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Choosing whether or not to invest in one of the best gaming PCs during Black Friday gaming PC deals is a decision that’s haunted many PC gamers (including me) for many years now. However, given that some of the best graphics cards for gaming and other PC components have become harder than ever to get your hands on, then buying a prebuilt machine this time around really is the ideal way to go – especially when some of the biggest names in the industry see some of their lowest prices of the year.
There are many different gaming PC brands on the market right now, so we’ve got you covered below by breaking down some of the major players, taking a look at some deals on right now, and advising you which models are worth paying particular attention to. Because online retailers such as Dell (opens in new tab), Best Buy (opens in new tab), and Ebuyer (opens in new tab) are holding early Black Friday sales right now (the latter two stores are offering a price match guarantee, meaning that you’ll be refunded the difference should the discounts get any cheaper on Black Friday itself), it’s certainly a good time to get up to scratch with what’s out there.
Which gaming PC should you buy on Black Friday?
With so many gaming PC prebuilt options on the market right now, it can be confusing to know what to look for on Black Friday. That’s why you’ll find a few of our favorite models below. These have, historically, offered fantastic value for money as well as being high-quality machines in their own right.
Acer Predator Orion
Excellent value but might be difficult to find
CPU:: Up to Intel Core i7-11700F | GPU: : Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 | Memory:: Up to 32GB RAM | Storage: : Up to 2TB HDD + 1TB SSD
Stellar price-to-performance ratioEase of upgrading Well built for the asking priceSome configurations are hard to find
In terms of gaming PC brands that we recommend watching out for during Black Friday this year, the Acer Predator Orion 3000 is our number one rig of the year during the 2021 Hardware Awards. This is because of its affordable price point, respectable specs, and easy upgrading potential. It’s also one of the more easily available gaming PCs, and one of the cheaper models available from major retailers to feature an RTX 3070 GPU or above.
Unfortunately, the Acer Predator Orion 3000 is a little challenging to get your hands on at the moment with few retailers carrying stock of the more high-end models. It’s currently available at Walmart, with one budget configuration retailing for a reasonable rate of $849 (opens in new tab) for a variant featuring an 11th generation i5 CPU and a GTX 1660 Super GPU. We’re hoping that more units roll out sooner as we crawl ever closer to Black Friday itself.
Alienware Aurora
All-in-one premium PC gaming at a price
CPU: Up to Intel Core-i9 12900KF / AMD Ryzen 9 5950X | GPU: Up to Nvidia RTX 3090 | Memory: Up to 64GB DDR4 RAM | Storage: Up to 1TB NVMe SSD / 1TB HDD
Great performance for the money Regularly on sale / discounted Lots of customization optionsCan get quite expensivePlastic chassis
Alienware has made some of our favorite gaming PCs in recent years, including the Alienware Aurora line which has recently received an upgrade thanks to the Alienware Aurora R13 with Intel specs and the Ryzen-powered Alienware R14. That means older models should drop in cost for Black Friday, so we’re expecting the excellent Alienware Aurora R12 (Intel) and Alienware Aurora R10 (Ryzen) – two of our favorite gaming PCs on the market right now – to hit some record lowest-ever prices. Fingers crossed, anyway.
Over at Dell at the moment, we’re seeing huge discounts on the Alienware Aurora R12; many models featuring 11th-generation Intel CPUs and RTX 30 series graphics cards are hitting their most aggressive price points of the year. For example, right now you can get your hands on an Alienware Aurora R12 configuration complete with an RTX 3060 Ti for just $1,371.99 (reduced from $2,000) (opens in new tab) which is its historic lowest ever price. And although we’ve seen several Alienware gaming PC models reach some of their lowest prices of the year in the Dell Black Friday Sneak Peek sale (opens in new tab), we’re anticipating even lower rates on the day itself.
HP Omen 25L / 30L
Affordable power from a trusted brand
CPU: Up to Intel Core i9-10900K / AMD Ryzen 9 5900X | GPU: Up to RTX 3090 24GB | Memory: Up to 64GB DDR4 RAM | Storage: 2TB NVMe SSD + 2TB HDD
Competitively priced Readily available Powerful and compact Small interior makes upgrading challenging
The HP Omen line of prebuilt gaming PCs is one of the more readily available ranges from major online retailers, as well as one of the more competitively priced models in comparison to some PC manufacturers at the moment.
Currently, at Amazon, you can get yourself an HP Omen 30L RTX 3060 gaming PC for only $1,479.07 (opens in new tab), a variant featuring an AMD Ryzen 5 5600 CPU and a 1TB SSD. Similarly, on the cheaper end of things, you can pick up an HP Omen rig with a GTX 1660 Super and a 10th generation i5 for just $1,285 (opens in new tab). What’s more, HP Omen gaming PCs are plentiful at both Best Buy (opens in new tab) and Walmart (opens in new tab) as well, and while they’re mostly budget models, they’re a good shout if you’ve been after an affordable gaming rig from a trusted retailer.
