Welcome to our weekly updated guide to the best high-end gaming PCs on the market based on rigorous research, pro reviews and customer feedback.
If you are looking for help deciding which gaming powerhouse desktop computer to purchase look no further! This article from our gaming desktops series is focused on the best high-end gaming PCs based on aesthetics, gaming performance, user reviews and critic reviews. We will be looking at the best of the best gaming PCs starting from under $1000 all the way up to high-end gaming desktops under $2500. Gaming desktops around the $1000 dollar range will play most new games without hitch on medium to high settings, while if you are looking for ultra performance on max graphics without frame rate loss then gaming desktops above the $1500-2000 mark are where you should be focusing. For the ultimate in gaming performance and sheer luxury check out our high-end gaming desktops section right at the end – although good luck saving up for one of those beasts. If you are looking for a gaming PC for more casual gaming on a budget, head on over to our best cheap gaming PCs article for some more solid options.
High-end >> Under $2000 >> Under $1500 >>
Best Prebuilt Gaming Desktop PCs Under $1500
CYBERPOWERPC Gamer GLC4200A
Gaming has become this massive industry and brands are fighting for every inch to get their hardware into your hands. This has had a positive effect on the market as more and more great deals are popping up for pre-built high-end gaming rigs. CyberpowerPC are a born and bred American company and their CyberpowerPC Gamer GLC4200A is another one of their great offerings. Powered by the latest Intel Core i7-7700K processor, 16GB of DDR4 RAM and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card, this PC will handle any current game on the market. Though the mid-range GTX card will struggle with frame rates with some 2017 releases and 4K settings. However, you can easily upgrade the graphics card to a GTX 1080 or GTX 1080 Ti if you want to play these titles with flawless 4K graphics. However, the GTX 1060 will easily run these games on ultra-settings and at a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. To keep things nice and cool, the CyberpowerPC Gamer GLC4200A is fitted with a liquid CPU cooler and this has an added benefit of being quieter than traditional air CPU cooler when the processor is being stressed by games or applications. You also get a huge amount of storage thanks to a 2TB 7200rpm hard drive and a smaller 128GB M.2 SSD. However, this SSD is way too small for serious gamers who would prefer the gaming benefits of an SSD and we would recommend upgrading it to a larger one. Some users have mentioned that the case and mainboard can hinder future upgrades, however these too are upgradable. It also comes with a “gaming keyboard and mouse” though we recommend ditching these in favor of ones from name brand manufacturers.
Pros
- Huge amount of storage
- GTX 1060
- Powerful Intel i7 CPU
- Liquid CPU cooler
- Upgradable
Cons
- Tiny SSD
- Limited space for more drives
- Cheap keyboard and mouse
- Not a Full ATX mainboard
Specs
- Display not included, NA pixels
- Windows 10 Home 64-Bit
- 32 lbs
Summary
The CyberpowerPC Gamer GLC4200A is a powerful gaming PC that will run any current gaming title on high settings, however the GTX 1060 might not be as future proof as we would like.
MSI VR Ready Aegis-050US
Looking like something out of an Alien movie, the MSI VR Ready Aegis-050US is an aggressive looking gaming PC that has been designed to be VR ready. Not only does the case look futuristic, it is also a smaller form factor case that will take up less space at home. However, the smaller case does have a few drawbacks. First, the case will only accommodate a specific sized power supply unit. Meaning that you can’t just purchase a standard PSU to replace the smaller 350w unit that has been installed. Second, the smaller size affects the overall internal space and the case will only support two 3.5-inch drives and a single 2.5-inch drive. The MSI VR Ready Aegis-050US features a single 1TB 7200rpm hard drive which offers good performance, however you might want to consider a faster SSD to improve those game loading times. The good thing about this case is that unlike some huge setups, this one will be easy to carry to your next LAN party. The MSI VR Ready Aegis-050US sports a Skylake Intel Core i5-6400 processor and 8GB of DDR4 2133MHz RAM, which will make light work of your everyday computing tasks. However, if there is to be any bottlenecking with this system it will be caused by the 8GB of RAM. So you might want to consider doubling this to 16GB. The MSI VR Ready Aegis-050US has been designed to be ready for VR gaming and thanks to an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 you will easily be able to play your favorite titles in VR. The GTX 1070 offers up to 40% greater performance than its predecessor and this gives it the edge while playing the next generation of games.
