Budget, Midrange & Luxury Gaming PC

Budget Gaming Pc

The Good:

The Alienware X51 is a powerful gaming PC wrapped up in a form factor similar in size, but only just a bit bigger than an Xbox 360 or PS3 console. It comes with either an Intel Core i3 or Intel Core i7 processor, and a Blu-ray drive, 1TB of storage, and Nvidia Optimus technology that saves power while playing. 

HDMI connectivity means you can easily play PC games on your television set, with better graphics than you’d find on a console. Games such as the graphic-intensive Skyrim: Elder Scrolls V perform well and look great.  

The Bad:

The Alienware X51 offers up some decent specs. The basic model comes with an Intel Core i3 3.30GHz processor and an NVIDIA GeForce GT 545 video card, but if you’re already a PC tech head you may be able to customise your own gaming PC with better specs for a similar price.

Midrange Gaming Pc:

It's not cheap, but there's a lot to like about the Dell Studio XPS 435. This high-tech wonder crams in all you'll need for high-end gaming, with a range-topping Intel Core i7 processor, up to a staggering an unbelievable 24GB of DDR3 memory, and the latest choice of graphics cards. 

Luxury Gaming PC:

The Good:

The Acer Aspire G7700 Predator is a dedicated Windows Vista gaming PC with Nvidia nForce 780th SLI-capable graphic chipset and four hard drive bays (allowing RAID). Configurations include Intel Core 2 quad-core processors, up to 8GB RAM, 7.1 audio support and Blu-ray optical drive. Ships with gaming mouse and keyboard.

There are two good reasons to bolt Acer’s flagship PC to your gaming floor. Firstly, it’s probably worth more than anything else in the house. Secondly, you won’t have to worry about the Predator’s aggressive angular jaws going on a high-tech rampage when its over-clocked quad-core computer brain achieves sentience and decides to eliminate puny humankind.

The Bad:

It looks tougher than it is, so no kicking the plastic shell or flimsy swing arms when you lose a bout. While the gaming mouse and keyboard are OK, it’s always annoying have to pay for accessories you probably already own.