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16 Best Prebuilt Gaming PCs under $3000: Reviews and Buying Guide

Paul Syverson
  Mar 28, 2024 9:01 PM

With a great budget, you can buy for yourself one of the Best Prebuilt Gaming PCs under $3000. They will properly support your gaming at much better performance.

Today, Homeer suggests you top 16 Best Prebuilt Gaming PCs under $3000 that are best sellers in 2024. These are top picks from popular brands and stores: omen, computer-upgrade-king, skytech-gaming, alienware, eluktronics, hp, jtd.


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TOP Choice
1
  • SCORE
    9.4
    H Score

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  • Brand
    OMEN
TOP Choice
2
  • SCORE
    9.4
    H Score

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  • Brand
    Computer Upgrade King
TOP Choice
3
  • SCORE
    9.4
    H Score

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  • Brand
    Computer Upgrade King
4
  • SCORE
    7.6
    H Score

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  • Brand
    Skytech Gaming
5
  • SCORE
    9.2
    H Score

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  • Brand
    Alienware
6
  • SCORE
    9.2
    H Score

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  • Brand
    Computer Upgrade King
7
  • SCORE
    8.6
    H Score

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  • Brand
    Eluktronics
8
  • SCORE
    8.4
    H Score

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  • Brand
    Computer Upgrade King
9
  • SCORE
    8.0
    H Score

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  • Brand
    HP
10
  • SCORE
    8.6
    H Score

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  • Brand
    Computer Upgrade King
11
  • SCORE
    8.4
    H Score

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  • Brand
    Skytech Gaming
12
  • SCORE
    8.4
    H Score

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  • Brand
    Skytech Gaming
13
  • SCORE
    8.6
    H Score

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  • Brand
    Eluktronics
14
  • SCORE
    8.8
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  • Brand
    Skytech Gaming
15
  • SCORE
    8.0
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  • Brand
    JTD
16
  • SCORE
    8.8
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  • Brand
    Computer Upgrade King

Last update on 2024-03-28 / Affiliate links / Images, Product Titles, and Product Highlights from Amazon Product Advertising API


Types

How can we categorize gaming PCs? Well, in this article, we’re going to categorize the PCs we found on Amazon by different factors. That is true, because a PC consists of many complicated components, so it’s the best to break them down and talk about each of them individually.

1. The CPU - Intel or AMD

This category is like Apple and Samsung, as we compare Intel to AMD. What I meant by was that we can’t prize a real winner in this situation. Intel, in recent years, has introduced its latest lineups with Intel Core-i9, said to be more advanced than Core-i7, along with the newest 11th generation, surprisingly, still 14nm. AMD, on the other hand, used to be beaten down by Intel for a long time, has just prevailed to their Ryzen lineup, which has been complimented by gamers all around the world. This is some CPUs for gaming from both brands:

  • Intel Comet Lake (10th) Core i9

  • Intel Rocket Lake (11th) upcoming

  • Intel Xeon

  • AMD Ryzen 5000 series

Typically, an AMD CPU is cheaper than an Intel CPU relatively. You might somehow see that the AMDs are priced more than the Intels, but if you put in the performance perspective, the AMD chips are slightly cheaper than the Intel ones with the same performance. In exchange for that, we get better compatibility and other exclusive features on the Intel name as Intel has been around for more than anyone in the field, and it’s been collaborating with a lot of companions. 

2. Storage

There are many levels of storage, which we use to store data. 

  • The L1, L2, L3 cache: the first 3 levels of cache are the fastest memory spaces that can be accessed from the CPU - the former is faster than the latter - meaning if the CPU reads or writes a value into those spaces, it would be even faster than writing or reading on RAM.

  • The Random Access Memory (RAM): the term “Random Access” has meanings hidden. Unlike rotating devices, the traditional HDD for instance, the Random Access Memory can read and write a value to anywhere on its storage instantly. It’s different from the rotating devices, when you have to wait for the disk to rotate to the position you need then you’ll be able to read or write, which reduces dramatically the speed and most importantly the price of the storage. Therefore, RAM is expensive, so people don’t make these 512 GB RAMs to store your games, photos, but only 8GB or 16GB RAMs to store things temporarily to assist the CPU. A RAM has a bus speed, at which it communicates with the CPU, and the capacity such as 4GB, 8GB, 16GB or 32GB.

