If you thought you had to build a gaming PC to get the most out of it, you'd be wrong. There are amazing pre-built rigs out there for whatever your gaming needs are. The HP Omen 45L, our top pick, is one such desktop, giving you all the fun without any of the fuss of putting together (and ruining) one of the best gaming PCs.
Best overall: HP Omen 45L
The HP Omen 45L is larger than its predecessor, but that's mostly down to an innovative new "Cryo Chamber" cooling solution. In an era where building your PC is so common, many manufacturers are trying to think outside the box with their desktop rigs, and HP certainly did that. Being external to the rest of the PC, temperatures can be up to 6 degrees lower thanks to the lack of heated air from inside the machine.
On the one hand, you might say the design is a little uninspiring, but to the PC gamer, this is a machine where the function is the primary concern, and ease of access is paramount. You simply pull the glass side panel off, and you have free access to all internal components, all of which can be upgraded over time. It supports a full ATX motherboard, though out of the box HP used a microATX, which does limit both built-in functions a little as well as how much you can expand.
The Omen 45L boasts the latest high-end of the NVIDIA RTX GPU lineup with the RTX 3090 as the top-end solution or AMD Radeon graphics, CPUs from Intel's 12th Gen desktop lineup or AMD's Ryzen 5000 Series, DDR4 RAM from HyperX, SSD storage, it ticks all the boxes.
Literally, everything is replaceable, including the radiator in the Cryo Chamber, and the bottom line is that this is a PC any enthusiast would be happy with. HP did the hard work for you, though.
Reasons to buy
- User upgradeable
- Powerful
- Innovative Cryo Chamber cooling
- AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA all options
Reasons not to buy
- MicroATX motherboard limits expansion
- No Thunderbolt
Best overall
HP Omen 45L
Innovative rig enthusiasts will love
The 45L does away with needless fancy design and packs powerful parts into an easy-to-access case that makes it easy to game on.
Runner-up: Alienware Aurora R13
Just like its parent Dell brand, Alienware has been making some amazing hardware recently. The Alienware Aurora R13 is one such example, revived and reborn with a whole new design that's both striking and clever.
Thanks to a more traditional internal design on the R13 compared to its predecessor, you get plenty of space to work in and upgrade parts yourself. You can squeeze in a pair of graphics cards as well as a liquid cooler for the CPU. You also get plenty of space for additional drive bays.
It isn't even that expensive at the entry level. While you're not getting the most powerful parts on the cheaper models, the ease of upgrade means you're not limited by what you can initially afford. Adding more RAM or a new graphics card is completely tool-free and takes just a couple of minutes. And the R13 is one of the first desktop PCs to be sold with Intel's new barnstorming 12th Gen processors.
The Aurora offers something for everyone: those on a tighter budget, those looking for ridiculous power, those hoping to upgrade in the future, and everyone else in between.
Reasons to buy
- Lots of configurations
- User upgradeable
- Powerful
- Fairly compact
- Inexpensive entry point
Reasons not to buy
- Questionable build quality record
- Design is pretty polarizing
Runner-up
Alienware Aurora R13
The latest Alienware Aurora is an incredible thing
The latest Aurora comes with 12th Gen Intel processors and up to an RTX 3090 GPU for insane power in a stylish and compact body.
Best budget: HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop
A more affordable choice from HP, this gaming PC is equipped with an Intel Core i5-11400F which is more than enough to handle the latest PC games released today. There's also a choice of GPUS, but the most budget-focused model comes with an NVIDIA GTX 1650. While not designed for the heaviest titles, at 1080p you'll still be able to play a huge range of today's most popular titles with ease.
Accompanying the CPU and graphics card are 8GB of DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD for your operating system (Windows 10 in this case), and plenty of ports. And thanks to the standard design you have some scope to upgrade down the line as your needs and budget grow.
Reasons to buy
- Standard components
- Good performance
- Great price
- Lots of ports
Reasons not to buy
- Not for today's heavier titles
Best budget
HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop
Great value with room to upgrade
HP's no-fuss budget gaming desktop is a perfect starting point with room to grow in the future.
