<s>
A	O
gaming	B-Device
computer	I-Device
,	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
a	O
gaming	B-Device
PC	I-Device
,	O
is	O
a	O
specialized	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
designed	O
for	O
playing	O
video	O
games	O
at	O
high	O
standards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gaming	B-Device
PCs	I-Device
typically	O
differ	O
from	O
mainstream	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
by	O
using	O
high-performance	O
video	B-Device
cards	I-Device
,	O
a	O
high	O
core-count	O
central	B-General_Concept
processing	I-General_Concept
units	I-General_Concept
with	O
raw	O
performance	O
and	O
higher-performance	O
RAM	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gaming	B-Device
PCs	I-Device
are	O
also	O
used	O
for	O
other	O
demanding	O
tasks	O
such	O
as	O
video	O
editing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gamers	O
and	O
computer	O
enthusiasts	O
may	O
choose	O
to	O
overclock	B-Application
their	O
CPUs	O
and	O
GPUs	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
gain	O
extra	O
performance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
added	O
power	O
draw	O
needed	O
to	O
overclock	B-Application
either	O
processing	O
units	O
often	O
requires	O
additional	O
cooling	O
,	O
usually	O
by	O
air	O
cooling	O
or	O
water	O
cooling	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
65.1	O
million	O
gaming	O
products	O
have	O
been	O
sold	O
overall	O
as	O
of	O
2021	O
,	O
of	O
which	O
27.9	O
million	O
are	O
gaming	O
notebooks	B-Device
,	O
19.7	O
million	O
are	O
gaming	O
monitors	B-Device
,	O
and	O
17.5	O
million	O
are	O
gaming	B-Device
desktops	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nimrod	B-Application
,	O
designed	O
by	O
John	O
Makepeace	O
Bennett	O
,	O
built	O
by	O
Raymond	O
Stuart-Williams	O
and	O
exhibited	O
in	O
the	O
1951	O
Festival	O
of	O
Britain	O
,	O
is	O
considered	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
first	O
gaming	B-Device
computer	I-Device
to	O
ever	O
be	O
conceived	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bennett	O
did	O
not	O
intend	O
for	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
real	O
gaming	B-Device
computer	I-Device
,	O
however	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
was	O
supposed	O
to	O
be	O
an	O
exercise	O
in	O
mathematics	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
to	O
prove	O
computers	O
could	O
"	O
carry	O
out	O
very	O
complex	O
practical	O
problems	O
"	O
,	O
not	O
purely	O
for	O
enjoyment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Few	O
years	O
later	O
,	O
game	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
like	O
the	O
Magnavox	B-Device
Odyssey	I-Device
(	O
released	O
in	O
1972	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
2600	I-General_Concept
(	O
released	O
1977	O
)	O
were	O
the	O
basis	O
of	O
the	O
future	O
of	O
not	O
just	O
gaming	O
consoles	O
,	O
but	O
gaming	B-Device
computers	I-Device
as	O
well	O
with	O
their	O
increasing	O
popularity	O
with	O
families	O
everywhere	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
"	O
modern	O
"	O
computer	O
was	O
made	O
in	O
1942	O
,	O
the	B-Device
Atanasoff	I-Device
–	I-Device
Berry	I-Device
Computer	I-Device
(	O
ABC	O
for	O
short	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
modern	O
desktops	B-Device
and	O
laptops	B-Device
,	O
the	O
ABC	O
was	O
a	O
gargantuan	O
machine	O
that	O
occupied	O
"	O
1,800	O
square	O
feet	O
…	O
weighing	O
almost	O
50	O
tons	O
"	O
,	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
and	O
the	O
Commodore	O
64	O
released	O
in	O
1977	O
and	O
1982	O
respectively	O
,	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
became	O
more	O
appealing	O
for	O
general	O
consumer	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
cost	O
around	O
US$	O
1,298	O
in	O
1977	O
( $	O
5,633	O
adjusted	O
for	O
inflation	O
in	O
2021	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
Commodore	O
64	O
cost	O
around	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
expensive	O
for	O
most	O
consumers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Today	O
,	O
many	O
companies	O
and	O
manufacturers	O
offer	O
gaming	B-Device
computers	I-Device
in	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
configurations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
instance	O
,	O
Dell	O
has	O
their	O
gaming	B-Device
computer	I-Device
division	O
,	O
Alienware	O
