What’s the best gaming PC? It depends on your needs and budget. Maybe you’re chasing a system that doesn’t spare the costs to provide the ultimate gaming experience, or you just want to achieve playable frame rates in your favorite eSports games. Whether you’re either of these extremes or find yourself somewhere in between, we have game recommendations for you.
The best gaming PC is the Acer Predator Orion 5000. This is only $1,500 at the time of review and is packed into the Nvidia RTX 4070 supermarket. On the other hand, the best small form factor PC is the Corsair One I500. If your budget is tight, choosing the best gaming PC on your budget is essential for cyberpower esports. See the list below for a variety of pricing options. Also, don’t miss out on the tested section that includes the PCs you reviewed. On the other hand, if you want detailed guidance on how to choose the perfect PC, check out the FAQs that answer all gaming PC questions.
Best gaming PC 2025:
Alienware Aurora
The best midrange gaming PC
| CPU | Intel Core Ultra 7 265kf |
| Motherboard | Alienware 01CVX5 Intel Z890 |
| Rum | 32GB (2 x 16GB) Kingston Fury 6,400MT/S 44-40-40-80 |
| GPU | Nvidia GeForce TX 5070 |
| Storage | 1TB Micron OEM M.2 2230 PCIE 4.0 NVME SSD |
| power supply | Alienwear 1,000W 80 Plus Platinum |
| case | HP OMEN 40L |
| guarantee | Parts and labor for a year |
| size | 7.75 x 18.05 x 16.46 inch / 197 x 458.4 x 418mm |
| Weight | 33.89lb / 15.37kg |
- Excellent GPU performance
- Good looking RGB lighting
- Small desktop footprint
- Simple interior
- There is not much storage space
- You need a better CPU
- Messy internal build
The latest Alienware Aurora Gaming PCs have a lot of love about it. The fantastic case design is great, keeping the system cool, but it’s surprisingly compact. It is also impressively quiet even under full loads.
The $2,349.99 configuration we tested was equipped with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 TI. This powerful GPU is also supported by a wealth of 32GB of RAM.
However, the CPU used here actually has a bit of performance down. Dell (owner of Alienware) is currently only affiliated with Intel CPUs, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265kf used here is 13% slower than using the RTX 5070 Ti with the AMD Ryzen 7 7800x3d. A mere 1TB of SSD storage is also a bit weak about the price of this machine.
However, this is a solid option for gaming PCs, and the far less impact on CPU performance, the more powerful it is for non-gaming workloads that push resolution and graphics settings (as GPU is a performance limiting factor).
Additionally, Dell regularly offers discounts on its systems. It’s pretty pretty priced, but if you can find a deal on this PC, it’s going to be a great purchase.
For more information, see the Alienware Aurora review.
Corsair One I500
The best mini-game PC
| CPU | Intel Core i9 14900K |
| Motherboard | MSI B760M Mortar WiFi |
| Rum | 32GB (2 x 16GB) Corsair Vengeance 6,000MHz DDR5 |
| GPU | Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super or RTX 4090 |
| Storage | 2TB Samsung PM9A1 SSD |
| power supply | 1,000W Corsair SF1000L |
| guarantee | Two years of parts and workers will return to the base |
- It’s well built with a gorgeous look
- Small footprint
- Great game pace
- The CPU can be run hot under load
- Very high price
- Noisy fans in the game
Corsair is burdened with the design of the Super-Compact One I500. It has a footprint of just 187 x 300mm and is lined with wooden panels lined with RGB lighting and great build quality strips. Beneath this classy look is a serious PC, choosing between an Intel Core I9 14900K CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Super or RTX 4090 GPU. As for specs, it’s as serious as you can get, and Corsair was even able to water-cool both the CPU and GPU in this compact case.
This mini-PC shows that there is no need to sacrifice gaming performance with its mission to reduce desk space. Thanks to help from the frame generation technology of the Nvidia DLSS 3, I tested the RTX 4080 super version, which ran the Cyberpunk 2077 at 2,560 x 1,440 with Ultra Ray Trace Presets at 106fps.
There are a few things to be aware of. The CPU’s 120mm AIO cooler doesn’t have enough cooling capacity to allow the Core i9 14900K to achieve peak boost speeds, but it runs fast enough for the game. It also allows you to create a huge amount of fan noise when running the game. Otherwise, this is a great mini machine with great gaming performance under a wooden hood.
Read our Corsair One I500 review.
