Windows gaming desktop ~$1,500 - Alienware Aurora R16?

[fyre4ce]

I've been a Mac user my whole life, even though I do have Windows experience at work. I'm looking for a Windows desktop I can hook up with a KVM switch to my Apple Studio Display to run a few Windows programs and do some occasional gaming (both classic and modern). Cost is not a big issue, but I'm looking for a good value and definitely do not want to spend thousands on a top-of-the-line graphics card I would rarely/never fully use. I have a budget of ~$1,500 in mind, but could adjust that up or down depending on what it got me. I'd like an off-the-shelf rather than build it myself from components. Any recommendations for brands, components? I see both Intel and AMD CPUs are common but am not sure which is better in this price range. Anyone find any good Black Friday sales for something like this? Not sure which corners of the internet might have the best deals, but I bet this group does. Thanks in advance!

[pseudoiterative]

there's a bunch of ideas that might be applicable in this 2 month old thread about a gaming PC: viewtopic.php?t=439882

[fyre4ce]

This is where I am settling:

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/desktop ... igurations

It's a little more than I wanted to spend but it has one level up from the components I started out looking for (4070 Ti SUPER vs. 4070 SUPER, i9 vs. i7) and 32 GB RAM. It will be driving a 5K monitor so my thinking is that the extra power could be beneficial. The extra few hundred dollars is not a significant cost as I expect to keep it a while. And it's from a name-brand manufacturer. I can get other brands on Newegg for a little bit less but I read some not so great reviews. Thoughts before I pull the trigger?

[Nekrotok]

I'm not super in tune with prebuilt computers but I've only heard bad things about alienware since Dell bought them ages ago. Basically abusing their brand recognition to exploit uninformed customers. It might be that this particular model is actually decent but imo you'd have to find actual informed reviews on that particular model to determine that rather than just trusting the brand itself. Also I heard those 14th gen i7/i9 cpus are ticking time bombs and should be avoided.

Probably better to go with recommendations here or post your own thread there for help: https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestapc/com ... r_pc_good/

[fyre4ce]

I'm not super in tune with prebuilt computers but I've only heard bad things about alienware since Dell bought them ages ago. Basically abusing their brand recognition to exploit uninformed customers. It might be that this particular model is actually decent but imo you'd have to find actual informed reviews on that particular model to determine that rather than just trusting the brand itself. Also I heard those 14th gen i7/i9 cpus are ticking time bombs and should be avoided.

Probably better to go with recommendations here or post your own thread there for help: https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestapc/com ... r_pc_good/

Thanks for the heads up. I had been thinking intel was the way to go just because I’m more familiar with them and I figured the risk of issues with non-gaming programs was lower. But I did notice Ryzen’s tend to be cheaper. I’ll look tonight.

[02nz]

I'm not super in tune with prebuilt computers but I've only heard bad things about alienware since Dell bought them ages ago. Basically abusing their brand recognition to exploit uninformed customers. It might be that this particular model is actually decent but imo you'd have to find actual informed reviews on that particular model to determine that rather than just trusting the brand itself. Also I heard those 14th gen i7/i9 cpus are ticking time bombs and should be avoided.

Probably better to go with recommendations here or post your own thread there for help: https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestapc/com ... r_pc_good/

Thanks for the heads up. I had been thinking intel was the way to go just because I’m more familiar with them and I figured the risk of issues with non-gaming programs was lower. But I did notice Ryzen’s tend to be cheaper. I’ll look tonight.

There are really no issues with AMD processors and software compatibility. On the graphics side you’ll probably want to stick with Nvidia though.

[chaser]

Since you aren't already entrenched in the Windows gaming ecosystem, and you didn't express that the kinds of games you play are extremely intensive, I might suggest a completely different approach and try starting with a Steam Deck. Steam Deck runs a crafted version of Linux and they have fine tuned it to work well with AMD CPUs/GPUs (including power management). And the work they have done with their Windows compatibility layer called Proton is really impressive and the vast majority of games now just work. Go to the website protondb.com to look up the compatibility status of all the games you want to play.

