The best gaming PCs
The best gaming PC gives you the best of both worlds: you can get blistering framerates at higher resolutions than the PS4 and Xbox One can muster, without having to worry about assembling a computer yourself. And with top titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Halo: The Master Chief Collection available on PC, there's never been a better time to experience AAA and indie games at their maximum potential.
Having tested tons of the most popular models on the market, we currently consider the best gaming PC to be the Alienware Aurora R10, thanks to its sleek, stylish design, blistering gaming performance and painless upgradability. If you're looking for a great gaming PC for a lower price, the CyberPower Gamer Xtreme VR is our top budget pick.
If you're looking for the ultimate tower for your gaming den, here are the best gaming PCs to buy right now.
Alienware Aurora R10
Our expert review:
Specifications
Reasons to buy
The Alienware Aurora R10 delivers big on every front: it's stylish; it's powerful; it's customizable and it's easy to upgrade regardless of whether or not you're a PC enthusiast. The R10 model sports Alienware's latest Legend design language, delivering a sleek, curvy chassis that looks great in both white and black and sports three fully customizable RGB zones.
But the real magic lies inside, where you can outfit the Aurora R10 with up to an Intel Core i9 or Ryzen 9 processor and multiple Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti graphics cards. And even if you start small, the Aurora's smartly designed chassis lets you open the machine up and swap out the GPU and RAM without the need for any tools. No matter how you configure it, the Aurora is the best gaming PC you can buy.
CyberPowerPC Gamer Extreme VR
Our expert review:
Specifications
Reasons to buy
The CyberPower Gamer Xtreme VR is one of the best gaming PCs for folks who want to spend $800 without sacrificing much in the way of power. Packing a Core i5 processor and an Nvidia GTX 1660 graphics card, this desktop can run mainstream games at high settings and even handle virtual reality without much of a sweat. Better yet, the Gamer Xtreme VR is very easy to open up, making it a great starting point for gamers who eventually want to upgrade to more powerful parts.
Dell XPS Tower SE
Our expert review:
Specifications
Reasons to buy
How do you improve on one of the slickest and easiest-to-upgrade desktops around? Simply add Intel's new 8th-gen processors, a handy front-facing USB-C port and tons of customization options at the point of purchase. These new perks are complemented by the same great Dell XPS Tower design, which you can easily open up to swap parts out without the need for tools.
Corsair One i160
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Who says you need a gigantic tower for high-end gaming PC power? The Corsair One i160 hones the compact gaming PC concept to near perfection, cramming an Intel Core i9 processor and Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti GPU into a stunningly sleek chassis that can blend into offices and command centers equally well. The Corsair One's slick RGB lighting offers a ton of customization options, and its liquid-cooled internal design keeps this small machine quiet even during heated 4K showdowns.
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Mike Andronico is Senior Writer at CNNUnderscored. He was formerly Managing Editor at Tom's Guide, where he wrote extensively on gaming, as well as running the show on the news front. When not at work, you can usually catch him playing Street Fighter, devouring Twitch streams and trying to convince people that Hawkeye is the best Avenger.