,	O
which	O
formed	O
in	O
1997	O
,	O
HP	O
with	O
their	O
OMEN	O
division	O
,	O
whose	O
lineage	O
dates	O
back	O
to	O
1991	O
under	O
the	O
defunct	O
brand	O
VoodooPC	O
,	O
Lenovo	O
with	O
their	O
Legion	O
PCs	B-Device
,	O
Asus	O
with	O
their	O
own	O
TUF	O
and	O
ROG	O
PCs	B-Device
,	O
Acer	O
with	O
their	O
special	O
product	O
lines	O
,	O
and	O
Predator	B-Device
,	O
that	O
coexist	O
with	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
their	O
line-up	O
,	O
and	O
more	O
other	O
brands	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Commodore	O
64	O
was	O
the	O
most	O
powerful	O
computer	O
for	O
its	O
time	O
in	O
1982	O
,	O
featuring	O
an	O
MOS	B-General_Concept
Technology	I-General_Concept
6510	I-General_Concept
CPU	O
with	O
64	O
kb	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Today	O
,	O
many	O
modern	O
general-purpose	O
use	O
computers	O
have	O
basic	O
specifications	O
for	O
the	O
average	O
user	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
Lenovo	O
Chromebook	B-Operating_System
C340-11	O
,	O
which	O
as	O
4	O
GB	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
64	O
GB	O
of	O
internal	O
storage	O
,	O
a	O
dedicated	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
,	O
Intel	B-Device
Celeron	I-Device
N4000	O
,	O
and	O
has	O
a	O
1366x768	O
resolution	O
screen	O
with	O
some	O
variants	O
offering	O
touch	O
screen	O
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gaming	B-Device
computers	I-Device
have	O
much	O
more	O
advanced	O
specifications	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Alienware	O
Area-51M	O
R2	O
Gaming	B-Device
Laptop	I-Device
,	O
which	O
features	O
the	O
latest	O
Intel	B-Device
Core	I-Device
i9	O
processor	O
with	O
10	O
cores	O
,	O
a	O
dedicated	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
with	O
8	O
GB	O
of	O
VRAM	O
,	O
16	O
GB	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
and	O
512	O
GB	O
of	O
internal	O
storage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gaming	B-Device
laptops	I-Device
generally	O
do	O
not	O
offer	O
touch	O
screen	O
displays	O
,	O
since	O
they	O
require	O
a	O
large	O
portion	O
of	O
energy	O
to	O
run	O
which	O
in	O
turn	O
can	O
affect	O
the	O
speed	O
and	O
frame-rate	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Senior	O
editor	O
of	O
Tom	O
's	O
Hardware	O
Andrew	O
Freedman	O
says	O
that	O
"	O
Gaming	B-Device
rigs	I-Device
are	O
n't	O
one-size	O
fits	O
all	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
there	O
are	O
certain	O
instances	O
where	O
a	O
gaming	B-Device
desktop	I-Device
will	O
be	O
more	O
appropriate	O
than	O
a	O
laptop	B-Device
and	O
other	O
circumstances	O
where	O
a	O
laptop	B-Device
is	O
more	O
appropriate	O
than	O
a	O
desktop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
someone	O
looking	O
for	O
maximum	O
portability	O
may	O
choose	O
a	O
laptop	B-Device
over	O
a	O
desktop	O
since	O
it	O
is	O
all	O
self-contained	O
in	O
one	O
unit	O
,	O
whereas	O
a	O
desktop	O
setup	O
is	O
split	O
up	O
into	O
multiple	O
components	O
:	O
a	O
monitor	O
,	O
keyboard	O
,	O
mouse	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
desktop	O
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Freedman	O
states	O
that	O
laptops	B-Device
are	O
ideal	O
candidates	O
for	O
LAN	O
parties	O
,	O
especially	O
ones	O
equipped	O
with	O
"	O
Nvidia	O
's	O
Max-Q	O
GPUs	O
"	O
which	O
"	O
can	O
easily	O
fit	O
into	O
a	O
backpack	O
and	O
do	O
n't	O
pack	O
outrageously	O
large	O
chargers	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upgradeability	O
is	O
another	O
category	O
many	O
PC	O
gamers	O
consider	O
when	O
deciding	O
between	O
a	O
laptop	B-Device
and	O
a	O
desktop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
Freedman	O
states	O
,	O
"	O
you	O
ca	O
n't	O
build	O
a	O
laptop	B-Device
on	O
your	O
own	O
"	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
usable	O
space	O
inside	O
a	O
laptop	B-Device
is	O
much	O
more	O
limited	O
compared	O
to	O
a	O
desktop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
also	O
fewer	O
items	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
changed	O
out	O
on	O
a	O
laptop	B-Device
than	O
a	O
desktop	O
,	O
like	O
RAM	B-Architecture
and	O
storage	O
,	O
compared	O
to	O
a	O
desktop	O
where	O
almost	O
all	O
the	O
components	O
,	O
including	O
motherboards	O
and	O
CPUs	O
,	O
can	O
be	O
swapped	O
out	O
with	O
the	O
latest	O
technology	O
available	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
