In normal times, most PC enthusiasts wouldn't consider a pre-built solution. More than affordable pricing, enhanced customizability and warranty for each component, plus the whole trip of building a PC yourself but can't be beaten. With the ongoing shortages and insane prices of graphics cards though, a pre-built PC suddenly looks like a very reasonable, if not necessary option.

Pre-built systems do have their advantages: sometimes they will offering components before they're available on retail, like the Ryzen 4000G and 5000 not-Ten CPUs. And if you buy a pre-built, that usually removes the fearfulness that some parts won't be compatible, or that something will go wrong in the assembly process.

We recently updated our PC Buying Guide, where as usual nosotros recommend the best combination of components for builds of dissimilar budgets and intended workloads. For this article, though, we visited the websites of top PC OEMs to see whether they offer a meliorate deal than edifice your own Value Gaming Rig or High-End Gaming Automobile... guaranteed GPU included!

One shortcoming with well-nigh PC makers offering pre-builts is that you tin can't know exactly what you lot're getting (except for boutique builders, which may deserve an entire follow upwardly article after this ane). All of the OEMs mentioned in this article don't specify details like memory latency, and nigh of them don't mention the brand or model of the SSDs shipping in their systems. For example, if you lot were to become a DRAM-less SSD, its functioning wouldn't be the aforementioned as if y'all were picking i of the best nosotros recommend. The same can be said nigh OEM motherboards, which are usually not retail versions and may not get the aforementioned handling of proper BIOS updates and revisions.

Without further ado, nosotros're going to put our recommended PC specifications for a DIY Value Gaming Rig, side by side to elevation offerings from Lenovo, Dell and Asus, as long equally you can get a proper gaming GPU in the process. The GeForce GTX 1660 Super is the cheapest GPU that we'd recommend buying for its $230 MSRP, only at the time of writing, the cheapest two-fan version of it is selling for a staggering $650.

How do the OEMs compare?

Component DIY Lenovo Dell Asus
Processor Ryzen v
3600X		 Ryzen 7
3700X		 Ryzen 5
5600X		 Ryzen seven
3700X
CPU Cooler Wraith Spire 95W Air Liquid Unspecified
Motherboard B550 Tomahawk B550 B550A B450
Retention 2 x 16GB DDR4-3600 CL18 2 x 8GB DDR4-3200 2 x 8GB DDR4-3200 2 x 8GB DDR4-3200
Storage 1TB Sabrent Rocket 4.0 512GB PCIe 512GB PCIe 512GB PCIe
Graphics 1660 Super 1660 Super 1660 Super 1660 Ti
PSU SuperNova GA 650 400W 550W 500W Gilt
Case 400D Airflow mATX mATX ATX
Price $i,125 (MSRP), $1545 (current) $1,250 $1,330 $one,200

Lenovo Legion Tower v

Lenovo offers the 1660 Super in its Legion Tower v series. For $one,250, you tin become information technology with a Ryzen 3700X CPU with a 95W libation, two 10 8GB of RAM at 3200MHz, and an unspecified 512GB PCIe SSD. The best part nearly this organisation is the B550 motherboard: it has four retentivity slots, ii M.2 connectors for storage, and v USB ports in the rear, including one Type-C.

The main problem is that the 400W PSU may lack the power or even the cables to handle more than power-hungry components in the future. On a more positive note, the mATX case looks like it allows decent airflow. Information technology as well has 2 boosted front USB ports.

The Legion Tower v comes with Windows 10 Home, and 1 year of warranty that includes 24/7 service. You can expand that warranty to two years for $39, and up to 5 years for $forty more per year. Unnamed mouse and keyboard are also included.

At first glance, the system looks cheaper than building your ain PC, but if we tried to build a system with similar specs, information technology would cost about the aforementioned, even if nosotros paid $650 for the 1660 Super. We wouldn't purchase that PC at total price, just we also wouldn't blame you if you did.

Dell Alienware Aurora R10

Dell offers the GTX 1660 Super in its Alienware Aurora R10 series, which offers a unique design, that makes the PC look like an conflicting toaster flipped on its side. Despite its size and because of its unusual shape, the example just supports an mATX motherboard. In fact, unless you lot have some modding skills information technology won't be uniform with any aftermarket motherboard, so if you were hoping to upgrade the platform simply keep the example once DDR5 retentivity comes out, then you may be out of luck.

The cheapest AMD processor offered alongside the 1660 Super is the Ryzen v 5600X – a current-gen role that's virtually as good for gaming as the best gaming CPUs. Considering the case pattern allows very petty space for a CPU cooler and no clear airflow path near the CPU, nosotros opted for the liquid cooling solution. The motherboard uses the B550A chipset, which is actually B450 with PCIe 4.0 enabled. It has 4 memory slots, and xi (!) USB ports in the rear in addition to the iv in the front, including a Type-C on each side.