Pros
- GTX 1070 graphics
- Skylake processor
- Sleek looking case
- Mystic Lighting
- Not warranty sealed
- Smaller form factor
Cons
- 350w power supply
- Limited amount of HDD bays
- Case design not for everyone
Specs
- Display not included, pixels
- Windows 10 Home 64-Bit
- 18.94 lbs
Summary
The MSI VR Ready Aegis-050US is an alien inspired looking case that has been filled with great hardware for gaming at home or at LAN parties. However the tiny PSU is a limiting factor and replacing it will mean finding a specific PSU.
from Amazon.com
(as of 03-06-2023 05:45 UTC) Details
HP OMEN 870-090
The OMEN range was announced earlier this year as HP’s high-end gaming range. The OMEN 870-090 is HP’s most powerful gaming desktop that has been designed to target hardcore gamers. The elegant case is made up of a mix of brushed aluminum and plastic, but the shiny plastic is a magnet for fingerprints. Powering the OMEN 870-090 is a Skylake based Intel Core i7-6700K processor and 16GB of DDR4 RAM, which will easily handle more intensive tasks and will allow for lag free gaming. To ensure that the i7 processor stays cool if you choose to overclock it, HP have gone with a liquid cooling system that allows for safer overclocking. The water cooling system also allows the desktop to run quieter than its air cooled counterparts. When it comes to graphics, the OMEN 870-090 features NVIDIA’s latest GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card with 8GB of GDDR5X video memory, which will allow for some serious gaming. You will have no issue running new titles such as Battlefield 1, COD: Infinity Warfare and For Honor on ultra settings with great frame rates. If you want the ultimate gaming experience then you can look at upgrading the GTX 1080 for a GTX Titan X, but this will cost you over $1000 for the card alone and you will need a more powerful power supply. To make sure that Windows boots up in seconds and that your games load with lightning fast speeds, HP have installed a Sandisk solid state drive, but with only 256GB of storage space, you will have to be selective with which games you install on the SSD. However you do get a 2TB 7200rpm mechanical drive to store all of your multimedia files and your games that won’t fit on the SSD.
Pros
- Intel Skylake processor
- GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card
- SSD + HDD combo
- Elegant case
- Built-in WiFi and Bluetooth
Cons
- Price
- Hard to reach SATA ports
- 350-Watt power supply
Specs
- Display not included, pixels
- Windows 10 Home 64-Bit
- 23.2 lbs
Summary
The HP OMEN 870-090 is a powerful gaming desktop computer that offers hardcore games a complete package for the latest AAA gaming titles.
Best Prebuilt Gaming Desktop PCs Under $2000
CyberpowerPC Gamer Supreme SLC8600A
If you are looking for a powerhouse gaming rig, then the CyberpowerPC Gamer Supreme SLC8600A is well worth considering. Its NVIDIA GTX 1080 Ti offers a huge 11.34 teraFLOPS of raw performance, making it an insanely powerful graphics card. You will have no issue playing the latest 2017 games on ultra-settings and in 4K. This card is will easily keep up with future games for quite a few years to come and if you are looking at competitive gaming then this is the GPU that you will want. Not only do you get an insanely powerful GPU, the Gamer Supreme SLC8600A also comes with a huge 32GB of DDR4 RAM and a seventh generation Intel Core i7-7700K processor. This will be more than powerful enough to run all of your games and will also allow you to stream and record your games without any lag. To keep the CPU nice and cool, CyberpowerPC have gone for a liquid cooler instead of an air cooler, giving peace of mind while you push the 7700K to the limits. As games have increased dramatically in size in recent years, CyberpowerPC has gone for a huge 3TB 7200rpm hard drive. The only real fault that we could find with this high-end gaming rig was that it only came with a 240GB SSD, which is far too small for modern games. If you don’t mind losing the game loading time advantage of an SSD then the 240GB will be more than enough for Windows and a selection of applications. The Gamer Supreme SLC8600A does come with a gaming keyboard and mouse, however for this high-end rig we recommend ditching them in favor of something a little more upmarket.
Pros
- GTX 1080 Ti
- Liquid cooling
- 3TB of storage
- Huge amount of RAM
- Powerful CPU
Cons
- Small SSD
- Cheap keyboard and mouse
- No optical drive
Specs
- Display not included, pixels
- Windows 10 Home 64-Bit
- 32 lbs
Summary
The CyberpowerPC Gamer Supreme SLC8600A is an insanely powerful gaming rig that will run any game on the highest settings for some time to come. Though the 240GB SSD might need replacing if you want that SSD advantage while gaming.