only	O
exception	O
is	O
pre-built	O
desktops	B-Device
,	O
which	O
can	O
use	O
"	O
proprietary	O
motherboards	O
that	O
are	O
n't	O
standard	O
sizes	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
uniquely	O
shaped	O
motherboards	O
can	O
limit	O
the	O
owner	O
's	O
capability	O
to	O
upgrade	O
components	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
,	O
but	O
they	O
can	O
still	O
generally	O
change	O
out	O
"	O
the	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
GPU	O
and	O
…	O
CPU	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Freedman	O
did	O
a	O
basic	O
comparison	O
between	O
two	O
similarly	O
equipped	O
computers	O
,	O
one	O
a	O
laptop	B-Device
and	O
one	O
a	O
desktop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
had	O
the	O
similar	O
CPUs	O
(	O
an	O
Intel	B-Device
Core	I-Device
I5	O
)	O
,	O
GPUs	O
(	O
Nvidia	O
GeForce	O
GTX	O
1660s	O
except	O
the	O
laptop	B-Device
's	O
was	O
a	O
compact	O
version	O
that	O
could	O
fit	O
within	O
the	O
case	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
but	O
the	O
laptop	B-Device
was	O
$200	O
more	O
expensive	O
than	O
the	O
desktop	O
and	O
nearly	O
half	O
as	O
much	O
memory	O
as	O
the	O
desktop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
SSD	O
(	O
or	O
solid-state	O
drive	O
)	O
in	O
the	O
laptop	B-Device
is	O
faster	O
than	O
a	O
regular	O
hard-drive	O
though	O
and	O
gaming	B-Device
laptops	I-Device
are	O
ready	O
to	O
start	O
playing	O
once	O
they	O
are	O
configured	O
,	O
whereas	O
desktop	B-Device
PC	I-Device
gamers	O
have	O
to	O
make	O
additional	O
purchases	O
if	O
they	O
only	O
have	O
the	O
computer	O
,	O
not	O
the	O
accessories	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
People	O
usually	O
buy	O
gaming	B-Device
PCs	I-Device
because	O
they	O
want	O
the	O
performance	O
that	O
is	O
expected	O
to	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
majority	O
of	O
this	O
potential	O
lies	O
in	O
the	O
parts	O
of	O
desktops	B-Device
,	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
overclocked	O
for	O
more	O
performance	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
being	O
able	O
to	O
with	O
stand	O
abuse	O
because	O
of	O
their	O
higher	O
durability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Freedman	O
also	O
states	O
that	O
desktops	B-Device
have	O
"	O
a	O
bigger	O
chassis	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
allows	O
for	O
"	O
more	O
fans	O
…	O
for	O
better	O
cooling	O
and	O
heat	O
dissipation	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
ultimately	O
leads	O
to	O
stronger	O
performance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
not	O
many	O
options	O
when	O
it	O
comes	O
to	O
the	O
laptop	B-Device
configuration	O
but	O
they	O
do	O
exist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jason	O
Clarke	O
,	O
a	O
contributor	O
to	O
Chillblast	O
,	O
points	O
out	O
that	O
there	O
are	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
builders	O
that	O
deal	O
specifically	O
with	O
laptops	B-Device
with	O
some	O
adding	O
configurable	O
features	O
that	O
were	O
not	O
originally	O
so	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
being	O
able	O
to	O
change	O
CPUs	O
and	O
GPUs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clarke	O
also	O
advises	O
that	O
people	O
should	O
and	O
cannot	O
build	O
their	O
own	O
laptops	B-Device
because	O
of	O
how	O
complex	O
and	O
compact	O
everything	O
is	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
PC	O
gamers	O
and	O
journalists	O
,	O
like	O
Clarke	O
and	O
Freedman	O
,	O
advise	O
people	O
to	O
start	O
with	O
gaming	B-Device
desktops	I-Device
as	O
they	O
are	O
the	O
way	O
to	O
go	O
when	O
seeking	O
pure	O
performance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pre-built	O
desktops	B-Device
like	O
Alienware	O
's	O
Aurora	O
R11	O
are	O
ready-to-go	O
systems	O
with	O
a	O
history	O
behind	O
them	O
,	O
but	O
some	O
claim	O
that	O
their	O
systems	O
are	O
over-priced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marshall	O
Honorof	O
,	O
a	O
writer	O
for	O
Tom	O
's	O
Guide	O
,	O
explains	O
that	O
the	O
steps	O
on	O
how	O
to	O
build	O
a	O
gaming	B-Device
PC	I-Device
from	O
scratch	O
"	O
can	O
be	O
a	O
daunting	O
process	O
,	O
particularly	O
for	O
newcomers	O
"	O
but	O
it	O
could	O
be	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
technological	O
decisions	O
someone	O
can	O
make	O
.	O
</s>