The Steam Deck is a fraction of your $1500, budget, so this will let you ease into the gaming sphere and let you figure out if you need to spend more money for a more powerful machine down the road. I believe the Steam Deck can output to a TV via a USB-C to HDMI adapter. Valve is also fairly transparent about the hardware that goes into the Steam Deck, so if you decide you want a more powerful machine down the road, you can decide to build your own Steam Deck PC variant, where maybe you decide to pick faster variants from the same family line of CPUs or GPUs. While you can't (currently) install SteamOS on your custom machines, you can install just about any Linux distro and install Steam for Linux which will do everything you need.

[fyre4ce]

I think I'd rather not venture into the Linux world. I'm looking for a multi-purpose Windows machine that can run some games (right now my most graphic-intensive one is Overwatch; I may expand into others)

Now scoping out this one:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/cyberpower ... Id=6575113

It was recommended in that reddit thread someone linked. I don't need the 2TB storage, but I'm not seeing anything better for the price with a Ryzen 7 and 4070 SUPER.

[KlangFool]

OP,

If money is no object, I would not be buying a PC at this moment. I will wait for the next generation of PC/Mac with a better AI processing. I do not think any of the current generation CPU/PC is good enough.

What is the AI TOPS rating for the gaming PC that you are looking at?

KlangFool

[fyre4ce]

OP,

If money is no object, I would not be buying a PC at this moment. I will wait for the next generation of PC/Mac with a better AI processing. I do not think any of the current generation CPU/PC is good enough.

What is the AI TOPS rating for the gaming PC that you are looking at?

KlangFool

I’m not sure. It has an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and an nVidia GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER. I was not able to find a database with TOPS ratings for this model or this set of components. If you know of one I can look it up.

In general I am not fond of the recommendation to avoid buying new hardware because a new generation is about to come out. New generations are always about to come out. I tend to think people should buy hardware when they need it. There are exceptions, but i don’t think they apply in my case.

I am currently running windows on a 27 inch iMac that would be sold if/when I get a new machines. If new machines are better/cheaper, that will be offset by the reduced value of the iMac that will be older when I sell it.

My biggest concerns about waiting are losing out on Black Friday deals and missing a tax deduction for this tax year. (The computer will be mostly for business.)

That said, I probably don’t lose much by waiting a year. The biggest risk is being in the same position again in a year, not wanting to buy because hardware seems to be on the verge of a major breakthrough.

[chaser]

I think I'd rather not venture into the Linux world. I'm looking for a multi-purpose Windows machine that can run some games (right now my most graphic-intensive one is Overwatch; I may expand into others)

So I won't push this any more after this response to respect your preferences, but I do want to clarify that buying a Steam Deck is like buying a turn-key game console (like a Nintendo Switch) and has almost nothing to do with choosing or learning an operating system. The fact that Steam Deck uses Linux under the hood is an implementation detail that for the most part has no bearing on you as a user. You will just be running games through the Steam game launcher (which is more or less the same on all the platforms Steam supports which includes Windows, Mac, and Linux, although additionally streamlined for the Steam Deck console-like experience). As an end user, you don't need to know or care that you are running Linux, and won't even know (unless you check) if the game you are playing was compiled for Windows or Linux because Proton is so good and seamless.

Since you initially indicated you preferred an off-the-shelf solution, and didn't want to overbuy hardware than you needed, it doesn't get easier than a Steam Deck. Everything you need comes ready out-of-the-box with the Steam Deck, and it has been fine-tuned to play most of the popular games well. And instead of paying $1500, it will be in the $300-$400 range.

A quick Google search of "steam deck overwatch", my first two hits show:
"I play it on Deck every night. 60 or 90fps depending on the model. PERFECT Deck game."
and
"Overwatch 2 on Steam runs like butter, unsurprisingly."


