Introduction
Ever since the introduction of computers and the technology, the world has been accelerating very fast and the computing world is surely seeing the all time high in terms of power output, efficiency, compatibility and the portability. With that, the debate over the best PC platform have been intense. Which stands out as the best choice in 2025 for you an Apple M series or a Pre- Built PC or a Custom PC. This question surely stands out due to the recent advancements in the Apple M series chipsets which are designed to be so powerful yet efficient and is redefining the PC space that was dominated by PC tech giants like Intel, AMD, NVIDIA for many years. With every brand vying to compete for the top ladder and to dominate the competitors, as consumers it is a win for us as we get powerful machines with no compromises. So, without further ado, let’s get on with this blog as we go through this very question to help you out figure which of these machines will be the best for you.
Difference of Pre- Built PC and Custom PC
Before we dive right into the main debate about the differences in all the mentioned PCs lets just take a short break to understand the difference in the Pre-Built and Custom PC section. These two are pretty similar when it comes to the basic understandings, but, if we look deeper into the surface that’s where we can understand the differences.
Pre- Built PC is a type of pc that comes like the name suggest oriented and made by the companies or third parties with specific numbers and users in mind. Pre- Built PCs do use the same processors as the Custom PCs i.e. Intel and AMD processors but the differences come into the specific parts like the graphics card, the motherboard, the type of cooling or the number of fans, colour choices, upgradability, etc.
If you are a type of person who knows what work needs to be done and what exactly suits and meets your demands but are not really into tech or too focused into the minute numbers, then the Pre- Built PCs are the way to go. It saves time, effort and the hassle of learning curve.
Custom PCs are what we call the ultimate freedom and creativity of a person in regards to their budget as well. One of the more versatile machines to be found are in the Custom PCs. Down from the colour of the fans and casing to the very numbers of each RAM sticks or the Motherboards is what makes the main differences. If you are the type of person who doesn’t mind putting in a little learning curve and is well aware of the very numbers of each part that you require or will be needing in the future, then this machine is for you.
Alright now that we have this out of the way lets go ahead!
Gaming: The High-Performance Battleground
The gaming section has always been the biggest battleground for the latest specs, highest fps, fastest internet receptors, etc. It has always been the forefront of technological advancements in both hardware and software. From the immersive experiences of AAA titles to the competitive edge required in e-sports, gaming pushes these devices to their limits and the demands are not just about raw power but as already mentioned, gamers need high refresh rates, quick load times and ofcourse compatibility with cutting-edge peripherals. So, as we enter into the year 2025, we can currently see three contenders dominating the scene and they are: Apple M-series devices, custom-built PCs, and prebuilt PCs. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, and their performance in the gaming arena is a key metric for all the users.
Apple M series
The Apple’s M-series chips that has been redefining the tech space, especially with the launch of the new M3 and M4 chipsets in their MacBook Eco- system bringing unmatched power efficiency and impressive GPU performance. The M4 features freaking 16 GPU cores and delivers over 30 teraflops of computing power which is a big leap forward compared to the M2. But however, event with all these amazing specs on paper and for other professional usage, in the gaming sector Apple M series still struggles to catch up and become a gaming beast. Apple despite after putting all the efforts like Game Mode, automatic graphics switching to optimize macOS for gaming, the platform has a very limited catalogue of AAA titles and it still lacks mainstream compatibility with most popular platforms like Steam where almost all the games are while also boasting over 120 million monthly active users. While Apple’s Metal API shows promise with up to 20% faster rendering in optimized games, the ecosystem continues to cater primarily to casual gamers and niche titles.
Custom PC
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Custom PCs will always remain the ultimate gaming machines in our opinion. As it comes with support for the latest Intel Core i9 14900K or the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D CPUs which is then paired with NVIDIA’s RTX 4090 delivering up to 83 teraflops of FP32 performance or paired with the AMD’s RX 7900 XTX, featuring 24GB of GDDR6 memory which means that this custom PC is delivering unparalleled performance in any of the sector. They offer excellent universal compatibility with access to every game title and platform and we also have to remember that these games are being developed by the companies with gamers of this section in mind. The Custom PC also provides a lot of options of customization like already mentioned in the intro of the blog like the type of cooling you want or the colours like RGB and even the high refresh rate monitors. Finally, this section still dominates the other two types of PCs in our blog today is because of it’s upgradability meaning it can run a new processor as long as the motherboard supports it, a whole new graphics card, whole new cooling systems, etc. This is future proofing at its peak for gamers who do not have the budget to go buy every highest spec component at the very moment or even for those who like to stay ahead with the latest pieces of tech
Pre- Built PC
As mentioned in the intro, these machines are not that different than the Custom PCs as both the options operate pretty much on the same processors and graphic cards which further gives them the universal compatibility with almost all the gaming platforms a custom pc can access. While the Prebuilt PCs have significantly improved offering really high-quality builds from trusted brands like Alienware, HP Omen, and ASUS ROG. These systems were made keeping the user i.e. to gamers who prioritize convenience over customization, but these surely do come at a premium pricing. These builds have very limited upgradability and proprietary parts are few drawbacks that these systems have, other than that, these machines are a beast in terms of gaming as they were specifically designed to take it to the extremes in the gaming scene.
