The best gaming PCs boast high performance, longevity and reliability at a great price. HP and Dell offer a variety of gaming PCs that meet and exceed the required specs for your favorite tiles. We’ll break down 5 of the best gaming PCs from these trusted brands, covering everything from budget-friendly machines to top-end powerhouses.
Best Budget-Friendly Gaming PC: Victus 15L Gaming Desktop
The best gaming PCs tend to be pricey due to their top-of-the-line hardware. Normally, you can find a cheaper machine if you’re willing to sacrifice performance and overall quality. That isn’t the case with the HP Victus 15L Gaming Desktop.
HP’s Victus line of gaming towers is famous for offering a smooth gaming experience at a bargain. Under the hood, the Victus 15L includes Windows 11 Home, an Intel or AMD Ryzen processor, and other goodies.
These devices are extremely customizable, so you can always purchase a cheaper build now and upgrade its components later. HP regularly offers discounts on the Victus 15L, with the TG02-0346st model coming in at less than $600.
Specs:
- OS: Windows 11 Home/Windows 11 Pro
- Processor: Intel® Core™ i5- 12400/Intel® Core™ i7-12700
- Graphics: Intel® Arc™ A380 Graphics
- Memory: 8 GB/16 GB/32 GB
Best Mid-Range Gaming PC: Alienware Aurora R16
Dell has been a household name among personal computer owners and office workers for decades, so it’s a small surprise that its Alienware subsidiary is a juggernaut in the PC gaming space.
The Aurora R16 exemplifies many of the traits that Alienware is praised for each year. This machine offers a smooth gaming experience at 1080p and even holds its own at 4K. The Aurora R16 features a smaller, more mainstream design compared to typical Alienware PCs.
There aren’t any lower-budget options for this PC, but you can typically purchase it for far less than the priciest desktops on the market. Lastly, the Aurora R16 is one of the best-prebuilt gaming PCs for VR gaming due to its NVIDIA® GeForce RTX graphics card.
Specs:
- OS: Windows 11 Home
- Processor: Intel® Core™ i7 14700F/Intel® Core™ i9 14900F
- Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4060, 8 GB GDDR6/AMD Radeon™ RX 7900 XTX, 24 GB GDDR6
- Memory: 16 GB/32 GB
Best Gaming PC for High Performance: OMEN 45L
The HP OMEN line of gaming desktops is highly regarded as top-end machines. These towers boast impressive build quality and high-performance components. The OMEN 45L takes everything that people love about this line to the next level.
The best gaming desktops support a feature called “overclocking,” where a user can intentionally push their computer’s CPU past its factory settings. Overclocking uses tons of power and generates massive amounts of heat.
This is where the HP OMEN 45L’s bleeding-edge cooling system comes into gear. If you opt for the best specs, the HP OMEN 45L can support overclocking, 4K gameplay, streaming, and even a bit of cryptocurrency mining.
Specs:
- OS: Windows 11 Home/Windows 11 Pro
- Processor: Intel® Core™ i9-13900K
- Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4090
- Memory: Up to 128 GB max memory
More of the Best Gaming PCs on the Market
Playing video games at home is meant to be an immersive experience. The following gaming PCs are all excellent choices because they combine performance with relative affordability.
- Alienware Aurora R15 Gaming Desktop ($1,399.99)
- OMEN 40L Gaming Desktop ($999.99)
- Alienware m18 Gaming Laptop ($1,299.99)
- HP Pavillion Gaming Desktop ($649.99)
- G15 Gaming Laptop ($759.99)
- HP ENVY Desktop ($499.99)
- Dell - XPS 8960 Desktop ($1,309.99)
- HP Z2 Small Form Factor G9 Workstation Wolf Pro Security Edition ($999.00)
- Dell Inspiron Desktop ($799.99)
- HP Victus 16 Gaming Laptop ($1,299)
- Dell XPS 15 Laptop ($2,099)
- HP Omen 25 L Gaming Desktop ($849)
When you’re looking for a new computer, it’s easier to tell which machines are worth the investment once you know how to look for quality major PC parts.
5 Must-Have Components of a Gaming PC
There are minimum and recommended system requirements for every PC title that game developers publish on their websites. PCs that meet the minimum specs can run these titles, but your overall gaming experience may be lackluster.