Epitome: slickdeals

When choosing a pre-built from Dell'south many options, one needs to be smart: each 2 x 16GB retentivity pick costs $150 more than the 2 x 8GB at the same speed. For that kind of money yous could simply buy a 2 x 16GB kit, and and then sell the one that came with the figurer. Similarly, instead of wasting your single M.two storage slot on an unknown PCIe SSD, you lot can order that organization with a hard drive (for $180 less than an SSD for 1TB), and add a 1TB Sabrent Rocket iv.0 for $150. For comparison'southward sake, in the table above we included the configuration with 2 10 8GB of retentiveness at 3200MHz and a 512GB SSD.

With an unnamed 550W power supply, the arrangement volition toll $1,330 for the all-black version, and $xxx extra for the black-and-white version. That includes Windows ten, and one year of basic warranty with many expansion options. The MS116AW optical mouse and an unnamed multimedia keyboard volition likewise be yours for $10 more. Once again, that system is not a better value than building your own PC, but if you like its looks or need many USB ports, then it may be a decent option.

Asus ROG Strix GA15DH

Asus doesn't currently offer the 1660 Super in any build, but it offers the comparable GTX 1660 Ti in its ROG Strix GA15DH serial. For $one,200 yous can go information technology with a Ryzen 3700X, an unspecified cooler, an unnamed B450 motherboard (Asus nosotros assume) with just 2 memory slots, two 10 8GB of 3200MHz RAM, and a 512GB PCIe iii.0 SSD in the motherboard'due south only M.ii slot.

On the positive side, the unnamed 500W PSU has an fourscore Plus Gold-level efficiency, and the system comes in a well-ventilated ATX case. It has 2 front end USB ports (one Type-C), and the rear has 6 more than. Ships with Windows 10, one year of warranty, and generic keyboard and mouse. Our conclusion for that organisation is the same as for the others: information technology's peachy value, just also not a groovy 1.

A high-stop difference

Next, let united states compare our recommended DIY Loftier-Terminate Gaming Machine to offers from HP, Dell and MSI. At $700 (MSRP), the GeForce RTX 3080 would be the summit gaming graphics carte du jour we'd recommend, but in practice getting 1 now would cost you at to the lowest degree $2,500, almost doubling our recommended organization'due south toll.

So how exercise OEMs fare when you put in more expensive components on a pre-built?

Component DIY MSI Dell HP
Processor Ryzen 7
5800X		 Ryzen 7
5800X		 Ryzen 7
5800		 Core i7-10700K
CPU Cooler Pure Rock 2 Dragon Liquid Liquid Liquid
Motherboard X570 Taichi B550 B550A Z490
Retentivity 4 10 8GB DDR4-3600 CL16 ii 10 8GB DDR4 2 10 8GB DDR4-3200 2 x 8GB DDR4-3200 HyperX
Storage 2TB 980 Pro 1TB SATA SSD 1TB PCIe 1TB PCIe WD Blackness
Graphics RTX 3080 RTX 3080 RTX 3080 RTX 3090
PSU NZXT C 850 650W Gold 1,000W 750W Platinum Cooler Primary
Case MasterCase H500 ATX mATX mATX
Price $4,095 (current),
$2,295 (MSRP) 		$2,500 $ii,480 $3,390

MSI Aegis ZS

At the time of publishing this article, yous may exist able to get a whole PC that includes the RTX 3080 for the same toll as the card itself from MSI. The MSI Aegis ZS is powered by the Ryzen vii 5800X, ane of the best gaming CPUs you tin can purchase. It comes with MSI's own Dragon 120mm liquid cooler, 2 x 8GB of RAM (speed not mentioned), a 1TB SATA SSD ‒ a strange choice because the pocket-size premium on PCIe SSDs, simply not a large deal for gaming ‒ and a 650W, fourscore Plus Gold power supply in an ATX case.

At the time of publishing this commodity, y'all may be able to go a whole PC that includes the RTX 3080 for the same cost as the card itself from MSI.

Although the case includes 3 front end fans, its forepart panel design can profoundly hamper airflow. It has three forepart USB ports, though, including a Blazon-C, and the rear has 6 more.

The exact B550 motherboard is not specified, but the pictures on MSI's website bear witness that it has four memory slots and two Yard.two storage slots, which makes the SATA SSD seem even more out of place (only easy to upgrade).

