Gaming is one area in which the desktop PC still reigns supreme. Consoles are great, but they simply can’t match the graphical power of the latest gaming PCs or even gaming laptops.
Of course, you also get plenty of performance for all your non-gaming needs and a graphics card can also offer a considerable performance boost to other applications, such as photo and video editing software.
Your Buying Guide for the Best Gaming PCs in 2019
While you can go straight to the list below and buy a PC in the exact specification reviewed, it’s worth understanding what to look for as each supplier allows you to customise and configure your PC to tailor it for your needs.
Processor
Different games place different demands on your computer hardware, but choosing a gaming PC will involve a balancing act between CPU and graphics performance.
For gaming PCs we’re happy to allow system builders to overclock processors, which can significantly increase performance without having to stump up for the most expensive chips, like Intel’s 8th-gen Core chips and AMD’s Ryzen.
Overclocked processors place additional demands on the system’s power supply and also require better cooling, so expect to pay more for PCs with more extreme overclocking. You can overclock the processor yourself if you wish, but it can be a good idea to buy a pre-overclocked system that’s covered by the manufacturer’s warranty.
Motherboard
There are several points to consider when choosing the right motherboard for your PC. If you’re not into technical details you may be tempted to overlook the motherboard and concentrate on the processor and graphics, but the motherboard is extremely important.
Not all motherboards support overclocking, and opting for a lower-cost motherboard can allow you to spend a little more on your graphics card, which can have a big impact on your final performance figures.
If you want the latest ports and connectors including USB 3.1 Gen 2 (which supports transfers at twice the speed of USB 3.0 – also known as USB 3.1 Gen 1) then make sure you check this before ordering.
Graphics card
It’s usually the graphics card that will determine the overall quality of your gaming experience. This is why we suggest gamers go for a mid-range processor as the difference in price will almost certainly serve you better spent on the graphics card rather than on the CPU.
To ensure smooth gameplay, you generally want to achieve a minimum of 60 frames per second (fps) in your game. This is the limiting speed of most PC displays, so you won’t really need to go faster than this unless you have a high-speed gaming monitor that allows for faster refresh rates.
Any extra performance will then allow you to increase the quality settings in your game, making characters sharper, textures more realistic and graphical effects more immersive.
AMD’s Radeon RX 580 isn’t much different from the older RX 480, but the RX Vega cards are now also available. Even they aren’t as quick as Nvidia’s GTX 1080 Ti, so read our graphics card reviews to find out how each card performs. For the latest tech, look out for Nvidia RTX cards.
Virtual Reality
It’s fairly niche, but you can buy an HTC Vive or Oculus Rift and play VR games on a PC. You can read our complete guide to VR for more in-depth information on the headsets, games and apps available.
If your PC struggles to play games at 1080p – the minimum is considered 30 frames per second – then it’s not going to cope with running an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive which both have a 2160×1200 screen, especially if you want 90fps, which is the ideal frame rate for a decent experience.
For more, see Nvidia’s VR Ready site and AMD’s Radeon VR Ready page.
Cases and cooling
We’ve already talked about processor cooling, but gamers tend to like their PC tower system to look the part as well. Many come with fans that light up in various colours, but don’t overlook the fact that the case needs to be practical. Internal cable management aids airflow, while fan controllers let you reduce noise or boost cooling as necessary.
Graphics cards can also come with various cooling systems, the more advanced of which can allow for faster clock speeds on the GPU and less noise when playing games.
Monitor
For more immersive gameplay, go for the largest display you can find and one with a good contrast ratio. TN-based monitors will cost less and provide most of these features, but IPS-based displays will give you better overall colour reproduction and wider viewing angles, although response times tend to be slower.
For a more responsive display, go for a gaming monitor with a high refresh rate of 120- or 144Hz, although you’ll need powerful graphics to supply frames at this speed.
For more see our round-up of the best gaming monitors.
Peripherals
If you’re using your PC on a desk with a monitor, you’ll benefit from the improved responsiveness of wired rather than wireless devices. Look for high-resolution mice, and keyboards with programmable keys and backlighting.
High-grade mechanical switches in keyboards have a better ‘feel’ and provide longer life than cheap membrane switches. Here are the best gaming keyboards.
