Are Pre-Built Gaming PCs a Good Option Now?
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In normal times, most PC enthusiasts wouldn’t consider a pre-built solution.
How do the OEMs compare?
Lenovo offers the 1660 Super in itsLegion Tower 5series.
On a more positive note, the mATX case looks like it allows decent airflow.
It also has 2 additional front USB ports.
The Legion Tower 5 comes with Windows 10 Home, and one year of warranty that includes 24/7 service.
Unnamed mouse and keyboard are also included.
Despite its size and because of its unusual shape, the case only supports an mATX motherboard.
The motherboard uses the B550A chipset, which is actually B450 with PCIe 4.0 enabled.
It has 4 memory slots, and 11 (!)
That includes Windows 10, and one year of basic warranty with many expansion options.
The MS116AW optical mouse and an unnamed multimedia keyboard will also be yours for $10 more.
It has 2 front USB ports (one throw in-C), and the rear has 6 more.
Ships with Windows 10, one year of warranty, and generic keyboard and mouse.
So how do OEMs fare when you put in more expensive components on a pre-built?
TheMSI Aegis ZSis powered by theRyzen 7 5800X, one of the best gaming CPUs you could buy.
Although the case includes 3 front fans, its front panel design can greatly hamper airflow.
Depending on what games you play, each of those systems may be a better value for you.
We took the same Dell Aurora R10 from the first table and configured itwith higher-end parts.
Does it make more sense at that price point?
It sure looks like it.
We chose liquid cooling again.
For the sake of comparison we went with 2 x 8GB of 3200MHz memory and a 1TB PCIe SSD.
With the RTX 3800, we literally had to go with the unnamed 1,000W power supply.
TheHP Omen 30Lis different from the previous two PCs in several ways.
HP only offers Intel CPUs alongside theRTX 3090, so we went with theCore i7-10700K.
The memory is from HyperX, and we went for 2 x 8GB at 3,200MHz.
The Cooler Master PSU offers 750W and 80 Plus Platinum efficiency.
The proprietary motherboard uses theIntel Z490chipset.
It has 4 RAM slots and two M.2 storage slots.
Is this the year of the pre-built gaming PC?
Every pre-built PC costs a few hundreds of dollars more than the sum of its parts' MSRPs.
In the mainstream segment, those dollars are enough to severely hurt the system’s value proposition.
Should we look into that next?
