Best 4 Gaming Desktops for 2017

Despite the lure of gaming consoles and smartphone games, PC gaming remains a gamers best option. And among PCs, desktops rule the gaming world. There are many reasons for this. We won’t be discussing that today. But we have to mention that the customizability of desktops is a major advantage over laptops.

On desktops, if the graphics card is showing signs of being stretched beyond its capacity, you can quickly purchase a new one, remove the old one, and insert the new card. Within a few minutes, you’ll be back tearing down walls and conquering cities. But on a laptop, if your graphics isn’t working to the level you want, the best way out is to get a new machine altogether.

Anyway, that’s for another day. Today, we want to highlight some of the best gaming desktops you can find in 2017. When compiling our list, we considered all the basic requirements including RAM, CPU, Graphics, and Storage, as well as other necessary features like VR-ready and Price. Here is the final list:

1. Best overall - Alienware Aurora ($799)

The Aurora is a VR ready desktop with 8GB or RAM, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 950 graphics card and a 1TB, 7,200rpm hard drive, powered by an Intel Core i3 6100 processor. Sleek and durable, the desktop is dummy proof as you can tell from the specs, but it’s also very reasonably priced. It’s also easy to upgrade. With the push of a button, you can pop it open to access the RAM, storage, and even the graphics card. It supports Core i7 processors so you can start by upgrading to that. It also supports the Nvidia GTX 1080 GPUs so you can also upgrade to that. But even without upgrading, the aurora won’t disappoint you as it comfortably supports 4K gaming in VR mode.

2. Best VR-Ready – The Asus ROG G20CB ($1,699)

Powered by an Intel Core i5 6400 processor and featuring 16GB or RAM, 512GB SSD storage, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 graphics card, the Asus ROG G20CB is a monster by all accounts. Plenty of desktops can handle virtual reality gaming but this desktop delivers this aspect of gaming at its best. The desktop allows you to customize lighting that can sync up with your games and music to provide virtual reality at its best. Incredibly, the machine is small enough to sit on your desk next to your screen. For a better VR experience, you can upgrade on the GTX 970 graphics card to a GTX 980 card.

3. Best Gaming laptop under $1,000 – the Digital Storm Vanquish 5 ($878)

For those looking for a bargain but who aren’t ready to give up performance, the Vanquish 5 presents a great alternative. Priced at under $1,000, the desktop offers everything you may want in a gaming machine without leaving a hole in your pocket. It is VR ready, has 8GB or RAM, comes with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti graphics card, and has a 1TB hard drive. Its Intel Core i5 6500 processor is a 6th generation processor that can handle graphically rich games without showing signs of lag. And just like the others, if you feel the need for more powerful components, you can just pop open the Vanquish and swap the components.

4. Best compact gaming desktop – the MSI Trident

For a lot of gamers, size is also a factor you may want to consider. The smaller, the better. If the small size doesn’t take away the performance of the machine, that’s an even more welcome surprise. It is for these reasons that the MSI Trident has been receiving rave reviews. The sleek desktop gives the PS4 and Xbox One serious competition in the looks department. It’s also nearly the same size as those two meaning that you easily slip it in your backpack if you’re going away for the holidays. But it has powerful features that will leave you amazed. First, it is VR-ready. Secondly, it has 8GB or RAM. Then, it also has 1TB of storage and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card and it’s powered by an Intel Core i7 processor.


There are definitely a few other desktops out there worth mentioning here including the Lenovo Idea Center Y710 Cube and even the Alienware Alpha which are some of the better gaming PCs to look at if you’re on a mean budget, But the four machines on this list are by far the best you can lay your hands on at the moment.