A Guide To Building A Power-Efficient Gaming PC For Under $1500

Performance is one of the most important considerations for many people buying or building a desktop PC. Faster CPUs and GPUs can hit higher framerates with better image quality settings, a speedy SSD can launch apps quicker, and more memory can keep a system humming along while multi-tasking with nary a hiccup. But high performance PC hardware often generates a significant amount of heat and requires more power than a mainstream build. From Intel 13th and 14th Gen chips, to the Radeon RX 7900 XTX, to PCIe 5.0 SSDs, you're probably going to see lots of heat and power use in a system designed...

Alienware Aurora R16 Gaming Desktop Review: A Civil Redesign

by Ben Funk - Wed, Oct 04, 2023

Alienware Aurora R16 Gaming Desktop PC (Starts at $1,299, as tested $1,949) Alienware's latest Aurora R16 desktop has a new look, the latest PC gaming technology, and cooling that's both quiet and efficient.  Good performance for the price Very quiet under load Plenty of external connectivity High-performance liquid cooling  Legend 3 design language is more subdued Proprietary motherboard and power supply design Limited configurability for high-end systems  Modest internal expansion Building a desktop PC can be a lot of fun, but for the uninitiated it can also be a headache. There's...

Kamrui AM08 Pro Mini PC Review: Pint-Sized Ryzen Gaming

by Ben Funk - Thu, Sep 14, 2023

Kamrui AM08 Pro - Starting at $699 (Use Coupon Code 2C729Y55 For $100 Off) A pint-sized Ryzen-Powered mini-PC with solid performance, the Kamrui AM08 Pro is held back somewhat by a middling price-to-performance ratio. Compact micro tower form factor User configurable TDP with a twist Easy access to RAM and storage upgrades 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet and fast WiFi Good CPU performance Zen 4-based CPUs and RDNA3 iGPUs are faster Performance mode frame rate drop-off  Priced like higher-performance options (discounts often available) Not suitable for the most demanding games For years,...

Behind The Scenes Building An All-AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D MG-1 Gaming PC At Maingear

by Dave Altavilla, Paul Lilly - Thu, Apr 13, 2023

We had another chance to visit our friends at Maingear and build a custom gaming PC decked out with high-end hardware, including AMD's top-of-the-line Ryzen 9 7950X3D CPU. This is the first time we've done so since the boutique builder partnered with Michael "shroud" Grzesiek, a top streamer who joined the fray last November as a co-owner. If you're wondering if anything has changed in terms of build quality and the overall Maingear experience, we can happily confirm that Maingear's roots as an enthusiast-oriented PC builder are firmly intact. What has changed is the logo, inspired by Space Invaders...

Alienware Aurora R15 Gaming PC Review: Re-Designed For Peak Performance

by Dave Altavilla - Thu, Mar 16, 2023

Alienware Aurora R15 Gaming Desktop: Starting At $1399, $4588 As Tested The Alienware Aurora R15 is the culmination of both a thermal redesign and a silicon platform refresh, which results in excellent gaming performance. Slick, Spacey Design And Aesthetics Powerful PC Gaming Performance Cool And Quiet Even Under Gaming Load Intel 13th Gen Core Series Desktop Performance NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Is A PC Gaming Beast Competitively Priced For A Prebuilt Easily Serviceable, Mostly Tool-Less Design Proprietary PSU And Motherboard Limited DDR5-5200 Memory Speed No Thunderbolt 4 Legacy Z690 Chipset...

Alienware's Revamped Aurora R15 Gaming Desktop Could Take On Boutique Builds

by Mark Tyson - Fri, Mar 10, 2023

We have been enjoying some hands-on time with Alienware’s new Aurora R15 gaming desktop PC. The sleek exterior may be familiar, as Alienware has continued to iterate the Legend 2.0 design language for several generations now. Nevertheless, gamers should be satisfied to hear this machine has the latest gen processors – and some cooling system refinements – in this latest iteration. As you might expect, the Aurora R15 features the latest and greatest from Intel and NVIDIA to speed your gaming and content creation. From Intel, buyers can configure a 13th gen Core Raptor Lake processor....

Maingear MG-1 Review: A Mighty, Beautiful Boutique Gaming PC

by Zak Killian - Thu, Jan 26, 2023

MAINGEAR MG-1 Gaming Desktop: Starting At $1499 The Maingear MG-1 is the fastest pre-built gaming PC we've ever tested. It also makes for a solid workstation, and it's not hard to look at, either. Excellent Performance Massive Room For Expansion Attractive And Customizable Impressive Build Quality High-Quality Components Excellent Warranty Support CPU Runs Hot In Threaded Workloads 1TB Storage Option Is A Little Tight Windows 11 Home Isn't Optimal The latest round of gaming PC hardware is a big step up from the previous generation, both in terms of CPUs and GPUs. AMD and Intel are both clocking...

