Gaming PCs live and die by their graphics cards (or graphics chips, in the case of gaming laptops), the most critical PC component for determining your gaming performance ceiling. Most gaming systems will come preinstalled with a single midrange or high-end graphics card; higher-priced systems will naturally have better cards, since purchase price typically correlates with frame-rate performance and visual quality. AMD and Nvidia make the graphics processors, or GPUs, that go into these cards, which are made by third parties such as Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, PowerColor, Sapphire, and XFX (to name just a few).

Gone are the days of complicated dual-card setups: Today's top-end GPUs, like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080, GeForce RTX 4090, GeForce RTX 5080, and GeForce RTX 5090 are more than powerful enough on their own. Games are increasingly developed to take advantage of the cutting-edge features available in single GPUs like these, but these premium cards will cost you. A tier of less-expensive GPUs in the GeForce RTX 50 series, fortunately, is also available for smaller budgets; you can find a full breakdown below.

Still, you should divert as much of your budget to the best GPU you can afford; the most pivotal decision you'll make when purchasing a gaming desktop is which card you get. Of course, one option is opting for no card at all; the integrated graphics silicon on some modern Intel Core and AMD Ryzen processors is adequate for casual 2D and very light 3D gaming. However, to reliably play 3D AAA titles, you need a discrete graphics card, and these cards are what distinguish a gaming desktop from "just a desktop."

Whether you go with an AMD- or Nvidia-based card is based partly on price and performance. Some games are optimized for one type of card or another, but for the most part, you should choose the card that best fits within your budget. If you're buying a complete gaming desktop, you (of course) don't have to pay for a card in isolation, but this should help you understand how the card factors into the total price. You also have to know what you're shopping for.

The average gaming PC sold today will likely house an Intel Core i5, Core i7, Core Ultra 5, or Core Ultra 7 processor and a GPU from Nvidia's RTX 40 or 50 series. (Look for the RTX 4060 or RTX 5070, or their Ti variants) You may sometimes see AMD-based PCs or the combination of a Ryzen CPU and an Nvidia GPU. More-expensive desktops will incorporate the Core i9, Core Ultra 9, or Ryzen 9 CPUs and cards like the RTX 4080, 4090, 5080, and 5090, but these are not what we would call "average," even if they're tempting.

Factoring in the current lineups from AMD, Intel, and Nvidia, consumers have more options than ever. The baseline has come a long way, so even Intel's and AMD's less-expensive CPUs are well-suited to gaming. Even AMD's latest Ryzen 3 processors can do the job if you're shopping on a tight budget, though you'll seldom see gaming systems with anything below a Ryzen 5, Core Ultra 5, or Core i5.

Don't let the existence of the high-end parts dissuade you if you're shopping on a budget: Core i5 chips like the Core i5-14600K are perfectly acceptable for entry-level and midrange gaming, especially when paired with a hearty modern graphics card like the RTX 4060, RTX 5060 Ti, or Radeon RX 7600. These PCs won't top the charts, but in reality, this is the tier most gamers are shopping in.

If your choice comes down to paying for a higher-level GPU or a higher-level CPU, and gaming matters most, favor the graphics. A system with a higher-power Nvidia GeForce GPU and a Core i5- or Ryzen 5-grade processor is generally better for 3D-intensive FPS gaming than one with a low-end card and a zippy Core i9 CPU. But you may want to choose the latter if you're into games that involve a lot of background math calculations, such as strategy titles (like those in the Civilization series), or if you also mean to use the system for CPU-intensive tasks, like converting or editing video, or editing photos when you are not gaming.

If you've made it this far, we trust you're more prepared than ever! In our review summaries and spec comparison chart, we've outlined the best gaming desktops we've tested recently. Some are configured-to-order PCs from boutique manufacturers, but others are from bigger brands typically associated with consumer-grade desktops. Note that many of the same manufacturers also make gaming laptops if you're choosing between the two.