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.

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.