Maingear Vybe Gaming PC Review: A Ryzen And Radeon Hot Rod

by Dave Altavilla - Thu, Jul 07, 2022

Pre-built gaming PCs have gained in popularity dramatically, as crypto demand and chip shortages drove graphics cards and other component prices through the roof. That said, regardless of current PC components price points (which are now drifting back to MSRP thank goodness), we've always seen the value in a quality pre-built for a myriad of reasons, especially when it comes to some of the best names in the business, like Falcon Northwest, Origin-Corsair and the Northeast local crew at Maingear Computers. You'll know Maingear, even if you read our pages here only occasionally. The company is a...

Falcon Northwest Tiki 2022 Review: Tiny Gaming PC That Slays

by Zak Killian - Wed, Jun 08, 2022

Back in the mid-90s, I recall sitting around with friends at the school lunch table poring over glossy magazines like PC Gamer and the long-defunct PC Accelerator, as well as the immense, phone-book-like Computer Shopper. Sure, you had your Dells, and your Compaqs, and your smaller vendors too, like ZEOS, Quantex, ALR, and the fledgling Alienware. Yet among PC gamers in the 1990s, none of those names held quite the same prestige as Falcon Northwest. Whether it was the high specs of the machines, sleek designs, or their unique, classy advertising, Falcon Northwest established itself as the Bugatti...

Dell XPS Desktop 8950 Review: Intel 12th Gen Tower Of Power

by Zak Killian - Tue, Apr 26, 2022

Dell recently reached out and offered a review unit of their newest XPS 8950 desktop. We initially said, "but we've already reviewed that one," to which Dell replied "no, that was the 8940 Special Edition. We've since dropped the 'Special Edition', and updated the hardware. It's got a 12th-gen CPU now, and we made its chassis larger to accommodate more powerful graphics cards, better air flow and ease of access." Fair enough, Dell, send it. So, here it is, the freshly updated Dell XPS 8950 mainstream gaming desktop. Don't be fooled by its understated looks, though. Despite its rather clinical exterior,...

Origin PC Neuron 4000X Review: A Powerful, Clean 12th Gen Gaming PC

by Keith May - Wed, Apr 20, 2022

Origin PC has been building top-flight gaming rigs for over a decade now, and the attention to detail that the company demonstrates in its builds is right up there with the best of them. There was a time when Origin PC featured custom chassis designs, like the Genesis series of years past, which only Origin had in its line-up. Since being acquired by Corsair, however, there has been a shift in design philosophy that has played out well and has been beneficial to both Origin PC and its customers. This integration with Corsair has enabled Origin to create a tight-knit ecosystem within its gaming...

Maingear CEO Patents Gaming PC Innovation That Dramatically Simplifies Cable Management

by Marco Chiappetta - Thu, Dec 16, 2021

We recently became aware of Gigabyte's beautiful Aorus Project Stealth PC concept, with connectors and cable routing moved behind the motherboard deck, in what seemed to be a truly innovative gaming desktop design with better air flow and an easier build process. It appears, however, that Maingear patented the design 10 years ago and pitched a number of partner on it at the time. So, what gives? Was Maingear ripped off? And is this the new efficient and ultra-clean PC build of the future? Show Notes: 06:43 - Meeting Maingear's CEO, Wallace Santos 14:01 - Touring The Maingear Facility BITD (Link...

Falcon Northwest Talon (2021) Review: Alder Lake Takes Flight

by Keith May - Fri, Nov 05, 2021

It hasn't been long since we last took a look at the 2021 version of the Falcon Northwest Talon, and found it to be impressive. However, it’s finally time for Intel’s Alder Lake 12th Gen Core processor launch and we all know what that means -- a deluge of reviews with tons of charts and opinions for you to digest. Of course, we've got you covered, too, with our in-depth review of the Intel Core i9-12900K and the Core i5-12600K, for everyone wanting to sink their teeth into the finer points of Intel's new platform. However, this launch also marks a chance for OEM system builder...

Alienware Aurora R13 Review: Alder Lake Invades Dell's Gorgeous Revamped Gaming PC

by Ben Funk - Thu, Nov 04, 2021

If there's been one drawback to Alienware's previous gen Aurora desktop series, it's that the systems we've gotten in for review have made a bit of a racket at times. These systems have always been well-equipped with the latest hardware and turn in some great performance, but their noise floor has sometimes been a drawback compared to some competitive offerings. It doesn't matter if we're looking at an Intel-powered version or its AMD-equipped counterpart, previous Aurora systems have tended to be louder than their 40-liter volumes suggested they should be. Regardless, It should come as no...

Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R10 Review: All-AMD Gaming Value

by Chris Goetting - Thu, Apr 29, 2021

We are no strangers to Alienware’s Aurora line of gaming PCs here at HotHardware. In fact, we have reviewed many Aurora systems over the years, and for good reason. Aurora desktops embody the essence of a powerful, mainstream prebuilt rig, with semi-custom, almost boutique styling, in a manner that makes them more attainable for the masses. Yet, every time we receive an Aurora in for review, it has something added we have not seen in the family before and this Aurora R10 Ryzen Edition is no exception. Strictly speaking, this is also not the first time we have had an Aurora R10 Ryzen Edition...

Falcon Northwest Talon Review: Killer Bird Of Prey Gaming PC

by Paul Lilly - Fri, Apr 23, 2021

Even if you have never owned one, because of the long-standing boutique quality of their systems, there is a good chance you have heard of Falcon Northwest. Falcon Northwest is one of the earliest and now most well-known boutique system builders around. If I can break from the "royal we" for a moment, Falcon Northwest was a brand I have lusted after for decades, but never allowed myself to purchase, for the same reason I do not own a Ferrari. It's fast, it's sexy, but a Honda Insight, while not as flashy, is closer to my income level. Life choices and what not. Just as Ferrari offers no apology...

Lenovo ThinkStation P620 Review: Beastly 64-Core Performance

by Ben Funk - Fri, Apr 02, 2021

When it comes to high-end content creation, time is money. Businesses with employees that are stuck sitting around waiting for compute-intensive tasks to finish, simply can't get as much accomplished as those with speedy hardware that can power through the most demanding tasks. Tons of parallel processing power and professional-tier graphics cards for these scenarios don't come cheap, but they can certainly pay dividends in terms of efficiency and time saved. That's the story of Lenovo's ultra-powerful ThinkStation P620 workstation, which is on our test bench today.  Breaking this system from...

Dell XPS Desktop Special Edition 8940 Review: A Sleek Gaming Rig

by Paul Lilly - Tue, Feb 09, 2021

A powerful PC does not have to be loud or flashy, not in today's era of computing. Proving this to be the case is Dell's refreshed XPS Desktop Special Edition, available in two subtly attractive trims: Mineral White (as seen here) and Night Sky. While each are eye catching in their own right, neither one makes the same visually bold statement as Dell's Alienware desktops, which have evolved over the years and still maintain a distinctly different -- you might even say, otherworldly -- aesthetic. The XPS Desktop is dressed in more conservative garb, but still packs a punch. Or as Dell...

Alienware Aurora R11 Review: Savage RTX 3090 Infused Lifeform

by Chris Goetting - Fri, Nov 13, 2020

If there is one thing we can count on whenever hot new component hardware arrives, it's that it will not be long before Dell integrates it into their Alienware gaming systems. So naturally, with the release of Nvidia’s latest and greatest GeForce RTX 3080 and 3090 graphics cards, it was no surprise to see Alienware desktops already shipping out with these cards on deck. The Alienware Aurora R11 we have in our lab today features Dell's highest-performance configuration with an RTX 3090 to create what representatives at Dell are calling a “Benchmark Bruiser.” We will, of course,...

Rage Against The eMachine: A Ryzen And Radeon Retro Revival

by Tuan Huynh - Thu, Oct 08, 2020

The late 90s and early 2000s was a special era for personal computing. We saw PC prices drop drastically, we moved from dial-up to broadband, and we dealt with Windows ME while waiting for XP to arrive. While some of us went the DIY route at the time, many started with a prebuilt rig purchased from a brick and mortar retailer. One of the more notable brands during that era's race to the bottom was eMachines, founded in 1998 and later acquired by Gateway, which was then acquired by Acer. Plenty of "Never Obsolete" eMachines systems were sold to budget users back then and they helped introduce a...

EK Fluid Gaming 270 Conquest Review: Immaculate PC Gaming

by Chris Goetting - Fri, Sep 25, 2020

Back at PAX East 2020 in March, we were captivated by the systems we saw at the EK booth that all featured an incredibly clean looking hard line liquid cooling setup. We were surprised to learn, however, that these were not custom builds on display to showcase EK’s renowned water blocks and fittings. Instead, EK has jumped into the boutique pre-built computer space with a line-up they are calling EK Fluid Gaming. The Fluid Gaming systems are a bit of natural offering for EK. The bulk of the gaming PC market is incredibly competitive and price sensitive. Instead of wheeling and dealing...

Maingear Turbo Review: A Jaw-Dropping Mini-ITX Gaming PC

by Dave Altavilla - Fri, Aug 07, 2020

Full disclosure, I've never been much of a mini-ITX form factor kind of guy. I mean I get the allure of a space-efficient PC design that can more easily integrate in to an office or home environment, but there are almost always caveats. Typically the trade-offs are either sacrificing performance and features, or you end up having to tolerate the noise of a small and overwhelmed cooling solution. And so when I considered the Maingear Turbo for evaluation here, at first I wasn't all that enthused. However, it seems the folks at Maingear, a highly respected custom performance PC builder out of New...