Good luck with whatever you decide.

[KlangFool]

OP,

If money is no object, I would not be buying a PC at this moment. I will wait for the next generation of PC/Mac with a better AI processing. I do not think any of the current generation CPU/PC is good enough.

What is the AI TOPS rating for the gaming PC that you are looking at?

KlangFool

I’m not sure. It has an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and an nVidia GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER. I was not able to find a database with TOPS ratings for this model or this set of components. If you know of one I can look it up.

In general I am not fond of the recommendation to avoid buying new hardware because a new generation is about to come out. New generations are always about to come out. I tend to think people should buy hardware when they need it. There are exceptions, but i don’t think they apply in my case.

I am currently running windows on a 27 inch iMac that would be sold if/when I get a new machines. If new machines are better/cheaper, that will be offset by the reduced value of the iMac that will be older when I sell it.

My biggest concerns about waiting are losing out on Black Friday deals and missing a tax deduction for this tax year. (The computer will be mostly for business.)

That said, I probably don’t lose much by waiting a year. The biggest risk is being in the same position again in a year, not wanting to buy because hardware seems to be on the verge of a major breakthrough.

OP,

"In general I am not fond of the recommendation to avoid buying new hardware because a new generation is about to come out."

In general, that is true. But, it should be obvious for any gaming PC to last a while, it should support AI processing adequately. This is a major paradigm shift for computing/gaming. How does it makes any sense for you to buy a gaming PC this year but not good enough to support the latest gaming feature next year? $1,500 PC is not a disposable PC.

KlangFool

[02nz]

OP,

If money is no object, I would not be buying a PC at this moment. I will wait for the next generation of PC/Mac with a better AI processing. I do not think any of the current generation CPU/PC is good enough.

What is the AI TOPS rating for the gaming PC that you are looking at?

KlangFool

Better AI processing LOL. I've yet seen a truly useful application of AI for the desktop. You need exactly zero TOPS to use ChatGPT.

[02nz]

I’m not sure. It has an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and an nVidia GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER. I was not able to find a database with TOPS ratings for this model or this set of components. If you know of one I can look it up.

In general I am not fond of the recommendation to avoid buying new hardware because a new generation is about to come out. New generations are always about to come out. I tend to think people should buy hardware when they need it. There are exceptions, but i don’t think they apply in my case.

I am currently running windows on a 27 inch iMac that would be sold if/when I get a new machines. If new machines are better/cheaper, that will be offset by the reduced value of the iMac that will be older when I sell it.

My biggest concerns about waiting are losing out on Black Friday deals and missing a tax deduction for this tax year. (The computer will be mostly for business.)

That said, I probably don’t lose much by waiting a year. The biggest risk is being in the same position again in a year, not wanting to buy because hardware seems to be on the verge of a major breakthrough.

OP,

"In general I am not fond of the recommendation to avoid buying new hardware because a new generation is about to come out."

In general, that is true. But, it should be obvious for any gaming PC to last a while, it should support AI processing adequately. This is a major paradigm shift for computing/gaming. How does it makes any sense for you to buy a gaming PC this year but not good enough to support the latest gaming feature next year? $1,500 PC is not a disposable PC.

KlangFool

This is all just vaporware. What precise AI features relevant to gaming would OP be missing out on by getting a gaming PC today vs a year from now?

[fyre4ce]

I think I'd rather not venture into the Linux world. I'm looking for a multi-purpose Windows machine that can run some games (right now my most graphic-intensive one is Overwatch; I may expand into others)

So I won't push this any more after this response to respect your preferences, but I do want to clarify that buying a Steam Deck is like buying a turn-key game console (like a Nintendo Switch) and has almost nothing to do with choosing or learning an operating system. The fact that Steam Deck uses Linux under the hood is an implementation detail that for the most part has no bearing on you as a user. You will just be running games through the Steam game launcher (which is more or less the same on all the platforms Steam supports which includes Windows, Mac, and Linux, although additionally streamlined for the Steam Deck console-like experience). As an end user, you don't need to know or care that you are running Linux, and won't even know (unless you check) if the game you are playing was compiled for Windows or Linux because Proton is so good and seamless.