from Amazon.com
(as of 03-06-2023 01:19 UTC) Details
CyberpowerPC Gamer Panzer PVP3020LQ
When it comes high-end gaming rigs, we usually think of machines built by the big names in the industry such as ASUS, Acer and MSI. However, CyberpowerPC has created a beautiful and powerful machine for the hardcore gamer who will not settle for average performance. The powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 offers 8GB of GDDR5 video memory and will run any current gaming title with ease. You can expect to get over 100fps when playing games on 1080p and set on the highest settings, although there are a few titles that will offer slightly lower frame rates. However, anything over 60fps is usually considered to be quite good. Powering this powerful gaming PC is a Kaby Lake-based Intel Core i7-7700K processor and a massive 32GB of DDR4 RAM. This will make light work of any current gaming titles and will allow you to run video and photo editing applications with ease. If you want to overclock the Intel i7-7700K processor, then you will be glad to know that the Gamer Panzer PVP3020LQ features a sealed water cooling system for the processor. However, any overclocking is done at your own risk and should only be done if you know what you are doing. To store all of your games and files, CyberpowerPC have fitted the Gamer Panzer PVP3020LQ with both a 256GB SSD and a larger 2TB 7200rpm hard drive. While the SSD offers super fast boot and application launching times, it is slightly small for storing all the games in your collection. Titles such as Battlefield 1 and GTA V will take up over 50GB once installed. Luckily desktop PCs are not as limited as laptops and you can easily add a second, larger SSD to the Gamer Panzer PVP3020LQ to ensure that all of your games utilize the full benefit that SSDs offer. While it does not feature an optical drive, you can purchase an external drive for under $30 if you need one to install older, disc based games.
Pros
- Kaby Lake processor
- Sleek case with 10 color LED lighting
- GTX 1080 graphics
- Ample storage space
- Water cooling
Cons
- No optical drive
- Smaller SSD
- Average keyboard and mouse
Specs
- Display not included, pixels
- Windows 10 Home 64-Bit
- 32 lbs
Summary
The CyberpowerPC Gamer Panzer PVP3020LQ is a powerful gaming PC that will handle any current gaming title on the highest settings. However the supplied SSD is slightly small for some AAA games and you do not get an optical drive.
from Amazon.com
(as of 03-06-2023 00:04 UTC) Details
Lenovo Ideacentre Y900-34ISZ 90DD0075US
If you are after a powerful gaming rig without having to source your own parts, then the Lenovo Ideacentre Y900-34ISZ 90DD0075US is worth looking at. Featuring the latest card from NVIDIA, the GeForce GTX 1080 will run any game currently on the market on the highest of settings. Meaning that user won’t have to compromise for anything less than ultra settings for the upcoming Battlefield 1 and COD: Infinity Warfare games. Sporting a powerful 6th generation Intel Core i7-6700K processor and 16GB of DDR4 RAM, the Lenovo Ideacentre Y900-34ISZ 90DD0075US will cruise through even more hardware intensive apps. But at its steep price we would have expected a bit more RAM under the hood. The same goes with the storage drives, the Lenovo Ideacentre Y900-34ISZ 90DD0075US only comes with a 1TB 7200rpm mechanical hard drive and a 128GB solid state drive. With the size of modern games, the 128GB SSD will fill up extremely quickly and users will have to utilize the mechanical drive for some of their game installs. While it does have a great selection of USB ports, one thing is noticeably missing, and that is the addition of a USB 3.1 Type-C port for future gaming peripherals. Overall the minor issues don’t detract from the powerful hardware that the Lenovo Ideacentre Y900-34ISZ 90DD0075US offers users.
Pros
- Skylake i7-6700K processor
- AC WiFi
- 10 USB ports
- GeForce GTX 1080
Cons
- Small SSD
- Only 1TB of storage
- No USB 3.1 Type-C
- Price
Specs
- NA, Display not included pixels
- Windows 10 Home 64-Bit
- 33 lbs
Summary
The Lenovo Ideacentre Y900-34ISZ 90DD0075US is a powerful gaming desktop that will cope with even the most challenging graphics. But for the high price tag we would have expect bigger storage drives and a bit more RAM.
from Lenovo
(as of 31-03-2018 14:51 +00:00) Details
Acer Predator AG6-710-70002
With the great success of the Acer Predator gaming laptop series it’s no surprise that the desktop version is incredibly impressive. At first glance the military inspired chassis gives the impression that the Predator desktop means business and looking under the hood confirms it’s got the hardware to match. With components like the 4.0GHz Intel Core i7-6700K, 16GB of the modern DDR4 RAM and a combination of 256 GB of SSD storage as well as 2TB of HDD storage it’s easy to see why the Predator is such a heavy hitter. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX980 chews up and spits out even the latest games at high resolutions with ultra high FPS. Future proofers may be disappointed that the Predator offers no SLi support and that due to the messy internal wiring upgrades may be a chore. With ample power, plenty of storage and a whole host of connectivity options it’s easy to see why the Acer Predator AG6-710-70002 is a must have for die hard gamers.
