The best gaming PC in 2019

It also comes with some handy quality of life features, like easy, toolless access to the case’s interior (the panels pop off after removing a handful of thumb screws) and a three year warranty. And it’s a beautiful looking, compact case, with tempered glass panels on the front and left side, showing off an array of RGB lit components to great effect. It’s also festooned with connections, including eight USB ports, which given the massive number of peripherals you can attach to a modern PC is very welcome.

Read our review: iBuyPower RDY ELIBG207

2. CyberpowerPC Gamer Xtreme

CPU: Intel Core i5-9400F | GPU: GTX 1660 6GB | RAM: 8GB DDR4 | Storage: 1TB HDD 7200RPM + 128GB SSD

Fantastic performance per dollar

Runs very cool out of the box

Limited SSD storage

If you want a fantastic value for a prebuilt gaming PC look no further than Cyberpower’s Gamer Xtreme. Featuring an Intel Core i5-9400F and Nvidia’s Turing-in-Pascal-clothing GTX 1660, it’s a great PC to rock the current generation of games for well under $1,000. It can also be readily upgraded, something we’d recommend immediately to add at least another 8GB of RAM.

If you’re looking for a machine to get you into the exciting (and ever expanding) world of VR quickly and cheaply, the Gamer Xtreme is an excellent introductory option. It’s specced to be VR ready right away, and the ease with which it can be upgraded means it can be modified to suit the headsets and hardware demands of the future (assuming all the manufacturers don’t follow in the footsteps of Oculus’ Go and Quest standalone offerings). 

The Xtreme is also great for anyone looking for a PC to match the capabilities of current gen consoles, something that will bridge the gap between the PS4 and Xbox One era of games and the next console generation. Since, for better or worse, consoles largely dictate how much stress triple-A developers are willing to put on hardware when designing their games, having a PC that’s specced in line with consoles means you’ll be able to keep pace with the current crop of games at least until another console refresh appears on the horizon. And the Gamer Xtreme is also modular and upgradeable enough to allow you to quickly adapt when specs for the next generation are finally, properly announced. 

CPU: Intel Core i7-9700K | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 | RAM: 16GB DDR4-2666 | Storage: 480GB M.2 SSD + 2TB HDD

Stylish RGB lighting

Separate component chambers

RTX graphics

Bulky

To help with both aesthetics and heat management, the case rocks a dual-chambered design that separates the power supply from the GPU, RAM, and motherboard. All the shiny, RGB components are displayed front and center, while the more modest parts are tucked away out of sight. 

One of the main downsides of the original Vengeance 5180 was that it featured a B360 chipset and non-K Intel CPU, so the Core i7-8700 can’t be overclocked. The 5185 corrects that issue with i7-9700K, a full overclockable Coffee Lake chip.

MSRP for this stylish and powerful system is $2,399.99, a reasonable price considering the cost of components separately. You’ll pay around the same amount to build it yourself compared to buying this pre-built, so it all depends on your budget, time, and how much you value extras like warranty coverage that a prebuilt packs. With that mighty CPU and RTX 2080, this is a machine ready to dominate games at 1440p and even dip into 4K at respectable frame rates. 

Read our review: Corsair Vengeance 5180

Best gaming keyboard | Best gaming mouse | Best gaming chair
Best VR headset | Best wireless gaming mouse | Best CPU for gaming

4. HP Omen Obelisk

CPU: Intel Core i7-8700 | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 | RAM: 16GB DDR4-2666 | Storage: 256GB M.2 SSD, 2TB HDD

Powerful components 

Designed to remove needless frills and keep costs low

Minimalist design might not appeal to some

Hewlett Packard has existed since before the advent of the second World War, and that long history and expertise is evident in the design and construction of the Omen Obelisk, their new gaming desktop model. The Obelisk is highly customizable on the HP storefront, starting at a GTX 1060 and Ryzen 5 2500X and reaching up some top in class parts—the review unit we received packs an RTX 2080 and an 8th Gen Core i7-8700, so you’ll be well ahead of the curve in terms of the next generation of PC gaming, and ready for the moment when ray tracing stops being a buzzword and starts being an essential part of graphics rendering. 

