If you’re ready to upgrade, finding the best computer for your needs and budget can be overwhelming with so many options available.
However, with Black Friday deals approaching, now is the ideal time to score one of the best PCs at a great price, whether you’re after a full workstation, a sleek mini-PC, or an all-in-one setup.
For general productivity and word processing, you won’t need a powerhouse. However, if you’re diving into tasks like video editing, 3D modeling, or gaming, you’ll want a computer equipped with the best processor and the best graphics card possible to handle these demanding applications, like the Dell XPS desktop.
Gamers should explore our dedicated guide to the best gaming PC, while creative professionals might prefer Apple’s lineup, which includes powerful M3 and M4 chips in options like the ultra-compact Mac Mini and the versatile iMac.
We extensively tested all of our top picks for the best computer in 2024, so you can trust that you're getting the best PC for your needs and budget. We've even brought all the best Black Friday PC deals we've found to help you save even more money on your next PC.
The quick list
With so many options on the shelves, we whittled down the list to make it easier for you to choose the best PC for your needs. Whether you need a gaming computer, a mini PC for your small setup, or an all-in-one, we've got all the top choices right here. Be sure to click on "Read more below" to know more about your choice before you fully commit.
Best computer overall
When it comes to performance, the XPS line remains top of its class, whether you need something for office and casual use or for creative workloads.
Best budget computer
More than capable of tackling everyday tasks, from work to schoolwork, this affordable option is the one to get if you don't have high demands.
Best Mac overall
The new Mac mini (M4, 2024) combines power and affordability, featuring the M4/M4 Pro chips, compact design, 16GB memory, and versatile placement, setting a high standard for small form factor PCs.
Best all-in-one
The 2024 iMac offers enhanced performance with the M4 chip, vibrant new colors, upgraded FaceTime camera, more memory, and optional nano-texture glass at a great price.
Best gaming PC overall
A solid performer when it comes to gaming, this mid-range gaming PC can tackle some of the most demanding games on Ultra without costing a fortune.
Best high-end gaming PC
Sporting a new sleeker and more compact chassis, one of the best gaming PCs on the market now boasts an even more impressive cooling system.
The best computer 2024
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The best computer for most people
✅ You need an extra-strength PC: While it's not an RGB-laden gaming desktop, the Dell XPS 8960 is a secret powerhouse that can handle anything you throw at it.
✅ You like that nondescript aesthetic: With platinum and graphite finishes, this isn't a flashy desktop - it's a clean, reserved tower.
❌ You're economizing like the rest of us: The modern XPS desktop doesn't have any budget configurations, so if you're looking for a cheap PC, this isn't the one.
❌ You don’t need all that power: If you just want to answer emails and write reports, this beast of a computer is frankly overkill.
We called the Dell XPS Desktop (8960) a “formidable gaming PC dressed as an office cog” for good reason. Though the XPS line isn’t exactly marketed by Dell as gaming hardware, it’s had a massive boost in specs in the last few years so that at its highest configurations, it’s a worthy opponent to the most kitted-out gaming and content creation PCs.
And it does that without shedding its office attire, which in our opinion is a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, that minimalist design allows it to fit right in, in just about any setting. On the other, it’s become bland, boring, and a bit archaic at this point.
When it comes to performance, however, there’s nothing archaic about this new generation. Of course, if you just need something for office work, the lower configurations, which are much more affordable, should serve you well.
But if you want something for gaming and content creation, the highest configurations proved to be capable of handling just about any workload, no matter how intensive. Running it through our suite of benchmarks, it managed to keep up with the more powerful RTX 4090-powered Alienware Aurora R15 at 1080p, and go neck and neck with the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i in both 1080p and 4K gaming. On top of that, it comes stays impressively cool and quiet under pressure.
Read our full Dell XPS Desktop (2023) review
The best budget PC
✅ You want great value: If you're on a strict budget, the Acer Aspire TC desktop is right up your alley with its more than affordable pricing.
✅ You want a PC with a DVD drive: As DVD-writer drives are even being phased out in PCs, the Acer Aspire TC still has a handy one built right in.
❌ You want a sleek design: Unfortunately, practicality comes at a price and in this case, it's the lackluster design.
❌ You want a quiet machine: For those wanting a more peaceful PC, this is not the machine as its fans are quite loud.
We have yet to fully review the Acer Aspire TC. But we can already assure you that it's guaranteed to give you the best price-to-performance ratio if you're looking to save money on your next PC or if you only need something to browse, send out emails, do homework, and stream on.
The graphics options on this aren't the most exciting, but overall, the available specs should see you through everyday workloads and maybe some light gaming. What's more, there are more than enough ports on it for most people, including two HDMI ports that will let you hook up two monitors, if you so choose.