Pros
- Stylish Gaming Chassis
- Powerful specs
- One touch overclocking
- Great gaming performance
- Ample storage
Cons
- No SLI support
- Messy internal wiring
Specs
- Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit
- 34.4 lbs
Summary
A combat ready gaming rig that won't break a sweat running the latest games.
Best Prebuilt High-end Gaming Desktop PCs
CORSAIR ONE PRO CS-9000007-NA
The CORSAIR ONE PRO is part of a growing breed of tiny powerful PCs that have been hitting the market. The CORSAIR ONE PRO also breaks the mold when it comes to PCs with bright LED lights and transparent side panels, as it looks more like something out of a Sci-Fi movie. Its tiny footprint takes nothing away from this powerful PC’s performance. Instead you get gaming PC that will run any of the current games on the highest settings without a stutter. The NVIDIA GTX 1080 offers 8GB of GDDR5X video memory and this GPU will allow you to push those frame rates far higher than those more affordable gaming rigs. Most of the latest and greatest games will easily run on over 100fps and the only real challenge to this GPU will be 4K gaming and trying to push frame rates over 60fps. Its processor is equally powerful, it ships with a seventh generation Intel Core i7-7700K CPU which will allow you to play any modern game and run a host of demanding applications for video editing or design work. The 16GB of DDR4 RAM will make sure that the CORSAIR ONE PRO won’t skip a beat and that you can get the most out of your PC. If this isn’t enough, then you can upgrade the RAM to 32GB, however this is not necessary and would purely be for bragging rights. The CORSAIR ONE PRO offers both a 480GB SSD and a 2TB 7200rpm mechanical hard drive, which will offer more than enough space to install all of your favorite games. It must be mentioned though that the CORSAIR ONE PRO does not feature any VGA or DVI ports and you will have to purchase an adaptor if you are still using an older monitor without a DisplayPort or HDMI port.
Pros
- Tiny footprint
- GTX 1080
- Powerful i7 CPU
- SSD and HDD combo
- Liquid cooling
Cons
- Limited upgrades
- Smaller PSU
- No VGA or DVI ports
Specs
- Display not included, pixels
- Windows 10 Home 64-Bit
- 16.3 lbs
Summary
The CORSAIR ONE PRO is a powerful gaming PC that has been squeezed into a tiny case. This futuristic looking PC might have a high price, however it has the hardware to back it up.
from Amazon.com
(as of 03-06-2023 01:46 UTC) Details
Acer Predator G1-710-70003
If you are a gamer that will not compromise when it comes to your gaming experience, then the Acer Predator G1-710-70003 might just be your next pre-built gaming rig. Its aggressive styling is exactly what you would expect from an Acer Predator desktop PC. Backing up the aggressive looks is a 6th generation Intel Core i7-6700 processor and 16GB of DDR4 RAM, allowing the Acer Predator G1-710-70003 to run hardware intensive applications with ease. To ensure that the Predator will run the latest games on the highest settings, it comes standard with NVIDIA’s latest high-end graphics, the GeForce GTX 1080 with 8GB of GDDR5X RAM. The GTX 1080 offers users far better performance than its predecessor and will run 4K games with almost double the frame rates of the GTX 980,meaning the Acer Predator G1-710-70003 is extremely future proof and will run games on high settings for some time to come. The 512GB solid state drive offers lightning fast gaming loading speeds and enough space to install even the biggest of games. For everything else, the Acer Predator G1-710-70003 also features a 2TB 7200rpm mechanical hard drive. Much like their Predator laptop range, the Predator G1-710-70003 offers high-end Killer Doubleshot Pro Gigabit Ethernet, Killer 2×2 AC WiFi and a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi MB5 sound card. Our only complaint is that it has two 230 Watt power supply units instead of a single large PSU.
Pros
- NVIDIA GTX 1080
- Skylake processor
- 16GB of DDR4 RAM
- 512GB SSD + 2TB HDD
- Aggressive looks
Cons
- Expensive
- Two 230 Watt PSU’s
- Limited upgradability
- Only 4 USB ports
Specs
- Display not included, pixels
- Windows 10 Home 64-Bit
- 17.10 lbs
Summary
The Acer Predator G1-710-70003 is a powerhouse gaming desktop PC that will allow you to play the latest games on the highest settings for some time to come. But users will have to dig deep to afford the over $2000 price tag.
