These are the best gaming PCs, now highlighting the MSI Infinite A.
Anyone who can afford it can buy the best gaming PC. Usually that’s a title that comes down to top-notch specs combined with cute cable management and a thrifty design. But to find the best gaming PC for the lowest price is a distinct challenge altogether. That’s where we come in. It’s here at TechRadar that we specialize in testing various beasts to determine the absolute finest.
So while you may be tempted to take out a second mortgage on your house to afford a lavish rig, stacked with a GTX 1080 Ti (i.e. our elected best graphics card for 4K gaming), an Intel Core i7-8700K processor and more RAM than you know what to do with, the best gaming PC for you doesn’t have to be the most expensive. Most of the time, it isn’t.
Instead, we’ve determined the top 10 gaming PCs on the market based on how much value they offer at each of their respective price points. Being the desktops that they are, almost all of them are upgradeable, but with the latest parts equipped across the board, they’re all equally future-proof. Perfectly suited for the imminent release of Destiny 2, here they are.
Potent gaming performance with impressive expandability
The Alienware Aurora R5 impressed us with its clever, compact design and impressive power and the Aurora R6 doubles down on the latter. By introducing Kaby Lake processors and up to two Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti’s in SLI, it’s every bit as capable as the Alienware Area 51 Plus and half as small to boot. Even with the small chassis, there’s plenty of room for more RAM, storage for the years to come.
A gaming rig for skilled multi-taskers
The Chillblast Fusion Spectrum might sound like the sweetest water gun ever made, but is in fact a gaming PC, and it’s the first of which we’ve reviewed to contain an AMD Ryzen 7 processor. Although it’s pricey and perhaps even unnecessary for a lot of our readers who haven’t made the jump to 4K resolution displays, this computer delivers exceptional performance, especially for streamers and multi-taskers.
This VR-ready machine is built to last
It’s not uncommon anymore for PC makers to brandish their pre-built desktop rigs as VR-ready. What is unusual is to do so with a computer that’s also ready to conquer any game you throw at it at well over 60 frames per second and for under two grand. That’s exactly what MSI has accomplished with the Infinite A, a tower whose graphical efforts aren’t thwarted by its preparedness for VR, nor is it so expensive that it would see your head turn the other way.
A slimline console-sized mini PC for your living room
Positioned as a “console killer”, the MSI Trident 3 looks a lot like an Xbox One S and is more powerful than a PS4 Pro, but at the end of the day, it’s a PC that feels just right in your living room. Complete with all the ports you could ever dream of, the MSI Trident 3’s advantages are clear. Still, in trying to be as thin and light as possible, the MSI Trident 3 comes equipped with a 330W external power supply brick, resembling some of the most less attractive console designs.
PC gaming on the high-end, no tools required
If you’re buying a pre-built PC, upgrades should be simple, right? That’s the philosophy behind the Lenovo IdeaCentre Y900. Embellished with red lights all over, the front of its chassis is bespeckled with textured patterns that’ll no doubt make your friends jealous. On top of offering support for a VR-ready GTX 1080, the Lenovo IdeaCentre boasts SLI support and room for up to 64GB of RAM, which are thankfully complemented by a convenient tool-less design.
A gaming rig disguised as a workspace computer
Although Dell has clearly been hard at work on its imminent “Visor” mixed reality headset, that hasn’t stopped the company from coming out with one of the best gaming PCs available today – and without the security of the more gaming-centric Alienware moniker at that. The Dell XPS Tower Special Edition isn’t perfect, it does go to show that you don’t need garish LEDs sparkling in every direction to qualify as a masterful graphics powerhouse.
Two times 1080 equals 4K at 60fps
Sure, for the price of an Origin Millennium PC, you could buy a halfway decent car. But why would you need to leave the house when you can play games in 4K at a buttery smooth 60 fps? Between its pair of EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition twins and the Intel Broadwell-E Core i7-6950X processor, there is nothing the Origin Millennium can’t handle – and on the best of the best displays at that. Of course, it’s expensive; it’s like ten years worth of future-proof.
Top-notch power comes at a cost
In classic Alienware fashion, the Area 51 Threadripper Edition pushes the limits of both technology and your wallet. It’s wildly powerful, markedly featuring the latest AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X across all of its configurations. The Area 51’s triad-design hasn’t changed much since its introduction back in 2014, but on the inside this machine is essentially tool-less to upgrade, not that you would even need to.
Finally, a true contender to building it yourself
Both in its appearances and temperature, the MSI Aegis 3 is one of those few examples of a gaming computer that’s way cooler pre-built than what you could probably assemble yourself. Not only does its chassis look like an anime mecha robot, but it also features customizable, interactive lighting. What’s more, it’s similar in size to the Alienware Aurora, but with a Kaby Lake processor rather than a Skylake.
Corsair’s computer is capable and compact
Known in part for putting out RAM that’s faster than your processor, Corsair has made a name for itself in nearly every PC component category there is. Be that as it may, the company has only begun to flirt with assembling its own rigs. Luckily, with the Corsair One, the first time was the charm. This is a machine that prides itself in power, speed and portability and succeeds on all fronts, save for maybe upgradeability, which is all but impossible on the Corsair One.