The design could indeed be better. It's not in any way ugly, but it is a bit of a plain Jane, which shouldn't matter if you're more concerned about functionality rather than form. The one thing that could be a bit of a turnoff is its cooling – those fans tend to get loud when the hardware is pushed to the limit.
The best Mac desktop for most people
✅ You want a compact PC: The Mac mini remains the best compact computer on the market, and configuration is no issue since every model offers the same tiny chassis.
✅ You want an affordable way to get a Mac: At $599 / £599 / AU$999, the entry-level 2024 Mac mini is the cheapest current-gen macOS device you can buy right now.
❌ You prefer Windows: At the end of the day, macOS isn't for everyone. If you're a seasoned Windows (or Linux!) user, this might be too big of a change to make.
❌ You want an upgradable PC: Unlike many of the PCs on this list, the Mac mini isn't a modular device you can crack open to swap out components further down the line.
The new Mac mini (M4, 2024) brings the powerful M4 and M4 Pro chips to Apple’s compact desktop line, combining performance and affordability in a smaller, redesigned body. Apple first introduced the M4 chip in the iPad Pro, but this release allows the chip’s full potential to shine on macOS. The Mac mini starts at $599, making it the most affordable entry into the Mac ecosystem, and its compact size makes it ideal for versatile placement.
The new Mac mini also includes 16GB of unified memory as standard, twice that of its predecessor, and is designed to handle tasks from gaming to advanced creative work with ease. During testing, the M4 model ran the latest macOS Sequoia smoothly, managing intensive tasks like video editing with silent efficiency. While a more powerful M4 Pro model is available for $1,399, the standard M4 model offers such impressive performance that it’s recommended for most users.
In addition, the Mac mini’s compact redesign, with front USB-C ports, enhances its appeal as a living room-friendly device, potentially marking Apple’s closest approach to a gaming console. This iteration not only reinforces the Mac mini’s value but also sets a high standard for small form factor PCs, outclassing Windows and Linux alternatives in build quality, performance, and price. Apple has successfully delivered a powerful, affordable desktop that is likely to remain unmatched in its category for years.
Read the full Apple Mac Mini M4 (2024) review
The best all-in-one computer
✅ You want the best all-in-one PC: Once again, Apple holds on to the best AIO crown thanks to a beautiful display and the impressive power of the M4 chip.
✅ You’ve got limited space: Although we still miss the larger-screened iMacs of yore, this 24-inch model is perfect for users without much desktop real estate to spare.
❌ You need lots of processing power: There aren't any M4 Pro or M4 Max configurations available for this iMac.
❌ You're a serious gamer: While there have been great advancements in terms of the gaming capabilities of Apple's silicon, macOS still isn't an ideal platform for games.
The 2024 iMac continues Apple’s tradition of excellence in all-in-one computers with notable upgrades. It features the new M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage at a reduced starting price of $1,299, offering better performance and value than its predecessor.
While the physical design remains the same as previous models, the 24-inch iMac now comes in six vibrant colors—Purple, Blue, Green, Orange, Yellow, and Silver—with color-matched peripherals and USB-C ports. However, Apple didn’t redesign the Magic Mouse, which retains its bottom charging port.
Performance-wise, the M4 chip is a significant upgrade over the M1 and M3, enabling smooth multitasking and fast application loading, making the iMac ideal for various professional and creative tasks. The new FaceTime camera with higher megapixels and Center Stage tracking enhances video calls, ensuring you’re always in the frame. Additionally, the optional nano-texture glass helps reduce reflections, a useful feature for rooms with challenging lighting.
With macOS Sequoia and early Apple Intelligence features, the 2024 iMac delivers a modern, seamless experience right out of the box. While it may not be necessary to upgrade from an M1 or M3 iMac unless you need more power, owners of older models will notice substantial improvements.
The 2024 iMac solidifies its position as the leading all-in-one computer, blending style, functionality, and performance into a complete package suitable for nearly any workspace.
Read the full Apple iMac 24-inch M4 (2024) review
The best gaming PC for most gamers
✅ You want a fantastic 1080p machine: Although it's not a powerhouse gaming rig, the Legion Tower 5i makes its components work hard to deliver solid 1080p performance.
✅You want good value: This is one of the most competitively-priced midrange gaming desktops out there right now.
❌ You want 4K or ray tracing: 4K ray-traced gameplay is only an option here if you shell out for the $2,000+ top-end configuration.
❌ Your budget is very tight: While it's excellent value for money, the starting configuration of the Legion Tower 5i is still more than $1,000 / £1,000 - not exactly super-cheap.
There aren't a lot of configurations of the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i available, and not all of its configurations are available in one place. For example, in the US, you can only get our review unit at Best Buy - at least at the time of writing. However, it is worth seeking out, especially if you're looking for something affordable as your gaming PC. This mid-range option offers great 1080p performance at an affordable price.
