Gaming Desktops

A pre-built gaming PC arrives working, with Windows installed and one warranty covering the whole machine — which for a first gaming PC, or for anyone who does not want to build, is worth real money.

The graphics card is the specification that decides gaming performance, and it is where most of the price sits. Match it to your target: an RTX 5050 or 3050 for 1080p, a 5060 or 5070 for 1440p, higher for 4K.

Three things to check that are easy to miss when comparing on GPU alone:

The power supply. On budget prebuilts this is often where the saving was made, and it is the part that limits a future graphics card upgrade. A basic unit may also struggle with the power spikes modern GPUs produce.

Upgradability. A machine built on standard ATX or micro-ATX parts can take a new card, more memory or extra storage later. Some compact prebuilts use proprietary boards and supplies that cannot.

Memory and storage — 16GB is the floor for gaming, and whether both memory slots are filled decides whether an upgrade means adding or replacing.

See also desktop PCs.