MSI Meg Trident x2 14th
The best 4K gaming PC
| operating system | Windows 11 Home |
| CPU | Intel Core i9-14900kf |
| Memory | 64GB DDR5 RAM |
| GPU | nvidia geforce rtx 4090 (24GB) |
| Storage | 2TB SSD, 2TB hard drive |
| case | MSI Trident x2 |
| guarantee | Parts and labor for a year |
- Incredible gaming performance
- Touch screen on the front of the case
- Efficient cooling system
- No glass panels or internal RGB
- Touch screen use is limited
- Specification cannot be configured at checkout
While most gaming PCs can be configured to include top layer hardware, the MSI Meg Trident X2 still has the most powerful components on PCs we’ve tested. The Intel Core I9-14900KF processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 graphics are as fast as a gaming PC gets when reviewing. It also gets a massive 64GB of RAM and 4TB of total storage. The latter is one of the slightly weaker points of the machine considering the price, but it’s easy to add storage later.
The surprisingly compact case has an interesting angle design, but does not include glass or see-through panels. Instead, this gaming PC is focused on delivering enormous performance with a clever and efficient cooling system that ducts cold air into the GPU and uses only the other three main system fans. When I set my PC to silent mode it remains very quiet. The touchscreen allows you to change the volume, control the multimedia, and toggle between silent, balanced, extreme cooling modes, but this additional feature was not a very useful feature.
Despite already packing over $2,000 CPUs and GPUs, this PC is available for around $4,000. Over 150fps at 1440p in most games, even the most demanding titles can well surpass 60fps in 4K. Buy if you want the fastest machine year.
Please read MSI Meg Trident x2 14th Review.
Also, Test – Game PC Review
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For more information, please see the HP Omen 40L review. “data-logo =” https://www./wp-content/sites/pcgamesn/2025/08/2025/08/40l-spotlight.jpg “data-abf-price =” “data-affprecipreti Data-Affctatext = “View Deal-HP Omen 40L” Data-Afflink = “https://www.amazon.co.uk/hp-omen-40l-desktop-pc-gt21-1016ng-amd-r/dp/b0cxf6lgc6/? Affiliate Committee from Qualification Sales. “Data-Widget-Type =” Star”>
How to choose the best gaming PC
Before choosing a new gaming PC, there are two questions you may want to answer first: The first is to decide whether to get a console PC, get a gaming PC (I recommend a PC of course), then build your own PC or buy one of the pre-built systems highlighted in this guide.
Building a PCS is surprisingly easy and there is a comprehensive guide on how to build a gaming PC that uses the process step-by-step. However, there is no denying that it takes time and effort. You could also choose components that don’t work together, or break something. On the other hand, if you buy a pre-built PC, it just works and you’ll usually get a 1-3 year warranty. You just pay a little extra for that privilege (usually 5-10% more than buying individually).
There are these options, but the next option is to choose a custom build system or turn off the shelf model completely. A custom build system allows you to configure components to ensure you get the style and performance you need. Companies such as CyberPower PCs, Ibuypower, NZXT, Origin PCs, and UK over-craters and scans have the option of almost any component of your build. You can find more places to shop on the best websites for custom PC build guides.
The downside of custom builds is that you generally pay a little more, you will have to wait a few weeks for the system to be built, and your component selection may be unbalanced. On the other hand, completely off-shelves often get a big discount (especially if it’s a little older), and can generally be delivered the next day or just a few days.
Next, decide whether you need a larger, traditional PC or a very compact system. Something like the Corsair One I500 offers a powerful system with a stunning look with a very small footprint. However, upgrading later can be difficult compared to more traditional case designs such as the CyberPower Esports Essentials and the Acer Predator Orion 5000. On the other hand, the best mini-game PCs, such as the Geekom AX8 Pro, are very limited to how you can upgrade them, but they are absolutely small.
Finally, we come to nuts and bolts to choose a gaming PC that finds the right components that suit your budget and needs. In the case of games, the most important part of a PC is the graphics card or GPU. Many cheap and old gaming PCs have enough power to offer a playable frame rate (over 60fps) in 1080p for older or less graphics games. Even some integrated graphics (GPU built into the CPU) systems, such as the Geekom AX8 Pro, can buy a graphics card entirely and get a PC for under $600.
However, if you want to post details in the latest games and run at resolutions above 1440p, you’ll need a more modern and powerful graphics card. If you’re above the NVIDIA RTX 5060 TI 16GB (~$475) or AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT (~$320) or PC, we recommend hitting a higher frame rate at 1080p in most games and a higher frame rate at 1440p with playable frame rates with less stringent equipment.
On the other hand, for the latest games with consistently high frames at 1440p, you’ll need to spend well over $600 on a graphics card alone and around $1,200-1,500 on a PC. The NVIDIA RTX 5070 or AMD Radeon RX 9070 is the biggest choice in this price range. Also, if you want to play in 4K, consider spending over $2,000 on your PC using cards like the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, NVIDIA RTX 5080, RTX 5090.
Gaming PCs FAQ
Console or gaming PC?
