A great gaming PC can make sure that the latest titles can run smoothly without any surprise frame rate drops or slow loading times thanks to dedicated, powerful processors and high RAM storage capabilities. Take the CyberPowerPC Gamer Supreme, which is our choice for the best gaming PC you can get right now. It’s a high-powered gaming machine with a blazing fast CPU at a very attractive price. But it’s not the only amazing gaming system we recommend.
Some of the best gaming PCS come with extras like keyboards an mice in addition to powerful … [+] processors and GPUs.
Illustration: Forbes / Photo: Retailers
Looking for flagship performance? The Corsair Vengeance a8100 is hard to beat, but the Thermaltake i480S also offers a great setup for a whole lot less. And, while you’re upping your PC gaming gear game, also consider one of our best gaming headsets picks and a gaming keyboard to round out your setup. Here are some of the best pre-built gaming PCs you can buy today.
A super fast gaming processor (currently the fastest in the world)
Comes with a free mouse and keyboard
Available with faster graphics if necessary
Cons:
Some reports of limited longevity for the power supply unit (PSU)
Stronger GPU costs more
For the absolute best bang for buck performance in a pre-built gaming PC, there’s nothing out there that can touch the CyberPowerPC Gamer Supreme right now. With its combination of high powered gaming processor and super-powered graphics at a price well under $2,000, you can enjoy high frame rates at any detail setting at 1080p and 1440p—and even dabble in 4K in lighter games if you like. There’s tons of fast storage space, an impressive amount of speedy memory and an attractive case. It even comes with built-in watercooling to prevent overheating and a free keyboard and mouse to get you started. (And if you’re looking for the best gaming monitor, we also have you covered there.)
That’s not to say it’s perfect. CyberPowerPC is not the most reputable of brands. There have been some reports of the PSUs in these PCs not lasting particularly long—so budget to replace yours if you want additional peace of mind. But for out of the box sheer gaming power, this is the PC to beat. The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is arguably the best gaming processor in the world and particularly accelerates demanding games like Flight Sims and big strategy games. If you like those sorts of games, you’re in for a real treat, but it plays everything fantastically well.
Best for: Playing your favorite games in a compact system.
Pros:
Super fast graphics and processor for gaming
Compact design is attractive and versatile
Has a range of configuration options
Cons:
Runs noisier than larger PCs
Not as easy to upgrade or work in
If you want a small-form-factor PC that won’t take up much space on your desk and is a little easier to transport to a LAN party, the Cooler Master NR2 Pro is an awesome choice. It packs a ton of super-powered hardware inside a truly-compact chassis—the famed Cooler Master NR200P Max—giving it incredible performance without the giant footprint of a standard ATX PC. This mini-ITX build measures just 15 x 12 x 8 inches, and yet comes fitted with the Intel Core i7-14700F and the Nvidia RTX 4070 Super graphics card. The CPU is watercooled, so should run cool and quiet, but the GPU will kick out some noise when it spins up, as there just isn’t much room for advanced cooling.
Still, the performance is stellar, and if you want more, you can have it. This PC can be configured with up to an Intel Core i9-14900K, and up to an RTX 4090 graphics card, so the sky is the limit on how fast this PC can be. In this default choice, we’ve gone for a great combination of hardware. With 32GB of RAM and a terabyte of SSD storage, everything it does is snappy and responsive. The case really is great too, although at its super compact size, working inside it isn’t the easiest.
Best for: Playing the latest games at 4K with all settings at ultra.
Pros:
Flagship-level gaming performance
Quiet operation with a great looking case
Access to 24/7 support team
Cons:
Very expensive
The Corsair Vengeance a8100 combines the fastest gaming processor ever made, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, with 16 cores and extra cache for added gaming performance, with the Nvidia RTX 4090—the fastest graphics card in the world by quite some margin. Together with 64GB of blazing fast DDR5 memory and a staggering 4TB of the latest SSD storage, you have a PC that has no bottlenecks and has nothing holding it back. Any game, any resolution and any detail setting you choose, and it’ll run with sky high frame rates. When it meets something that does make it struggle, it can fall back on Deep Learning Super Sampling and other AI tricks to boost its FPS back up into the rafters.
