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Rigged Up

Build guides, component reviews, buying advice for DIY PC builders and upgraders

Rigged Up
Build guides, component reviews, buying advice for DIY PC builders and upgraders

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AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Review

3.5

AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a champ for low-settings 1080p gaming with a high-end graphics card, but it's pricey and not for every PC gamer.

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D

Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 8 (2024) Review

4.0
Editors' Choice

Lenovo’s Legion Tower 7i Gen 8 gaming desktop powers through 4K games in style, rocking an easily upgradable case with slick, customizable RGB lighting.

By Charles Jefferies
The Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 8 (2024)

The Best Graphics Cards for 4K Gaming in 2024

You need a powerful graphics card to run cutting-edge PC games at 4K resolution. These high-end GPUs are the top performers we've tested for pixel-packed gaming.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition

The Best Graphics Cards for Compact PCs in 2024

Outfitting a compact PC for 4K and VR, or a tiny budget tower for 1080p gaming? These are our favorite small Nvidia GeForce, AMD Radeon, and Intel Arc graphics cards for your next PC build or upgrade.

The Best Graphics Cards for Compact PCs

The Best Graphics Cards for 1080p Gaming in 2024

Here's how to shop for a right-priced graphics card for playing games on today's best-value monitors—1,920 by 1,080 displays—along with the top-rated GPUs in our testing.

The Best Graphics Cards for 1080p Gaming

Intel Core Ultra 5 245K Review

3.0

The Core Ultra 5 245K is more energy efficient and runs cooler than its predecessor, but its CPU performance is a mixed bag, and its gaming performance disappoints.

Intel Core Ultra 5 245K

Unboxing Asus ‘Arrow Lake’ Gear! A First-Look Z890 Motherboard & More

An ROG Z890 Maximus Hero board, an over-the-top Ryujin cooler, and a special new kind of RAM highlight the nuances of Intel's just-launched desktop platform. Take a look.

By John Burek  & Matthew Buzzi
Asus Arrow Lake

Intel Core Ultra 9 285K Review

4.0

Intel's flagship "Arrow Lake" CPU, the Core Ultra 9 285K, delivers reduced power consumption, dedicated AI silicon, and promising platform improvements. The one big question mark: Its performance is superb in some tasks but subpar in others, though this may improve with software updates.

Intel Core Ultra 9 285K

Falcon Northwest Talon (2024, Core Ultra) Review

4.5
Editors' Choice

The legendary Falcon Northwest Talon gaming PC is an enthusiast’s dream machine, now made even better with Intel's first Core Ultra processor for desktops.

By Charles Jefferies
Falcon Northwest Talon 2024 Intel Core Ultra

Asus TUF Gaming X870-Plus WiFi Review

3.5

The Asus TUF Gaming X870-Plus WiFi is a worthwhile-value X870 AMD motherboard. It brings native Zen 5 support, new looks, the latest connectivity, and several DIY-friendly and AI features for easier use.

By Joe Shields
The Asus TUF Gaming X870-Plus WIFI

Lian Li Lancool 207 Review

4.0

An unusual pivoted power-supply mount sets apart the Lancool 207, a Lian Li mid-tower PC case. A low price and a handsome aesthetic bolster its value cred.

By Thomas Soderstrom
The Lian Li Lancool 207

The Best Gaming PCs for 2024

You can't buy a more powerful gaming platform than a tricked-out desktop. Here's everything you need to know, part by part, to pick the right prebuilt gaming PC, plus current favorites culled from PC Labs' top-rated reviews.

By Matthew Buzzi
The Best Gaming Desktops of 2017

Gigabyte X870E Aorus Master Review

4.5
Editors' Choice

Gigabyte's flagship X870E Aorus Master is among the pricier AM5 motherboards using AMD's very latest chipset, but its clever layout and creature comforts make it a first-rate ATX pick for high-end AMD PCs.

Gigabyte X870E Aorus Master

Fractal Design Era 2 Review

4.0
Editors' Choice

A lushly appointed compact gaming case, Fractal Design's Era 2 is an excellent combination of internal design genius and external styling mastery.

By Thomas Soderstrom
The Fractal Design Era 2

The Best CPUs for 2024

Whether you're upgrading your desktop PC or building a new one, choosing the right processor is the most crucial and complex choice you will make. Let's simplify it! Here's how to make sense of AMD's and Intel's lines, backed by dozens of our deep-dive reviews.

 Intel Core i9-9900K

The Best CPUs for Gaming in 2024

Buying the right processor for PC gaming might seem complicated—especially with AMD's multiple Ryzen families and Intel's many Cores and "Lakes." Here's everything you need to know, plus our top picks based on PC Labs' deep-dive CPU reviews.

AMD Ryzen 7 CPU

The Best M.2 SSDs (Solid State Drives) for 2024

Thanks to the "gumstick" M.2 format, SSDs have been shrinking—and getting a lot faster, too. Here's how to buy the right M.2 SSD, along with deep-dive reviews of today's top models.

By John Burek
ADATA SU750, WD Blue SN500, ADATA SX6000 8

Asus TUF Gaming GT302 ARGB Review

4.0

Asus' TUF Gaming GT302 PC chassis supports the company's Back to the Future (BTF) cable-hiding scheme and offers great cooling, offset by ho-hum noise control in its stock configuration.

By Thomas Soderstrom
The Asus TUF Gaming GT302 ARGB

Crucial P310 Review

3.5

The Crucial P310 PCI Express 4.0 internal SSD offers adequate gaming and slightly better general-storage performance, though it isn't a particularly good value.

By Tony Hoffman
Crucial P310 2280

Ditching High-End Graphics Cards Could Give AMD an Edge in the GPU Wars

AMD has tipped plans to deprioritize competing in the flagship graphics card market. That could be good thing...especially for buyers of budget cards.

AMD Radeon RX 7600