Gaming Laptops can be at much times not the all time best to play many games online and optimized to keep up with in the latest graphic developments of PC Games like Rainbow Six: Siege or The Division that were recently released this year and more coming out at this time in 2016 with the demand of reaching higher quality up to 4k resolution which calls for high performance processors. So, in this countdown listing I’m going to list the Best Gaming Desktop Computers of 2016 most recommended that will meet every gamer’s goals of achieving high quality and high performance for crisp, clear game play and live streaming as well as solve instant problems of in game stuttering, lagging, and hardware related issues.
Best Gaming Desktop Computers of 2016 Overview
In addition, high performance gaming laptops are extremely limited as far as upgrading where most have quad-core processors with integrated graphics cards which are not interchangeable along with not providing enough memory with a 1TB Solid State Drive which is very rarely seen compatible with a gaming laptop. An average processing speed of a typical gaming laptop is anywhere between 2.0 to 2.6 Ghz without turbo boosting which is to say is borderline of not working with most games being released today.
For more customization options, a Gaming Desktop would be highly recommended to providing a sufficient high performance gaming environment with a high end HD & UHD graphics card, and have enough memory with say a 500GB-2TB SSD in place to play online lag-free to last for years as well as play in 2k or 4k resolution.
These will be computers that you don’t have to build, they are ready to go out of the box with only initial OS, anti-virus, and any other app that you may want to upload on your gaming pc. If you are looking to build a gaming pc, I’ll do another post in the future that will give instructions and equipment needed to building a custom gaming pc.
1. Acer Predator G6
Starting off in this top 5 list of best gaming desktop computers, the Acer Predator G6 is one of the best well-built gaming desktops to provide at least a 2k gaming experience. On board this gaming desktop features a quad-core i7-6700K Skylake processor which can reach up to 4.2Ghz with overclocking capability.
The Acer Predator G6 gaming desktop can come with a Nvidia GeForce 950, 970, or 980GTX Graphics card. If you wanted to try to run at 2k, the 980GTX would be the most recommended option to use on board the Acer Predator G6 to meet this resolution quality.
As far as memory goes, the Acer Predator G6 gaming desktop comes with 16GB of RAM (1x 16GB 2133Mhz DDR4 Memory) to start out with; but, can be upgraded to the maximum which is 64GB. On top of the RAM itself, there is a 1TB SATA III Hard Drive and 128GB Samsung Solid State Drive on board this computer…plenty of space to fill up both memory drives with installed games and saved game sessions. However, it would be recommended to upgrade the SSD to a 256GB or 512GB and to a 2TB SATA III HD for extra insurance and more space if needed.
In terms of heat distribution, there is really none as it can play for hours without overheating the processor and board. The IceTunnel Thermal Fan System works really well to keep the whole computer cool for long hours. The temperature of the CPU never reaches above 60 degrees Celsius (140 Degrees Fahrenheit) with overclocking turned on. It isn’t the best cooling system around; but, is sufficient to keep the inside cool.
The Acer Predator G6 desktop provides one of the best custom surround sound quality interface cards in the Creative Sound X-FI MB5 SoundBlaster system to enhance in-game audio, background noise & pitch, and fine tune to surround sound encoding. Great sound quality to reach up to 100 to 110dB at the right optimized setting
Also, this gaming desktop comes Wireless ready with a 802.11ac Wi-Fi card, and 64-bit Windows 10 Home edition operating system installed.
2. Microtel AM8011 (MT8011)
Number 2 on our top 5 list comes to a very popular gaming desktop and brand with decent support that has proven to provide a great pc gaming experience for many and to us as well. It is also mentioned this brand makes and develops computers right here in the U.S. rather than overseas in Japan or China.
The Microtel AM8011 gaming PC provides a NVIDIA GeForce 970GTX Ti graphics card with the i7-4790k LGA 1150 Haskell edition quad-core processor that can reach up to 4.2Ghz with turbo boosting.
