You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars or custom-build your own desktop to get a decent gaming experience. We’ve identified some desktops—and even a laptop—that won’t break the bank but still have enough oomph to power the latest PC-based games. Of course, they’re not water-cooled, RAID-arrayed, overclocked rigs decorated with neon lights. But you’ll still be able to fire up the latest Company of Heroes or Assassin’s Creed and get into the heat of battle (of whatever sort!) with these systems.
Lenovo Erazer X315, $600. Erazer is Lenovo’s gaming line, and this desktop lives up to that claim with cool looks and hot performance. There’s a fast AMD A8 processor, along with a hefty 12GB of memory. The large 1TB hard drive is also speedy. You get 802.11ac Wi-Fi, a plus for online gamers who need quick Internet access. (But you need an 802.11ac router to take advantage of it. Check our Ratings to find one that’s best for you.) The included gaming keyboard lights up and changes colors, and the blue front light gives the case some style.
Asus M32AD-US002S, $650. An Intel Core i5 processor and 16GB of memory add up to excellent performance on this desktop. The 2TB hard drive is fast and provides lots of space for your games. Like Lenovo’s Erazer, it has fast 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
Check out our Computer Buying Guide to learn everything you need to know before buying a desktop, laptop, or Chromebook.
Lenovo IdeaCentre B750, $1,400. A gigabyte of discrete Nvidia graphics contributes to this all-in-one desktop’s gaming prowess. The Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB of memory also don’t hurt. The very good display showed natural-looking, accurately reproduced colors. The speakers were better than what’s typically included in an all-in-one, and there’s a Blu-ray player in case you decide to forego the games with a movie. The 2TB hard drive is fast and provides lots of storage space.
HP Envy 17t, $775. Low-cost laptops with enough power for gaming are rare, but this HP model is an exception. It has an Intel Core i7 processor and plenty of memory (12GB). Like many 17-inch laptops, this one has a large 1TB hard drive. And while it’s not among the most portable laptops, it is light for its size at 6.3 pounds. The only downside is the stingy 4-hour battery life. For $850, you can get this model with a touchscreen.
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