Since you initially indicated you preferred an off-the-shelf solution, and didn't want to overbuy hardware than you needed, it doesn't get easier than a Steam Deck. Everything you need comes ready out-of-the-box with the Steam Deck, and it has been fine-tuned to play most of the popular games well. And instead of paying $1500, it will be in the $300-$400 range.

A quick Google search of "steam deck overwatch", my first two hits show:
"I play it on Deck every night. 60 or 90fps depending on the model. PERFECT Deck game."
and
"Overwatch 2 on Steam runs like butter, unsurprisingly."


Good luck with whatever you decide.

One other requirement is for the machine to run Windows. Can the Steam Deck run Windows? Or are you proposing a more barebones Windows machine and a separate Steam Deck such that the total cost is <$1400?

[mhalley]

Additionally the next generation of gpus come out first quarter. This might bring about some deals on current Gen, or you can have the latest and greatest, but then again there might be tariffs. You pays your money and takes your choice.

[HooCares]

Pair a PS5 or PS5 Pro with a decent 120hz TV that supports VRR.

[chaser]

One other requirement is for the machine to run Windows. Can the Steam Deck run Windows? Or are you proposing a more barebones Windows machine and a separate Steam Deck such that the total cost is <$1400?

I have seen that people have installed Windows on their Steam Deck, but this is NOT something I would recommend. I was coming from the vantage point that you just wanted a game machine that could play games made for Windows. The old implication is you need Windows to play games made for Windows, but that is no longer true thanks to Proton. Steam Deck solves that problem elegantly (and also avoids needing to pay for a Windows license).

If you actually want/need Windows, then, yes. you should get a Windows machine. In theory, you could get a <$1400 Windows machine and a Steam Deck, although this is not what I was actually recommending. You didn't say what you need Windows for, and thus how much hardware you actually need. Typically the gaming stuff is the most intensive/expensive stuff, so usually you can go pretty cheap on a PC for everything else. But the price will always depend on your requirements (and how much hardware you actually buy).

However, it also wasn't clear to me you actually needed a Windows machine. You said you were a Mac user, so I presumed you already have a Mac. Since you didn't specify any specific Windows programs you need to run, today's modern non-game software usually falls into the following buckets:

- Programs now run completely in the web browser and are tied to some online service in the cloud. (So it doesn't matter what operating system you use.)

- There is a Mac version available. (And you said you are a Mac user, so you can just use your Mac.)

- Companies are abandoning desktop versions of their apps and pushing mobile (iOS & Android) versions because the mobile market is so much bigger and is still growing, whereas the PC market has started shrinking. So the question is about which phone to buy and iOS vs. Android, not any of this other stuff. The mobile market has also been easier for companies to monetize. For whatever reasons, the market has demonstrated people are more willing to buy apps through the iOS App Store & Google Play, than buy apps through whatever means for their desktops, and software companies have taken notice.

If the Windows apps you want to run do not fall into these buckets, then, yeah, you need a Windows machine. But they are becoming increasingly rare. More often, I see the opposite problem, where you have a legacy Windows app that has no acceptable modern alternative, and you need to keep running it, so you need Windows.

[fyre4ce]

One other requirement is for the machine to run Windows. Can the Steam Deck run Windows? Or are you proposing a more barebones Windows machine and a separate Steam Deck such that the total cost is <$1400?

I have seen that people have installed Windows on their Steam Deck, but this is NOT something I would recommend. I was coming from the vantage point that you just wanted a game machine that could play games made for Windows. The old implication is you need Windows to play games made for Windows, but that is no longer true thanks to Proton. Steam Deck solves that problem elegantly (and also avoids needing to pay for a Windows license).

