Best Prebuilt Gaming Computers To Buy During The Shortage

If you’re trying to build or buy a gaming computer in 2021, it’s not easy… The shortage has made graphics cards practically impossible to find which is leaving many gamers just like yourself without a PC. Just to make it harder, picking out a good prebuilt gaming PC can be confusing to say the least. With such a massive array of different configurations to choose from, it can be almost impossible for someone without a lot of experience to sift through.

That’s where I come in. By combining tons of research with a lot of experience, I’m able to pick out the hidden gems so you don’t have to waste any time, or money.

With me picking your computer for you, the only thing you have to do is figure out what game you’re going to play first! Already know which that game is? Let me know in the comments!

With all of that in mind, I’m going to give you a list of the absolute best prebuilt gaming computers to buy during this shortage. 

Starting out about as low as you can go right now and going to the tip top with an RTX 3090, if you need a gaming PC, you’re going to find it on this list somewhere. To keep it easy, I’ve only included a handful of your absolute best options. 

Have any questions? Ask me in the comment section!

Why Buy a Prebuilt Gaming Computer?

The biggest reason why you want to buy a prebuilt gaming computer right now is availability. While you might not be able to find a GPU, professional builders can and they’re selling gaming PCs loaded with them right now. There’s no sitting around waiting months for something to hopefully become available, you just pick and choose what you want. 

The next big reason is tech support and company-specific warranties. Although you get warranties when buying parts individually – which you will in a prebuilt system too – what you don’t get is any kind of warranty on your own work. This changes when you buy a prebuilt desktop as you’re often going to get access to at least a year of tech support as well as extra warranties. 

Lastly, buying prebuilt is the best choice if you simply don’t want to build your own computer – revolutionary, right? Instead of having to learn something new on the fly and stressing that you’ll mess something up, your system shows up ready to boot with Windows already installed. It doesn’t get any easier than buying a prebuilt gaming computer. 

Not only are they awesome when it comes to what you’re getting per dollar spent, but they’re also ready to ship pretty much immediately – at the time of writing, I’ve made sure all of the following desktops are in stock and available to send out ASAP. 

CPU: AMD R5 3600

MOBO: B450 chipset, mATX

GPU: 4GB GTX 1650 Super

RAM: 8GB DDR4 3200MHz

PSU: 500W 80+ Bronze

Storage: 500GB NVME M.2 SSD

WiFi:  802.11AC

Operating System: Windows 10

Extras: 6x 120mm RGB fans | 1-year warranty | 1080p 60fps capable

MKZ Gaming PC

This prebuilt gaming PC from MKZ is packed with the best hardware you’re going to currently find in a PC for less than $1000. It’s running an R5 3600 CPU bundled with a GTX 1650 Super graphics card which is powerful enough to handle 1080p 60fps gaming without a problem on medium settings in most games. 

While it’s a little lacking in the RAM department and has a slightly underpowered GPU for the price, this PC has a great cooling profile thanks to a copious amount of 120mm RGB fans. The 500GB NVME M.2 SSD is a great addition that’ll deliver far higher speeds than a conventional SSD – HDDs aren’t even in the same realm of comparison.  

With all of that said, if you’ve already saved up this much, I would strongly suggest saving up just a little more because you’ll get WAY more power for it. Right now, the sub-$1000 market for desktops is less than optimal to say the least. The next build is a pretty big step up for not much more considering, and the one after that is even better. 

CPU: AMD R5 2600H

MOBO: B450 chipset, mATX

GPU: 6GB GTX 1660 Super

RAM: 16GB DDR4 3000MHz

PSU: 600W 80+ Bronze

Storage: 500GB SSD

WiFi:  802.11AC

Operating System: Windows 10

Extras: Mouse + keyboard | 1-year warranty | VR-Ready | 1080p 60-120fps capable

Skytech Archangel 

The Skytech Archangel is a well-balanced dedicated gaming PC that’ll have no problem tackling 60-120fps ultra settings 1080p gaming. It’s far superior to the previous option while only coming in at a couple hundred more – it’s well worth the extra cost if you can save up for a little longer. 

The R5 2600H combined with the 6GB GTX 1660 Super and 16GB of DDR4 RAM makes for a great gaming PC that can also be subbed as a light workstation for video editing, CAD, digital art, or most other typical workloads. If your goal is to run a VR headset, this PC will fully-support VR gaming and all current VR headsets & controllers. 

 If you’re trying to game out in 1080p with high-ultra settings while getting 60fps or better in most games, this is the PC you’re looking for.

 CPU: Intel i7 11700F

MOBO: B550 chipset, mATX

GPU: 6GB RTX 2060

RAM: 16GB DDR4 3000MHz

PSU: 600W 80+ Bronze

Storage: 240GB SSD + 1TB 7200RPM HDD

WiFi:  802.11AC

Operating System: Windows 10

Extras: Mouse + keyboard | 1-year warranty | 7.1 Channel Audio | VR Ready | 1080p 144fps+ capable

iBUYPOWER Element MR 208i

iBUYPOWER’s Element MR 208i makes for a great dedicated gaming PC/workstation combo. Thanks to its i7 11700F, 6GB RTX 2060, and 16GB of DDR4 RAM, this prebuilt computer won’t have an issue with 1080p 144fps+ gaming, or even 1440p 60fps if you don’t mind medium settings in more graphically intensive games. If you wanted to take advantage of a 240Hz 1080p monitor, this PC would do that. 