Buying a boutique-built gaming PC on Black Friday
Certain retailers, such as Newegg (opens in new tab) (in the US) and Ebuyer (opens in new tab) (in the UK) sell their own in-house gaming PCs, which are sure to be deeply discounted on the day based on the deals we’re already seeing. These are the ABS and AlphaSync lines respectively, though we’ve seen Skytech and iBuyPower hit historic low prices around this time period in the past, too, just to name a few.
ABS Master / Gladiator
The two most recent – and more popular – ABS configurations that you can pick up from Newegg right now are the Master and Gladiator builds. The main difference between the two is the GPUs used, as Master units tend to be a little more budget-friendly and Gladiator machines are aimed more at the enthusiast level.
Fortunately, regardless of preference, deals are commonplace and offer exceptional value on rigs with in-demand GPUs selling at aggressive price points. What’s more, consumer parts are used here, such as G.Skill TridentZ RGB RAM (the best RAM for gaming) and Corsair power supplies, so upgrading and replacing parts as you go is far easier than it would otherwise be in manufacturer-made machines (Alienware, HP, etc.).
In terms of which gaming PC deals are on right now at Newegg, you can get yourself an ABS Master RTX 3060 PC for only $1,499.99 (reduced from $1,600) (opens in new tab). At the same time, on the higher-end side of things, you can get an ABS Gladiator build that’s retailing for just $2,899.99 (down from $3,300) (opens in new tab) for a massive saving of $400. Newegg is one of the front runners on custom-made gaming PC deals, especially around Black Friday, so it’s always worth checking in here to see what’s on sale nearer to the time. We’re expecting much deeper discounts in the coming weeks.
(opens in new tab)ABS Gladiator | $3,300 $2,899.99 at Newegg (opens in new tab)
Save $400 – This is one of the lowest ever prices that we’ve come across on an RTX 3080 PC and exceptional value for money in the high-end market.
iBuyPower
iBuyPower is one of the more prevalent names in the PC gaming scene, and because of this fact, machines are available at Amazon (opens in new tab), as well as Best Buy (opens in new tab), Walmart (opens in new tab), and other major online retailers.
Because of the sheer amount of options available on the online market at the moment, it’s a little challenging to nail down specific models to watch out for, but generally, Amazon hosts some of the most aggressively priced machines for your money.
Pre-orders are currently live at the world’s largest online retailer for rigs featuring 12th-generation Intel Core processors. Currently, you can pick up an iBuyPower Pro PC featuring an RTX 3070 with an Intel i7-12700KF and 1TB NVMe SSD for only $1,999.99 (opens in new tab). It’s unlikely to hang around too long, so if you’re interested, we advise pulling the trigger sooner rather than later.
iBuyPower Trace MR | $1,599.99 at Best Buy (opens in new tab)
Considering the power output of this rig, the asking price is certainly justified. It’s one of the lower rates on a gaming PC running an RTX 3060 Ti at the moment, and sure to power through your game library for years.
Skytech Gaming
Skytech has some of the more stylish-looking custom-built machines in my opinion, as well as some of the more competitively priced rates on mid-tier and high-end gaming PCs from major retailers.
While it has a presence at Amazon (opens in new tab), we think that Best Buy (opens in new tab) is the best retailer to pick one up, as the prices are far fairer overall.
In terms of what you can get your hands on right now, the Skytech Shiva is available from Best Buy in either AMD or Intel configurations for $1,649.99 (opens in new tab) and $1,499.99 (opens in new tab) respectively. This gets you an RTX 3060 setup.
Skytech Chronos Mini | $900 $799.99 at Best Buy (opens in new tab)
Save $100 – It’s one of the lowest ever recorded prices on the Skytech Chronos Mini, and it goes to show that budget gaming PCs can pack a punch, too, especially given the specs involved.
AlphaSync
Ebuyer’s AlphaSync custom-built gaming PCs feature some of the most aggressive UK price points given the hardware inside, with deals frequently appearing. At the moment, you can pick up an AlphaSync Diamond RTX 3060 PC for only £959.99 (reduced from £1,100) (opens in new tab) for a Ryzen 5 model, or you can upgrade to a Ryzen 7 configuration for just £1,049.99 (down from £1,250) (opens in new tab).
What’s more, Ebuyer (opens in new tab) is currently honouring a Black Friday price match guarantee, so anything you buy this side of the Winter sales event is price-protected; if it gets any cheaper on the day, you’ll be refunded the difference, so you can buy with full confidence.
AlphaSync Diamond | £1,100 £959.99 at Ebuyer (opens in new tab)
Save £140 – simply put, you can’t build an RTX 3060 PC for the same amount of money. This is the lowest recorded price on a build of this spec and an exceptional power-to-performance ratio for anyone wanting Full HD and QHD gaming.
Take the portable route for less this month with the Black Friday gaming laptop deals, and upgrade your current display at a reduced rate in the Black Friday gaming monitor deals.