The biggest benefit for us with the Microtel AM8011 gaming pc is that this computer is a liquid cooling includes the Antec Kuhler H2O 650 liquid cooling unit to provide active cooling of the CPU instead of the standard and typical fan/heat sink combination . The Antec 650 LQ unit on board the AM8011 computer features a single 120mm fan on board the radiator component with enough coolant to provide a lifetime of cooling performance to last without any priming or maintenance.
MSI Z97 ATX Motherboard
As for the motherboard on board the Microtel AM8011, the MSI Z97 PC Mate ATX Motherboard is the choice being used on board this computer with the Z97 express chipset to provide a custom playing ground for only the Intel platform on this computer. So, this motherboard will not only work with the i7-4790k LGA 1150 processor…it will also work with any of the LGA 1150 processors such as the i7-6700k LGA 1150 processor and it provides two PCI Express 3.0 slots to promote SLI/Crossfire especially with two Nvidia GeForce 970GTX ti cards.
In terms of memory management and performance, the Microtel AM8011 pc comes pre-installed with 16GB of RAM (2x Kingston HyperX 8GB 1600Mhz DDR3). The maximum allowed RAM on board the computer is 32GB. Also, there is a 2TB 7200RPM Hard Drive and 120GB SanDisk SATA III SSD for extra storage. In total, there is 2200GB (around 2.2TB) of possible memory on board this powerful computer, sufficient for a gaming pc.
As far as other accessories, this computer does not have a Wi-Fi card on the computer; but, it features an external Wi-Fi USB Adaptor if you want to connect to a wireless router…the Hiro 300N which is 802.11 b/g/n compatible and can see speeds up to 480mbps from an excellent wireless signal. Also, it can reach up to 330 feet indoors to connect other wireless devices. Something extra if you want to get off the wired connection setting for sometime, it’s not recommend to depend on this device for gaming connections as it is not powerful and reliable enough (too much lag under wireless connectivity).
Last but not least, the Microtel AM8011 Gaming PC comes with the Windows 8.1 64-bit Operating System which can be freely upgraded to Windows 10 if you choose to do so.
This computer can easily achieve 4k resolution and promotes plenty of high performance and power at the same time on the ultra graphics setting end. It is probably my most favorite of all the other computers that will be listed in our top 5 countdown of best gaming desktops in 2016.
3. CyberPower GLC3400Q (Gamer Xtreme Edition)
Another gaming pc that meets our top 5 list of best pre-built gaming desktop computers in 2016, the CyberPowerPC GLC3400Q gaming PC is another custom gaming pc much like the Microtel AM8011 that promotes a 4k gaming platform and plenty of options for customizing your pc gaming experience as far as hardware goes.
The CyberPowerPC GLC3400Q Gaming PC provides the same quad-core processor as the Asus Predator G6 PC mentioned earlier in this article…the i7-6700k Skylake quad-core processor which provides overclocking capabilities to get processing speeds up to 4.2 Ghz
The Intel Z170 ATX LGA 1151 Motherboard featured on this computer itself provides 4x DDR4 DIMM RAM
Intel Z170 LGA 1151 ATX Motherboard
Dual Channel Slots to give a potential to add up to the maximum memory which is 32GB (16GB 2400Mhz DDR4 RAM per slot). There are a total of 3x USB 3.0 slots, 5x USB 2.0 slots as well as a high definition audio system with the Realtek ALC1150 7-Channel CODEC system to make up for open customization for high performance hardware to use on the CyberPower GLC3400Q PC. It is DVI ready where it can be outputted via HDMI to that so called 42″ flatscreen TV you may have.
As for storage on board this computer, it comes with a 1TB Hard Drive and 128GB Solid State Drive to provide a reasonable response time as far as enhancing boot and loading speeds from most pc games.
The CyberPower GLC3400Q Gaming PC is equipped with the Asetek 550LC Liquid Cooling Unit that is efficient and compatible to work with the LGA 1151 Motherboard and i7 Processor equipped. It keeps operating temperatures well below 40 degrees Celsius on this computer and last a very long time without ever the need to refill the system of any coolant solution.
This computer comes ready with Microsoft 10 Home Edition (64-bit OS) and great support from one of the best computer manufacturers on the planet today.
