Making the jump over from console gaming can be quite intimidating. You don’t just have the choice of the latest Xbox versus the latest PS5. Suddenly you’ve gotta learn what the difference between a GPU and a CPU is, what matters more between resolution and refresh rate, and what exactly the difference is between these graphics cards with slightly different numbers.
The prospect of building a PC can be quite intimidating—needing to select all these individual parts and then ya know ... actually building it. PC gaming purists will tell you a pre-built PC is a waste of money, but not all of us have the knowledge or, let’s face it, time to put together a PC ourselves. Though for novices like us, it can be worth the extra hundred or so dollars to know that when you unbox the thing and plug it in, it will just work. And when it doesn’t, the whole thing is under warranty. No need to isolate the issue and RMA individual parts when a problem arises.
Best Overall Value PC | Dell Inspiron G5 | $1,715
PCs can range wildly in price as the different components add up. For me personally, $2,000 would be the stopping point where I go “hey now, do I really need all this extra stuff?” This is why the Dell Inspiron G5 gives you the best value for your buck. What you’ll get is a 10th generation i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, along with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060. The RTX 3060 should allow you to play most games at mid or high graphics settings.
Best Entry-Level PC | ABS Master Gaming PC | $1,300
ABS is Newegg’s own branded line of pre-built rigs. The Master Gaming PC comes at an affordable $1,300 and even comes bundled with a keyboard and mouse to get you started. The stuff inside the case may not let you pump up all the graphic settings to Ultra, but you’ll get solid performance and graphical power. It’s packed with a 512GB SSD, 16GB of RAM, and an Intel Core i5-10400F processor. You’ll be able to handle gaming at a solid 1440p no problem with the RTX 3060.
Best Liquid Cooled PC | NZXT H510 Elite | $3,600
Liquid cooling helps sustain a low temperature over time with higher levels of efficiency and with less noise than standard. The 10th generation Intel Core i7 processor will stay at a reasonable temperature while you game. Included as well is a 1TB SSD, a 2TB HDD, and 32GB of memory. It’s also pretty dang difficult to score an RTX 3080 at the moment and this comes with one pre-installed.
Best Mini PC | Corsair One a200 | $3,800
Desk space is prime real estate. If you don’t have the room to spare, but don’t want to get left behind in the dust when it comes to PC gaming, a mini rig will do you wonders. The Corsair One a200 is a powerful option in a compact form factor. It runs quiet, even when pumping out graphics from the RTX 3080 and AMD Ryzen 5000 Series processor. Get it for $3,800 at Amazon.
Best Premium Performance PC | Alienware Aurora R12 | $3,700
Alright no more messing around. What’s going to give you the best of the best? The Alienware Aurora R12 can be fully customized on the Dell website, but if money is no object and you want to push this thing to the upper limit, throw on an RTX 3090, an 11th Gen i9 processor, 32GB of RAM, and at least 1TB SSD. You will be set for the next generation of gaming and then some.