For the past few decades, we have experienced huge leaps in technology. These leaps have trickled down to everything, and the gaming and hardware industries are no exception. If there was ever a good time to buy a gaming desktop, it is now.
For the price of $1500, you can buy a PC that will run any game you can imagine on the highest settings possible. If this was not enough, these PCs are so powerful that they will comfortably be able to run the AAA titles in the upcoming years.
We will cover these configurations and their game performance metrics, such as FPS.
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1. iBUYPOWER SlateMR 291i
Pros: | Cons: |
✅ Tempered Glass RGB Gaming Case ✅ 802.11AC Wi-Fi Included ✅ 16 Color RGB Lighting ✅ Free iBuyPower Gaming Keyboard & RGB Gaming Mouse ✅ Windows 11 Home |
❌ Hard to clean ❌ Bad technical support |
When it comes to gaming desktops under 1500, there is hardly a better option than SlateMR 291i. This machine can is equipped with a brutal combo composed of i7-12700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. It also comes with 16 GB of RAM memory, which is enough to allow for 4K gaming, as well as 1440p with insanely high framerates.
It also comes with an SSD equipped with 1 TB (1000GB) of memory. Now, considering that an average game “weighs” around 60 GB, it is easy to see how this would be enough space even for the most advanced gamers.
Another selling point of this configuration is its upgradeability. It has a processor socket that will be compatible with the upcoming 13th-gen Intel processors.
FPS performance in games:
Please keep in mind that not every game uses the same grading system for graphics. This is just a rough estimate to give you an idea.
- Apex Legends (High Settings): 120 FPS
- Battlefield V (Ultra Settings): 90 FPS
- Call of Duty Warzone (Normal Settings): 90 FPS
- CS:GO (High Settings): 300 FPS
- Flight Simulator (Medium Settings): 90 FPS
- Fortnite (Epic Settings): 90 FPS
- Grand Theft Auto V (Normal Settings): 180 FPS
2. YEYIAN Katana R02
Pros: | Cons: |
✅ YEYIAN Blade Gaming PC Case with Tempered Glass Side Panel ✅ Adjustable Ring Fans for Maximum Air Flow ✅ Powered by 650W 80 Plus Gold Certified Power Supply ✅ No Bloatware Installed ✅ Windows 10 Home Advanced 64-bit |
❌ Fans could be more quiet ❌ No Windows 11 |
Yeiyan’s Katana R02 is an absolute monster when it comes to graphics. This is all thanks to having RTX 3070 GPU included in its build. I am yet to see a desktop under $1500 with a better graphics card.
Other than having powerful graphics, this build is not lacking in other areas either. It is powered by Ryzen 5 5600X CPU and the latest DDR4 RAM with 16GB. All this comes together to create an amazing gaming performance.
It is a great pick for those who want to enjoy slightly better GPU and RAM specs, but it does lack the upgrading capabilities of the first PC on this list (Slate MR 291i).
FPS performance in games:
- God Of War (1440p Ultra DLSS Off): 52 FPS
- Fortnite (1080p High): 280 FPS
- Days Gone (1440p Very High): 70 FPS
- Far Cry 6 (1080p Ultra): 95 FPS
- Forza Horizon (1080p Ultra): 130 FPS
- GTA V (4K Ultra): 85 FPS
- Red Dead Redemption (1080P Ultra-High) : 84 FPS
3. CUK Continuum Micro
Pros: | Cons: |
✅ Great CPU and GPU ✅ Able to run multiple programs ✅ Good for streaming ✅ Good quality desktop pc ✅ Windows 11 Home |
❌ Hard to clean ❌ 32 GB of RAM |
For all the aspiring streamers out there, this one is for you. CUK Continuum Micro is equipped with a great streaming CPU and GPU combo, as well as plenty of RAM.
The CPU is the legendary Ryzen 7 5800X, which will do the behind-the-scenes game encoding at lightning-fast speeds. The rest of the game displaying job will be done by no other than RTX 3060.
