Gaming Computers: Reviews

Updated October 2011
When serious game play is serious business, only a serious computer will do. ConsumerSearch digs deep to find the best gaming desktop computers based on expert reports and feedback from gamers themselves. Less expensive gaming computers that won't embarrass themselves -- and you -- when the action gets hot and heavy are also named. Computer buyers more interested in crunching numbers than crunching bad guys can get helpful advice as well.
 

Best mainstream desktop computer

Dell Studio XPS 8300  *Est. $700 and up Compare Prices

Computer Shopper: Daniel A. Begun gives the Dell Studio XPS 8300 an Editors' Choice award and an 8.4 out of 10 rating after subjecting it to extensive hands-on testing in this long review, which is supplemented with a number of photos.

CNET: The Dell Studio XPS 8300 fails to earn an Editors' Choice award from Rich Brown at CNET. Although the PC posts good productivity benchmark scores and achieves a very playable frame rate in "Crysis," it struggles when faced with the intense "Metro 2033."

HotHardware.com: Hothardware.com reviewer Paul Lilly compares three mainstream computers head to head in this roundup.

HardwareHeaven.com: A cheaper version of the Dell Studio XPS 8300 also earns a Recommended award from HardwareHeaven.com.

PC World: Reviewer David Murphy only gives the Dell Studio XPS 8300 a 3-star rating, but the text in the report indicates he's quite happy with the PC. While, the computer posts very high scores in productivity benchmarks, Murphy says the gaming capabilities are underwhelming, though adequate.

DesktopReview.com: DesktopReview.com gives the Dell Studio XPS 8300 a 4.5-star rating (out of 5). J.R. Nelson puts the machine through a number of benchmarking tests, and it blows away the competition -- which was the older Dell Studio XPS 7100 and some well-regarded all-in-ones -- in the graphics category.

PC World (Australia): The Dell Studio XPS 8300 performed well in all benchmark tests posed by PC World (Australia), including the 3DMark06 application that tests a computer's 3D gaming capabilities.

About.com: Matt Kyrnin names the Dell Studio XPS 8300 as the best all-around performance PC available.

Best-value gaming computer

Velocity Micro Edge Z40 *Est. $950 and up Learn More

PCMag.com: The Velocity Micro Edge Z40 earns an Editors' Choice award in the entry-level gaming category from PCMag.com.

CNET: CNET reviewer Rich Brown gives the Velocity Micro Edge Z40 an overall score of 4 out of 5 and an Editors' Choice award.

About.com: About.com reviewer Christine McKee isn't as happy with the Edge Z40 as other reviewers are, although she doesn't conduct any hands-on testing of the machine.

Best gaming computer

Origin Genesis *Est. $1,340 and up Learn More

Anandtech.com: AnandTech.com delivers the most comprehensive review of the Origin Genesis, covering all aspects of the system and subjecting it to numerous benchmarks tests in this multi-page review.

CNET: CNET gives the Origin Genesis a 4-star rating (out of 5). Rich Brown's benchmark tests prove that performance is comparable to, if not quite on par with, the $5,000 Editors' Choice-winning Falcon Northwest Mach V gaming PC; the Genesis beats most other systems in productivity and gaming tests.

PC World: The configuration reviewed by PC World includes an overclocked Intel i5-2500K processor and two Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti graphics cards in SLI, unlike other publications, which test Genesis builds with a more powerful CPU and a single, beefier Nvidia card.

DigitalTrends.com: Tim Roper loads up on the goodies for his review of a Origin Genesis system that prices up to nearly $5,500.

Best all-in-one desktop suitable for gaming

27-inch 3.1 GHz Apple iMac *Est. $2,000 and up Compare Prices

PCMag.com: The 27-inch iMac earns a 4 (out of 5) star rating from PCMag.com.

CNET: CNET gives an Editors' Choice award to the 27-inch Apple iMac.

Computer Shopper: It is yet another Editors' Choice award for the 27-inch iMac, this time from ComputerShopper.com.

Anandtech.com: AnandTech.com delivers far and away the most comprehensive review of the 27-inch iMac, comprised of page after page of benchmark tests and hands-on impressions.

Macworld: Macworld gives the new iMac 4 mice (out of 5). At 1,024–by-768 resolution, all four iterations of the 2011 iMac deliver similar frame rates in "Call of Duty 4," but upping the resolution to 1,920-by-1,080 results in the 3.1 GHz 27-inch iMac far outpacing the other configurations.

Gaming Computers Runners Up:

     
   
 
 
 
     
 
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8200E Usdt I52500S 250/4GB Pc
Average Customer Review:  
 
 
 
 
     
   
 
 
 

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