There are loads of great new PC games on the horizon so it’s a fantastic time to hop onboard with PC gaming. Shopping for a gaming PC is easier than ever too. It used to be the case where it was a complex process, picking out your own components, checking their compatibility, and assembling them into a dedicated PC gaming rig but these days you can buy an off the shelf PC purpose built with your gaming needs in mind. Today we’ll take a look at a few to help get you started.
Basic Gaming
First up we’ll take a look at a basic entry level gaming PC setup to get you up and running with minimal expense while still being able to enjoy some quality performance and get the most bang for your buck. Check out the Dell Inspiron 15.6″ gaming laptop for example. This beauty is mobile enough that a LAN party won’t be a problem and comes packed with some great specs. It has a 2.6GHz 6th generation Intel Core i7-6700HQ CPU and 8 GB of RAM under the hood. Graphics are powered by a NVIDIA GTX 960M GDDR5 graphics card which should serve you well in most any PC game. It has a great look too with a satin black finish and red accents. They’ve even given the cooling system striking red accents with its 242 cooling fins connected to dual high-efficiency cooling fans so when you’re in a heavy gaming session you won’t have to worry about overheating. The AC Wi-Fi networking is a nice touch too so you won’t suffer from lag over a wireless connection. 3 USB ports are plenty to connect any peripherals you’ll need for those special gaming sessions and it even has an onboard subwoofer for rich sound.
If a desktop PC is more your style, try out the Alienware Alpha, coming soon to Best Buy. It packs a lot in a small package. This unit sports an Intel Quad Core i5-4590T CPU, 8GB RAM, and the GPU is a 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX. Whether you set this up at a desk or in your living room, this PC has plenty of power to rock the latest games with fantastic performance.
For a basic gaming monitor, a good choice would be the ASUS VP247H-P 23.6” LED-backlit monitor. With this you can enjoy full HD resolution with a blaxing 1ms response time for lag-free visuals even in the most intense gaming situations. ASUS has even added their exclusive GamePlus hotkey which lets you add a crosshair or timer on screen for a little extra help when needed.They’ve even included dual 1.5W speakers so if you don’t already have an audio solution, you’re in good shape with this monitor.
Performance Gaming
Further up the performance spectrum you’ll find this G752 gaming laptop from the ASUS Republic of Gamers. This model goes the extra mile with a glorious 17.3″ full HD screen and a 2.6GHz Intel Core i7 CPU with 16GB of DDR4 RAM under the hood. Graphics are powered by a NVIDIA GTX965M GPU with 2GB of dedicated video memory, G-Sync technology to eliminate tearing, and even has 4 available RAM slots so you can upgrade it in the future. Like the other laptop we looked at, this one features AC Wi-Fi technology for a great connection. It even has a backlit keyboard for those night time games.
For performance desktops this HP model has enough muscle to power through the most demanding PC games with it’s 6th generation Intel Core i7-6700 CPU and 16GB RAM. NVIDIA GeForce GTX960 graphics with 2GB dedicated memory mean you won’t have to worry about lowering those graphical settings either. It even includes a USB keyboard and mouse so you’ll be ready to play right out of the box.
For monitors, consider this 28″ ASUS 4K Ultra HD monitor. This bad boy has a glorious 3840 x 2160 resolution, 10-bit colour and a 60Hz refresh rate when running at 4K. It goes even further than just great picture too. It provides full adjustment for height, swivel tilt, and even pivot. On top of all that it has dual HDMI ports, so you can connect a gaming console AND your gaming PC at the same time, for example.
Extreme Gaming
Now it’s time to look at the extreme end of the gaming PC gear for those really serious PC gamers who want to be ready for whatever comes down the road. In the laptop department we have this Alienware model with a 17.3″ screen, a 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-6700HQ quad-core CPU, 16GB RAM, and stunning good looks. You’ll really make a statement when you show up at the LAN party with this under your arm. Graphics are powered by a NVIDIA GeForce GTZ 980M with 4GB dedicated video memory and DirectX 12 technology. Like the others this unit has AC Wi-Fi technology too. The styling is striking with impressive built quality, featuring carbon fiber and aluminum in a sleek design. One of my favourite parts however is the programmable and controllable lighting zones so you can showcase your own style in the laptop’s accent lights and backlit keyboard for a truly personal experience.
In extreme gaming desktops you’d be hard pressed to go wrong wih the ASUS G11 Gaming PC. This model has a cool looking red and black styling which houses a beefy 3.4GHz 6th generation Intel Core i7-6700 CPU, 16GB RAM and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 graphics card with 4GM of dedicated video memory. The built in Aegis system resource optimization for gaming and user-selectable LED lighting colou give you that extra boost on top of that. With a gaming PC like this, you can be sure that you won’t have to compromise on performance no matter what the game for the foreseeable future.
Lastly when looking at Extreme Gaming monitors, its worth taking a good look at the ASUS Republic of Gamers PG278Q 27″ monitor. You’ll This monitor has a great 1ms response time but even better, it supports NVIDIA G-Sync technology which eliminates image stutter and screen tearing for a much more fluid and life-like picture. This monitor was certainly built with gamers in mind and should help your games look their absolute best.