4. CyberTron Flux X5 Series
Our #4 pick in the top 5 list of best gaming pc’s to have in 2016, comes to the Cybertron Flux X5 Gaming PC and its ultra features to provide that 4k resolution experience.
MSI X99A Raider ATX Motherboard
The motherboard on this bad boy is the MSI X99A Raider LGA 2011 ATX Motherboard which provides both CrossfireX/SLI compatibility and plenty of RAM slots. There are 8 quad-channel RAM Slots on this board to fit enough 2400Mhz DDR4 RAM (64GB of Maximum Memory) and any i7 LGA 2011 Compatible processor including the i7-5820k LGA 2011 Processor (6-core processor) which comes on the computer. There are also 3-PCI 3.0 Express slots, 2-PCI 2.0 Express Slots, and L218 LAN Ethernet Controller on board this motherboard.
The processing power of the i7-5820k LGA 2011 Processor is not as powerful as the 6700k Skylake processor mentioned in the past 3 gaming desktop computers; but, is still sufficient enough for some heavy PC gaming. It can get up to 3.6Ghz with boost from overclocking. This processor can be overclocked up to around 1300Mhz if carefully set up right.
A major benefit to the Flux X5 Gaming PC is that it provides G-Sync graphics configuration settings where it prevents any tearing, stuttering, and internal lag with the SLI supported GeForce 980Ti graphics cards. A simple feature in the NVIDIA graphics control panel where it provides less tweaking and internal graphics maintenance. Also, DirectX 12 is supported on this computer to help with rendering techniques and visual effects to maintain ultra HD.
5. Asus G11 Series
To top off our best gaming desktop computers of 2016 list, we are making #5 on our list a gaming PC and manufacturer that is very recognized to many in the world of PC gaming as one of the best makers who make one of the most durable and longest lasting computers on the market today. This manufacturer has also been awarded with the PC Mags Readers Choice Award in previous years in fact the past 4 years…we are talking about ASUS and their popular G11 Series Gaming PC.
The ASUS G11 Series Gaming PC out of the box provides a decent setup for PC gamers starting with the processing power and graphics card. The processor being used on this computer is the i7-6700 LGA 1151 quad-core processor (not the 6700k used for overclocking).
There is a total of 4GB of VRAM that can reach up over 1800+Mhz clocking speeds and 16GB of RAM installed (maximum of 32GB 2133Mhz DDR4 RAM). Also, there is a 256GB Solid State Drive (can be upgraded to 1TB) and 2TB Hard Drive on board this computer.
ASUS Intel H110M ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
As for the motherboard itself, it is only an ASUS Intel H110M LGA 1151 ATX Motherboard that supports both USB 3.0 and 3.1 as well as provides only one PCI 3.0 Express slot. The downside to this motherboard is that it does not support overclock much like the Z170-type motherboards Intel also has; but, it will work to provide a decent high performance punch to support 3.5Ghz of processing power.
The other downside to this computer is the power supply, the ASUS G11CD computer only comes with the Delta 500 watt box that is pretty low and borderline for a gaming pc; but, it can be upgraded to a 700 or 800 watt power supply like an EVGA or Corsair power supply to better manage the high performance settings and usage. 500 for us is too low on a computer
Conclusion
There you have it…Our top 5 countdown of the best gaming desktop PC’s are now complete. As I believe we look into the future of gaming especially new technology and virtual reality evolving for newer gaming PC’s, these computers would have no problem supporting the new 1000 edition GTX Graphics cards already out on the marketing as well as the higher clocking speeds and DirectX 12 as many of the new PC game releases are slowly going into this year.
My opinion as to other hardware that wouldn’t be a bad idea to upgrade all 5 of these computers, would be to use either the new MSI or ASUS LGA2011 motherboards with the new top of the line i7-6950k processor to support the new 1070 and 1080 graphics cards. However, I still believe that the graphics cards and processors currently on board these computers will still be sufficient to handle the new virtual graphics (maybe the next 5-10 years) until more virtual reality platforms come into play (other than GearVR and Oculus Rift).