A gaming sound card can provide a more immersive experience by adding multiple sound effects, with improved audio fidelity. Also consider a gaming headset with a built-in mic.
Most PCs don’t have Wi-Fi, so you might want to add a USB Wi-Fi adapter.
Warranty
Warranty terms are crucial when it comes to gaming PCs and a key advantage of buying a pre-built overclocked PC is that all of the overclocking will be tested and covered by the vendor’s warranty. The longer the warranty the better, but also look for a collect-and-return rather than return-to-base option. Also pay attention to whether parts and labour are both covered and for how long.
Best Gaming PCs 2019
1. Chillblast Fusion Juggernaut 2080
If you can afford it, the Juggernaut 2080 is one of the best gaming PCs around at the moment.
You’ll be spending more than many rivals but the performance on offer here from the overclocked Core i5 and RTX 2080 justifies the extra cost. We’re very impressed with the benchmarks all-round, especially gaming framerates at high settings.
We only have minor complaints so we’re sure you’ll be happy with this rig for years to come.
Read our Chillblast Fusion Juggernaut 2080 review.
2. Acer Predator Orion 9000 (PO9-900)
You probably shouldn’t buy the Acer Predator Orion 9000. It’s a luxury purchase for those with enough money to throw at a PC which will exceed reasonable requirements for almost every gamer. But we certainly can’t blame you for wanting one.
If you know you will be able to make use of its immense multi-tasking capabilities and still want superb gaming performance, then you may be able to justify the purchase. But if you have this sort of money and you want the fastest gaming system you can get, you’ll probably be better off going for a system based on a Core i7-8700K.
The Acer Predator Orion 9000 is as expensive as it is powerful. If you’re happy to throw all ideas of value-for-money out of the window, it will make you the envy of your peers thanks both to its looks and breath-taking performance.
3. Overclockers UK Radiance RZ
The Overclockers Radiance RZ isn’t going to blow any socks off, but does provide a nicely balanced gaming PC when it comes to price, design and performance.
You can get similar or better performance in a more boring case but most gamers will appreciate the amount of style and lighting on offer here.
Some may want to plump for an alternative with a Ryzen 7 or an Intel Core i7, but the Radiance RZ will cope fine with all your gaming needs unless you want to play at 4K resolution.
Read our Overclockers UK Radiance RZ review.
4. Yoyotech Warbird i7S
The Warbird i7S is a decent own-brand effort from GAME, mainly because it’s made by Yoyotech. And this PC is a great mid-range all-rounder.
There’s not much flair in terms of lighting and such but the case is solid and the system is well-built. What you’re mainly getting here is a beefy overclocked Core i7 that can take on anything backed up by an RTX 2070 so you’re setup for 4K gaming.
The Chillblast Fusion Juggernaut is worth a look to get the RTX 2080 if you can afford the price difference.
Read our Yoyotech Warbird i7S review.
5. Overclockers Hoplite
The Hoplite will reach 100+ FPS in games at 1080p providing a smooth gaming experience for high refresh-rate monitors and will continue to do so for the next few years at the very least.
However, if you’re looking to game at 4K resolution, this machine will struggle to reach a consistent 60FPS in the latest titles.
Read our Overclockers Hoplite review.
6. Wired2Fire Pyro Ryzen DG review
This eye-catching PC is constructed from premium components and built to a very high standard. The 8-core Ryzen 7 1700X processor delivers excellent multi-threaded performance and, combined with a GTX 1080, turns in some very impressive gaming results, however similar or better performance can be had for less money.
Read our Wired2Fire Pyro Ryzen DG review review.
7. Mesh Ryzen 7 Gaming PC-A
The Mesh Ryzen 7 Gaming PC-A is beautifully built, but ultimately flawed in its configuration. Let down by a slow SSD and a non-overclocked graphics card, yet coming with an unnecessarily expensive operating system, we feel this PC could do much better with a couple of minor tweaks to the spec.
Read our Mesh Ryzen 7 Gaming PC-A review.
8. Shuttle SZ270R8 Mini PC
The Shuttle SZ270R8 delivers full-size gaming performance in a compact and discreet case you can put anywhere, yet remains surprisingly upgradable. It delivers competent all-round performance, but can’t use Intel’s latest processors.
Read our Shuttle SZ270R8 Mini PC review.