 This build is running the ideal drive setup for a dedicated gaming PC/workstation as it has 2 drives – but it would be nice to see 2x SSDs instead of an SSD + HDD combo in 2021. Regardless, this is ideal because you can split the load between 2 drives. Windows will come installed on the SSD and from there you should utilize the HDD as much as possible. This ensures the best performance and least amount of drive throttling. 

When it comes to getting a very powerful 1080p/1440p gaming computer, the Element MR 208i is a great choice. It’s undeniably one of the best options when it comes to finding a PC with an RTX 2060 and an 11th gen Intel i7 CPU. 

PU: AMD R5 3600

MOBO: B450 chipset, mATX

GPU: 8GB RTX 3060 Ti

RAM: 16GB DDR4 3000MHz

PSU: 600W 80+ Gold

Storage: 1TB NVME M.2 SSD

WiFi:  802.11AC

Operating System: Windows 10

Extras: Mouse + keyboard | 7.1 channel audio | 1-year warranty | Free lifetime tech support | VR Ready | 1440p 60fps+ capable

Skytech Shadow 3.0

The Skytech Shadow 3.0 is an all-around great build. It comes with everything you need to jump right into 1440p gaming on ultra settings while seeing 60fps or better. Thanks to its 1TB NVME M.2 SSD, you can expect nothing short of the fastest load times possible. 

If you had to sub this desktop out as a workstation from time to time, it’s fully-equipped. The R5 3600 and 8GB RTX 3060 Ti are an incredibly powerful combo that can easily tackle all but the largest projects. If there’s one way it could be improved as a workstation, it would be done by adding another 16GB of DDR4 RAM. 

If VR is your goal, this PC is perfectly suited to it. It’s more than VR ready with all of the ports you’ll need and plenty of power to spare. 

CPU: AMD R7 5800X + 360mm AIO cooler

MOBO: X570 chipset, ATX

GPU: 16GB RX 6900 XT

RAM: 32GB G.Skill Trident Z DDR4 3600MHz RAM

PSU: 1000W 80+ Gold

Storage: 1TB NVME M.2 SSD

WiFi:  802.11AC

Operating System: Windows 10

Extras: Mouse + keyboard | 9x 120mm RGB fans | 1-year warranty | Free lifetime tech support | VR Ready | 4K 60fps capable 

Skytech Prism II

This gaming desktop from Skytech, the Prism II, is an absolute monster… Not as much as the last option on this list – the next one – but it’s still insanely powerful nonetheless. In terms of cars, this is like a Lamborghini Aventador, the last one is like a Bugatti Chiron. 

If you want 4K 60fps gaming, this PC is going to deliver. AMD knocked it out of the park with the 16GB RX 6900 XT, it’s their most powerful card to date and comes dressed to impress. Their R7 5800X CPU is equally impressive and when combined with a 360mm AIO cooler, can sustain some pretty high overclocking. The 32GB of G.Skill Trident Z 3600MHz DDR4 RAM are some of the highest-rated sticks you’ll find and, in my opinion, feature some of the best RGB lighting. 

If you’re buying a PC at this level, you’re serious about your gaming and you will only accept top-of-the-line. There’s really nothing else to say other than, don’t decide until you see the last one.

CPU: Intel i9 11900KF + 240mm AIO cooler

MOBO: Z590 chipset, ATX

GPU: 24GB RTX 3090

RAM: 32GB DDR4 3200MHz

PSU: 1000W 80+ Gold

Storage: 1TB SSD

WiFi:  802.11AC

Operating System: Windows 10

Extras: Mouse + keyboard |1-year warranty |  Free lifetime tech support | VR Ready | 4K+ 60fps+ capable | Could potentially become self-aware | Might create black holes upon booting

 iBUYPOWER Trace5MR9350iA

There aren’t many ways to realistically get an RTX 3090 these days… Buying one on its own will often see you spending around $3k if not more. Well, this entire desktop only sits at $3799 right now which is right around where you’d expect to see something of this caliber during “normal” times.

A lot of the other prebuilt gaming desktops you’ll see around this price range will come with the inferior RTX 3080 – and it’s usually not even the Ti model. To build this yourself, you’d be looking at well over $4500 assuming you “only” spent $3000 on a RTX 3090. + $650 for the i9 11900KF, +$150 for a Z590 mobo, +$100-$150 for the PSU, +$100 for Windows 10… We’re already over $4k and not even half way there. I think you get what I’m saying now, this hidden gem is an insane deal. 

By combining an Intel i9 11900KF and the 24GB RTX 3090, you’re sitting on the edge of creating miniature black holes every time you boot this thing. Want to build a spaceship and head to Mars? This PC can do that… Without your help. If you ever wanted a job at NASA… Well, this desktop could get one and then tell you all about it. 

Lame nerdy dad jokes aside, it doesn’t really get any more powerful than this when it comes to modern consumer gaming computers. The RTX 3090 is the fastest card on the market right now, period. The 5.3GHz i9 11900KF is the fastest CPU from Intel’s 11th generation. Combining those parts puts you at the tip top of the gaming PC food chain.  

Conclusion

Well, there you have it. From top to bottom, these are some of your absolute best bets when buying a gaming computer in 2021. Unfortunately, building custom desktops is difficult right now due to the insane shortages… But, buying one that’s been prebuilt is pretty easy when you have someone showing you the best options.

That’s not to say these are your only options, but they’re definitely some of the best – if not the best as is the case with the iBUYPOWER TraceMR 224i. 

At the end of the day, these shortages aren’t going away any time soon. Maybe late next year, maybe early the year after. The thing is, no one knows! So, if you decide to wait, you could potentially be waiting for quite some time as prices continue to get higher and higher and availability gets slimmer and slimmer. 

Have any questions or comments? I’d love to hear them in the comment section below!