There's something to be said for the concept of overkill in gaming PCs. After all, who among us wouldn't like a PC so specced to the guns that almost all others bow before it, a mega PC for the ages that makes us smile every time we press its mighty power button.
Trouble is, for gaming, sometimes those mega specs are a bit of a waste. Take this CyberPowerPC Gamer Supreme available for $2,330 at B&H Photo right now, for example. It's a monster of a build, that's for sure, and for the money it's actually not the worst deal in the world. But you'll have to ask yourself some hard questions before actually pulling the trigger.
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For a start, are you really going to make use of 64 GB of RAM? If you're planning on putting the pedal to the medal in games, probably not. The only game I can think of that asks for 64 GB of RAM in its recommended specs is Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and that's, err, got its own issues to contend with right now—and they've got nothing to do with your home machine.
For content creation though? Perhaps. If you're a video editor, 3D modeller, or simply someone that likes a lot of breathing room, that might make sense. I've looked everywhere to try and find exactly what speed of DDR5 we're dealing with here, with no joy. Still, chances are its fairly speedy, if the rest of the rig is anything to go by.
That 24-core, fire-breathing Core i9 CPU is well placed for content-handling duties as well, plus 4 TB of NVMe storage is generous. GPU-wise, CyberPowerPC has neglected to go for the big RTX 4090, but that's probably a smart move given the state of the prices right now, and with the RTX 5090 rumoured to be right around the corner.
Nope, that RTX 4080 Super is actually a great choice for a high-end gaming card. The rest though? Sheer overkill for most. So if you're just looking for an excellent gaming machine, what should you buy instead?
A cheaper alternative
I reckon this Yeiyan Phoenix Glass should do you dandy, for a whole $430 less. It's obviously a slightly lesser machine than the CyberPowerPC above, but this PC has still got it where it counts.
The Core i7 13700F might not be a quite the same beast as the Core i9, but it's still a 16-core chip that will scythe its way through modern games with absolutely zero issue. And besides, what matters a lot more these days for gaming performance is usually the GPU, and look what we've got here—the RTX 4080 Super once again.
32 GB of RAM is plenty for most uses in 2024, and likely will be for a while yet. Plus, it's a really easy thing to upgrade later on if you really feel like you've missed out. This is speedy DDR5-6000 stuff as well, so at least it's a known quantity here.
The only real issue here is a mere 1 TB of storage, which is fine to start out with, but could do with an upgrade somewhere in future if you plan on installing a lot of games.
An SSD upgrade
So I'd stick in one of these at some point in the near future. That's a fast-as-you-like 2 TB NVMe drive with proper gumption, taking you up to 3 TB of total storage for a mere $104 extra.
That's a touch over $326 saved in total compared to the build at the top of this page. And if it's still burning a hole in your pocket, might I point out that the best-sounding headset I've ever tested is $270 right now? You've even got a bit of cash left over for a brand new game or two to play on your new super-sweet setup.
Gaming PC overkill is grand and all, but with a bit of clever shopping you can find a wicked-quick alternative, and have enough money left over to treat yourself to something lovely as a reward for all your hard work. Well, my hard work. But it's all part of the service, people.
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