The latest gaming consoles and gaming PCs are getting closer and closer in terms of the core gaming experiences they can offer. So, for many gamers, the console is a more affordable option when playing primarily controller-based games rather than using a mouse or keyboard. Console games tend to be more expensive, at least when it comes to frontline costs.
However, the number of games that can be easily and affordably accessed on PCs is far greater than the games available on consoles. What’s more, if it’s worth using your gaming PC for other tasks like web browsing, video watching, work, etc., then a gaming PC is a great option. It’s extremely powerful and endless versatile, especially when purchasing a PC that’s easy to upgrade.
Furthermore, if you overcome the first hit of buying a PC, future upgrades could be much more cost-effective than consoles. The best power and best PC case options can last for decades, as well as case fans, coolers and more.
Buy or build a gaming PC?
If you’re just starting out in the PC world of gaming, it makes a lot of sense to buy a pre-built system like the one highlighted in this guide. They have a warranty to cover the issue at least in the first year, and are ready to guarantee it. However, building a PC is not as difficult as you might think. Check out how to build a gaming PC guide to see how relatively simple it is.
Why buy a pre-built gaming PC?
A pre-built PC offers convenience and security that you can’t match when building your own system. All components are preassembled before delivery, so you’ll be ready as soon as your new rig arrives at your front door. You also have the right to additional warranty and potentially technical support if anything goes wrong.
Is $1,000 enough for a gaming PC?
Yes, the $600 upside-down thing is usually enough to start in the PC gaming world. This kind of budget gives you an entry-level PC that uses graphics integrated into a CPU, such as the AMD 5600g. The performance of such machines is very limited – you will play the game at under 1080p with medium or low graphics settings – but this still starts access to playable experiences in thousands of games.
Spending around $800 to $1,000 can include more powerful dedicated graphics cards, allowing you to use higher frame rates more reliably for a wider range of games.
Game PC or gaming laptop?
Desktop PCs are not for everyone. If you want portability, a gaming laptop is the obvious option. However, if your main concern is that you have a small gaming PC setup due to limited space, or if you mostly need to play games at home and only travel with the setup from time to time, a small form factor gaming PC might work. You can get smaller PCs, such as the Geekom AX8 Pro, not bigger than the hardbackbook. If you have a portable monitor, a keyboard and mouse, you can get closer to the same portability as a laptop with much more upgradeable potential. The best mini-game PC guide allows you to find a wide range of small PCs.
That said, there is no doubt that the best gaming laptop options offer a variety of ways to get a complete gaming PC setup on one handy device. Note that the biggest drawback of games other than games that are generally not overall powerful is that they are far less upgradeable. If the CPU, GPU, or RAM is hindering you, unlike most desktop PCs, you cannot replace that one component. Instead, you’ll need to buy an entirely new laptop.
How to test your gaming PC
When testing the best gaming PC, run benchmarks and consider the design, quality, components and noise generated by the system. The PC should look beautiful and attractive on the outside and Inside, cables should be neatly organized and do not interfere with access to key components.
We love seeing innovative designs that work to improve cooling, appearance and access to components. The fans in the PC expect to make some noise when running at full load, but I expect this to be well adjusted along the temperature. A well-built PC keeps the components cool under load, but at other times it remains quiet.
When benchmarking a gaming PC, our main test is gaming. Cyberpunk 2077, Indiana Jones, The Great Circle, and F1 24 benchmark each PC’s performance when enabling the latest graphics features at high settings such as Ray Tracing, DLSS, FSR, and Frame Generation. We also test Cyberpunk 2077 without ray tracing to test the performance of non-ray tracing. If your PC is a low-end option, you can also test these games at a low setting to provide realistic images of the performance that you can achieve with these systems when you are not trying to make the game look absolutely the best.
Each test is run at least three times and discards abnormal results before calculating the average. Report average and minimum results and work on the principle that the game is smooth to play if your PC can generate an average of 60fps and at least 45fps minimum for these titles.
Finally, we also run 3DMark, a synthetic benchmark to compare performance with the final score. Run 3Dmark on your system now and then compare review scores.
Of course, no one buys a PC just for games, so I run Cinebench and give you an idea of how the CPU works on each system. This gives you multithreaded results. Here you can see how a ton of cores work in hardcore content creation scenarios, such as video encoding and 3D rendering. Single-threaded results represent single-core CPU usage. This is also important for most basic Windows software and many games.
The final score and conclusion balance benchmark performance with general design and build quality, upgradeability, and price and guaranteed package compared to competition.
To get the most out of your gaming PC, be sure to equip the right peripherals to suit your needs. These are one of the three most important options to provide the experience you want, so we recommend checking out the best gaming monitors, the best gaming mouse, and the best gaming keyboard guide.