The price includes Windows 10 Dwelling, i year of warranty, the Clutch GM11 mouse ($25 separately) and the Vigor GK30 keyboard ($40 separately). Fifty-fifty if you terminate up selling a few of the parts and buying meliorate ones, it'south a far meliorate value than anything similar you can go far the DIY market place correct now.

If you don't need the best of the best, you'll before long be able to get a rather similar system with an RTX 3070 for $2,050 in the Custodianship RS or Custodianship R serial, if you lot are willing to pace down to a Core i7-10700K or i7-11700, respectively. Both of those processors perform similarly to the R7 5800X in most games, and worse in only a few. Depending on what games yous play, each of those systems may be a better value for you.

Dell Alienware Aurora R10

Nosotros took the same Dell Aurora R10 from the first tabular array and configured it with higher-end parts. Does it make more sense at that toll point? It sure looks like it.

For the CPU, we went with the OEM-only Ryzen R7 5800, both considering of the instance's questionable CPU cooling capabilities and because information technology's $150 cheaper than the marginally stronger and less efficient 5800X. We chose liquid cooling again. For the sake of comparing we went with ii ten 8GB of 3200MHz retentivity and a 1TB PCIe SSD.

At a college price betoken, the lack of a second Thou.2 storage slot on the unreplaceable motherboard looks much worse. With the RTX 3800, we literally had to go with the unnamed 1,000W power supply. With Windows ten Home and one year of warranty, the total price is $2,480 ‒ cheaper than buying the RTX 3080 alone!

Buying that arrangement with an RTX 3070 will only salve you $200, which is consistent with the difference in the cards' MSRPs.

HP Omen 30L

The HP Omen 30L is different from the previous two PCs in several ways. HP doesn't offer the RTX 3080 in whatever of its desktops, but it offers the RTX 3090 ‒ a carte du jour with an inexcusable MSRP of $1,500 that sells for at least $three,000 these days.

A similar system with an RTX 3070 really sells at present for about $1,000 less than the RTX 3090 system – over again, matching the difference in the cards' MSRPs and making us hopeful that a version with an RTX 3080 will be available shortly for virtually $2,600.

We reviewed the HP Omen 30L concluding year with previous-gen hardware and nosotros liked it, a lot.

HP simply offers Intel CPUs alongside the RTX 3090, and then we went with the Core i7-10700K. With a single-fan liquid cooler, we'd rather not pay much more for a 10-core CPU that would rarely help gaming performance.

HP is the merely PC maker mentioned in this article that specifies the make of the retentiveness, SSD, and power supply in its systems. The memory is from HyperX, and we went for 2 x 8GB at three,200MHz. The SSD is from WD's Black series ‒ probably the DRAM-equipped, PCIe 3.0 SN750 every bit the CPU doesn't support PCIe iv.0. The Cooler Master PSU offers 750W and 80 Plus Platinum efficiency.

The proprietary motherboard uses the Intel Z490 chipset. It has iv RAM slots and two M.2 storage slots. Similarly to the Aurora, despite the Omen'due south pinnacle information technology can't fit an ATX motherboard, only only mATX and a radiator on the top panel. Thank you to the perforated sides of the case's front panel, the single front fan should be able to get absurd air into the system. The front I/O is surprisingly elementary given the price point, with just two USB connectors, but the rear has 7 more than, including ane Type-C.

The HP Omen is more expensive than the other systems (not only because of the RTX 3090), but however more affordable than building a comparable PC yourself these days. The price includes Windows 10 Habitation, one year of warranty, Microsoft Part and McAfee LiveSafe trials and unnamed mouse and keyboard. If you are willing to pay more for knowing all the parts y'all're getting, only don't want to pay thousands of dollars for a graphics card, it may be a good compromise.

Is this the year of the pre-congenital gaming PC?

Every pre-built PC costs a few hundreds of dollars more than the sum of its parts' MSRPs. In the mainstream segment, those dollars are enough to severely hurt the system's value proffer. In the loftier terminate however, they are nothing compared to how overpriced some of those parts currently are at retailers.

In that location's the strong possibility that the GPU shortage volition last a while longer, and if you want a new gaming PC, going pre-built has probably never made more than sense than it does today.

In this article we merely considered major PC manufacturers to brand the comparison simpler, but boutique builders like Origin, CyberPowerPC and Maingear may be able to offer the best of both worlds past building PCs for customers, and using a wide range of retail parts while scoring a GPU with them, too. Should we expect into that adjacent?

Shopping Shortcuts
  • HP Omen 30L on HP.com, Amazon
  • Dell Alienware Aurora R10 on Dell.com, Amazon
  • MSI Aegis ZS on BHPhoto, Amazon
  • Lenovo Legion Tower 5 on Lenovo.com, Amazon
  • Asus ROG Strix GA15DH on BHPhoto, Amazon