Term of the Moment
Apple Vision Pro
Redirected from: gaming rig
Definition: gaming PC
A high-end Windows PC that is suited for gaming. Although available ready built, gaming PCs are often custom made for the serious enthusiast. They have as much as 32GB of RAM and the fastest CPU and GPU chips that are generally no more than one generation behind. Typically using a tower case to accommodate multiple drives and state-of-the-art graphics cards that can cost five times as much as an entire non-gaming PC, such machines often use elaborate cooling mechanisms, especially if the CPU is overclocked. Ready-built gaming laptops are also on the market. See gaming keyboard, gaming mouse, graphics card, water cooled and GPU.
PC vs. Xbox
While many games run on both PCs and Microsoft's Xbox video game console, the gaming PC is more easily upgraded just like any Windows PC. While many games are available for both platforms, some are exclusive to one or the other. Starting with Windows 10, the Xbox can run office apps, which makes it more like a general-purpose PC. In addition, developers can make their gaming apps compliant with both platforms but not requiring users to pay for separate copies. In 2016, Microsoft merged its app stores (see Microsoft Store). See Xbox, PlayStation, overclock, GPU, APU, multi-GPU, gaming and video game console.
Gaming PCs vs. VR Goggles
As more games are created for virtual reality, VR goggles may compete strongly with gaming PCs. 3D goggles provide total realism (see virtual reality and metaverse).
A Gaming Monster
Laptops Are Also Built for Gaming
The VENGEANCE Gaming PC
PC vs. Xbox
While many games run on both PCs and Microsoft's Xbox video game console, the gaming PC is more easily upgraded just like any Windows PC. While many games are available for both platforms, some are exclusive to one or the other. Starting with Windows 10, the Xbox can run office apps, which makes it more like a general-purpose PC. In addition, developers can make their gaming apps compliant with both platforms but not requiring users to pay for separate copies. In 2016, Microsoft merged its app stores (see Microsoft Store). See Xbox, PlayStation, overclock, GPU, APU, multi-GPU, gaming and video game console.
Gaming PCs vs. VR Goggles
As more games are created for virtual reality, VR goggles may compete strongly with gaming PCs. 3D goggles provide total realism (see virtual reality and metaverse).
This custom-made gaming PC is water cooled and uses two high-end NVIDIA graphics cards. (Images courtesy of Tony Forliano.)
In 2019, with built-in NVIDIA RTX 2070 graphics, this Alienware laptop featured a 17" screen, i7 CPU, 16GB RAM and a terabyte and a half of storage (1TB HD, 512GB SSD).
This state-of-the-art gaming PC from Corsair runs Windows 11 on an Intel i9 CPU with 2TB of storage and 64GB of DDR5 RAM. (Image courtesy of CORSAIR.)