Now that the holidays are just around the corner, you’re probably going through and trying to decide what to get people for gifts this year, and if there’s a gamer in your life then you can never go wrong with a new gaming PC.
There are tons and tons of options for gaming PCs out on the market, and it can be a daunting task to try and sift through which options are worth spending money on and which ones aren’t. Should you avoid that desktop? Is this gaming laptop any good? These are questions a lot of people ask themselves when shopping for a new gaming PC. And that’s understandable because your choices these days are vast. It gets even more confusing if you’re just not really familiar with gaming PCs.
So, with that in mind, we’ve rounded up some of the best gaming PCs you can buy and put them together in this list. We’re doing our gift guides a little bit differently this year. Instead of picking a bunch of really good options and clogging up the guide, we’re choosing two items that we feel are the best you can buy in three separate price categories. So you’ll find two of the best gaming PCs available in the high-end price category, two in the mid-range price category, and then two in the low-end price category.
This way there’s a little something for every budget, but there also won’t be too many options. We’ve narrowed the list down to make things easier for you when you’re shopping. You can find our top picks for gaming PCs below. It’s also worth noting that these are prebuilt machines, so you don’t have to do any of the labor of building the PC yourself. We’ve also selected one desktop and one laptop for each category.
Best high-end gaming PCs
Gaming PCs no longer have to be something that costs thousands of dollars to get something that works well. With that being said if you want a gaming PC that is the best money can buy, you’re going to be spending a lot of money. This is because these PCs come with some of the best available components and they’re exceptionally powerful PCs. These are machines that you can run any game on generally without limits.
If you’re looking to grab something that fits into this category, we’ve got two excellent picks for you. If you didn’t want to do any of the legwork, that’s fine as we’ve done it for you.
CLX Ra
We’re going to kick things off with the CLX Ra in its current form, which is a stellar PC that brings no-holds-barred performance to the table for all of your gaming needs. I had the pleasure of testing the CLX Ra a year or two ago when it came in a different case, and it was an awesome gaming experience. It really is something else being able to play any game you can imagine at the absolute highest settings allowed, and still be able to get a high frame rate. So you end up with exceptional visual clarity and resolution, and smooth gameplay thanks to frame rates that are through the roof.
You’ll get this with the CLX Ra thanks to all of its powerful components. This particular model comes with an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D which is one of the fastest CPUs on the market for gaming. It also won’t have the crashing issues that some of Intel’s 14th Gen desktop CPUs have been having. So we’re going to suggest this over the Intel variant because of that risk. It also has an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU. We believe the RTX 40-series GPUs are a better option because of NVIDIA’s DLSS 3 technology, NVIDIA Reflex, path tracing, and more.
To top this system off you also get a 2TB NVMe SSD and a 6TB HDD for storage, so you have 8TB in total. Plus 64GB of RAM. This is a PC you get when you don’t want to worry about limitations. While pricey, it is a desktop and it’s easily upgradeable. So when it comes time to swap out an old part, you can do that with very little effort. My time with the CLX Ra was probably the most upscale PC gaming experience I’ve had, and I was amazed at how well the PC was built. If you want a top-end performing desktop that’s high-quality, this is it. Just be aware that this thing comes in a massive wooden crate. It also comes with a massive price tag of $5,499.99.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16
A super powerful desktop gaming PC is great but they’re not for everyone. Whether it’s desk space or just the fact that they’re stationary and can’t be taken anywhere easily, some people prefer the convenience of having a laptop. That’s why we’ve chosen one of the most powerful gaming laptops out there as our second high-end gaming PC option.
Specifically, we picked the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 because it has consistently been one of the best gaming laptops available year after year. This model comes equipped with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU and that’s where the performance is going to start. Now laptop GPUs aren’t going to be quite as fast or powerful as their desktop counterparts. But we’re not talking about massive gaps in performance here. An RTX 4090 laptop GPU is still going to be plenty powerful.
With the ROG Zephyrus G16, you won’t have any trouble playing a game like Cyberpunk 2077 and cranking the graphics all the way up. While also not having to take too much of a hit to the frame rate no less. And if you need a boost, you can always kick on the DLSS 3 features that help to boost the frame rates in games. Outside of the GPU, this laptop also comes with a 2K 16-inch screen with a 240Hz refresh rate. There’s also an Intel Core Ultra 9 running the computing tasks. The Intel Core Ultra 9 will help with battery efficiency too, which means a little more game time off the charger, even if not by much.
And you won’t need to worry about RAM or storage either, as you’ll get 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD for storage. Now one of the best parts about this laptop is that it’s pretty thin for a laptop with an RTX 4090 in it. And that portability is why we think this is the best option. At a full retail price of $3,299.99, it isn’t cheap, but it is the best.
Best mid-range gaming PCs
Mid-range gaming PCs can still pack a punch when it comes to performance and the really nice thing about that is they can cost a whole lot less money. So if you’re looking to save and are willing to make a few small sacrifices, you can still get a really good gaming PC.
We’ve selected two awesome PCs that will offer a great gaming experience at under $2,000. The best part is, that both of them will still play games very well with little compromise on the graphics or frame rates. You won’t be able to run games like Cyberpunk 2077 at maxed-out settings, but you can get close. And you’ll be saving money while doing it.
iBUYPOWER Y60 Black
I’ve been testing the iBUYPOWER Y60 Black for a little while now and honestly, it’s been an excellent experience for games. I played the entirety of my first Black Myth: Wukong playthrough on it and just about every graphics setting was nearly maxed out. The PC was also able to maintain a steady 70 frames per second at those levels, with some bumps up to 90 frames depending on the area and situation.
