Are Walmart Gaming PCs actually THAT bad?
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Thanks to Skillshare for sponsoring this video! First 500 people will get a 2 month FREE trial here: skl.sh The new OverPowered line of gaming PC's from Walmart got slammed by other reviewers. While they do not sell these in Canada, we went down to US and got one to see for ourselves. Buy the be quiet! Silent Base 801 Newegg: lmg.gg Amazon: geni.us Buy Gaming PC Amazon: geni.us Newegg: geni.us Walmart: geni.us Purchases made through some store links may provide some compensation to Linus Media Group. Discuss on the forum: linustechtips.com ► GET MERCH: lttstore.com ► AFFILIATES, SPONSORS & REFERRALS: lmg.gg ► PODCAST GEAR: lmg.gg ► SUPPORT US ON FLOATPLANE: floatplane.com FOLLOW US ELSEWHERE --------------------------------------------------- Twitter: twitter.com Facebook: @LinusTech Instagram: @linustech TikTok: @linustech Twitch: twitch.tv MUSIC CREDIT --------------------------------------------------- Intro: Laszlo - Supernova Video Link: youtube.com iTunes Download Link: itunes.apple.com Artist Link: soundcloud.com Outro: Approaching Nirvana - Sugar High Video Link: youtube.com Listen on Spotify: spoti.fi Artist Link: youtube.com Sound effects provided by freesfx.co.uk
The video opens with the host arriving from the United States to evaluate Walmart's Overpowered gaming PC lineup, acknowledging the hype while noting initial skepticism. Early on, the presenter contrasts expectations with reality, mentioning rumors that the hardware might not live up to the marketing. The host asserts he will form his own opinion without watching other reviewers, then introduces the test bed using two identically configured systems to compare Walmart's offering against an HP Omen. He critiques the packaging, the quick start guide, and the hardware choices at a high level, highlighting concerns like a non powder-coated power supply and questionable cable management. The section sets up the core question: can the Walmart prebuilt deliver solid performance for its price, or are there fundamental flaws that prevent it from being a viable purchase? The host also points out some surprising positives, such as reasonable default configurations and competitive component selections, while foreshadowing deeper teardown observations. By mid video, the host dives into hands on evaluation, opening the Walmart unit to inspect hardware quality, assembly, and layout. He immediately notes a puzzling combination of competence and mistakes, including a low quality front USB-2 port arrangement and a questionable motherboard with limited upgrade potential. The test methodology is laid out, correlating synthetic benchmarks to real games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Assassin's Creed Origins, and Deus Ex to compare performance with the HP system. Temperature and clock speeds are monitored to determine if the Walmart machine is truly overclocked or simply misconfigured out of the box. The reviewer highlights a key observation: the Walmart system sometimes shows competitive FPS when the GPU is the bottleneck, but CPU frame times reveal notable deficits, indicating uneven performance. The analysis emphasizes that outlier issues like single-channel RAM and poor cabling degrade overall reliability and future upgradability, even when current performance looks reasonable. As the testing progresses, the reviewer disassembles and critiques the motherboard and power supply, pointing out a number of troubling details such as a single 16 GB RAM stick, questionable power wiring, and a front panel with outdated USB-2.0 ports. He calls attention to the odd choices like a USB-3 header that is hot glued in place and a 500W two-rail power supply with limited amperage headroom, arguing these design decisions constrain both stability and future expansion. The video remains critical of the balance between RGB lighting and performance value, arguing that the money is better spent on a more capable motherboard and memory configuration. The final verdict is cautious and clearly skeptical: while there are moments of competence, the overall package contains too many concrete issues to recommend buying the Walmart Overpowered PC as configured, especially given upgrade paths and reliability concerns. The host closes by noting skill development opportunities through platforms like Skillshare, but reiterates that for pure performance and upgradeability, this specific prebuilt falls short of the mark. Overall, the video blends hands-on hardware analysis with measured benchmarks to answer whether Walmart gaming PCs are as bad as some reviews suggest, leaning toward a nuanced conclusion that performance does not override several critical design flaws.
Topics · technology · reviews · hardware · gaming
Questions answered
- What was the main purpose of Linus Tech Tips' Walmart gaming PC review?
- To assess whether Walmart's Overpowered gaming PC lineup delivers solid performance for its price and to identify any design or configuration flaws that affect reliability and upgradeability.
- What were the key hardware concerns highlighted in the teardown?
- Single channel memory, non powder-coated power supply, questionable front USB ports, odd USB-3 header placement with hot glue, and a budget motherboard and power supply that limit future upgrades.