Digital Storm Lynx review
Digital Storm’s Lynx provides an excellent alternative to gamers who don’t want to build their own gaming PCs. Equipped with powerful hardware, support for ray tracing, and the space to house up to two graphics cards, the Lynx is a PC that’s capable of growing with your needs.
Origin Millennium (2019) review
The massive Origin Millennium gaming PC is a flagship desktop with serious hardware and a price tag to match. It’s no bargain, but its quality and handsome design make a gaming battlestation you’ll want to own. Check out our Origin Millennium desktop review to learn more.
HP Omen Obelisk review
Equipped with Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 2080 graphics in an attractive desktop tower with internal space for future upgrades, HP’s compact Omen Obelisk is a competitively priced mainstream gaming desktop with enough power to appeal to enthusiasts who don’t want to build their own rigs.
Digital Storm Aventum X gaming PC review
The allure of the Aventum X isn’t just about power – you can find similar performance elsewhere at cheaper prices. Instead, the Aventum celebrates gamers by making the technology inside as much a part of the design as the tower itself. In designing the Aventum X, Digital Storm has created the Lamborghini of gaming PCs.
Origin Chronos (2019) review
The Chronos is Origin’s smallest PC, but while it occupies less space than most A/V receivers, it delivers the power of a much larger desktop. Its dull exterior design does the system a disservice. Once you turn it on, you won’t be bored. Our Origin Chronos Review tests the desktop in multiple benchmarks and games.
Intel ‘Bean Canyon’ NUC Review
Intel’s Next Unit of Computing, or NUC, offers tiny desktops with performance that keeps up with much larger systems, and they’re even affordable. But there’s a catch. You must install your own RAM and hard drive. Our Intel NUC ‘Bean Canyon’ review considers whether it’s worth the trouble.
Microsoft Surface Studio 2 review
Most creative pros are Apple users, but with the Surface Studio 2, Microsoft makes a serious attempt to win them over. There aren't a lot of new features on the outside, but the internal updates are significant. Despite its niche appeal, you’ll wish you had a few grand to drop on this beauty.
Apple Mac Mini (2018) Review
Apple’s new Mac Mini doesn’t look much different from its predecessor, and it’s more expensive. Yet the changes under the hood make a case for its consideration as your new Mac. Can this entry-level machine hold its own? Read our Apple Mac Mini (2018) review to find out.
Lenovo Legion C730 Cube review
Though the Legion C730 Cube may look like a cooler with its carry handle, and it does a good job keeping its “six pack” -- in the form of Intel’s hexa-core Core i7 CPU – cool, Lenovo designed this desktop for you to take to your next LAN party. With AMD or Nvidia graphics options, the C730 is also a VR-ready system.
Alienware Area-51 R5 review
The Alienware Area-51 has always been a striking machine. With its angled edges and gently glowing LED lighting there’s just nothing else like it. The unusual design is typically paired with extravagant hardware and the Area-51 R5 is no exception. Let’s see what this thing can do.
Falcon Northwest Tiki 2018 review
The original Falcon Northwest Tiki was one of our all-time favorite gaming PCs. We loved its compact form factor, powerful internals, and unique exterior design. That means the 2018 model has some big shoes to fill, let’s see how it stacks up to the latest and greatest gaming rigs.
Dell Inspiron 5680 Gaming Desktop review
If you aren't interested in building your computer, PC gaming can get expensive, but not so with the Dell Inspiron 5680 Gaming Desktop. Starting at just $600, it provides nearly everything you’d want in a cheap gaming PC. It has enough power to play modern games at reasonable framerates without breaking the bank.
Intel Hades Canyon NUC8i7HVK
The latest NUC, or Next Unit of Computing, from Intel’s lab once gain tries to make headway in the always competitive, and skeptical, world of PC gaming. Skull Canyon, the company’s last effort, was less than perfect – but the new backs up its cutting-edge Intel processor with AMD Radeon Vega graphics.
Dell XPS 8930 review
We’re always looking for an affordable way to game. The Dell XPS 8930 is packing a GTX 1060 graphics card, meaning this unassuming desktop PC has a little more than meets the eye.
Maingear F131 hands-on review
If you want a custom gaming rig, you probably want it to look special – and Maingear’s F131 might catch your eye. We went hands-on.
Intel ‘Hades Canyon’ NUC hands-on review
The first version, Skull Canyon, faltered at the starting line, but this year Intel is back with AMD Radeon RX Vega M graphics. Find out more in our hands-on.
Origin Millennium gaming desktop review
Origin has made some of our favorite high-end gaming rigs in the past. Let’s find out if the 2018 Origin Millennium puts another feather in its cap.
Asus G11DF gaming desktop review
Inexpensive PC gaming used to mean bad PC gaming, but not anymore. Our Asus G11DF review shows just how far you can get on a shoestring budget.
Apple iMac with Retina 5K Display (2017) review
It’s been years since Apples Retina 5K saw a complete re-design. Can it still compete with Windows systems? Read our Apple iMac with Retina 5K Display review to find out.