If you actually want/need Windows, then, yes. you should get a Windows machine. In theory, you could get a <$1400 Windows machine and a Steam Deck, although this is not what I was actually recommending. You didn't say what you need Windows for, and thus how much hardware you actually need. Typically the gaming stuff is the most intensive/expensive stuff, so usually you can go pretty cheap on a PC for everything else. But the price will always depend on your requirements (and how much hardware you actually buy).

However, it also wasn't clear to me you actually needed a Windows machine. You said you were a Mac user, so I presumed you already have a Mac. Since you didn't specify any specific Windows programs you need to run, today's modern non-game software usually falls into the following buckets:

- Programs now run completely in the web browser and are tied to some online service in the cloud. (So it doesn't matter what operating system you use.)

- There is a Mac version available. (And you said you are a Mac user, so you can just use your Mac.)

- Companies are abandoning desktop versions of their apps and pushing mobile (iOS & Android) versions because the mobile market is so much bigger and is still growing, whereas the PC market has started shrinking. So the question is about which phone to buy and iOS vs. Android, not any of this other stuff. The mobile market has also been easier for companies to monetize. For whatever reasons, the market has demonstrated people are more willing to buy apps through the iOS App Store & Google Play, than buy apps through whatever means for their desktops, and software companies have taken notice.

If the Windows apps you want to run do not fall into these buckets, then, yeah, you need a Windows machine. But they are becoming increasingly rare. More often, I see the opposite problem, where you have a legacy Windows app that has no acceptable modern alternative, and you need to keep running it, so you need Windows.

There are currently three buckets of Windows programs I'd like to run: H&R Block (Windows-only) and possibly a couple other Windows-only productivity programs I might add, some classic games from GOG (eg. HoMM3), and some more modern games (eg. Overwatch). The 9-year-old 27" iMac does all three adequately, the third category being marginal (at least it was a couple year ago; never played Overwatch 2), but it takes up extra desk space because of the built-in display. My thought is to get a new Windows machine that will cover all these bases with ease, takes up no desk space (can be tied into my existing display with a KVM switch), and has the capability for future expansion into other modern games, maybe some kid games (I have a 5 year old). I have a 7 figure net worth, and while I don't want to throw money away, spending $1,400 on a mid-range gaming computer that rounds out my computer capabilities is easily affordable. That was my thinking anyway.

Edit: I can easily get $500 on Craigslist for the iMac, so my net cost should be $8-900.

[HomerJ]

"In general I am not fond of the recommendation to avoid buying new hardware because a new generation is about to come out."

In general, that is true. But, it should be obvious for any gaming PC to last a while, it should support AI processing adequately. This is a major paradigm shift for computing/gaming. How does it makes any sense for you to buy a gaming PC this year but not good enough to support the latest gaming feature next year? $1,500 PC is not a disposable PC.

KlangFool

I'm a pretty hardcore Windows Steam gamer, and I'm unsure of what you are talking about.

What AI processing gaming feature is coming out next year?

[HomerJ]

This is where I am settling:

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/desktop ... igurations

It's a little more than I wanted to spend but it has one level up from the components I started out looking for (4070 Ti SUPER vs. 4070 SUPER, i9 vs. i7) and 32 GB RAM. It will be driving a 5K monitor so my thinking is that the extra power could be beneficial. The extra few hundred dollars is not a significant cost as I expect to keep it a while. And it's from a name-brand manufacturer. I can get other brands on Newegg for a little bit less but I read some not so great reviews. Thoughts before I pull the trigger?

That's seems very solid to me. You'll be able to play every game on the market right now.

I usually go to tomshardware.com to compare video cards (GPUs) and CPUs.

A 4070 Ti Super is one of the best video cards out there.

