The best gaming PCs might be designed to tackle all the latest technically-demanding titles, but that's just the start of their usefulness. If you excuse the colourful RGB and a few dedicated features, a "gaming" PC is a great option for anyone who needs a powerful computer. They provide the power you need to handle high frame rates and resolutions in 2023's biggest games, but they can also serve for content creation and 3D rendering.
We've got some regulator gamers on our staff and we've reviewed and tested a wide range of components and readymade devices. Below we've made our pick of the best gaming PCs based on our own reviews, those of our sister sites like GamesRadar, customer reviews and a thorough comparison of specs.
like the best video editing computers, the best gaming PCs should have powerful GPUs and CPUs and at least 16GB of RAM to support them. Assembling these parts for yourself and building your own gaming PC from scratch is a popular route, but it's often more expensive and takes some time and know-how. And a prebuilt machine still offers some customizability since you can upgrade certain parts.
The best gaming PCs available right now
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The Acer Predator line of gaming PCs is tried and tested, and for good reason. One of the best gaming PCs should be futureproofed, make upgrading easy, and, I suppose it never hurts if a case has a nice look to it as well. Acer's popular Predator Orion 7000 certainly ticks all of those boxes.
With the arrival of Intel's 13th generation CPUs and Nvidia's 4000 Series GPUs, Acer doubled down on its commitment to the Orion 7000, refreshing the motherboard and power supply that ships inside them to suit the latest components. These newer configurations might not come cheap, but the fact that the Orion 7000 has been around for so long means there are still plenty of cheaper options available with DDR4 and 12th Gen compatibility.
One of the best things about the Orion 7000's case is that it makes swapping out components an absolute breeze, so this is an investment that could last you well into the future. Just keep in mind if you want DDR5 or 13th Gen CPUs, you'll need a motherboard that can handle them. Regardless, if you need your first or your third gaming PC, and you want one that will make your life easy, it doesn't get much better than the Orion 7000.
When I'm reviewing gaming PC deals, the HP Omen 30L is probably one of the most frequent flyers I come across. Although the Omen line goes up incrementally, with the Omen 45L offering a lot more in the way of high-end configurations, the 30L is an always-strong choice for folks who aren't looking for the cutting edge. For "baby's first" gaming PCs, the 30L might just be exactly what you need. It's most often seen with an RTX 3060 or 3060Ti inside it, often for around a grand. In these instances, the 30L is one of the best value pre-built gaming PCs you'll find.
One added bonus is that you'll find both AMD and Intel CPUs inside these machines, and that means you might find some great value on a lot of older components. Upgrading a 30L's processor is where you might run into trouble. It certainly isn't the long-term investment you might find elsewhere, although storage, memory, and GPU upgrades are more than possible.
Either way, if you're happy to forgo the latest components, and you want to keep expenses down, the HP Omen 30L might be the discount-prone gaming PC for you.
As someone who has spent plenty of time with a Corsair gaming PC that can only be described as a hulking great mass, I can't explain to you how amazing it is to find a high-end gaming PC that's as compact as the ONE a200. The Corsair ONE name has been around for a while, we reviewed the One Pro i180 back in 2019. Moreover, the i300 is a common go-to for compact gaming PC recommendations. The a200, however, takes two highly coveted components from the last few years and puts them together in a similarly small case.
Oftentimes, the more you look for high-end gaming PCs, the more you need to compromise on space and noise. The mere mention of an RTX 3080 is enough to get most PC gamers thinking big in terms of the case. Somehow, the a200 houses it and manages to keep things cool, efficient, and silent. With solid memory and storage capabilities, this is a great option for anyone looking for the next step in gaming PC power.
Two caveats though; it isn't the cheapest, and although the ONE case comes with plenty of configurations, the a200's availability is subject to the GPU and CPU being in stock.
Depending on who you talk to, Alienware is either out of this world (pun intended), or it's simply not worth the high price of entry. Alienware is Dell's gaming brand, and its pre-built gaming PC offering is second-to-none. Unfortunately, its proprietary tech has turned a few people off, and, occasionally, caused quite a few issues. I'd note that these are not too common nowadays, and given how popular they remain, Alienware gaming PCs are worth recommending.
Do note; the R15 has just been released, and houses all the latest components money can buy. However, for the lofty price of it, it's tough to recommend.
The Aurora R13 and R14, however, are still great options to go for. I'm recommending them both together since they're essentially the exact same machine - the only difference is that the R13 makes use of Intel CPUs, and the R14 uses AMD Ryzen ones. For that reason, you might find better prices for the R14.
Nonetheless, the R13 and R14 are highly futureproofed thanks to PCIe 5 and DDR5 support, and come in some bulldozing configurations.
If you're looking for a cheaper, budget, entry-level gaming PC, the MSI MAG Infinite S3 has some lovely configurations. On the other hand, if you're on the hunt for a high-end powerhouse, the MSI might also be your new desktop companion. The reason for this is, the MSI MAG Infinite has been around for a while, and has been the subject of a good few refreshes. These great gaming PCs are still readily available in 11th Gen builds, they're now most commonly found with 12th Gen configurations, and they're also one of MSI's refreshed gaming PCs that will start to appear with more and more 13th Generation builds.
No matter what end of the spectrum you find yourself on, these great gaming PCs will give you plenty of connectivity thanks to their ingenious case and motherboard design, lots of scope to upgrade later, and perhaps most notably, won't give you too much noise pollution. Unfortunately, you won't find MAG Infinite S3's with AMD CPUs, but that wouldn't stop you upgrading to a Radeon GPU down the line should you fancy it.
We started our list with the Acer Predator Orion 7000, and we'll finish with it's older brother the Acer Predator Orion 3000. This is our pick for those looking for a cheap gaming PC. OK, it's not exactly cheap, but at under $1,500 / £1,500, it's relatively economical when compared to other gaming PCs on our list, and that gets you a10th gen i7 CPU RTX 3070 GPU and 16GB RAM.
It's coming in for discounts since it's getting on a bit, but we think it's still a powerful package, whether you're gaming at 1440p or 4K, although it's more comfortable in QHD at higher frame rates. The SSD isn't the fastest by any means, but this gaming PC offers good upgradability, and we think it's a good option as a starting gaming PC for anyone hoping to avoid breaking the bank.
How should I choose the best gaming PC for me?
Before you buy, we'd suggest thinking about what you'll use a gaming PC for – and think about the equipment you have already and the space you have available. If you have a 4K monitor or the best monitors for video editing, it's worth seeking out powerful GPUs. If not, or if you're just starting out, you might want to stick to an entry-level configurations. Thinking ahead can save a lot of fuss further down the road, and researching what tasks and games require what specs will help you narrow your search.
How did we choose the best gaming PCs for our guide?
We chose the gaming PCs based on our reviews and those of our sister sites and a review of the specs on offer across the market. We've picked out PCs at difference price points and aimed at distinct types of gamers in order to provide options for different needs, whether you're looking for a blazingly powerful latest-generation device, a cheaper-entry level option, a specific brand or something that you can comfortably fit on a desk.
