Spending less on a PC doesn’t always mean you get a better deal

Traditionally, one requires the best graphics card they can afford in order to enjoy their favorite PC games. Then along came AMD’s accelerated processing units (APU), which is a fancy name for a CPU that has integrated graphics processing. This isn’t anything new since thge majority of Intel’s processors come with a GPU of some kind, but these are Radeon GPU cores.

You can find AMD APUs inside pre-built PCs that are within the $1,000 range since they often do not come with dedicated graphics cards that can really bump up the price of the PC as a whole. Since it’s Cyber Monday, Amazon is discounting a number of HP devices, including a Pavilion desktop PC with an AMD Ryzen 7 5000 series APU for $660.

That sounds like a good deal on paper (and it is) until you look at the insides of this chassis. Some of the most vital components are proprietary, which means if something breaks, you’ll need to go through HP to get a replacement if it still has them available at that point. Both the motherboard and PSU are not standard and means you won’t be able to replace them easily.

To make matters worse is the PSU, which has an output reportedly less than 200W. You won’t be able to install a GPU of your own, not that you’d want to with a single rear fan for case airflow. $660 seems like a great deal, but it really isn’t when you consider all the above. Because of this, we’ve spotted a PC with similar specifications for $200 more and it’s all standard parts.

A Better PC Deal:
AVGPC Q-Box Series Gaming PC

This is the right PC deal here. It’s full of standard parts, the case has better airflow, and you even get an AIO cooler for the CPU to keep it all cool. The best part is the PSU, which will allow you to throw in a dedicated graphics card later down the road.

$845 at Amazon

Inside this PC is the same AMD Ryzen 7 5700G, which is more than enough for even modern PC games. Then there’s 16GB of RAM, an AIO cooler for the CPU, a 550W power supply, and a 500GB SSD for storing the OS and all your favorite games on.

We’re big fans of DIY here at Windows Central, especially for PC building and upgrading. We simply cannot recommend this HP deal and would ratheer shell out an additional $200 for a better experience in the long run. We urge you to do the same or keep an eye out for other APU PCs that go on sale.

Looking to buikd your own PC or make a few upgrades? We’re rounding up the best Cyber Monday PC parts deals!