Perhaps the most impressive part of the Obelisk offering is the price tag. Despite a new, high-end RTX card and that rock solid CPU (as well as 16GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and 2TB HDD), the Obelisks comes in just under $2,000. This is largely due to HP trimming off all the non-essential frills that tend to pad out the price of a number of similarly specced machines from other manufacturers. You won’t find an over-elaborate liquid cooling system or a massive suite of spectacular RGB lighting; the Obelisk is an appropriately named dense black block of computing power, which isn’t to imply it’s unattractive. As someone who values smooth lines and compact design over the flash and spectacle of RGB, I appreciate the dark, slightly brooding aesthetic of the Obelisk, and it does have a clear side panel to let you see the red-lit interior of the machine. 

It’s similarly configured to the slightly more expensive Corsair Vengeance, but it comes in a much smaller frame, which is a double edged sword. While on the one hand, there’s less space to muck around in the case if you do decide in the future to upgrade, the Obelisk can slip easily into much smaller spaces than larger cases and is easier to transport. It’s the epitome of function over form and available at a nearly unbeatable price point.

CPU: Intel Core i7-9700K – i9-9920X | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 – RTX 2080 Ti | RAM: 32GB DDR4-2666 | Storage: up to 960GB NVMe M.2 SSD, 2TB HDD

Slim, minimalist footprint

Outstanding performance

Upgradable, but tricky to access some components

Like a number of the prebuilts on this list, the i160 isn’t the only configuration the One comes in. In fact, with a Intel Core i9-9900K and a RTX 2080 Ti, the i160 is the mid-range model. The lower i140 model comes with a Core i7-9700K and a RTX 2080, while the higher i180 workstation model comes with a Core i9-9920X and a RTX 2080. The price various based on the specs, of course, so if $3,599.99 for the i160 is a little too rich for your blood, the i140 is $600 less at $2,999.99. If you are in the market for a compact workstation, the i180 will zap $4,999.99 from your bank account. All three models come with 32GB of RAM, so you won’t need to worry about upgrading that aspect of the One for years to come.

But regardless of the configuration, the newest Corsair One is a sleek, potent little machine designed for anyone wrestling with space considerations, or for those who want a powerful PC but don’t want to listen to it whine every time it’s stressed with a graphically intensive game.

6. Falcon Northwest Talon 20th Anniversary

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | Graphics: (2) RTX 2080 Super | RAM: 16GB DDR4 | Storage: 1TB SSD

Robust, clean build quality

Extensive customization options

Pricey

 Falcon Northwest has come a long way in the past 20 years. Their original iteration of the talon gaming PC featured excellent performance but was perhaps the polar opposite of aesthetics. FNW’s devotion to performance remains a hallmark of their brand but has managed to pair awesome aesthetics with their uncompromising build quality. The 20th Anniversary edition of FNW’s Talon gaming PC features all of the customization options you’d expect from a premium vendor, but they’ve also included the option for UV printed side panels that can accept images in excess of 4K, giving you the option for a true, one of a kind PC.

The top and front panels of the case are composed of either glossy or matte finished aluminum and an optional tempered glass side panel exposes the inside of the build. The side panels swing open, making access to the insides of the desktop a breeze and nearly all the closures are magnetic, reducing the number of screws you need. The Talon supports ATX motherboards and dual graphics cards if you’re looking for a bit of overkill. 

Furthermore, Falcon has some of the best customer service I’ve encountered and features 3-year warranties on its systems along with a year of overnight shipping to get you back up and running should anything go wrong. With configurations starting at around $3,000, It may not be the least expensive PC out there, but the Talon still costs less than similar configurations from other competitors.

CPU: Intel Core i5-9400 – i9-9900 | GPU: RTX 2080 | RAM: (2) 16GB DDR4 | Storage: 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD + 2TB SATA HDD