So from a performance standpoint, this PC is great, as I have yet to have an issue running any game I play. Space Marine 2 is another game I tested with this PC and that ran amazingly well. Case in point, if you want a really good performing PC for under $2k, this is the one you should pick if you’re looking at pre-built desktops.
In addition to the awesome performance, it has an RTX 4070 Ti Super GPU, an AMD Ryzen 7900X CPU (I’m testing the Intel Core i9-14900KF model), 32GB of RAM, and a 2TB SSD for storage. Additional bonuses include lots of fans and a ton of space inside for airflow to keep temperatures optimal. Plus, since this is a desktop PC, you can easily upgrade anything you need down the road. The cherry on top is that iBUYPOWER packages a gaming keyboard and a gaming mouse with the desktop. So if you don’t have those, you’ll get them with this purchase.
At $1,899.99, it’s not cheap but it’s much less expensive than most of what would be considered a high-end desktop.
ASUS ROG Strix G16
While I have loved the Y60 Black up above, for some people a desktop just isn’t in the cards for one reason or another. For some, it’s the desk space. Others simply want the convenience of having a portable gaming PC. To be quite honest, a gaming laptop is an excellent way to go because you can play PC games more easily anywhere. A comparable desktop would cost less, but you don’t buy a gaming laptop because it’s the most affordable way to play games on PC. You buy one because you want a great gaming experience that isn’t tethered to your desk at home.
Enter the ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2024). This is a really awesome gaming laptop for the price because it’s positively stacked with performance, good components, great build quality, and lots of nice features. It doesn’t look too shabby in the design department either. You’ll find everything you need here to enjoy your game sessions, including an FHD 16-inch screen with a 165Hz refresh rate. It also runs on an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 GPU with an Intel Core i7-13650HX CPU.
It also has 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD for game storage, and it supports Wi-Fi 6E. As an added bonus, just like the ASUS laptop above, the purchase of this laptop comes with a 90-day subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. So you can jump right into some games without having to buy any. Even at its full price of $1,399.99, this is a pretty good gaming laptop option, but it’s currently on sale for $1,267.96 so it’s an even better value at the moment.
Best low-end gaming PCs
Now we come to the gaming PCs for the budget-minded consumer who doesn’t want to spend a whole lot but doesn’t want to sacrifice a good gaming experience either. Both of our picks here are going to be under $1,000 but that doesn’t mean they’ll be bad options. They will come with less powerful components and thereby not as much performance power. However, you’ll save a ton of money looking at these gaming PCs as opposed to the others above and you’ll still be able to play most games.
You’ll just have to tune the graphics down some to adjust for that. With that said, let’s take a look at the best low-end gaming PCs.
Lenovo Legion Tower 5i
For the low-end gaming PC option, there are loads of options, but we’ve picked the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i because Lenovo’s gaming PCs have gotten really good over the last few years. The Legion Tower 5i continues this trend and it’s got plenty of performance power for a reasonably affordable amount. It normally retails for about $1,149.99, but Best Buy currently has it on sale for $799.99. Normally we wouldn’t have selected this option at its full price but because of the price discount, it’s an excellent gaming PC for those looking to spend less.
The reason why we like this PC and chose it as our top pick for the low-end price range is because you get a lot for $799.99. It has an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 GPU inside and that’s going to go a long way for your games. It’s almost mid-range in terms of performance, but you aren’t paying mid-range prices for the desktop.
There’s also a nice minimal aesthetic that won’t be too hard to fit into most setups. The only thing that really screams “gamer” is the RGB lighting on the fans and the Legion logo on the front. So it’s nice for someone who also doesn’t want something super flashy.
In addition to the GPU, you get 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD for storage. Both of those can easily be upgraded as well if you need or want more RAM or more storage. This PC also comes with the 90-day Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, and that’s a nice little bonus given that Game Pass Ultimate normally costs $19.99 a month. You get plenty of ports on the top of this case too if you end up with a lot of peripherals you want to plug in. All-around it’s a pretty decent option for a gaming PC and we think it’s your best pick for under $1,000.
Lenovo LOQ 15
Rounding out our list of the best gaming PCs is going to be the Lenovo LOQ 15. Normally we’d consider a different pick, but everything you get in this laptop is quite good and it’s just too good to pass up for the new low price of $749.99. Its regular price was $999.99, but Best Buy has discounted it and that’s why this is the best option in the low-end price range. For $999.99, you get a gaming laptop with a 15.6-inch display with a 144Hz refresh rate, and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 GPU alongside an AMD Ryzen 7 7435HS CPU.
It only has 8GB of RAM but that should be more than enough for your gaming needs as long as you aren’t trying to crank the graphics up too high. Find the sweet spot in graphics settings for all the games you play and you’ll be getting a buttery smooth experience every time. The storage is a little light at 512GB but this is a less expensive laptop.
The nice thing is that since this has a 40-series GPU, you can take advantage of NVIDIA’s DLSS 3 technology and features. That will help you boost graphics and frame rate. While it weighs about 5.6 lbs. it’s pretty thin at 0.94 inches, so it’s still pretty portable and easy to toss in your backpack. The nice thing too is that it has plenty of ports with several USB-A ports, a USB-C port, an ethernet port, an HDMI port, and a headphone jack. Overall it’s a very solid pick for a gaming PC on a lower budget.