  • Attached storage: traditionally, an HDD was used in this situation. Now that SSDs are becoming more popular, SSD is used for gaming. SSDs work just like RAM, for the Random Access thing, but at a slower speed. SSDs are connected to the computer by the PCIe interface, which is a similar interface used to RAM and ridiculously fast, or the SATA, which is the interface used to be used for HDD, for a lower speed. 

3. Cooling system

Editing videos or playing games are among others the most extreme tasks pressuring the computer. Consequently, the computer produces a lot of heat doing the tasks, and the need now is to distribute the tremendous amount of heat to cool the system down, helping prevent the system from exploding and performance dropping; these efforts are made to achieve one true goal, to keep the system performance stabilized. Two types of the cooling system are used, which are:

  • Air cooling system: the noise you often hear when turning on the computer is the noise of the fan or fans. The fans are designed to make airflow around the computer to distribute the heat and eventually for the heat to escape through the tiny holes on the mainframe. The aluminum case on some modern laptops also helps to do it because metals conduct heat better than plastic, and metals are thinner.

  • Water/Liquid cooling system: this type of cooling system has no disadvantage at all, provided that the price is excluded. Water cooling provides a silent solution to flow the heat out of the mainboard; it does that much more effectively than air cooling without making any sound at all. Heat is taken out of the CPU by a special type of liquid or on some cheaper version, water, that always flows around a closed set of tubes, carrying the heat outside. Again, this type of system has nothing to be criticized, but the drawback here is the price. It’s so expensive that it can’t be used in normal affordable computers.


Buying Guides

1. Determine the performance you need

Gaming PCs are made to be intense, and if you’re reading this right now, you’re probably a gamer looking for a good PC. Depending on the games you try to play and how much compromise you can make, there are options for you:

  • For low-end normal games: this type is for people who wish to play popular low system requirement games and can compromise much. Some games you can play at this level are the leagues of legends with the low graphics mode. This type of PCs is cheap, by the way.

  • For mid-range games: this type is slightly more expensive and PCs we categorize into this range are usually packed with water cooling systems.

  • For the highest performance required games: built to play intense FPS or complicated games on the highest configurations. It can play well games in 4K or even 8K with the frame rate of 60 frames per second or even 120 frames per second.

2. How much storage do you want

Depending on your needs as well, the capacity of the storage varies:

  • To play games and other stuff: games require a lot of space to store but not as much as video content, so 512GBs of SSD storage would be very enough for storing games

  • To edit videos and other intense computing stuff: videos, especially raw, take up terabytes and terabytes of space, so a 512GB SSd wouldn’t be enough. In fact, famous youtubers often use a 1TB or 2TB SSD as the main storage for their computers, and a set of multiple high-capacity HDDs as the archive storage for old video content. 

3. Special requirements

New computers come with support for news features. We list out some of them here:

  • HDR support: HDR (High Dynamic Range) produces colors that are much richer and brighter than normal color definition. It’s been adopted into phones for a long time and is now being used on many new monitors and supported by many high-end graphic cards.

  • Water cooling: As we stated before, water cooling improves the stability of the system when intense tasks must be done consistently.

  • Wi-Fi and Ethernet adapter: Networks are also important for gameplay as a low-latency connection is a must for battle real-time games. That’s why adapters for Wi-Fi and Ethernet must be considered before buying a PC.


Reviews

1. OMEN 30L gaming desktop PC

OMEN 30L Gaming Desktop PC comes from the respective brand Omen that everyone knows makes the best performance PCs. The OMEN 30L is packed with some variants of Intel chips, including the Intel Core i7-10700KF, Core i9-10850K, and the Core i9-10900K, for users to choose from. The default GPU for the PC is NVIDIA RTX 3080 for the most stunning graphics, but you can also choose the RTX 3090 for even more computing power. The PC was intended to play 4K games, backed by 10 GBs of GDDR6X dedicated graphics memory. The PC is cooled down by a water cooling system for a silent and powerful experience. There’s only one 32GB of RAM option branded Kingston HyperX DDR4 and finally, dual storage consisting of a 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD and a 2TB 7200 RPM SATA Hard drive benefits you from all the advances in two worlds - SSD for faster access and HDD for larger capacity. 

