Best gaming PC deals in August 2021

So you want to play video games on your PC, huh? Well, you essentially have two basic choices. Build it yourself or buy a gaming PC. Personally, I’m in the build-your-own crowd, but it’s not always that easy. For one thing, building your own PC takes a lot of research to know what parts go with what and where and how to buy them. Then you have to build the thing, which takes a whole different level of understanding. And this day and age with all the bots snatching up the latest graphics cards and crypto miners buying them in bulk, a lot of prices have been artificially inflated.

The prevailing notion has always been that building your own PC is cheaper than a prebuilt, but that’s just not always the case anymore especially since 2020 wreaked havoc on supply lines. Plus sometimes buying a prebuilt is the best way to get access to the graphics cards you can’t find in stock, and the convenience of having someone else do the work can justify a few more bucks on occasion. Whatever your reason for needing a prebuilt gaming PC, we’ve got your back. These are the best deals available right now.

Best gaming PC deals:

HP Pavilion TG01-2260xt gaming desktop | $100 off

A simple gaming desktop with some decent specifications. It’s got an 11th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, a Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Super graphics card, 8GB RAM, and a 256GB solid state drive. If you can afford a bit more, you can upgrade a lot of that, too. Other things it comes with include 5.1-channel surround sound, plenty of expansion slots for M.2 and PCIe, a SuperSpeed USB-C port along with several USB-A ports, and more.

$799.99 at HP

Dell XPS special edition desktop

Use code SAVE12. Includes an Intel Core i5 10400 processor, a Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 6GB graphics card, 16GB RAM, a 256GB NVMe M.2 SSD, and a 1TB 7200rpm hard drive. It also comes with Windows 10 Home and is ready for virtual reality if that’s something you want to explore.

$991.75 at Dell

ABS Gladiator gaming PC | $300 off

You’ll get an Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and a 1TB M.2 NVMe solid state drive. The graphics card is a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070. There’s air cooling with a CPU cooler and three fans, Wi-Fi, and plenty of room for expansion.

$1,799.99 at Newegg

Allied Gaming Patriot desktop PC | $400 off

This desktop gaming PC is powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X processor, a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 8GB graphics card, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and a 512GB NVMe solid state drive. It has multiple DisplayPort connections, six USB 3.1 ports, some extra USB 2.0 ports, and more. There’s built-in Wi-Fi and custom case lighting.

$1,799 at Amazon

CyberPowerPC Syber M Extreme 400 gaming PC | Extra 5% off

Code SUMMIT takes an extra 5% off PCs over $1,299, bringing the total down to just $2,232. That also includes a free RAM upgrade that saves another $30. Includes an Intel Core i9 processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti graphics card, 16GB RAM, a 500GB WD Blue SN550 M.2 NVMe solid state drive, a 3TB hard drive for storage, and more.

$2,231.55 at CyberPowerPC

Alienware Aurora R10 gaming desktop

This PC has a very specific purpose: to get a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 graphics card without forking over your life savings. If you convert to the RTX 3090 (and a 1000W PSU, which is necessary) then the minimum amount you’ll pay is $2,881.19. Worth the price considering all the extras as well.

Starting at $2,881.19 at Dell

CyberPowerPC Gamer Master 9500 desktop | $257 off

Code SUMMIT takes an extra 5% off PCs over $1,299. The specifications include an AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 3.4GHz processor, 16GB RAM, and a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics card. For storage, you get a 500GB WD Blue SN550 NVMe solid state drive and a Seagate 2TB hard drive. It’s a liquid cooled machine inside a tempered glass case.

$3,358.25 at CyberPowerPC

If you want to build your own PC, go right ahead. Just be aware of some of the difficulties with the process. If you can’t be bothered with all the research and connecting of dots and just want something to game on right away, then maybe a prebuilt is more your style. Heck, if you want to play with the latest graphics you almost have to go prebuilt just to avoid how expensive modern cards are getting.