Don't waste your money building your own gaming PC — these pre-built desktops eat the costs and skip the boring parts

In case you didn't notice (I'm joking, because you definitely did), PC gaming has become a painfully expensive hobby. Amazon Prime Day is supposed to help offset that with massive discounts, but does it really count when it brings components back to near-MSRP levels? We take what we can get, I suppose.

Either way, it's difficult to recommend building your own PC from scratch right now. If you've never tried it, the anxiety of handling now-overinflated RAM will surely feel worse than ever — and that's one of the easiest parts to install. On the bright side, iBUYPOWER has some merciful discounts on pre-builts.

Built-in Wi-Fi

Save $180

iBUYPOWER RDY Scale B06 (Core Ultra 5 225F, RTX 5060, 16GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD): was $1,479 now $1,299 at iBUYPOWER.com

Never owned a gaming PC before? Start here. These are entry-level parts, but you still get 1TB of storage and enough upgradeable memory (RAM) to get you going. iBUYPOWER throws in a mouse and keyboard, as usual, so this is a great starter build!

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Built-in Wi-Fi

Save $250

iBUYPOWER RDY Slate 8MP R01 (Ryzen 7 9700X, RX 9060 XT, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 2TB SSD): was $2,049 now $1,799 at iBUYPOWER.com

Got some extra budget to spare? Doubling your storage memory puts you in the modern "sweet spot" of 32GB RAM, and AMD's Radeon 9060 XT with 16GB of VRAM will run modern AAA games more comfortably. For under $2,000, this is a steal.

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Built-in Wi-Fi

Save $200

iBUYPOWER RDY Slate 9MP R02 (Ryzen 7 9700X, RTX 5060 Ti, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 2TB SSD): was $2,049 now $1,849 at iBUYPOWER.com

If you're already well-versed in PC gaming and you'd rather lean on DLSS upscaling, then this RTX 5060 Ti build will be more attractive for an extra $50. As graphical demands increase, NVIDIA's tech will feel more like a cost-saving crutch.

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Built-in Wi-Fi

Save $300

iBUYPOWER RDY Trace X RGB B01 (Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, RTX 5070 Ti, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 2TB SSD ): was $2,849 now $2,549 at iBUYPOWER.com

And if we're going all-out, why not go for Intel's powerful 270K Plus CPU in a variation of the Trace X I reviewed earlier this year? The RTX 5070 Ti GPU is the perfect middle ground without burning money away, and you won't struggle to run any games. A monster.

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A pre-built gaming PC is just easier

Yeah, I might get some pushback from die-hard gaming PC builders, but I don't have any qualms with a pre-built option. I've been there — installing a CPU for the first time, losing my mind about installing thermal paste correctly (just a pea-sized amount, guys), and stressed about RAM profiles alongside other BIOS options. You don't have to do any of it.

Installing and setting up Windows 11 is the same wherever you go, and iBUYPOWER's decision to ship graphics cards (GPUs) separately isn't as intimidating as it looks. They slot in just like an old-school game cartridge and hold in place with a few screws. That's really all there is to it, and each rig comes with clear instructions anyway. I'd know, I tested a Trace X PC earlier this year. Treat yourself, PC gaming is the best.

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