The best gaming PCs of 2023: Top prebuilt rigs compared

The Alienware Aurora Ryzen R14 is the best gaming PC overall, thanks to its superior CPU, RAM, GPU, and storage. The MSI Aegis RS is best for content creators, while the HP Omen 25L is the best gaming PC under $1500. The MSI Infinite RS has the best graphics card, and the MSI MPG Trident AS is the best compact gaming PC.

The snarky answer is the one you can afford. But jokes aside, other than price, I’s say RAM and storage a configuration are your most important considerations. You want to choose a prebuilt PC that has at least 8GB of RAM and a storage drive (either a solid-state drive or a traditional hard disk drive) with no less than 256GB of space. The graphics card model in your build isn’t as important as RAM, since the system memory is what actually renders game assets. 

Krishna Madala, a former professional coach for Overwatch eSports teams like Singularity Esports and the Samsung Morning Stars, says that buyers “try to overspec a lot when going for [pre-built PCs],” and that games like League of Legends “could run[…] on a standard Dell tower with integrated graphics and still get 60fps.” However, if you’re looking for a decent gaming PC at a reasonable price, Madala suggests a rig with at least 16GB of RAM and a 512GB storage drive as well as a CPU and GPU that are within the last 2 or 3 tech generations.  

When shopping for a new, pre-built gaming PC, there are several factors to consider:

• CPU: Whether you’re and Intel or AMD loyalist, you’ll want to look for a gaming PC that has a processor that was released within the last 5 years. This ensures that your computer will have enough power to actually play games, and by opting for a slightly older CPU, you can save a bit of money on a build.

• Graphics card: You don’t have to have the latest RTX 40 series cards to get the most out of your gaming PC. When it comes to GPUs, the amount of VRAM it provides as well as which versions of DirectX it supports are more important than the particular chipset generation. You could buy an RTX 4070 8GB card, but if your games push that VRAM to its limits, you’re getting less performance than an older card with 12GB of VRAM.

• Power supply: This is more for DIY enthusiasts, but if you ever need to replace or upgrade your power supply, you’ll need to make sure it has enough power (plus a little extra) to safely run all of your components. I like to add about 20 percent more than what I think I’ll need in order to have a built-in margin in case my GPU or CPU need to draw extra power for whatever reason. 

• Tower type: Gaming PCs come in three different flavors: full-sized, mid-size, and miniATX towers. While full and mid-sized towers can pretty well hold the same kinds of components, miniATX cases require specially designed graphics cards and motherboards to fit their exceptionally compact sizes. So keep this in mind if you plan on dropping new components into your tower case later on.

• Cooling system: Not all gaming PCs are created equal, and premium-grade components draw more power than their more affordable counterparts. This means that they’ll need more efficient cooling than stock and aftermarket fans can provide. If you’re looking to buy a high-end gaming PC, you’ll want to opt for a build that either already comes equipped with or has room for a liquid cooling system. A liquid-cooled CPU is safer to overclock and run at higher capacities for longer, making it a great option for content creators who need to run simultaneous, CPU-hungry programs.

Yes, you can absolutely find a budget-friendly, sub $1,000 gaming computer with the storage space and processing power for just about any game. Read here for my top selections of budget gaming PCs.You can also save money on a prebuilt or custom build by opting for an older GPU. While these aren’t the newest, shiniest tech, budget gaming PCs still have plenty of juice to run a lot of triple-A titles at decent settings. 

You also can save by choosing a configuration with less RAM and storage, since you can often swap them out yourself later; this lets you take advantage of component sales that work with your overall budget. Just be sure to check that your gaming laptop doesn’t have a RAM stick that can’t be removed or replaced. 

8GB – 16GB of RAM is plenty to provide a smooth gaming experience. You can also find configurations with upwards of 128GB of RAM, and while this would certainly give you more system memory for very technically and graphically demanding games, this amount of RAM is geared towards animators and professional content creators. 

Yes, it can be. Gaming PCs are one of those things that you can spend as little or as much on as you want. Prebuilt gaming desktops and laptops are great for anyone who either doesn’t have time to build or isn’t comfortable with building a gaming computer. They’re also more expeditious since you don’t have to wait for individual components to ship (and hopefully not get damaged in transit). 

The first reason you may want to build your own gaming PC is it gives you an opportunity to save some cash since you can build around component sales. Just make sure you aren’t mixing AMD and Intel components; they won’t communicate with each other. 

The second reason you may want to build a PC yourself is that you can tailor your model to your exact needs and liking. Plus, you can ditch the components you’re less likely to fully utilize, such as HDDs or SSDs with more than 2TB of space, more than 16GB of RAM, or a super-advanced motherboard that has features you won’t ever use, etc. 

It’s all about balancing your budget with how convenient you want buying a gaming PC to be or how comfortable you are with building computers.

Unless you have high-end, power-hungry components like the new RTX 4090 graphics card, liquid cooling your PC can be overkill. However, a liquid cooling system is more efficient at drawing away waste heat than traditional, air-cooling fan systems. And with the advent of all-in-one cooling systems, first-time builders can liquid-cool their gaming rigs without the fear of leaks; but the AIO systems are meant to focus on single components like CPUs or graphics cards. 

If you want to liquid cool your entire rig, you’ll need a custom cooling system, including a radiator, plenty of tubing, coolant pumps, and an exhaust fan. DIY PC pros can set up intricate liquid cooling systems to maintain optimal temperatures while also showing off their personal style with colored coolant, RGB lights, and copper tubing.

Both intake and exhaust fans are important for maintaining proper airflow. Ideally, you want to have an equal number of both to have even dissipation of waste heat and intake of fresh, cool air. However, if your case isn’t set up for that many fans, it’s better to have more exhaust fan units to draw out waste heat, which will make it easier for the intake fans to draw in fresh air.

If you’ve ever browsed a site like Newegg to price-check PC components, you may have noticed that power supplies have ratings attached to them. They can be divided into six categories: white, bronze, silver, gold, platinum, and titanium. A white rating means that the PSU has the lowest power efficiency while a titanium rating indicates the very best power efficiency. While it’s tempting to spring for a white-rated PSU, you may end up spending a lot more in the long-run since it will be more prone to failure and might require frequent replacing. 

But this doesn’t mean you have to spring for the ultra-expensive titanium rating. An 80 plus gold rating is more than enough power efficiency for most gaming PCs, but if you’re a content creator, you may want to consider a platinum or titanium-rated PSU to protect high-end components like graphics cards and processors against power fluctuations.

There are tons of options out there for prebuilt gaming PCs. Below is a list of runner-ups that, while they’re great computers, might not appeal to everyone. Some are quite expensive or more suited to creative professionals or from brands that are less well-known.