You do have to pay for that privilege though, that reflects in the high price. But there’s almost no stone unturned when it comes to making this a truly premium build. The CPU is watercooled, the fans are high-end RGB models with quiet operation and pretty lighting, the PSU is 1,000W and Gold certified for extra efficiency and connectivity is excellent. There are heaps of USB ports of different types and sizes, and there’s support for 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet and Wi-Fi 6 right out of the box.
Best for: Maximizing your gaming performance on a controlled budget.
Pros:
Solid performance in all games at 1080p, with good upgrade path
Affordable price
Comes with a free keyboard and mouse
Cons:
GPU is limited to 8GB of VRAM
If you have $1,000 to spend on a gaming PC, you get a lot of processing power for the price with the CyberPowerPC Gamer Master PC with its strong CPU and modern GPU. It has the kind of components which deliver excellent 1080p gaming performance in esports games and—if you play with the settings—in some AAA games, too. The AMD Ryzen 7700 is an eight core CPU with high clock speeds, and crucially, it’s part of AMD’s latest generation of CPUs on its new AM5 socket. That socket will receive support for many years to come, so it’ll be super easy to upgrade this processor in the future.
The graphics chip is the 8GB RX 7600, which isn’t super powerful, but it’s plenty of playing your favorite esports games at high frame rates. There’s 16GB of DDR5 memory which is plenty for casual gaming and more. The 1TB SSD has lots of space for all your games, and you get a free keyboard and mouse with this design too, getting you set up for gaming right away.
Best for: Playing the latest games at ultra detail.
Pros:
Awesome performance from next-gen CPU and GPU
Great looking case with impressive cooling
Excellent connectivity
Cons:
Unique design makes maintenance a little more complicated
A $2,500 budget lets you get just about whatever you want, and with the Thermaltake LCGS Reactor i480S, you get a gaming PC that sports some of the fastest hardware money can buy in one of the coolest looking cases around. The Thermaltake The Tower 300 is a lauded gaming chassis, with the ability to see every component in all their glory, without the giant footprint of a standard case. Built to a larger Micro-ATX standard, this PC is compact, but still gives you a great look at the interior, with tasteful RGB lighting to boot.
The Intel Core i7-14700KF is one of the fastest gaming processors Intel has ever made, and it has extra efficiency cores over its predecessor for improved multi-tasking performance. Paired up with the RTX 4080 Super—the second fastest GPU available right now—and there isn’t a game you can’t play at 4K resolution with all the settings maxes out. It also supports DLSS 3 and frame generation, and offers fantastic connectivity on the front and back, with USB-C, USB-A and many more ports.
Why Trust Forbes Vetted
The Forbes Vetted tech team is well-versed in all things digital, having written hundreds of articles and product reviews in the tech gadgets and gear category.
Rebecca Isaacs is the consumer tech and electronics editor at Forbes Vetted. She has been a tech journalist for the best part of a decade.
We know tech trends can quickly become outdated. We updated this story in May 2024 to update all recommended systems, including the CyberPowerPC Gamer Supreme and Corsair Vengeance a8100, among others.
How We Chose The Best Gaming PCs
Here at Forbes Vetted, from building empires in Crusader Kings III to playing indie standouts like Inscryption and classic comforts like Stardew Valley, we live for gaming. We’re experts in the computer world, offering hands-on insights when we can to provide you a better picture as to what desktops are the best for your needs.
The Forbes Vetted team has been hands-on with testing out many of the best gaming PCs on the market. In addition to learning about them directly from the manufacturers, our team has attended events and product demonstrations to learn all the ins and outs of new router technology.
To bring you the best gaming PCs available today, we first identified the leading brands in the space, which include Asus, Dell, Lenovo, Cooler Master, Corsair, Thermaltake, and others.
In addition to our already extensive knowledge on the topic, we consulted other colleagues in the PC gaming space, and experts on PC gaming hardware.
We evaluated each product, comparing components including the CPU, graphics card, motherboard, storage, memory, case, and more.
Are Pre-Built Gaming PCs Worth It?
Definitely. A pre-built gaming PC is a great way to start playing your favorite games straight away without having to build the system yourself. Youlll still have to install some games and your favorite programs, but it’s a much quicker way to get gaming, and you can often get a more powerful mix of components for the price in a gaming desktop than a gaming laptop.
You also get more support, extra warranty coverage and guarantees that mean if your new PC fails for whatever reason in the first year (or more, depending on the manufacturer and warranty you select on purchase) you can have someone fix it for you, rather than hav
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