Dell has a sizable lineup of gaming desktops, and each of them has a range of different pros and cons. With gaming desktops, power, price, and style are what matter the most. For that reason, the Alienware Aurora R10 Ryzen Edition is the overall best Dell gaming desktop that you can get your hands on because of its outstanding balance of power and price and also its incredibly unique-looking aesthetic.
Best overall: Alienware Aurora R10 Ryzen Edition
The Alienware Aurora R10 Ryzen Edition takes our top spot thanks to its wide selection of AMD's Ryzen 5000 Series processors, which currently outperform Intel's top options. Everything from the mainstream Ryzen 5 5600X to the beastly Ryzen 9 5950X is available to choose from. It also offers incredible graphics hardware, with up to an RTX 3090 available. Additionally, up to 128GB of RAM and up to 4TB of SSD and HDD storage can be added to the mix, making this PC an absolute beast at its highest specs. There are tons of less expensive specifications that you can create as well, making the Alienware Aurora R10 an amazing choice whether you want a mainstream machine or a cutting-edge one.
It's also worth pointing out that the PC case is incredibly unique and otherworldly looking with its rounded shape and snazzy RGB lighting, which is very fitting for the Alienware brand. If you want a PC that will catch eyes, you won't find anything more striking than this.
Pros:
- Immense power
- Striking, bold aesthetic
- Tons of RAM and storage space
- Very configurable
- Best for top-end range
Cons:
- Can get expensive fast
Best overall
New Alienware Aurora R10 Gaming Desktop
Team Red fans, rejoice!
The Alienware Aurora R10 Ryzen Edition is at the top of our list due to its immense power, configuration options, and bold look.
Intel alternative: Alienware Aurora R12
If you like the sound of the Alienware Aurora R10, but you're not a fan of AMD Ryzen hardware, then the Alienware Aurora R12 is for you. Whereas the Aurora R10 comes with Ryzen CPUs, the Aurora R12 features a wide selection of Intel 11th Gen chips. These processors aren't as capable as Ryzen 5000 Series ones, but they come close. You get the same GPU, RAM, and storage options that come with the Aurora R10, so you don't have to make sacrifices in other areas to go Team Blue. Lastly, the Aurora R12 comes with the same case design as its AMD-powered cousin, albeit with a white color scheme.
Pros:
- Immense power
- Striking, bold aesthetic
- Tons of RAM and storage space
- Very configurable
Cons:
- Can get expensive fast
- Slightly less capable at the top-end
Intel alternative
New Alienware Aurora R12 Gaming Desktop
Team Blue fans, rejoice!
The Alienware Aurora R12 is the Intel variant of the Alienware Aurora R10 Ryzen Edition.
Best mid-range: Dell G5 Gaming Desktop (RTX 30 Series)
The Dell G5 Gaming Desktop is ideal for folks who want something on the more affordable side but still want to enjoy great performance in-game. This is currently Dell's budget gaming PC. Still, they make a special version of it that comes with RTX 30 Series GPUs like the RTX 3060 Ti or RTX 3070. You can pair these with a selection of strong 10th Gen Intel CPUs, up to 32GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of SSD space (plus additional non-SSD storage) for an overall great price.
In terms of aesthetics, Dell went with a less aggressive and more traditional PC tower design with the G5 desktop. However, there are still RGB accents and decorate angular design elements, meaning that your rig will come off as a gaming system to friends and family who take a peek.
Pros:
- Great power
- Traditional design with "gamer" accents
- Plenty of RAM and storage
- Best for mid-range
Cons:
- Not as powerful as Alienware options
- Not as configurable
Best mid-range
Dell G5 Gaming Desktop (RTX 30 Series)
Balanced offering
Dell's G5 Gaming Desktop with an RTX 30 Series GPU is an excellent option for mid-range buyers.
Best budget: Dell G5 Gaming Desktop
If you're looking for something that can perform well for a more affordable cost, the Dell G5 Gaming Desktop's standard variant will be right up your alley. There's a strong variety of NVIDIA's budget-friendly graphics cards that you can choose for it, ranging from the humble GTX 1650 Super to the capable and reliable RTX 2060 Super. Additionally, i3, i5, i7, and i9 10th Gen Intel CPUs are all available to pick from, and you can get up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage for the PC as well. It's not as powerful as other options, but it's also more affordable, making it our favorite budget option.
Pros:
- Solid power
- Traditional design with "gamer" accents
- Good RAM and storage
- Best for people on budgets
Cons:
- Least powerful option on this list
- Not as configurable
Best budget
Dell G5 Gaming Desktop (Intel Core i3 to i9)
Go low, ride high
The standard Dell G5 Gaming Desktop is a superb option for budget buyers, offering good performance at a fair price.
Bottom line
When it comes to the top gaming desktops, a good balance between power, price, and style is essential. When picking a gaming rig to purchase, you need to make sure that your system has a strong GPU. You'll also need a reliable processor, 8GB of RAM minimum (16GB is recommended, 32GB is good for prosumer systems, and 64GB is overkill), and enough storage to support your game library. Using an SSD for storage is preferred since their faster speeds will allow you to get through loading screens quicker.
Dell's gaming desktops are among some of the absolute best on the market. Among them, our favorite is the Alienware Aurora R10 Ryzen Edition. It offers a phenomenal amount of power, storage, RAM, and style. Additionally, the many different configurations available mean that you can get the exact specs that you want with it.
Credits — The team that worked on this guide
Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer with a burning passion for video games, of which he's been an avid fan since childhood. He's relatively new to the writing scene, but he counters that lack of experience with a rock-solid work ethic and a desire to improve at every opportunity. You'll find him doing reviews, editorials, and general coverage on everything Xbox and PC. Follow him on Twitter.
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