The Best Gaming PC 2024

PC gaming remains alluring despite gaming consoles and handheld devices gaining popularity over the past few years. Any seasoned gamer will attest that nothing beats the thrill of running the latest titles on a tricked-out gaming PC. And as Nvidia and AMD compete to pack the most powerful graphics cards into gaming PCs at very competitive prices, PC shoppers are spoilt of choice, but that has made shopping for the best gaming rig a little complicated.

For 2024, the best gaming PCs are powerful enough to deliver excellent gameplay on even the most demanding PC games, and do so in the most spectacular design possible. Just look at gaming machines like the Alienware Aurora R16, in addition to a timeless design, it packs enough pep to run modern titles at 4K without a pause. Sure, you’re paying top dollar for a combination of power and beauty, but the gaming PC you’re getting isn’t something to shrug at, you’re getting tremendous value than ever before.

Beyond delivering games at blazing-fast frame rates at ultra-high resolution, these pricey computers are often well-suited for demanding work in areas like game development, graphic design and design. If you’re interested in exploring the world of AI, the beefy GPUs in these top-tier machines are well suited to handle such tasks like art generation via tools like Stable Diffusion.

We’ve reviewed most of the new gaming PC to see how they stack against the competition, and we regularly update this page as systems become available. Read on, below are our best pick gaming PCs for 2024.

The Quick List

• Alienware Aurora R15
• HP Omen 45L
• MSI Aegis RS13
• Alienware Aurora R16
• Corsair Vengeance i7500
• iBuyPower Y60 (2022)

The best gaming PC 2024

1. Alienware Aurora R15 – Best overall

Why we picked the Alienware Aurora R15

The Alienware Aurora R15 is a slick gaming PC, but the biggest selling point is its cooling. Alienware parent company Dell finally added a 240mm radiator up from the 120 mm cooler, which should allow for much better CPU performance. There’s also ample ventilation on the side, and that has made a quieter PC to our ears.

We can’t emphasize much about the intel Core i9-13900KF and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090’s gaming capabilities. That’s the top crème configuration right now for any serious gaming machine, and the same excellent performance is replicated when the Aurora R15 is used for productivity tasks.

Additionally, we like the many ports that are accessible on the front of the Aurora, including three USB Type-A ports, a USB Type-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The only downside is that Alienware is using a proprietary motherboard to achieve that, making future upgrades a little difficult.

For those who want to sample Alienware’s latest chassis, there is the recently launched Alienware Aurora R16, which sports a smaller footprint but arrives in limited configurations.

Our suggested Alienware Aurora R15 config:

Read our full Alienware Aurora R15 Review

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2. HP Omen 45L – Best for 1080p gaming

Why we picked the HP Omen 45L

The HP Omen 45L takes an already stellar design and improves it with powerful interiors – especially that Intel Core i7-13700KF CPU and Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti GPU. This could have been just a larger Omen desktop with space for extra fans, but it’s not. HP tags along tangible improvements to thermals in way of the Cryo Chamber and cable management is fantastic, as well as built on the fantastic tool-less design introduced in the Omen 30L.

There are some issues – I would have liked more connectivity, especially USB-C ports on the front panel, instead of sticking both of them at the back. Still, it’s hard to stick to those points with how much else the Omen 45L offers. It’s an excellent performer overall, and the tool-less design makes upgrades easy down the line.

In the crowded market of gaming desktops, the HP Omen 45L (GT22-1072) stands out as one of the best gaming desktop PCs with its tool-less design, excellent cooling solution, and seamless upgradeability. Outside the lack of front USB-C ports, it’s the perfect gaming desktop.

Our suggested HP Omen 45L config:

Read our full HP Omen 45L Review

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3. MSI Aegis RS13 – Best gaming PC for first-timers

Why we picked the MSI Aegis RS 13

The MSI Aegis 13NUE-450US is a powerful gaming desktop that doesn’t compromise anything, and it still manages to hit a price below the competition. It comes in various configurations to choose from, and it uses parts from known vendors so you can easily upgrade it down the road. MSI even includes a fully modular power supply and a motherboard that supports Wi-Fi, while most vendors don’t.

If I was to create my own gaming PC, this is exactly how I’d do it. But, top-tier graphics cards and other requisite parts are hard to come by, I’m glad MSI has done it for most of us, at a reasonable price. While it has a few problems, particularly the build quality and the case aren’t great, it’s great to see MSI sacrifice the aesthetics here than with the other components.

A little more attention to detail like what Dell has done with the Alienware Aurora R14 would go a long way, but the MSI Aegis RS 13 is still a fantastic machine in the top=tier of prebuilt gaming PCs.

As a whole package, the MSI Aegis RS 13NUE-450US is a powerful gaming rig with few frills. If you need a PC to play games, this will stand up, even in 4K with the right settings.

