Whether you’re looking for a productivity desktop, a gaming PC powerhouse, or a stylish all-in-one Windows machine, we’ve got you covered. We at PCWorld sort through all of the daily computer sales and put together a curated list of the best deals available. But not all deals are really deals, so we only choose those offered by reputable companies and include great hardware to ensure you get the best value for your money.
Currently, we’re seeing some great deals on gaming computers from the likes of iBuyPower and CyberpowerPC. Dell is also running deals on all-in-ones and they have put some of their high-end line of Alienware gaming computers on clearance this week. We’ve also included some helpful answers to common questions about buying a computer at the bottom of this article. If you’re considering a laptop instead, be sure to check out our best laptop deals, updated daily.
Note: Tech deals come and go quickly, so it’s possible some of these computer discounts will have expired before this article’s next update.
Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R10
The slick and futuristic computers from Alienware are usually worth the high prices, but it’s even better if you can score one on a clearance deal like this. This Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R10 comes with a Ryzen 7 5800, a Radeon RX 6800 XT, 16GB RAM, a 1TB PCIe SSD, and a 1TB 7200RPM HDD.
It’s a bit on the high end for a budget rig, but if you can, getting an RX 6800 XT and 2TB of storage for this price is a bargain.
Zotac Gaming MEK Hero G1
Zotac might not be on your radar, but it has tons of near perfect reviews on Amazon and it is on a killer discount right now. This model sports a Core i7-11700KF, GeForce RTX 3060, 16GB RAM, and a 1TB PCIe SSD. Decent specs for a budget gaming PC and anything that pushes the lower $1000 range with these components plus liquid cooling will always represent a great deal.
HP Pavilion Gaming PC
HP has its own line of less flashy gaming PCs apart from its premium Omen line of gaming computers. While they might not have all of the RGB and style of their more expensive brethren, they still pack great components and make solid options—especially when on sale.
This model comes with a Ryzen 7 5700G, GeForce RTX 3060, 16GB RAM, a 512GB PCIe SSD, and a 1TB 7200 RPM HDD.
CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme
This entry-level build from CyberPowerPC gets you all of the hardware to play AAA games without breaking the bank. It might not be able to deliver the best quality on all games, but for those on a budget it’s a great value. It comes with a Core i5-11400F, GeForce RTX 3050, 8GB RAM, and a 500GB PCIe SSD.
CyberpowerPC Gamer Master
Now is the apparently the time to grab a CyberpowerPC as there are some great options on sale. This CyberpowerPC Gamer Master is one of the better deals we have come across recently.
It comes loaded with a Ryzen 7 5700G, GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, 16GB RAM, and a 1TB PCIe SSD. Just to sweeten the deal, they also throw in a CyberpowerPC gaming mouse and keyboard.
HP All-in-One 24
If you’re in the market for a basic no-frills all-in-one for your business or home office, then this deal is for you. The HP All-in-One 24 comes with a Ryzen 5 5625U, AMD Radeon integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB PCIe SSD, and a 1TB 7200 RPM HDD. The screen is 23.8 inches and has a resolution of 1920×1080. The specs might not be flashy, but it comes with a ton of storage and will work just fine for anyone looking to get a new budget-friendly desktop all-in-one.
iBuyPower PC SlateMR 281a
This iBuyPower PC SlateMR 281a is being offered at a pretty killer deal. It comes with a Ryzen 5 5600G, GeForce RTX 3060, 16GB RAM, and a 500GB SSD. It’s rare to find computers packing an RTX 3060 for less than $1,000, even with the recent decrease in GPU prices. The specs are pretty standard, but enough to do ray tracing and get you 60fps on most AAA titles. It is a solid budget gaming PC for an even lower price.
HP Envy
Want a slick looking home office or family computer? This HP Envy desktop computer comes with everything you need to be productive and still has the chops for light gaming as well. It comes with a Core i5-12400, GeForce RTX 3050, 8GB RAM, and a 256GB PCIe SSD. The onboard storage is quite low, but thankfully external hard drives are cheap enough that this still represents a good deal.
Inspiron 24 Touch
Dell’s Inspiron line of all-in-ones represent good value for the money and this deal is no exception. This Inspiron is a 24-inch touch screen AiO with a Core i5-1235U, Intel UHD integrated graphics, 8GB RAM, and a 256GB PCIe SSD. It also has a display resolution of 1920×1080, a built-in webcam, and speakers. The touch screen is a nice added feature that will make this a good all-around option for a family computer.
Dell doesn’t typically offer stellar discounts on their AiOs, so while not outstanding, this deal is about as good as it gets outside of major consumer sales periods such as Black Friday.
FAQ
What are good websites to find computer deals?
There are a ton of sites that sell computers, and scouring through all of them would take you a lot of time—that’s why we do it for you here and highlight the best deals we find. However, to save you some time and frustration, you need to be smart about where you look at any given time of the year.
If you’re looking for a new computer during the holidays or around popular sale periods such as Black Friday or back-to-school, then you are likely to find great deals directly through first party vendor websites. These include the retail storefronts of popular computer manufacturers such as HP, Dell, and Lenovo.
However, if you are looking in between sales periods, it’s generally a good idea to search through large third-party retailers such as Amazon, Adorama, Walmart, BestBuy, and Newegg. Oftentimes these websites will offer limited Deals of the Day type sales in hopes of getting rid of excess stock. On the upside, you can score still-decent PCs at a steep discount.
When are the best times to find computer deals?
Generally speaking, the best deals are offered during the big sales events each year. These include Prime day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the back-to-school period, among others. You will typically see the lowest prices of the year for computers during these events.
That being said, there are opportunities to find one-off sales on computers throughout the year from both first- and third-party vendors. These sales are much harder to predict and usually have a time limit, such as one day or one week. Realistically, the only way to find these sales is by checking vendor websites every day.
What specs should I look for in a good gaming computer?
Since desktop computers don’t have the same restrictions on component size or portability as laptops, the price-to-component ratios are mercifully cheaper than they are in gaming notebooks. This means you can get more gaming bang for your buck in a desktop gaming PC.
When it comes to gaming, the two most important pieces of hardware you’ll want to focus on are the CPU and GPU. Think of the CPU as the heart of your computer, ultimately determining how your system will perform when running software. When looking at a computer’s CPU, you should pay attention to the processor core count which usually ranges from two to 16 cores. At a minimum, you will want four cores, but you might be able to get up to eight cores without stretching your budget too much. For high-end systems, you should be looking at between eight and 16 cores. Although even for high-level gaming, having more than eight cores won’t add much benefit.
A good GPU is essential for gaming and it is going to be the component you will want to splurge on the most. For budget gamers a card that offers affordability and ray tracing is the sweet spot. These include the Nvidia RTX 3060 or AMD RX 6600 or 6600 XT. If you want to game in 4K, it is probably best to go with Nvidia’s RTX 3080 or AMD’s RX 6800 XT.
Beyond the CPU and GPU, the other hardware components are less crucial. As for RAM, you should opt for a minimum of 8GB, but ideally 16GB is better—anything over 16GB is largely unnecessary for gaming purposes. RAM is also relatively inexpensive and easy to upgrade if you need more in the future.
For your hard drive, you will want to have at least one SSD, preferably an M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD if you can afford it. SSDs are faster than their spinning disc predecessors and will boot your games faster and provide improved load times. Storage size is more of a personal preference. You should consider the types of games you will want to play and how many you intend to download. If you plan to store a lot of games on your computer, then you will most likely want a 1TB or larger drive. Note that it’s not uncommon for modern games to have file sizes over 100GB.
What makes a good home office computer?
A home office computer should fulfill all of the needs you have for your work. If you work with spreadsheets and multiple programs, you will want a good processor. If you are a content creator then you will need lots of RAM and a blazing fast hard drive.
You should also consider other points such as available space and portability. If you are limited on space, you might want to consider an all-in-one which combines the computer component and monitor into one compact unit. If you don’t want to be fixed to one location, then you might consider purchasing a laptop over a desktop. If so, check out our best laptop deals section.
What are the benefits of buying a desktop computer over a laptop?
The main benefit is the cost-to-component ratio. Due to the nature of their use, laptops have design restrictions that desktops simply don’t have. This means you can generally find better hardware in a desktop for cheaper than you can in a laptop.
Desktops also have the unique advantage of being able to pack in better cooling systems. These dissipate more heat and allow your hardware to run more effectively. Also, desktops are easier to upgrade and expand if you choose to do so.
For a more in-depth analysis you can read our 5 reasons to buy a desktop PC instead of a laptop.
Author: Sam Singleton, Assistant Editor
Sam Singleton is a tech editor located in Japan. At PCWorld, he covers productivity software, laptops, and a wide gamut of consumer-grade hardware and software.