Dell Inspiron 27 7000 (2017) review
Our Dell Inspiron 27 7000 review unit, powered by AMD’s new Ryzen processor, should interest you.
Asus ROG Strix GD30CI gaming desktop review
Our Asus ROG Strix GD30CI review reveals a PC with plenty of performance, but there’s more to it than the right GPU. The Asus GD30CI falls behind on details
Velocity Micro Raptor M60 Gaming Desktop Review
With off-the-shelf components, and a mid-range price tag, the Velocity Micro M60 faces stiff competition from both ends of the price spectrum.
Origin Neuron review
As our Origin Neuron review shows, the right builder and the right case can elevate off-the-shelf parts into an amazing gaming desktop.
Alienware Area 51 (2017): Our first take
Alienware will soon release an update to its veteran Area 51 desktop that adds support for AMD Threadripper and Intel Core X processors. Don’t let the looks fool you. Practical, clever design hides beneath the boisterous case.
AVADirect Avant Midsize Gaming Desktop review
The AVADirect Avant promises high-end power on a mid-range budget, but does its off-the-peg pedigree hold it back against more carefully crafted machines?
MSI Trident 3 review
With fast components and compact design, the Trident 3 has a lot to offer, but it’s MSI’s system to screw up. Can the popular system builder avoid its previous pitfalls?
Digital Storm Velox (Kaby Lake) review
Digital Storm’s Velox is the first desktop to reach us with Intel’s Core i7-7700K processor, the latest in enthusiast-grade computing. Better still, Digital Storm has overclocked the snot out of it, hitting a stable 5GHz in the configuration we received. That’s the highest clock speed of any PC we’ve ever reviewed. It’s easy to fixate […]
Cybertron CLX Ra review
Cybertron PC’s new CLX Ra gaming desktop can’t escape some notable missteps that are strong points for its competitors. Can it compensate by saving you some cash?
Lenovo Ideacentre Y900 review
Lenovo’s mid-tower gaming desktop isn’t flashy, and many aspects of its design follow conventional rules. But the system’s attention to detail, and awesome performance, put it a cut above most.
Acer Predator G1 review
Sitting on a desk, the G1 cuts a slim figure with gaming written all over it -- but inside, things aren’t as they seem. Acer has made some compromises in search of a smaller footprint.
Alienware Alpha R2 review
The initial Alienware Alpha impressed by packing gaming hardware into a tiny box, but left much to be desired. Now the dry run is over, and the revised version of the compact gaming PC is ready to prove there’s still air left in the Alpha’s tires.
Origin Millennium (2016) review
Origin, founded by former Alienware staff, has become a major player in the arena of high-end PCs. Its flagship Millennium is now available with Intel’s beastly Core i7-6590X processor – but finds itself facing no shortage of competition.
Falcon Northwest Mach V (2016) review
Falcon’s flagship, the Mach V, isn’t the biggest desktop on the market, or the most extravagant – but it is the end result of decades of work. Can this refined, old-school rig defeat up-and-comers from Digital Storm, Origin, and others?
Digital Storm Aventum 3 review
We’ve reviewed many big, beefy desktop computers, but Digital Storm’s Aventum 3 is by far the largest. It weighs over 100 pounds -- also contains the most powerful hardware we’ve ever tested.
Senior Editor, Computing
Luke Larsen is a Senior Editor at Digital Trends and manages all content covering laptops, Macs, monitors, PC hardware, and peripherals. Around here we call it “computing,” but here’s a good rule of thumb: If it’s a computer or something that plugs into a computer, you found your guy. Oh, and these days, AI too. So much AI.
After getting a degree in music from the University of Oregon, Luke started his career in media hoping to get into music journalism. But when the opportunity arose, he landed in tech and hasn’t looked back since. He has over a decade of tech journalism experience, first joining Digital Trends in 2017 as a native Portlander, happy to join a tech media company that called his city home. Before working at DT, he worked as Tech Editor at Paste Magazine for over four years and has bylines at publications such as IGN, TouchArcade (RIP), and The Oregonian.
In his years at Digital Trends so far, Luke has covered high-profile industry events such as CES, IFA, and Microsoft Build, delivering on-the-ground coverage, breaking news, and first-hand reporting. He’s hosted countless YouTube videos, made podcast appearances, and written over 600 articles.
Some of his earliest tech memories include learning HTML through his MySpace account and trying to play Baldur’s Gate II on his parents’ dusty old beige box. These days, his obsession with technology is in telling stories with tech — in finding the narratives that ebb and flow through both technological advancement and product design, trickling right on down to our day-to-day experience of it. He is convinced that we all spend too much of our time using technology and not enough time thinking about it — cue a healthy dose of navel-gazing and philosophizing.
When he’s not endlessly debating what the best laptop is, Luke spends his days being a dad and a husband. Oh, and when there’s time (which there isn’t), he’s an avid fiction writer, player of designer board games, and still occasionally makes some music.