Our suggested MSI Aegis config:

Read our full MSI Aegis Review

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4. Alienware Aurora R16 – Best mid-range gaming PC

Why we picked the Alienware Aurora R16

Behold! Alienware is phasing out the all-familiar Aurora design, but a newer, more beautiful and compact Aurora is born. As you can see, the new Aurora R16 looks much different from its predecessor. But don’t be fooled by this new discreet design as the latest flagship from Alienware is a capable gaming powerhouse.

Even in its base configuration, it lets you play modern games at mid to high settings out of the box, but you can also upgrade it with more RAM, storage and it boasts the latest Intel processors and Nvidia GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUs. To that, add the most advanced cooling tech plus a redesigned chassis and you have a rig that will run cool and quiet no matter what game you throw at it.

Our suggested Alienware Aurora R16 config:

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5.Corsair Vengeance i7500 – Powerful gaming PC with top-notch build quality

Why we picked the Corsair Vengeance i7500

The Corsair Vengeance i7500 is perhaps the most powerful gaming PC in our list for a reason. For one, it feels like you built it yourself with the most powerful PC components around and is built to excellent standards.

Our review system, with an Intel Core i9 14900KF CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 offers top-notch performance. And while it’s pricey than most other configurations, the system is backed by a two-year warranty, rather than the one-year system you see on most prebuilt systems in big box stores.

Since this PC is built entirely from aftermarket parts, you can customize it to your content. No proprietary parts are used her.

And given its specs, this rig is also great for everyday work and even video/audio editing.

Our suggested Corsair Vengeance i7500 config:

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6. iBuyPower Y60 (2022) – Best mid-tower gaming PC

Why we picked the iBuyPower Y60

The iBuyPower Pro Y60 is quite a machine. It might not be the most powerful gaming PC around to shame this year’s RTX 4080/90-powered rigs like the Lenovo Legion T5 or the Alienware Aurora R16, but it’s a capable, good-looking desktop that does what it’s supposed to and does it pretty well. On top of that, the price is quite reasonable.

Being a mid-range gaming desktop, it does have a few drawbacks such as the limitations that are inherent in mid-range hardware. Beyond that, our review unit packs some powerful components inside the HYTE Y60, a mid-tower case from iBuyPower that’s nearly all tempered glass on two sides, making it look like a Sci-fi behemoth.

It’s the same case used on our favorite CyberpowerPC GXiVR8080A34 – it’s a bit heavy and unwieldy to move around, but once you have it in place, it offers enough room to work in and looks beautiful to the core.

Our suggested iBuyPower Y60 config:

Read our full iBuyPower Y60 Review

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Choosing the best gaming PC

Price: If you’re shopping on a tight budget, most decent gaming PCs start around $700 to $1000. At this price, you’re looking at basic specs such as an Intel Core i5, Nvidia 2000/3000-series GPUs and 8GB to 16GB RAM. With deeper pockets, you can get the latest flagship chips from Intel or AMD and the best of Nvidia’s graphics cards.

Performance: Just think of the kind of gaming experience you’re after and budget for the same. If it’s enthusiast gameplay, card like Nvidia’s 3070 Ti hit a sweet spot for dependable 1440p gaming. going 4K? You’ll want to spring for hardware such as the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 or the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX.

Upgradability: Gaming PC components are always evolving, and the best gaming PCs can be easily upgraded with new parts over time. Machines like the Alienware Aurora and Corsair Vengeance are easy to open and tinker with, even for the less tech0savvy. Compact machines like the Corsair One, can be a bit harder to open up; so, if you plan on upgrading your investment over time, keep this in mind.

CPU:  You can’t lose with Intel or AMD: As long as you opt for a current-generation chip, both companies offer comparable overall performance. Intel’s CPUs tend to perform a bit better when running games at lower resolutions (1080p and below), while AMD’s Ryzen processors often handle tasks like video editing better, thanks to their extra cores and threads.

Which is better – prebuilt or custom?

For gamers, here at ARS Guide, we believe nothing compares to the satisfaction of building your own gaming rig. However, we understand not everyone has the tie and skill to build an own gaming PC, and that makes pre-built PCs better value.

When shopping around, you may think you’ve seen a bargain, but in reality, that pre-built PC comes with a markup (usually around $100-$300 depending on the build you choose) which is the price you pay for someone to do the physical build and the software used therein. Practically, the markup of a prebuilt is essentially the same price of an entire component – maybe a GPU, case, cooling fan, or even a gaming monitor.

The best gaming PC is powerful enough to run even the most demanding PC games and do so in the most charming design possible, and offer tremendous value for money.

Last update on 2024-12-30 at 09:06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API