  • Best for: 4K gaming

  • CPU: Intel Core i7-10700KF, Core i9-10850K, or Core i9-10900K

  • GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3080 or 3090

  • 32 GBs of RAM

  • VR Ready out of the box

  • 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD + 2TB HDD

2. CUK Continuum Micro Gamer PC

CUK Continuum Micro Gamer PC is another alternative for the Omen we mentioned before. It also comes with all the most advanced features on a PC. There are five configuration options for users, ranging from the 32GBs of RAM with 512GB NVMe + 1TB HDD and RTX 3060 to the 64GBs of RAM with 512GB NVMe, 2TB HDD, and the RTX 3080 Ti priced nearly twice as the price of the minimum option.

We’re here talking about the version with 32GBs of RAM, Core i9-10900F, dual storage option which is the same as the Omen above, and RTX 3080. However, that option is sold at $400 less than the Omen and still features a double RAM capacity.

The PC is cooled by a water cooling system and pre-installed with Windows 10 Home 64-bit. A 3-year warranty policy is available, along with the bonus AC WiFI USB adapter and a set of wired LED Backlit Gaming Keyboard and Mouse in the box.

  • CPU: Intel Core i9-10900F

  • RAM: 32GBs

  • Dual Storage options

  • Lots of configurations to choose

  • RTX 3080

  • Bonus accessories

3. Empowered PC Grandia

Empowered PC Grandia is still keeping the affordable price. There are five options that are affordable for most people with the Intel 10900F and RTX GPUs. This is a high-end PC, 32GB of RAM is the minimum, there is a 128GB of RAM option if you need it. There’s an SSD built-in with a capacity of 1TB.

The most interesting feature of this product is that it comes with an internal Wi-Fi network card of the ac standard. Although Wi-Fi couldn’t get the best speed out of the network, it’s still great to know that it’s there. Under $3000, we are having an Intel 10900F, RTX 3080, 32GB of RAM, 1TB SSD, and 3TB HDD, buy now before they are out of stock.


FAQs

1. Can I upgrade my PC’ configurations?

Yes and Yes. Upgrading is the most important feature of a hand-built PC because the needs vary among people. All of the products we have recommended have support for upgrading with additional RAM slots, SATA ports and openable cases.

2. How do I set up the computer after I get it?

To use your PC, you’ll need a monitor. There’s some cool options for monitors for you to choose:

  • Refresh rate: 120Hz or 240 Hz

  • Resolution: 1080p, 4K or even 8K

  • HDR compatible or not

When you have your monitor, these are what you need:

  • Power cords for your PC and monitor, which usually come with the product

  • HDMI cable, also often comes with the product

  • Ethernet cable, which you can easily buy off any PC stores

Firstly, you plug everything in, including but not limited by the HDMI cable connecting the PC and the monitor, the Ethernet cable connecting the PC to the network router, the power cord for the monitor, and the power cord for the PC. Secondly, you need to press the button to power on the PC. Finally, you complete the setup by doing some software setup and tweaks for your best PC.

3. What about the warranty?

The PCs usually come with separate warranty policies for separate parts of the computer. Typically, all the parts are warranted for at least 1 year by the brand, and because it’s a built PC, those parts can be taken out of the computer and be repaired separately.

4. How much power do I need?

Gaming takes up a lot of power, so you can’t be expecting that it would be an energy-saving option for you to own a cool gaming set. The CPUs and GPUs nowadays are programmed to cut down a hefty percentage of their power usage when they’re in idle states. The power consumption, on average, should be expected to be around 500W to 750W.

5. What operating system comes with the PCs?

Some gaming PC brands include the Windows operating system in their PCs out of the box. Meanwhile, some others cut the cost of the PCs by installing freeware operating systems, Ubuntu for instance. If you have bought a Linux pre-installed PC, you'll probably end up with buying a genuine version of Windows because games built to run on Linux operating systems are not many. Fortunately, Steam has been available to Linux users for a while, despite the fact that many games on the platform are only available to Windows users.


Final Thoughts

Gaming PCs are powerful and designed to be customizable; personally, getting my hands on PC is a cool hobby. The guide above has listed out the categories, the advantages, the disadvantages, and the comparison of the computer components and the brands that are making them. These are our final picks for the best gaming PCs under $3000:

Thank you for reading our recommendations. We hope with the guide above, and with your own personal passions, you'll be able to buy yourself the best gaming PC that you can afford and fits your needs.


4.4
21 ratings