Image: Unsplash
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. The team 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 that include great hardware to ensure you get the best value for your money.
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.
Best gaming desktop computer deals
- Yeyian Tanto, Core i5/RTX 4070/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,199.00 (25% off on Newegg)
- Alienware Aurora R15, Core i9/RTX 4090/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $3,199.99 (18% off on Dell)
- Alienware Aurora R15, Core i7/RTX 4070/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,499.99 (25% off on Dell)
- MSI Codex R, Core i5/RTX 4060/32GB RAM/2TB SSD, $1,032.99 (20% off on Amazon)
- HP Victus 15L, Core i7/RTX 3060/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/1TB HDD, $879.99 (37% off on HP)
- HP Omen 40L, Core i5/RTX 4060/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,129.99 (25% off on HP)
- CLX Gaming Desktop, Core i9/RTX 4070/64GB RAM/2TB SSD/6TB HDD, $2,529.99 (21% off on Adorama)
My top picks:
The Yeyian Tanto from Newegg for $400 off is a surprisingly affordable midrange gaming PC. Call it the post-CES, impending Nvidia Super series price drop. I’m hoping that this is just the start of discounts on desktops with the older RTX 40-series GPUs. Even so, this is a great deal for a solid gaming PC with a midrange RTX 4070 graphics card for the price of some budget models.
If you won’t settle for anything but the best, then the Alienware Aurora R15 for $700 off at Dell is sure to do it. It’s chock-full of great performance features including a Core i9-13900KF processor and an Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU. Plus, they threw in 32GB of RAM which means that this desktop will be future-proofed for years to come.
Best mainstream desktop computer deals
- HP Elite Mini 600 G9, Core i3/16GB RAM/256GB SSD, $469.99 (48% off on BestBuy)
- HP Slim Desktop, Core i5/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $579.99 (28% off on HP)
- MSI Cubi 5, Core i5/8GB RAM/250GB SSD, $319.99 (49% off on Adorama)
- Apple Mac Mini, Core i5/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $419.00 (62% off on Adorama)
My top picks:
I noticed a ton of great deals this holiday season on mini-PCs and this week doesn’t disappoint. The two best deals I’ve found include the MSI Cubi 5 for $309 off and the Apple Mac Mini for $680 off on Adorama. Both of them come with almost exactly the same specs, but ultimately if I had to choose, I’d go with the MSI as its quite a bit cheaper and you only lose out on some onboard storage, which can easily be remedied with a cheap external SSD.
All-in-one desktop computers combine a PC’s hardware with a modern display to make a desktop computer that has both form and function. Since everything is built together, you can save precious desktop space with an all-in-one. They make capable work computers and they can also be excellent home computers with the wide range of features appealing to the whole family.
- IdeaCentre AiO 5i, Core i7/Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/24-inch 1080p touch display, $919.99 (18% off on Lenovo)
- Yoga AiO 9i, Core i9/Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics/16GB RAM/1TB SSD/31.5-inch 4K display, $1,599.99 (23% off on Lenovo)
- HP Envy AiO 34, Core i7/RTX 3060/16GB RAM/1TB SSD/34-inch 5K display, $1,899.99 (19% off on HP)
- Apple iMac, Core i5/Radeon Pro 5300/8GB RAM/512GB SSD/27-inch 5K display, $1,279.99 (36% off on Adorama)
My top picks:
Lenovo continues its excellent discounts on all-in-one computers with some great deals on both the IdeaCentre AiO 5i for $210 off and the flagship Yoga AiO 9i for $280off on the Lenovo website. Both are loaded with great components and the reliability that comes with any Lenovo computer. The recently redesigned Yoga AiO 9i takes the cake with a very powerful CPU and a gorgeous 4K display.
If you have the desktop space, the HP Envy AiO 34 is about as big and beautiful as an all-in-one gets with a 34-inch 5K ultra-widescreen display. It’s currently on sale for $450 off on HP. Oh, and did I mention that it comes with a discrete graphics card too? That’s practically unheard of with an all-in-one.
Computer deals FAQ
1.
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.
2.
When’s the best time to shop for a PC computer?
Typically you’ll want to time your PC computer shopping around a prominent sales period. The biggest sales periods are Black Friday/Cyber Monday in late November and Amazon Prime Day in early-to-mid July. The best sales often occur leading up to and during these two events and they are great times to snag a new PC computer for cheap. Other holiday shopping periods such as the New Year sales in January, President’s Day sales in April, and the back-to-school sales event in August are also good times to find discounts on computers.
3.
What type of desktop should I get?
You’ll see a ton of options when searching for a desktop computer, but they all mainly fit into four main categories: productivity tower PCs, gaming PCs, mini PCS, and all-in-ones (AiO). Which you should end up buying is entirely dependent upon what your needs are and what you want to do with your computer. If you are looking for something that will work in a home office or family room, then a productivity PC or AiO with a solid CPU and lots of RAM and storage is probably the way to go. If gaming is your main concern, a gaming PC can offer a lot more bang for your buck than a laptop and you should focus on getting the best GPU possible. Or if you just want something that can fit anywhere and provide basic computing then a mini PC is a good bet.
4.
What CPU and GPU should I get?
When looking at your new computer’s CPU, get at least an Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5, both of which will provide plenty of processing power for everyday computing tasks. If you don’t intend to do any PC gaming, then feel free to save some money by going with integrated graphics. However, if you are looking to get your game on, we recommend at least an Nvidia GeForce 3060 or AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, as these are the least expensive discrete graphics cards that can handle ray tracing well. If you aren’t interested in those cutting-edge lighting effects, however, the RTX 3050 and Radeon RX 6600 also provide good 1080p gaming performance at even lower prices.
5.
How much memory and storage does my PC need?
As for RAM, we think its best to shoot for 16GB at the minimum for productivity and gaming, but for family computers and internet browsing, 8GB should suffice.
Storage size is dependent upon your personal needs, but it is generally a good idea to opt for an SSD over an standard HDD as they are much faster and don’t significantly affect the price of a desktop. Before deciding, it’s best to consider what your intended use of the computer will be. Are you just doing work or web browsing? Then something like 512GB will be plenty. If you want to load up a lot of large files such as games or content creation projects, then you’ll need at least 1 or 2TB or storage. However, just remember that even if your computer doesn’t have enough storage built-in you can always upgrade your SSD or go with an external drive to increase your available storage options.
6.
Is it a good idea to buy a refurbished computer?
Refurbished computers are used machines that have been repaired, upgraded, and cleaned for the purpose of reselling. They’re usually open-box returns, overstock, or models with minor cosmetic damage (scratches, scuffs, etc). Refurbished computers can be a bargain hunter’s dream as they’re likely still in good (or great) condition and you can save a lot of money. That being said, refurbished computers can have their downsides as well. In addition to cosmetic blemishes, some of the internal components might be a little older or outdated and they might not be in peak condition due to previous usage.
If you do consider buying a refurbished computer I recommend looking at eBay as they offer a one-year warranty. You can also check out manufacturer’s retail storefronts like Dell’s Outlet Store and Apple’s Refurbished Store—just be sure to look at the terms of warranty offered before purchasing.
Author: Sam Singleton, Assistant Editor
Sam Singleton is a tech editor and PCWorld’s jack of all trades. When he’s not on the hunt for the best computer deals he’s covering VPNs, productivity software, laptops, and a wide gamut of consumer-grade hardware and software.
