

If you’re not out to build your own PC (or you’ve had no luck with the current GPU lottery) but still want a powerhouse desktop for some next-gen gaming, check out HP’s Omen 30L line. This means that you can be sure that your gaming PC is ready for the latest games as there's nothing to bottleneck your system, especially if you're gaming in 1080p and 1440p. Perhaps the greatest strength of these machines is the increased bandwidth afforded by PCIe 5.0 architecture, as even the cheapest Lenovo Legion Tower 5i models are running 16GB DDR5 clocked at 4800MHz. However, for the money, you're getting a very powerful machine that's native video output should be more than sharp enough for anything you throw at it even in QHD. You're keeping the price competitive here by running a modest Ampere video card instead of the likes of RTX 3070 and RTX 3080, meaning that 4K isn't really on the cards. It's rare to find competitively priced machines utilizing the latest in PCIe 5.0 technology, and yet such Lenovo Legion Tower 5i configurations are starting from just £1,049.99. Firstly, the latest line of machines are running not only RTX 30-series GPUs, but also 12th gen Intel Core CPUs, and DDR5 RAM. The Lenovo Legion Tower 5i is our top pick for the best gaming PC that you can get your hands on for under £1,100, and this is because of a few key factors. While there are definitely benefits to doing this for enthusiasts, we'd say there are a lot of benefits to our fuss-free prebuilt recommendations, particularly if you're looking to get your first gaming PC.

Of course, there is the option to assemble the components and build your own gaming PC. However, the silver lining is that PCs containing the previously elusive 30 series are now a lot more affordable. Be warned, though, even if they offer a lot more value over last gen cards, they're definitely not the cheapest option.

With 40-series graphics cards releasing, we're already starting to see retailers offer up the first pre-builds that house these next-gen GPUs.

For example, try to make sure the gaming PC you go for has one of the best CPUs, and something resembling the best RAM for gaming inside it. We'd just recommend that you think about futureproofing if you're about to invest a large sum. Whether you're looking for the latest and greatest Alienware gaming PC, or you're a seasoned pro looking for a something you can modify as you go, one of our picks below will definitely set you on the right track. PC gaming presents a lot of learning when you first get into it - more than is needed for console gaming, we'd say.
