Buying a prebuilt PC used to be something to scoff at. Things have changed though, as the fight for the top spot is an ongoing war for customer satisfaction.
Getting a new PC, but don’t have the means to build it yourself? As PC gaming gets bigger, so too does the quality of prebuilt machines. These used to be a gamble of overpriced, under-specced, and poorly constructed machines. As the need for high-quality machines is needed at all levels of gaming, it’s lucky that these companies have upped their game since the wilderness years.
So, what’s best? Who will build you a good prebuilt PC without any complications, outside of the time needed to construct it?
As we head into Black Friday and the holidays, be aware that most PC builders will wind up having long lead times. Take that into account when ordering.
What is the best prebuilt PC?
We can decern from the specs being offered, with the cost to you, which is the best-prebuilt PC for gaming. Also, no, we haven’t observed each warehouse where these PCs are constructed – as much as we’d love to. We’re going off how much this would cost you, versus the price of a PC if you built it yourself.
As with Starforge’s original lineup, if the price doesn’t match the specs, we’ll be sure to highlight it here. It might wind up being cheaper to get some help building it yourself.
From our own experiences though, most prebuilt PC sellers have the correct staff onboard, those who either care deeply about the tech industry or customer service. You shouldn’t be too concerned with where you get it from, as almost every major player in the game will build, package and ship your PC correctly. Hopefully.
Best budget prebuilt gaming PC under $1000:
Unfortunately, when it comes to prebuilt PCs, the budget end winds up being below $1000. PCs have gotten expensive, mostly due to the ongoing issues with electronics shortages across the world. However, with Black Friday approaching, it appears that Best Buy has some great budget-tier, easy-to-upgrade machines on the go at the moment.
While they won’t be crafted in a bespoke workshop, with wooden desks and various streamers fawning over them, if you want something relatively cheap and easy, it might be your best option.
Of course, not all PCs are made equal and things like iBuyPower’s i3-12100F for a whopping $730 is an absolute ripoff. The i3 won’t get you anywhere outside of some really low-end gaming, and the GTX 1650 is slowly being phased out.
There are also a lot of models with 8GB of RAM. You want something that’s going to have at the minimum, 16GB. If you have the heart for it, you could always add in your own, as your first step to upgrading your system.
Right now though, a CyberPowerPC with an RX6700 XT and a Ryzen 7 5700 might not sound spectacular on paper in comparison to modern systems. It is, however, a perfectly capable machine for those into MMOs, esports, or some decent 1080p gaming. It currently clocks in at $999.99, with $400 off.
Elsewhere, we’d also recommend the iBUYPOWER SlateMR from B&H, which sports an RTX 3060, and a Ryzen 5 5600. This is similarly specced to the one previously mentioned, but with DLSS on board, you’ll be able to push it further than it usually could go.
Best mid-tier prebuilt gaming PC under $2000
Mid-tier systems are where you can finally stretch your legs and find something without many caveats. Depending on where you look, you might even find yourself a better deal than the budget-tier PCs.
These systems will often top out with a 3070 Ti, or similar, but could end up featuring DDR5 RAM. We’re going up another tier here, so expect to see more than $1000, up to $2000.
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If you’re wanting a solid 1440p experience, maybe even 4K, and a swath of accessibility without having to worry about the innards of your PC, this is the way forward.
Best premium prebuilt gaming PC over $2000
If you’re scared of big numbers, look away now. These PCs are beefy, filled with the latest and greatest from the world of tech. The worst part is? Not many of us will wind up getting one. It’s nice to have a gander, though.
These will now, probably, top out at a 4090. Yes, the $1500 wonder of the world is absolutely going to be the best buy you make – if you can afford the ghastly prices.
Here, we recommend going for anything over an i7, or Ryzen 7. If you’ve got the cash, you might as well go all in. DDR5 as well, you don’t want to limit your PC if you ever plan on upgrading. Here, you’ll find things like Alienware, or even Starforge’s own systems.
These are the pinnacle of prebuilt PCs and they’ll be lasting you quite a while yet.
Is Alienware the best and worth it?
Depending on what you want out of your system, Alienware might be your golden goose. However, the thing with Alienware is that they’re massively overpriced for what you’re getting. Things have simmered down considerably over the years, but the fact remains that their prebuilt PCs are expensive.
This is mostly down to the custom cases that they use, as well as being part of Dell. While their laptop division seems to have had the prices wrangled for the last couple of years, their desktop department is another story.
You will get excellent customer service, but unless you want to go all in on the flashy exterior, we can probably do better elsewhere.
What specs are good for a prebuilt PC?
Depending on whether you’re going in for a prebuilt PC to have an easy base to upgrade from, or just want an easy machine to have ready to go, you’ll still need to take care of the specs.
Right now, if you go for AMD or Intel, the motherboard inside will be the thing to look out for. Intel still supports DDR4 RAM, but as we’re on DDR5 now, older motherboards won’t support the next-generation RAM. While your CPU and GPU will be fine, just take into account that an upgrade could be much more intense than you anticipated.
You also don’t want to get ‘conned’ either. Not that you won’t receive your PC, but in terms of getting an older spec machine. There are some really nasty machines lingering from a few years back, which we highly recommend you steer clear from.
From our Black Friday page, here are our tips on what to look for in 2022:
- AMD Ryzen 5000 or above
- Intel 12th gen and above
- RTX 30-series and above
- Radeon RX6000 and above
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