Only buy a big desktop tower if you like the look of it and want lots of room to install future upgrades.

Bigger isn't always better: You don’t need a huge tower to get a system with high-end components.

Intel Core i5-11400 / Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super

If that's too much (and it is a lot of money!) you may want to consider some of the cheaper options on this list.

We tested it at a wallet-busting $4,999, and the other configuration with Intel's 12th Gen CPUs starts at $3,649.99. In order to get this top-tier, tiny system, you'll have to pay a high price, however. Sure, it's possible, but you have very limited room to work with, and the sides don't come off because the radiators are connected to them. But that same petite form factor is what makes it difficult to upgrade. The design pulls in air through the sides and exhausts it out the top, and it's not particularly loud. But in that metal chassis is a set of top-end components, including an Intel Core i9-12900K, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, 64GB of DDR5 RAM and a 2TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD. It takes up very little space on a desk with a 6.93 x 7.87-inch base that rises slightly taller than an Xbox Series X. In some ways, the Corsair One i300 is a console-like prebuilt PC. Best Prebuilt Gaming PCs You Can Buy Today But if you want more advice about how to shop and specific things to look for, our buying advice follows our top gaming PC picks. We'll jump into our tested picks for best prebuilt gaming PCs directly below. Intel's Arc GPUs are hard to come by, but we found the Arc A380 (codename 'Alchemist') to be a weak gaming card. The latest leaks suggest that the RTX 40-series will use a ton of power, especially on the high-end, which means we'll likely see pre-built gaming PCs with higher-wattage PSUs than we currently see on the market. On the graphics front, rumors have suggested we could see new 40-series Nvidia GeForce graphics cards soon, so keep your eyes peeled. The Ryzen 6 5600X will start at $299 and go up to the top-end Ryzen 9 7950X with 16 cores and 32 threads, as well as a 5.7 GHz boost clock, running for $699. If you prefer AMD, Ryzen 7000 will launch on September 27. Intel's full 12th Gen 'Alder Lake' lineup is here and, for the most part, quite impressive.

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