Best Desktop Deals | PCMag
Retailers like Dell and HP are celebrating the arrival of summer with price cuts that are worth breaking a sweat over. These seasonal sales mean now a great time to pick up a new rig for all your computing needs, whether you’re gaming, working from home, or just want a reliable workstation for sending emails and producing documents.
Though the portability of a laptop is enticing, you can’t beat the bang-for-your-buck of a desktop computer. If you’re reading this, then you probably agree. For those who are more hands-on, a desktop is endlessly customizable, allowing you to swap out parts as your needs change and even add in your own lighting. Here are the best deals we’ve been able to find on desktops for gaming, productivity, and everything in between.
Best Home and Office Desktop Deals
Our current best value pick is the Dell Inspiron 3020 with a 13th Gen Intel i5 CPU, a 512GB SSD, and 16GB of RAM. This makes a great daily use desktop that won’t break the bank. If you need more power in order to perform tasks like video editing and 3D rendering, give the Dell XPS a look. The RTX 4060 Ti GPU is powerful, though you may want to add more RAM depending on how intensive your work is.
This Inspiron 3020 desktop has a 13th Gen Intel i7 processor, a 512GB SSD, and 16GB of RAM, plus it comes with a Dell Multimedia Keyboard (KB216) and a Dell Optical Mouse (MS116). The compact tower will fit easily into your workspace and it includes a number of ports including an HDMI 1.4 port, a DisplayPort 1.4, 2 USB 2.0 ports, and more.
Dell XPS 8960 Desktop
Intel i7 RTX 3050 512GB SSD, RTX, 8GB RAM, 13th Gen
$949.99
at Dell
$1,249.99
Save $300.00
In our review of a similar configuration, the XPS 8960 earned our Editors’ Choice award and our reviewer called it “a rig with the looks and chops for both work and play.” The sleek, modern tower houses a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, a 512GB SSD, and 8GB of RAM, which is perfect for daily computing and working from home. The RTX 3050 GPU is sufficient for casual gaming and graphic design.
The HP Envy TE01 is a comfortably-priced configuration that is powered by the latest 14th Gen Intel Core i7 processor. This desktop will handle a variety of tasks from web browsing to document processing. A similar configuration received an “Excellent” rating from our expert, who called it a “proficient everyday PC, offering excellent productivity.” A wired keyboard and mouse combo are included.
Best Home and Office Desktop Deals
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
Best Gaming Desktop Deals
Our midrange recommendation is the MSI Pro DP180 with an Intel i7 CPU and RTX 4060 GPU, which will handily run most modern-day as well as handle content creation. Those searching for a gaming powerhouse should take a look at the Alienware Aurora R16 with a 14th Gen Intel i7, a powerful RTX 4070 Super GPU, a 1TB SSD, and 16GB of RAM. This configuration will be able to play modern day titles at max settings.
Recommended by Our Editors
This HP Victus 15L can do it all whether you’re gaming or working. The 13th Gen Intel i7 processor is snappy and multitasks well, plus the 16GB of RAM will easily handle resource-intensive programs and games. The RTX 3060 graphics card will run a gamut of modern day titles at their highest settings and the dual storage solution of a 1TB HDD and 512GB SSD will boot quickly plus hold all your important files. Also included is the HP 310 white wired keyboard and mouse combo. All of this for less than a grand? Now that’s a good deal.
Alienware Aurora R16
Intel i9, RTX 4070 Ti Super 1TB SSD, 16GB RAM
$1,899.99
at Dell
$2,399.99
Save $500.00
Our expert gave an Alienware Aurora R16 gaming desktop with similar specs an “Excellent” rating as well as the editor’s choice award, calling it “a new chapter for the Alienware brand” thanks to the refreshed design that offers quieter operation, more speed, and more mainstream appeal. This configuration includes a powerful 13th Gen Intel Core i9 processor, an RTX 4060 graphics card, a 1TB SSD, and 16GB of RAM. Per usual, you can customize the zonal AlienFX lighting to suit your tastes and make your tower your own.
MSI Pro DP180 Desktop
Intel i7, RTX 4060, 2TB SSD, 32GB RAM, 13th Gen
$1,299.99
at Best Buy
$1,499.99
Save $200.00
This high-powered gaming desktop by MSI features a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU, an RTX 4060 GPU, and 32GB of RAM. The huge 2TB SSD will hold plenty of games and 32GB of RAM make running resource-heavy applications and multitasking a breeze. Plus, there are plenty of connectivity options, including a media card slot, 8 USB ports, an HDMI output, and two Ethernet ports. Also included with your purchase is a wired MSI mouse and keyboard.