I've had no problems with Alienware. I bought one a couple of years ago... I have a AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, which doesn't even show up on the list of good cards anymore, and I can play most everything at high graphics settings.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/be ... ,4380.html

[fyre4ce]

This is where I am settling:

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/desktop ... igurations

It's a little more than I wanted to spend but it has one level up from the components I started out looking for (4070 Ti SUPER vs. 4070 SUPER, i9 vs. i7) and 32 GB RAM. It will be driving a 5K monitor so my thinking is that the extra power could be beneficial. The extra few hundred dollars is not a significant cost as I expect to keep it a while. And it's from a name-brand manufacturer. I can get other brands on Newegg for a little bit less but I read some not so great reviews. Thoughts before I pull the trigger?

That's seems very solid to me. You'll be able to play every game on the market right now.

I usually go to tomshardware.com to compare video cards (GPUs) and CPUs.

A 4070 Ti Super is one of the best video cards out there.

I've had no problems with Alienware. I bought one a couple of years ago... I have a AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, which doesn't even show up on the list of good cards anymore, and I can play most everything at high graphics settings.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/be ... ,4380.html

In response to some feedback above (avoid Alienware and intel 13/14th gen i7/i9) I started my search over and found this one:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/cyberpower ... Id=6575113

The Ryzen 7 7800X3D scores great on Tom's Hardware, better than even the i9-14900 in gaming applications. 4070 SUPER is one step down from the 4070 Ti SUPER but the machine is almost $400 cheaper. Only downsides are it's not a name brand (though this could potentially be an upside if I'm getting the same components for cheaper as long as there are no cooling/reliability issues) and it's got a 2TB drive, so I am paying for space I will probably never use - but the price is good enough that it's not an issue.

If you thought the 4070 Ti SUPER would be a better choice for driving an Apple Studio Display I'd be willing to spend the extra money on it.

[chaser]

There are currently three buckets of Windows programs I'd like to run: H&R Block (Windows-only) and possibly a couple other Windows-only productivity programs I might add, some classic games from GOG (eg. HoMM3), and some more modern games (eg. Overwatch). The 9-year-old 27" iMac does all three adequately, the third category being marginal (at least it was a couple year ago; never played Overwatch 2), but it takes up extra desk space because of the built-in display. My thought is to get a new Windows machine that will cover all these bases with ease, takes up no desk space (can be tied into my existing display with a KVM switch), and has the capability for future expansion into other modern games, maybe some kid games (I have a 5 year old). I have a 7 figure net worth, and while I don't want to throw money away, spending $1,400 on a mid-range gaming computer that rounds out my computer capabilities is easily affordable. That was my thinking anyway.

Edit: I can easily get $500 on Craigslist for the iMac, so my net cost should be $8-900.

I thought H&R Block also offered both a Mac version, and an online (web) version. Also, I would expect the most bottom barrel computer should be able to handle that kind of software if you did need to buy a Windows computer for that. Also, if you are really in a pinch, if you know how to run Windows in a VM on your Mac, I would expect that to run fine since it shouldn't be demanding at all.

For GOG, there is an app for Linux called Heroic that is a front-end launcher which has integrated support for GOG and Epic games, which includes logging into your accounts. I have my own custom built mid-to-low-end "Steam Machine" and I use Heroic to play the free Epic games that Epic gives away every week, and the occasional GOG games I get from GOG's free giveaways. Heroic also integrates Proton nicely behind the scenes so everything generally just works. You will have to install Heroic on your Steam Deck which means needing to step outside the turn-key settings of your device. But a quick search seems to imply it is really easy. The third item in my search results says "It literally takes 3 clicks to install heroic launcher and you will get access to your epic games libary." (Instead of Heroic, I think you may also be able to just download the games directly from GOG and add them as 3rd party apps to your Steam Library. I know this works if you download a Linux version of the game, but I'm not sure if Steam is smart enough yet to auto-detect that your manually added game is a Windows version and automatically invoke Proton. When I first tried it a couple of years ago, it wasn't, but that could have changed. But I liked Heroic's native account integration with GOG and Epic so Heroic is much easier to use than manually adding to my Steam library.)