It proved to be a surprisingly solid performer during testing, hitting over 70fps on Ultra settings when we played Cyberpunk 2077, pretty impressive considering that's a demanding title, and delivering great results when we ran Far Cry 6 and Gotham Knights on high settings.
Of course, being a mid-range gaming PC, it does have its limitations. Both Control and Hogwarts Legacy struggled a little on max settings. After all, our review model - which is your best bet if you don't want to spend a lot - only had an RTX 3060.
However, if you're willing to give up ray tracing and play some titles at medium graphical settings, then it's a great value. That's especially true if having attractive RGB lighting and an elegant design is a priority to you.
Read our full Lenovo Legion Tower 5i review
Find the best deals on Lenovo products with our Lenovo coupon codes.
A premium gaming PC with impressive cooling
✅ You need a well-rounded PC: Gaming, content creation, office productivity - this desktop can handle it all.
✅ You need a PC for the office: Unlike most Alienware desktops, the Aurora R16 looks pretty professional and is also a bit more compact.
❌ You're on a budget: The Aurora R16 offers excellent bang for your buck, but the cheapest configuration is $1,749 (£1,349 / around AU$2,670), so it's hardly a budget system.
There's a good reason why we declared the new Alienware Aurora R16 an office-worth gaming PC. The first model to adopt Alienware's new sleeker, more compact design - it's so compact you might be able to slot it in the chassis of its predecessor if you tried - this stunner impresses with its robust gaming performance and superb ventilation.
It still has remnants of Alienware's signature space-age look, but it now sports some more minimalist modern touches, which makes it a wonderful addition to your office setup as well. That's especially true if you have a home office and want the same unit for both work and play.
On test, we found it an incredibly capable computer, handling high-end PC titles with ease. Cyberpunk 2077 and Dirt 5, for example, respectively ran at nearly 60 fps and over 150 fps on lower settings. Although the mid-range configurations will prove to be a little limited. Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K resolution drastically dropped frame rates down to around 16 fps.
We can, however, guarantee that no matter how hard you push it, its ventilation is going to keep up. It didn't experience a single moment of overheating during our long gaming sessions - and that was while keeping things whisper-quiet, too.
Read our full Alienware Aurora R16 review
How to choose the best PC for you
Finding the best computer can be challenging since there are so many different types of desktop PCs. We look at all different kinds and compare them to other PCs in their class and consider everything from price to performance.
Just because something is cheap doesn't mean it's bad, so budget PCs need just as close an inspection as high-end systems, and in all cases we consider the performance of the PC against the expected price for a product in that class.
That means a PC less than $500/£500/AU$800 won't be as powerful as the best gaming PC, but if it outperforms our expectations then it is a strong candidate for our list. Meanwhile, if a PC has best-in-class performance but is selling for three times what it should, we're very unlikely to recommend it to anyone since you can pay considerably less with just a slight decrease in performance.
Frequently asked questions about PCs
Which computer configuration is best?
The best computer configuration will depend on what you’re using your PC for. You need to pay attention to the CPU, GPU, hard drive and SSDs, and RAM in your tower because each individual aspect needs to be changed for the optimal computer configuration.
If you’re using your desktop PC for everyday tasks, you won’t need a high-powered CPU or GPU and the standard SSD and RAM will do just fine. Gaming PC towers, however, will need those high-power CPUs and GPUs as well as lots of hard drive and SSD storage to account for high-resolution gaming.
Which is the best computer brand?
The best computer brand depends on what your PC’s functionality is and what you use it for. Dell and Lenovo make great everyday use computers if you like Windows operating systems, but Apple also has great desktop computers if you’re able to afford how expensive they can be.
On the other hand, if you want a PC that has gaming capabilities, you’ll want to look at brands like MSI, Corsair, or even Alienware (a gaming-focused brand owned by Dell) if you’re looking for the highest quality gaming PC.
Many computer brands have the best PCs that are top-quality and affordable, so the best computer brand for you will ultimately depend on what you want your PC to accomplish.
How we tested these computers
Here at TechRadar, we believe in rigorously testing every piece of hardware that passes through our hands. If it fails to impress during testing, we'll always let you know; we won't recommend you buy any product that falls short of the performance median for its price range.
Our testing process varies from product to product, but we're always sure to run the most appropriate tests considering the target purpose of whatever we're reviewing. This means we're always sure to run plenty of gaming tests on a gaming laptop, or editing benchmarks for a desktop workstation PC. We also always examine the build quality of a product to see whether it aligns with the attached price tag.
If you want to know more about how we test and rate the computers in this guide, check out our explainer on how we test laptops and desktops to learn more.
Today's best computer deals
