The best gaming PCs starting at $800

The Alienware Aurora Ryzen R14 is the best gaming PC overall, thanks to its superior CPU, RAM, GPU, and storage. The MSI Aegis RS is best for content creators, while the HP Omen 25L is the best gaming PC under $1500. The MSI Infinite RS has the best graphics card, and the MSI MPG Trident AS is the best compact gaming PC.

The snarky answer is the one you can afford. But jokes aside, other than price, you want to pay close attention to how much RAM and storage a configuration has. You want to choose a prebuilt PC that has at least 8GB of RAM and a storage drive (either a solid-state drive or a traditional hard disk drive) with no less than 256GB of space. The graphics card model in your build isn't as important as RAM, since the system memory is what actually renders game assets. 

Krishna Madala, a former professional coach for Overwatch eSports teams like Singularity Esports and the Samsung Morning Stars, says that buyers "try to overspec a lot when going for [pre-built PCs]," and that games like League of Legends "could run[...] on a standard Dell tower with integrated graphics and still get 60fps." However, if you're looking for a decent gaming PC at a reasonable price, Madala suggests a rig with at least 16GB of RAM and a 512GB storage drive as well as a CPU and GPU that are within the last 2 or 3 tech generations.  

I chose these gaming PCs because they offer a great balance between price and components. Higher-end models, like the Alienware Aurora Ryzen R14, come with top-of-the-line components to give you a gaming PC that will last for years before you need to think about upgrading. Others, like the HP Victus desktop, are more budget-friendly options for folks who either are new to PC gaming or who aren't worried about trying to keep up with the latest triple-A games.

You can absolutely find a budget-friendly (around $1,000 is considered "budget" when it comes to prebuilt gaming desktops and laptops) gaming computer that is going to have the storage space and processing power for just about any game. You can save money on a prebuilt or custom build by opting for an older GPU (when you can get any). While they aren't the newest, shiniest tech, they still have plenty of juice to run a lot of triple-A titles at decent settings. 

You also can save by choosing a configuration with less RAM and storage, since you can often swap them out yourself later; this lets you take advantage of component sales that work with your overall budget. Make sure you check your gaming laptop though, since they can sometimes have soldered RAM sticks that cannot be removed or changed out.

For most games, either 8GB or 16GB of RAM is going to be plenty to get a smooth experience. You can find configurations with upwards of 128GB of RAM, and while this would certainly give you more system memory for very technically and graphically demanding games, you are never going to be able to take full advantage of so much RAM (unless you're an animator or professional content creator).

It can be. Gaming PCs are one of those things that you can spend as little or as much on as you want. Prebuilt gaming desktops and laptops are great for anyone who either doesn't have time to build or isn't comfortable with building a gaming computer. They're also more expeditious since you don't have to wait for individual components to ship (and hopefully not get damaged in transit). 

Building a gaming PC yourself does give you the opportunity to save a bit of cash since you can plan your build around component sales. Just make sure you aren't mixing AMD and Intel components; they won't communicate with each other. Building one yourself also allows you to create a PC that exactly fits your needs, since you aren't likely to buy components you won't utilize fully, such as HDDs or SSDs with more than 2TB of space, more than 16GB of RAM, or a super-advanced motherboard that has features you won't ever use, etc. 

It's all about balancing your budget with how convenient you want buying a gaming PC to be or how comfortable you are with building computers.

Unless you have high-end, power-hungry components like the new RTX 4090 graphics card, liquid cooling your PC can be overkill. However, a liquid cooling system is more efficient at drawing away waste heat than traditional, air-cooling fan systems. And with the advent of all-in-one cooling systems, first-time builders can liquid-cool their gaming rigs without the fear of leaks; but the AIO systems are meant to focus on single components like CPUs or graphics cards. 

If you want to liquid cool your entire rig, you'll need a custom cooling system, including a radiator, plenty of tubing, coolant pumps, and an exhaust fan. DIY PC pros can set up intricate liquid cooling systems to maintain optimal temperatures while also showing off their personal style with colored coolant, RGB lights, and copper tubing.

Both intake and exhaust fans are important for maintaining proper airflow. Ideally, you want to have an equal number of both to have even dissipation of waste heat and intake of fresh, cool air. However, if your case isn't set up for that many fans, it's better to have more exhaust fan units to draw out waste heat, which will make it easier for the intake fans to draw in fresh air.

Cleaning your gaming PC is important to allow for proper airflow in order to cool components and prevent electrical fires and malfunctions. The quickest and easiest way to clean your PC is to open up the case and use a can of compressed air, like what you use to get crumbs out of your keyboard, to remove loose dust and debris. 

If your PC components need a more thorough cleaning, you can use either rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs to gently clean away stubborn dirt or a can of CRC electronics cleaner. Both rubbing alcohol and the electronics cleaner are safe for connections and circuitry, so you can thoroughly clean components without fear of ruining them.

Yes, most pre-built gaming PCs are designed to run the latest games. However, the performance may vary depending on the PC's specifications and the requirements of the game. It's important to research the recommended specs for the games you want to play and compare them to the specs of the pre-built gaming PC you're considering.

There are tons of options out there for prebuilt gaming PCs. Below is a list of runner-ups that, while they're great computers, might not appeal to everyone. Some are quite expensive or more suited to creative professionals or from brands that are less well-known.