The best gaming PCs on the market tend to have a mix of proprietary components that you can’t change and nonproprietary parts that are easily upgraded. Below, we’ve compiled a list of specs that will meet or exceed the recommended requirements for most titles.
| PC Component | What To Look For: |
| Processor (CPU): | At least an Intel® Core™ i7 Processor or equivalent for faster loading |
| Graphics (GPU): | At least 12GBs of VRAM for 1080p gaming and 16GBs for 4K |
| Display: | Look for 120 Hz monitors to enable 60 frames per second (fps) performance |
| Memory: | 8 to 16 GB of RAM will help your PC quickly load data |
| Storage: | A 1TB SSD drive provides plenty of room for big files like your OS, games and launchers |
| Keyboard: | Sturdy mechanical keyboards with LED backlighting |
| Customizability: | Easy hardware and software install capabilities |
1. Processing Power and Graphics for Performance
Best CPU for fast loading: At least an Intel® Core™ i7 Processor or equivalent
Best GPU for gaming graphics: At least 12GBs of VRAM for 1080p gaming and 16GBs for 4K
Your PC’s central processing unit (CPU) is a vital component that helps your device process data. The graphics processing unit (GPU) is a component found with your computer’s graphics card. A GPU helps your PC process images and affects how many frames per second (FPS) your computer can effectively display.
CPUs have components called “cores” that focus on a different task, and multi-core processors have been a standard for many years. We measure GPUs based on how much video memory (vRAM) they offer. For top-end 1080p resolution gaming, a six-core CPU with an 8GB GPU has you covered. For 4K gaming, a 12GB GPU will suffice.
Quick Tip: The GPU affects your computer’s FPS more than the CPU. You can prioritize a top-end GPU and purchase a mid-range GPU and still have a great gaming experience.
2. Crystal Clear Displays for Image Quality
Best monitor for image quality: 60 Hz monitors for 60 fps at 1080p. 120+ Hz monitors for 4K gaming
The size of your computer monitor and its refresh rate dictate the image quality of your gaming experience. We use hertz (Hz) to measure a monitor’s refresh rate, where one Hz equals one new image per second.
Regarding the size of your monitor, a 27-inch display is the minimum size recommended for a smooth 4K gaming experience. If your PC setup incorporates multiple monitors, you’ll want to keep this in mind for any screen that you want to display 4K images.
Quick Tip: One Hz equals one image per second, so a 60 Hz monitor is the bare minimum for a solid experience. A 144 Hz 4K monitor will hold even when you overclock.
3. Memory and Storage for Faster Loading Speeds
Best memory module for faster loading: 8 to 16 GB of RAM will help your PC quickly load data
Best drives for computer storage: A 1TB SSD drive provides plenty of room for big files like your OS, games and launchers
Put simply, your computer’s memory helps with short-term processes like loading in data and in-game models. Random access memory (RAM) measures how effectively a PC can perform these tasks. 8 to 16 GB of RAM is the standard for gaming with low load times.
Storage exists for long-term memory; this houses your game files, operating systems (OS), and other large files that you need after you power off your PC. Hard disk drives (HDD) and solid-state drives (SSD) with at least 1TB of storage space are popular options for most PCs.
Quick Tip: The less storage you have, the slower your PC will perform. The 1 TB HDD or SSD can store your big files with room to spare.
4. A Sturdy Keyboard With Quality Features
Best keyboard for long-term use: Mechanical keys with LED backlighting
The best gaming setups incorporate mechanical keyboards due to their resilience and longevity. Mechanical keys hold up under hours of pressure, and they can withstand scrapes, scratches, falls, bumps and even minor spills.
Most mechanical keyboards also come with special features like backlighting, which will illuminate your keys at night. These lights are often customizable in terms of their brightness, hues and patterns.
Quick Tip: Mechanical keyboards rarely jam, which is crucial for games where you’ll need to type a lot.
5. Customizable PC Parts for Easy Upgrades
All PCs are customizable to varying degrees; prebuilt computers might have proprietary processors or power supply systems, but storage space should be easy to upgrade. Customizability might be more important for people who like to build their devices from scratch. Conversely, it might not be a huge deal if you’re simply looking for a solid baseline gaming experience.
Quick Tip: Customizing your PC can void its warranty. You might not want to go under the hood if you don’t have the technical know-how.
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