Circling back to my original post, I recommended a Steam Deck because it was turn-key, relatively inexpensive, and since you don't know how much hardware you actually need for your gaming needs, the Steam Deck won't cause you to drastically over-buy and will also give you real-world experience so you better know what you need for your next game system. It sounds like the Steam Deck will be able to play the games you want right now. But do some research to make sure the Steam Deck will play today's games that you want to play. Don't worry about future proofing because it is much like market timing the stock market...you never know what's really going to happen and the expense of trying may end up worse for you in the end. When the time comes where you need more power, you will have options (maybe there will even be a new Steam Deck) and you can use that money you saved.

[Nekrotok]

Another thread to consider: https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales/ ... m_6400mhz/

Regarding the downsides you mentioned, I wouldn't consider cyberpower to be a non-name brand. It's not one of the big volume brands, but you wouldn't want those for gaming anyways. It's a well known boutique brand for gaming PCs, more in line with what alienware used to be before selling out to Dell. Also regarding the 2TB drive, it only costs about $100 so it's not a big factor on the total price. This isn't like Apple charging $800 for a 2TB upgrade. Anyways, for expertise here I think you're better off searching other areas like reddit, as I don't think this is really in the wheelhouse of the bogleheads crowd here.

[Volando]

Would recommend avoiding Alienware personally as others have mentioned. Their build quality is poor, they cut corners on components, their customer service is poor, among other things. For a good idea of what I mean check out Gamers Nexus reviews of their PCs on YouTube. Also recommend going elsewhere for advice like Reddit. Based on the games you have in mind you probably don’t need to spend top dollar on a pc but folks over there can help you find something that fits your budget and needs. I’m a bit out of the loop myself but decent brands that come to mind for prebuilt pc are Corsair, star forge systems, and cyber power if you can find a good deal (but you have to be careful which cyber power you get since they also cheap out sometimes).

[chaser]

I agree that Gamers Nexus is one best resources out there. They are very meticulous and do among the deepest technical investigations into everything. And they take their role very seriously and even maintain an errata page and also have a published ethics policy. They are very conscious about correctness and avoiding conflicts of interest.

So they are very stringent about making recommendations because they have a high bar for things. They do some reviews of prebuilt gaming PCs, and their list of PCs they feel they can recommend is very short.

This is their review on a Maingear PC, which got an overall good review. Jump to the conclusions section to hear them rattle off their (short) list of the ones they can recommend.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VVC1NOgqeg

Also look up Linus Tech Tips's annual Secret Shopper series. While there was kind of a scandal about a year ago about LTT, which started with Gamers Nexus calling out LTT' making way too many errors and also having too many conflicts of interest, their Secret Shopper videos will still give you a good introduction to many of the boutique prebuilt gaming PC vendors. The series attempts to document the whole process of getting recommendations from each of the companies on which machine & components to buy, to shipping and assembly, to benchmarking, and creating a problem (e.g. dislodging the RAM module) to test the quality and policies of customer service.

For some reason, from watching all of these, I have a bad impression of the aforementioned Cyberpower. I think I recall Gamers Nexus calling them out for messing up the cooling which lead to the system usually throttling down and you not getting the full value of the power you paid for. And I have a recollection/sense that Cyberpower did not do so well in at least one year of the LTT Secret Shopper, although my memory is fuzzy. My other fuzzy memory is that Maingear was a good company worth considering. While I think they often picked a different PC as "the best", I think the Maingear PCs were always in the top tier for and had a decent price. And I recall some kind of service issue LTT raised where Maingear rose above and beyond all others which ended up really standing out and earning praise in social media after LTT published their videos.