So, to conclude this section, our recommendations for the gamers is going to be the custom PCs as they still reign supreme in 2025 due to unmatched flexibility with their pricing and performance, while prebuilt PCs are suitable for plug-and-play enthusiasts who do not want to go through too much of the hassle to read each and every part. With PC Kumar you can custom build your dream PC today according to your budget and needs. We also have the Pre- Built PCs which can be tweaked according to your ultimate needs, feel free to go through our website for the options.
If you already own the Mac then the Apple’s M-series still remains a secondary option for casual gaming.
Content Creation: Efficiency vs Performance
Now lets quickly come out of the gaming scene as we know that not everyone likes to game and is more focused towards content creation. In this section we are going to see which of the three can you take if you were to say edit videos in ultra-high resolutions, edit or photoshop your next big product ad or even produce the next big hit in the music industry.
Here’s a table comparing Apple M-Series, Custom PCs, and Pre-Built PCs for content creation:
| Feature | Apple M-Series | Custom PCs | Pre-Built PCs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Performance | Optimized for video editing, rendering, and graphic design with native ProRes support. | Unmatched raw power with multi-GPU setups, high RAM capacity, and CUDA cores for faster rendering. | Balanced performance depending on the configuration, good for plug-and-play usability. |
| Rendering Speed | 10-min 4K video in 5-7 mins (M4 chip, Final Cut Pro). | 10-min 4K video in 3-4 mins (Intel i9-14900K, RTX 4090, Premiere Pro). | Varies based on specs, typically slower than high-end custom PCs. |
| Software Optimization | Best-in-class optimization with Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and GarageBand. | Fully supports Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Blender, and more with high performance. | Good optimization but lacks Apple’s efficiency or custom PC’s raw power. |
| Upgradability | Limited, non-user-upgradable RAM and SSD. | Highly upgradable – RAM, GPU, SSD, and more. | Limited upgradability; some models allow RAM & storage upgrades. |
| Portability | Highly portable, ideal for on-the-go professionals. | Not portable, built for desktop setups. | Desktop-based, varies by model. |
| Eco-System | Seamless Apple ecosystem with AirDrop, iCloud, and device integration. | No ecosystem advantages but allows full customization of software & hardware. | No dedicated ecosystem but easier setup than custom builds. |
| Display Support | Supports 8K workflows and multiple high-resolution displays. | Supports 8K monitors, ultra-wide setups, and multi-display configurations. | Supports high-resolution displays but depends on GPU selection. |
| Ease of Use | Plug-and-play with MacOS stability. | Requires technical knowledge to assemble and maintain. | Plug-and-play, no technical skills needed. |
| Cost | Expensive but optimized for performance at that price. | Varies (Budget to high-end, but best price-to-performance ratio). | Can be expensive, especially high-end workstations. |
| Best For | Professionals needing efficiency, portability, and software optimization. | High-performance users needing extreme power for 3D rendering, VFX, and multitasking. | Beginner to mid-level creators wanting a reliable system without customization hassles. |
Professional Use: Productivity and Specialized Workloads
As for the last topic being the productivity and office workloads, lets quickly go through this section before concluding this blog.
Professionals in the fields like those of accounting, stock trading, and programming demand a high performance, really reliable, a seamless software compatibility and the most important security often prioritise devices with Apple’s M-series chips as it delivers exceptional performance per watt, a long battery life and the benefits and security of the mac OS’s ecosystem. The macOS includes features like the Sidecar, Handoff and Continuity which offer features that enables enhanced multitasking and integration across various apple devices which ultimately makes them a strong choice for coding and general productivity. But despite all of that, the macOS may pose some limitations when running a specialized enterprise software or tools designed exclusively for the Windows OS.
The Custom PC on the other hand shines in the niche requirements that fulfils the customised hardware and software integration that the apple failed to provide. For instance, a financial analyst might need a multi-monitor trading setup which can benefit from being powered by the NVIDIA’s RTX GPUs, while a developer might rely more on server-grade setups with AMD’s EPYC processors for handling the virtualization or compiling complex codebases. So, the ability to upgrade and customize components like GPUs, CPUs, and RAM makes custom PCs ideal for scaling with specific professional needs.
Meanwhile, the prebuilt PCs like the Lenovo ThinkPads and HP EliteBooks still remain a staple in the professional workspace providing enough performance in a budget and saving a big-time hassle for the organisation to custom build every single system. These machines offer more of enterprise-grade reliability along with a robust security feature like the TPM 2.0 and encrypted drives and comprehensive warranties with a dedicated customer support. In general, these systems excel in balancing the performance with the ease of use like we already mentioned the plug and play kind of setup which makes them a preferred choice for large organizations and enterprises.
Conclusion
To sum up all of the information in the blog, it ultimately depends on the specific requirements of the user themselves to choose among Apple M-series devices or custom PCs or the prebuilt systems. As, while an Apple’s device may offer unmatched integration and ease of use, really good performance for its costing, a custom PC can provide unparalleled flexibility and performance which often is budget friendly, and the prebuilt systems can deliver performance and reliable output of results often come at a costlier price, but for the enterprise section it can be a very good investment for you if you wish to have your own office.
Before we part off, we provide the best custom and prebuilt PC options so feel free to reach out to us and get a consultation for building your dream PC.