Now, another feature that distinguishes this gaming desktop for streaming is its 32 GB of RAM. This is great as it means that the machine will be able to run multiple programs at the same time without any hiccups.
FPS performance in games:
- Red Dead Redemption (1080p Ultra): 71 FPS
- PUBG (1080p Ultra): 147 FPS
- Microsoft Flight Simulator (1080 Ultra): 53 FPS
- GTA V (1440p Ultra): 109 FPS
- Call of Duty Warzone (1080p Ultra): 139 FPS
- Battlefield V (1440p Ultra): 62 FPS
4. AVGPC Hellfire II
Pros: | Cons: |
✅ Windows 10 ✅ AMD Ryzen 7 5700G 8-Core ✅ 4.6 GHz Max Boost ✅ VEGA 8 Radeon Graphics ✅ 240MM Liquid Cooler |
❌ Lacking in the RAM department ❌ No Windows 11 |
All the desktops we have covered so far have been distinguished, and the case is the same for AVGPC’s Hellfire II. Well, maybe not quite the same, as this one has a case with water cooling. Hell yeah, Hellfire is a build for those who enjoy tinkering with their PC, as it comes with an overclockable CPU.
The CPU in question is AMD Ryzen 7 5700G, which is one of the top APUs currently. For those unfamiliar, APU is essentially a CPU with a glorified integrated GPU. The existence of it was made possible due to AMD being great at manufacturing both CPUs and GPUs.
Now, having an APU in this build might seem redundant since the build also comes with a powerful NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti GPU. Still, having the APU is beneficial in case your card dies or you want to do something else with it.
When it comes to storage, this PC takes the title. It is equipped with 1 TB of SSD and 2 TB of HDD memory. This is enough to create a gaming library of Babylon.
This PC only seems to be lacking in the RAM department. The RAM is 3200MHz, which is slightly slow 5700G, but it is not too bad either. Overall, it is a great desktop under $1500, and it is significantly cheaper than the other ones on the list.
FPS performance in games:
- God of War (1080p Ultra): 80 FPS
- Elden Ring (1080p Maximum): 54 FPS
- Forza Horizon 5 (1440p Extreme): 80 FPS
- Valorant (1080p Low): 350 FPS
- Red Dead Redemption 2 (1080p Ultra): 83 FPS
5. HP Pavilion TG01-2070
Pros: | Cons: |
✅ Sleek, space-saving computer tower ✅ For Personal, Gaming, Business ✅ AMD Ryzen 7 5700G ✅ quickly hook up your devices ✅ Windows 11 Home |
❌ No RGB Lights ❌ 16 GB of RAM |
If you are not looking to spend much and you want a gaming-ready PC, HP Pavilion TG01-2070 is a really solid pick. It comes with a Ryzen 7 5700G and Radeon RX 6600 XT AMD combination.
This desktop configuration is stacked with 16 GB, which is decent enough for its price. Combined with its other components, it is capable of running most current AAA titles without many issues.
So in case you are looking for something that is cheap and works well, this is your pick.
FPS performance in games:
- God of War (1080p Ultra): 63 FPS
- Elden Ring (1080p Maximum): 60 FPS
- Red Dead Redemption 2 (1080p Ultra): 60 FPS
- Grand Theft Auto V (1080p Ultra): 130 FPS
- Valorant (1080p Low): 350 FPS
Conclusion
We are living in times when gaming PCs have become highly accessible. There are plenty of options to choose from, regardless of your budget. When it comes to the best gaming desktop under $1500, it would have to be iBUYPOWER’s SlateMR 291i. This prebuild PC has the best overall qualities regardless of your needs.
Also read: Downix Gaming Chair Review
For those who would like to niche down and get something specific, there are plenty of options too.
- YEYIAN’s Katana R02 is the absolute best when it comes to graphics.
- CUK’s Continuum Micro is a great pick for streaming.
- AVGPC’s Hellfire is distinguished by its water cooling.
- Finally, there is HP Pavilion TG01-2070, which is a great budget pick.