The best gaming PCs for a next-level experience

If you've got cash to flash, gaming experts rate the Alienware Aurora R13 as one of the very best gaming PCs around right now. The price will be a downer for some. But it’s expected at this elite gaming level.

The distinctive, UFO-looking chassis is packed with an Intel Core i9 CPU, a solid piece of kit, and a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU. Different configurations are also available. You can see it all through the new side window panel, which reveals the AlienFX-lit interior and the dark motherboard.

The Alienware Aurora R13 Ryzen Edition will of course suit gamers of all levels, thanks to its customising potential, though at this price it's almost certainly best suited to the most serious-minded PC gamers. This is a powerhouse machine designed to do powerhouse things.

Other bonuses include excellent airflow and a liquid cooling system, plus an overclocking control module for pushing performance to the max. We also like the fact that its got a distinct gaming style, but without being garish or overbearing. Ultimately, it looks fantastic. This gaming PC is hard to beat. 

Size isn’t everything. As the Acer Predator Orion 3000 proves, a small PC is perfectly capable of big performance. It’s perfect for well-organised desks (yes, this beaut is so compact that it sits right next to your monitor and accessories). It’ll also add some pizzaz to the desk with its RGB effects, including its FrostBlade 2.0 fans. You can customise the lighting and add a tempered glass panel to see its inner workings in action. 

While we’re on the subject of size, there’s no escaping the fact that there’s a sizable price tag. It’s not the most expensive PC out there — not by a long stretch — but spending £1,600-plus will hurt the wallet any day of the week.

What really matters though is what's inside. It combines an 13th gen Intel — with up to 16 cores and 24 threads — and a frame rate-boosting Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070. There are better GPUs but this is certainly no slouch, with ray tracing and tensor cores and streaming multiprocessors.

For performance versus price, the HP Omen 25L is a machine that trumps the mid-range competition. Indeed, you won’t find many faults with the actual gameplay, thanks to the combo of a solid AMD CPU — with six cores of power — and a Nvidia graphics card that can handle HD content. 

One drawback is an underwhelming 16GB of RAM. Look elsewhere if you need something for multitasking and hefty gaming loads. Luckily, the HP Omen is made for easy customisation and upgrades.

We can’t not mention the design — an elegant, brushed look with a glass panel. A huge upgrade of the really-quite-unattractive Omen that came before, which was itself an upgrade of the HP Obelisk. 

If you do fancy spending more — and getting literally more for your cash – there’s a HP Omen 30L too, named for the primary difference in the chassis. Be warned though: there’s a sizeable price hike too.

The MSI MEG Trident X is slim but long, giving fairly easy access to components. The overall design is only about a third of the size of similarly-powered gaming PCs. At the centre of it is an Intel Core i7, a RTX 3070 GPU, and 32GB of RAM. It will eat up pretty much anything you throw its way. Indeed, you'll coast through games with its more-than-capable spec.

If you’re a stickler for HD (and honestly, what serious gamer isn’t?) the MSI MEG Trident X can handle 4K HDR gaming at a 120Hz refresh rate. That’s monitor depending, of course. If you haven’t already, it could be time to upgrade to a next gen-ready gaming screen.

With these kinds of components, some gamers might prefer a liquid cooling system over air cooling. But the fans are at least quiet. 

HP enters the game once again with a decent option for under £600. With its black angular box and neon green lights, there’s no mistaking that the HP Pavilion is built for gaming as well as everyday desktop work. If you’re after no-frills performance at a reasonable price, this could be the machine for you.

Not to say this doesn’t have some decent bits and pieces under the hood. The pairing of an Intel Core i5 and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 is capable of HD. And for a budget machine, the 256 SSD and 1TB of HDD is decent. That could be a deal breaker for experienced gamers looking for something cheaper. 

It is, of course, limited compared to higher ticket machines — though some higher-spec configurations in the Pavilion are available. Or you can customise your own spec, to best suit your specific gaming requirements. Overall, the HP Pavilion will most likely suit someone who's new to PC gaming.

If you’re looking for something reliable, robust, and relatively well-priced, the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i is a superb option — a mid-range PC that delivers performance over price. It’s little wonder that gamers rate it so highly.

With its RGB lighting it’s got classic gamer style (though we know that’s not for everyone) but what really counts is its surprisingly competitive spec, with an Intel Core i7 CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, and 1TB of storage. The 16GB of RAM isn’t the most generous you’ll find, but it’s not the worst either.

It’s a great all-rounder, but that also means it’s a more general-purpose machine, so elite-level gamers will be put off by some downsides, such as poor ray tracing on 4K when it's on higher settings. Those faults are easily corrected by sticking to 1080p gaming, which is where this PC absolutely excels. It's fantastic value for mid-to-upper tier gaming.

The Acer Predator range gets another look in. This time, however, it’s a premium offering — the ACER Predator Orion 7000 — which offers plenty of power and high-end performance. In fact, if you like to prioritise seriously smooth gameplay and pristine visuals, this is the machine for you, with a high capability for 4K, HDR, ray tracing, and fast frame rates.

All that processing power comes courtesy of an unlocked 13th gen Intel Core i9 CPU and an RTX 4080 GPU. It also has impressive RAM capacity, with up to 24 cores and 32 threads, and more storage than any other PC listed here.

It also has plenty of customisable options. Everything can be tweaked via the OrionSense control centre. All of that action and the gorgeous visuals will cost you — it’s up there with the most expensive PCs on this list — but it’s worth it.

The power even extends to its WiFi connection, with WiFI 6E capabilities. And don’t worry about overworking this PC. It’s well protected by liquid cooling and Acer’s patented FrostBlade 2.0 fans.

Getting started with PC gaming can be a faff — there are so many bits and pieces of tech to cobble together for the perfect set-up — not to mention that it can be seriously expensive. The Vibox VIII-26 bundle solves that problem by offering everything you need, including a curved monitor, keyboard, mouse, and headset. And all with classic gamer's RGB style.

Vibox has a stack of PCs available on Amazon and they’re all highly rated by users. This is no exception. Reviewers have noted that it represents excellent value for money with very decent spec and components. Indeed, the combo of an Intel i9 CPU, RTX 3060 GPU, 1TB of storage, and 32GB of RAM — matching the biggest RAM on the list — makes for an impressive line-up.

There are actually various configurations available, all at varying prices.

This has been marked down for having loud-ish fans, but that’s nothing new and shouldn’t be a deal-breaker at this price. For anyone looking for a beginner’s bundle, this is almost unbeatable.