Best Gaming Desktop Deals
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HP Victus 15L Intel i7 RTX 3060 Dual Drive 16GB RAM Desktop
for
$829.99
(List Price $1,399.99)
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Alienware Aurora R16 Intel i9 RTX 4060 1TB SSD Desktop
for
$1,299.99
(List Price $1,499.99)
-
MSI Pro DP180 Intel i5 RTX 4060 2TB SSD Desktop
for
$999.99
(List Price $1,199.99)
-
Alienware Aurora R16 Intel i7 RTX 4070 Super 1TB Desktop
for
$1,499.99
(List Price $1,899.99)
-
MSI Pro DP180 Intel i7 RTX 4060 2TB SSD 32GB RAM Desktop
for
$1,299.99
(List Price $1,499.99)
-
Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Ryzen 7 RTX 4070 Super 1TB Desktop
for
$1,449.99
(List Price $2,079.99)
-
Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Intel i7 RTX 4070 1TB SSD Desktop
for
$1,599.99
(List Price $1,999.99)
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
How much should I pay for a desktop computer?
Your money goes further with desktop PCs and their components versus laptops. You can find complete mini PCs for less than $400, and perfectly serviceable small towers for $400 to $600. Gaming desktops with dedicated graphics cards start at around $500 to $600. You can also find all-in-one (AIO) desktops, with the display and all of the computing components built into a single device, starting at around $400. The sky’s the limit once you get into high-end gaming PCs and business-workstation power desktops, but the prices above are the right range for most mainstream buyers.
Is it better to get an all-in-one computer or desktop?
Traditional tower desktops offer the most upgrade and power flexibility, at the cost of bulk. Most towers have generous interior space and full-size motherboards, so you can install one or more (sometimes, many more) secondary storage drives, more RAM in empty slots on the motherboard, and a video card (if the PC doesn’t come with one). PC gamers will want to stick with a traditional tower.
An all-in-one desktop’s big appeal is saving you lots of space, since the PC is built right in, with the components living behind the display. It comes down to how much you care about the desk area your PC uses up, and whether you happen to be shopping for a desktop monitor at the same time. Budget AIOs with basic feature sets are common, but spending more can gain you some combination of a touch-enabled screen, a panel with a high native resolution, roomier storage, and a more muscular processor. Higher-end AIO desktops tend to cater, though, to content creators and productivity-app power users, not gamers.
Is it cheaper to build a PC or buy one right now?
It depends, largely, on the kind of desktop you are looking to buy or build. At the low end, economies of scale for the components, plus the cost of single Windows 10 or 11 licenses, tend to make buying a prebuilt PC a better deal. It’s when you get into the $1,000-and-up zone that building your own starts to make more sense, especially if you can reuse parts from an existing PC build. For the last few years, the inflated cost of graphics cards made building your own PC a lot less attractive. That price pressure has relented in 2023, though.
How much does a good budget PC cost?
Expect to pay a solid $400 to $500 for a basic, competent small tower for day-in/day-out productivity and web work. You’ll find plenty of models below $400, especially in the mini PC class, but you should insist on at least 8GB of system memory for any Windows machine, and, for anything beyond very basic productivity work, a Core i3 or Ryzen 3 processor.
What Are Good Websites to Find Computer Deals?
Why, right here on PCMag! We have dedicated deals articles, as well as comprehensive lists of configurations suited to different users.
When’s the Best Time to Shop for a PC?
Black Friday is typically the best time to buy electronics (computers included). You can also shop around the Back-to-School season, which starts in July and usually features price drops on configurations geared toward productivity.
Who Has the Best Deals on Refurbished Desktops?
Dell Outlet is a great source of certified refurbished desktops in a variety of conditions. Best Buy Outlet also deals in expert refurbished computers, but they also offer open-box options that are like-new and can save you some serious cash.
Is It Cheaper to Buy a Desktop Than a Laptop?
Desktops are usually a better value than laptops because your money goes further with desktop components. Building your own PC will often be the cheapest option, but for those who don’t have the know-how, even a pre-built PC tends to cost less than its laptop equivalent.
Best Desktop Under $800?
Our experts have named the Acer Aspire TC-1760-UA92 their top budget pick for its peppy performance and Wi-Fi 6 support—all for only $639. Check out our top picks for The Best Cheap Desktop PCs for more budget options.
Best Gaming Desktop Under $1,000?
Available for just $749, the NZXT Player: One earned PCMag’s Editors’ Choice award for its excellent 1080p gaming performance and well-made, upgradable build.
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