Best AMD PC: Dell Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R14
While the entry-level configuration may not be worth shouting about, only coming with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and AMD Radeon RX 5300, the choice available is perfect for anyone looking for an AMD-powered gaming PC. You can configure the R14 with up to an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 GPU, and 128GB of RAM.
This PC is very similar to the older Intel-powered R12 from Dell, allowing you to upgrade components like the RAM and GPU at a later date if you wish to bump the performance up a little.
The R14 caters to a number of price points, allowing anyone to pick up a configuration that matches their needs, display, and budget.
Reasons to buy
- Powerful configurations available
- Can be upgraded
- Up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090
- Attractive futuristic design
Reasons not to buy
- Can get real expensive
- Entry-level a little underpowered
Best AMD PC
Dell Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R14
It's the Alienware Aurora but with AMD
If you'd prefer to take advantage of the power of AMD Ryzen, Dell has you covered with the excellent Alienware Aurora R14.
Best for work: Dell XPS 8950
While RGB is all the rage these days in gaming PCs, such a thing isn't suited to an office environment, home, or work. Some just want a powerful PC that can game without it screaming, "I'm a gamer." That's where the superb Dell XPS tower comes in, which has been a sleeping gamer hit for some time.
It's pretty stylish to look at, although it's a bit boring by the standard of most gaming PCs. XPS is Dell's professional brand, and the 8950 fits right into that, except it's also packing some serious horsepower for gaming.
Dell has a whole host of configurations from which to choose, all of which offer dedicated graphics from NVIDIA, including the RTX 2060 or now even the RTX 3070. It has also been updated to offer 12th Gen Intel processors with DDR5 RAM, and since it uses standard parts, much is upgradeable. Dell also uses superfast NVMe SSD storage, so this is a desktop PC that can hang with the best of them.
Reasons to buy
- Lots of configurations
- Easy to upgrade
- Powerful
- Optical drive
Reasons not to buy
- Can get expensive
- Entry-level a little underpowered
Best for work
Dell XPS 8940 PC
Looks like an office PC, games like a champion
If you want a PC to game on that doesn't look like a teenager designed it, here it is. The Dell XPS is sleek and powerful.
Best compact PC: MSI Trident 3
The current fashion for large gaming PCs includes mad cases and more RGB lights than a Vegas hotel, but not everyone wants or has the space for a colossal rig. It's also not necessary anymore, with some truly amazing and small gaming PCs like the MSI Trident 3 making the most of their compact forms.
It's about the same size as a game console and yet can still have up to an Intel Core i7 processor and up to an NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPU inside. That's pretty remarkable, and when you add 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, you wonder why you'd ever want a large PC again. If you often take your PC on the go to LAN parties, this is a perfect option.
Parts are upgradeable, though due to the unique design of the Trident 3, you'll have to put in a little work. But even if you're not down for that, what you get out of the box is plenty to keep you gaming for years to come, and the entry-level model is both capable and affordable.
Reasons to buy
- Compact build
- Lots of gaming power
- Good price
- Lots of ports
Reasons not to buy
- Tough to upgrade
- Can get pricey
Best compact PC
MSI Trident 3
Compact yet powerful gaming PC
Looking to cut some space for yourself on the desk? Look at MSI's MPG Trident 3, which is a very compact gaming PC.
Bottom line
There are a lot of great pre-built gaming PCs out there, but it's hard to do better than the HP Omen 45L right now. It's pricey, but it's supremely powerful, and the Cryo Chamber is a unique addition that adds real benefit.
What's also very apparent right now is that there's a good selection of affordable gaming PCs, too. It's no longer necessary to build your PC to get the best deals.
And the Omen 45L is so well designed that beginners and enthusiasts alike will fall in love with it. It can be all the PC you need for many years to come.
Credits — The team that worked on this guide
Richard Devine Richard Devine is an Editor at Windows Central. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently, you'll find him covering all manner of PC hardware and gaming.
Rich Edmonds is a staff reviewer at Windows Central, which means he tests out more software and hardware than he cares to remember. Joining Mobile Nations in 2010, you can usually find him inside a PC case tinkering around when not at a screen fighting with Grammarly to use British words. Hit him up on Twitter: @RichEdmonds.
source https://www.windowscentral.com/best-gaming-desktop-pc
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