While the best laptops get a lot of love these days, you get way more for your money out of the best desktop PCs. These powerful computers have full-power processors and graphics cards that aren’t constrained by the need for long battery life, because they get all their power from your wall, instead.
TL;DR: The Best Desktop PCs:
Dell XPS 8960 Desktop – The best desktop PCHP Omen 45L –The best gaming PCMSI Aegis ZS Gaming Desktop – The best budget gaming PCHP Pavilion 27 Touch Desktop – Best all-in-one desktop PCAsus ROG G22CH DS766 – The best mini gaming desktop PC
The best gaming PCs are where desktop PCs absolutely shine. Pair something like the Ryzen 5 9600X with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti, and you have a beast of a gaming rig that can easily match what a gaming console can do. The best part? It can also tackle all of your work, as well, meaning you have one machine that handles everything from spreadsheets to Call of Duty.
Even if you don’t want a gigantic tower like the HP Omen 45L, there are plenty of all-in-one PCs and mini PCs that can offer decent power, while saving a ton of space on your desk. No matter what you need out of your PC, a desktop really does offer the best of all worlds – except portability, but that’s something we can live with.
Contributions by Christian Cawley
1. Dell XPS 8960 Desktop
The Best Desktop PC
It might look like a dull black box, but the Dell XPS 8960 includes everything you need for the ultimate desktop experience. Combining 14th generation Intel Core i9 processor with 32GB RAM, GeForce RTX 4070 and a sizable 2TB SSD, the XPS 8960 will have no problem tackling anything you throw at it..
With this beefy graphics card and high-end processor, this PC stomps most AAA games, especially if you’re comfortable playing on one of the best 1440p monitors. The good news is, other than an odd PSU connection, Dell is using standard-sized components here too, so you can upgrade this PC for years to come without worrying about compatibility.
2. HP Omen 45L
The Best Gaming PC
I’ve played with a ton of prebuilt gaming PCs in my time, but the HP Omen 45L is consistently my favorite. Not only does it have a gorgeous chassis complete with tempered glass and more RGB than you can shake a stick at, but its use of all standard-size components means its perfect for upgrading later down the line.
That came as a surprise at first. You see, most mainstream PC manufacturers like HP and Dell will use proprietary components, especially when it comes to the motherboard and power supply, that can make upgrading the desktop a major pain. But because the HP Omen 45L is using industry-standard parts, any PC component you pick up off the store shelf should be able to fit, no problem.
The case itself is also extremely easy to work in. There are no weird bars or latches that lock you out of certain parts of the PC. In fact, it’s one of my favorite cases to build in, which is rare indeed for a prebuilt gaming rig.
Just keep in mind that with all the metal and glass in this PC, it’s a heavy one. When its equipped with high-end components like the RTX 4080, this PC can weigh upwards of 40lb, so you may want to consider team lifting it to get it into your office space. But once it’s unboxed it’ll easily be the centerpiece of any room it’s in.
3. MSI Aegis ZS Gaming Desktop
The Best Budget Gaming PC
If you’re looking for a budget gaming PC that won’t cost an arm and a leg, the MSI Aegis ZS is perfect. Not only does it come with a powerful RTX 4060, but it’s also paired with a 1TB SSD, which is one hell of a deal at $1,249. MSI does offset the cost a bit with some bloatware, but you can easily get rid of all of that in less than an hour by digging around in the settings.
This is a perfectly balanced system for both content creation and gaming, thanks in large part to the eight-core AMD Ryzen 7 7700. Combined with the RTX 4060, this machine can whip through pretty much any creative workload, whether you’re editing videos for YouTube or building up 3D mesh rigs in Blender.
4. HP Pavilion 27 Touch Desktop
The All-in-One Desktop PC
All-in-one (AIO) PCs are nearly impossible to upgrade in any way, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth your time. Just take a look at the HP Pavilion 27: It features a full-fat 13th-genCore i7 desktop CPU, discrete GeForce graphics, and a 27-inch 1080p touchscreen display. That’s a lot of power for what is essentially a monitor with a computer built into it.
This is the closest you’ll get to an iMac while running Windows, and is even paired with surprisingly decent speakers and a 1080p webcam, making it the perfect companion for work and play.
5. Asus ROG G22CH
The Best Mini Gaming Desktop PC
The Asus ROG G22CH is a tiny little gaming PC, and despite its diminutive size, this machine is strapped with more than enough hardware to handle pretty much any workload.
The ROG G22CH features a 13th-generation Core i7 CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060. These are decidedly last-gen components, but they’re still more than powerful enough for the most demanding games right now, especially at 1080p.
Because of the small size, you need to position the ROG G22CH upright, so that air can properly flow through the system and cool the components. Don’t worry too much about how it should be oriented, though, because there are LEDs that subtly guide you to the right position. And because this machine uses an off-the-shelf Asus motherboard, you can easily slot in upgrades as time goes on.
Just like other mini PCs with powerful components, this machine can get a bit noisy, but because you have a full liquid-cooled gaming rig in such a tiny box, it’s easy to get used to..
How to pick the best desktop PC
If you’re buying a desktop PC for gaming, you should probably pick one that can be upgraded. There are plenty of desktop PCs that can easily be opened and tinkered with, and with new graphics cards and SSDs coming out every year, you don’t want to get locked into old hardware.
You should also look for a desktop PC with the most recent processors and graphics. Because while there are dozens of computers out there being sold with year-old hardware, you’re probably looking for something that will last you a few years. No one wants to drop a thousand bucks on a desktop PC only to find out that it is outdated when you take it out of its box.
Cooling is also important. As a general rule, desktop PCs are way better at cooling their components than the best laptops are, but you should keep your eye out for a system with proper ventilation, both in the front and the rear of the system.
Desktop PC FAQ
Is $500 good for a gaming PC?
There’s an increasing number of compact and inexpensive PCs that claim to be gaming PCs, without really earning that title. Many systems in this price range don’t really ahve the graphics horsepower to handle most modern games, and are probably suited to indie games at best... $500 might be a good price for a teenager’s first PC, but it’s not going to provide the AAA performance a top end system can deliver.
How long should a desktop PC last you?
As long as you take good care of it, a desktop PC should last a few years before you have to upgrade it. While there are hot new PC components that come out every year, they’re usually not that much faster than what came out immediately before them. Instead, you should look to upgrade your graphics card every couple of generations, same with your CPU. For example, if you have an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080, you probably don’t need an RTX 3080 or 4080, and the RTX 5080 should be your next goal.
Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra
