Amazon’s Prime Day sales event is nearly here, but the early deals on desktop PCs have already begun. This year, Prime Day will run from July 16th through July 17th, and should include solid discounts on everything from gaming PCs to all-in-ones, as well as more traditional desktop machines.
Early deals are well underway not just from Amazon, but other online sites as well, and we’ve curated the best sales on computers from all over the internet. So, whether you’re looking to update your gaming setup with a sweet new rig or you’ve had your eye on that latest all-in-one, there is no better time to snag a discounted desktop.
I’ve built my own PC from scratch, and at PCWorld, I’ve used my desktop knowledge to curate a list of the best available computer deals for several years. Other retailers have jumped in on the early Prime Day action, and some of the best desktop PC deals can even be found outside of Amazon, so I’ve included those deals too.
Read on for all of the best computer deals, and be sure to check out our Prime Day 2024 deals hub for more great sales across all the tech categories.
It might not be Prime Day yet, but there is already a killer deal on the MSI Aegis Z for $150 off on Amazon. It comes loaded with a Ryzen 7 7700 CPU and a strong RTX 4070 Super GPU. It’s a strong mid-range build all for a price that looks more like budget rig range.
If you’re on the hunt for something that’s even more budget friendly, look no further than the MSI Codex R2 for $120 off on Amazon. Sporting a Core i5-14400F CPU and RTX 4060 GPU, you’ll get strong gaming performance without breaking the bank.
Mini-PCs are all the rage and the excellent IdeaCentre Mini is currently $160 off on Lenovo. The IdeaCentre is one of the best small form-factor PCs on the market and this particular model impresses thanks to its Intel Core i5-13500H processor and 512GB of SSD storage.
Mac fans can also find good deals this week, with Amazon offering the M2 Mac Mini for $100 off on its website. The M2 is still a solid CPU and considering, if rumors are true, the M4 Mac Mini isn’t set to be released until later this year, it’s the perfect time to buy the older version at a discount — you’ll still get a great mini desktop without the exorbitant price of a new-gen Apple product.
Not to be outdone, Dell kicked off its Black Friday in July sales event recently and it has a great deal on its Inspiron 24 AiO for $250 off on its website. It features the brand new Core 7-150U processor an MX570A GPU and a generous 1TB of SSD storage. Good performance features and a functional touchscreen make this a great option for anyone looking for a powerful AiO.
Or you could decide to go big with the HP Envy AiO 34 deal for $610 off on HP. This gigantic all-in-one from HP is an absolute beauty with tons of screen real-estate thanks to its 34-inch 5K display. Plus, it even comes with an RTX 3050 discrete graphics card — unheard of in an all-in-one computer.
You’ll see a ton of options when searching for a desktop computer, but they all mainly fit into four main categories: gaming PCs, productivity PCs (towers or 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’re looking for something that will work in a home office or family room, then a productivity PC or AiO with a solid CPU and a decent amount of RAM and storage is probably the way to go. If gaming is your main concern, a gaming desktop 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.
If you’re after CPU power, look for processors with higher numerical labels. A Core i7 is more suited to gaming and more intense work than everyday tasks. Intel processors are available in Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9. Typically, the higher the number, the more powerful the CPU.
If you don’t need a ton of power, Intel Core i5 processors are your best bet, as they offer good performance at a decent price. You can get along just fine with a Core i3 for basic office and web browsing.
As for AMD options, the Ryzen 3 is good for basic productivity and web browsing, while Ryzen 5 chips rival Intel’s Core i5 as solid all-arounders. If you need more power, the Ryzen 7 chip is well suited for content creation like video editing. Finally, if you’re dealing with 4K video, spring for a Ryzen 9.
If you don’t intend to do any gaming on your computer, then feel free to save some money by going with integrated graphics. However, if you are looking to get your game on, then we recommend at least an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 or RTX 4060 as these are the least expensive discrete graphics cards that can handle 1080p gaming on High graphics settings in most games.
Thankfully, the latest-gen GPUs have begun dropping in price in pre-built systems so opt for that if you have the money and want a performance boost. But if you’re on a tight budget, then opting for a rig with a previous-generation card can allow you to save some money while still providing decent graphics quality.
As for RAM, nowadays I think it’s best to shoot for 16GB at the minimum for all systems. If you’re on a budget or just need a basic browsing machine then 8GB can suffice. Those looking to do heavy content creation such as video editing should aim for 32GB.
Storage size is dependent upon your personal needs, but it is generally a good idea to opt for an SSD over a 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 storing documents or doing 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 1TB to 2TB of 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.
