gaming desktop right now isn’t all talk, it walks the walk too with its 5.1 x 15.06 x 15.6-inch size. For superb performance, it offers 9th-generation Intel Core processors, up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card and 16GB of memory. While it’s not necessarily kitted out, it still spells sheer power. This small yet mighty gaming PC also delivers 4K gaming experience, customizable Mystic Light RGB LED design and the Silent Storm Cooling 3.
5. Dell G5 Gaming Desktop
Budget PC gaming at its best
CPU: 9th Gen Intel Core i3-9100 – i9 9900K | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 – RTX 2070 | RAM: 8GB – 64GB | Storage: 1TBSSD – 1TB SSD + 2TB HDD
Affordable
VR-ready configurations
Base models won’t get you through the most demanding games
A unique chassis coupled with a price to beat, Dell’s latest in its G series gaming PCs is a solid contender in budget gaming. The Dell G5 boasts 9th-generation Intel chips as well as Nvidia’s most powerful gaming GTX and RTX graphics cards, starting with an i3 processor and the GTX 1650 to handle many powerful games without burning a whole in your pocket. Of course, if you’ve got more case to spare, it’s VR ready configurations are also on hand, though even those are absolutely affordable.