There’s no “best time” to purchase a new desktop computer, which means compelling machines are almost always available at a discount.
If the tower that’s currently on your desk is slow to open files, crunch numbers, save your edits, or keep more than a few browser tabs open, you’re not just losing time—you could be losing money as well. A good desktop PC doesn’t have to be a clunky plastic tower anymore (though there are certainly plenty of those still out there). A Mac mini or iMac are sleek alternatives to dusty towers, especially now they can run Windows. Do you like the iMac’s style but not the price? There are a variety of options for all-in-ones and mini-PCs.
Best Home and Office Desktop Deals
Our current best value pick is the diminutive Dell Inspiron 3020 with a 13th Gen Intel i5 processor, a 512GB SSD, and 8GB of RAM. The HP All-in-One is a compact and cost-effective work-from-home option with a Ryzen 5 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and dual storage (1TB HDD, 512GB SSD) as well as a 23.8-inch, 1,080p display. Speaking of small form factors, the configurable Dell Optiplex 7010 Micro, with a 13th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, is worth a look if you need a Windows Professional business desktop.
Best Desktop Deals for July 2023
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
Best Gaming Desktop Deals
Our budget pick is the HP Victus 15L with an Intel i3 CPU and RTX 1660 Super GPU, which is better suited for those who don’t play demanding titles. Our midrange recommendation is the HP Omen 40L with a Ryzen 5 processor and an RTX 3060 Ti graphics card. The 1TB SSD and 16GB of RAM are also very enticing for the price. Our premium deal pick is the Alienware Aurora R15 with an Intel i7 processor and RTX 4070 Ti graphics card. This will future-proof you for some time, even as more graphically intensive games are released.
-
HP Omen 40L Ryzen 6 RTX 3060 Ti 1TB SSD 15GB RAM Gaming Desktop
(Opens in a new window)
for
$1,049.99
(List Price $1,349.99)
-
Alienware Aurora R13 Intel i9 RTX 3060 512GB SSD Desktop
(Opens in a new window)
for
$1,299.99
(List Price $2,269.99)
-
Lenovo IdeaCentre Gaming 5i Intel i5 RTX 3050 512GB Desktop
(Opens in a new window)
for
$799.99
(List Price $899.99)
-
HP Victus 15L Intel i3 RTX 1660 Super 256GB SSD Desktop
(Opens in a new window)
for
$649.99
(List Price $804.99)
-
Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Intel i5 RTX 3060 LHR 512GB SSD 16GB RAM Desktop
(Opens in a new window)
for
$1,099.99
(List Price $1,249.99)
-
Alienware Aurora R13 Intel i9 RTX 3080 1TB SSD Desktop
(Opens in a new window)
for
$1,799.99
(List Price $2,899.99)
-
Alienware Aurora R14 Ryzen 9 RTX 3080 1TB SSD Desktop
(Opens in a new window)
for
$1,599.99
(List Price $2,579.99)
-
Asus ROG Intel i7 RTX 3060 512GB SSD 16GB RAM Desktop
(Opens in a new window)
for
$1,199.99
(List Price $1,399.99)
-
Alienware Aurora R14 Ryzen 9 RTX 3080 1TB SSD Desktop
(Opens in a new window)
for
$1,599.99
(List Price $2,579.99)
-
Alienware Aurora R15 Intel i7 RTX 4070 Ti 1TB SSD Desktop
(Opens in a new window)
for
$2,299.99
(List Price $2,599.99)
-
Alienware Aurora R15 Intel i9 RTX 4090 2TB SSD Desktop
(Opens in a new window)
for
$3,699.99
(List Price $4,679.99)
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
Home and Office Desktop Deals
(Credit: Dell)
Dell Inspiron 3020 S Intel i5 512GB SSD 8GB RAM SFF Desktop
The new Inspiron Small Desktop features the latest 13th Gen Intel Core i5 processor and includes a 512GB SSD and 8GB of RAM. This is a great daily-use configuration that won’t break the bank. The compact design means this PC fits easily into your existing workspace, and numerous ports on the back enable you to connect peripheral devices.
(Credit: Dell)
Dell Optiplex 7010 Micro Intel i5 8GB RAM 256GB Desktop
Small but mighty, the Dell OptiPlex 7010 desktop is ready to work. Featuring a 13th Gen Intel Core i5 processor and Windows 11 Pro, this configuration is streamlined for productivity. Also included is a 256GB SSD and 8GB of RAM, which is plenty for work-related tasks such as document processing and web browsing. A wired mouse and keyboard complete the setup.
(Credit: Best Buy)
HP Envy TE01 Intel i7 13th Gen 1TB SSD 16GB RAM Desktop (2023 Model)
The HP Envy TE01 is a comfortably priced configuration that will last for years. Powered by the latest 13th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, this desktop handles a variety of tasks, from web browsing to document processing. The 1TB SSD boots swiftly and holds plenty of files, and the 16GB of RAM makes multitasking effortless. You could add a dedicated graphics card later, if you wanted to use this desktop to access your gaming library.
(Credit: Dell)
Dell XPS 8950 Intel i7 RTX 3060 Ti Dual Storage 16GB RAM Desktop
This XPS desktop is ready and able to do all your heavy lifting when it comes to content creation. With an Intel Core i7 processor and RTX 3060 Ti graphics card, this configuration has enough power to do it all—whether you’re drafting via AutoCAD, splicing together video clips in CyberLink PowerDirector 365 or photo-editing in Photoshop. This configuration comes with plenty of storage, but you can easily add more RAM—the XPS Desktop has four DIMM slots, three tool-less backplane slots, and room for up to four storage devices.
Gaming Desktop Deals
(Credit: Best Buy)
HP Omen 40L Ryzen 5 RTX 3060 Ti 1TB SSD 16GB RAM Desktop
This HP Omen 40L offers a lot of power at a reasonable price. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G processor is snappy and multitasks well, and the 16GB of RAM easily handles resource-intensive programs and games. The RTX 3060 Ti graphics card is the real winner here: powerful and efficient, it can run a gamut of games at their highest settings. Also included is a wired mouse and keyboard, so all you’ll need to worry about is a monitor with a decent resolution and refresh rate.
Recommended by Our Editors
(Credit: Best Buy)
Lenovo IdeaCentre Gaming 5i Intel i5 RTX 3050 512GB SSD 16GB RAM Desktop
If you’re looking for a more modern, budget-friendly option, the Lenovo IdeaCentre Gaming 5i will fill the bill. The RTX 3050 GPU can handle modern-day titles at 1,080p at medium settings and sometimes greater, and you’ll be able to store plenty of games in the 512GB SSD. Included with your purchase is a wired mouse and keyboard.
(Credit: Dell)
Alienware Aurora R13 Intel i9 RTX 3080 1TB SSD 32GB RAM Desktop
The Alienware Aurora R13 has a powerful Intel i9 processor and an RTX 3080 graphics card, so it’s more than capable of running modern day titles at their highest settings and then some. For those who run resource-hungry programs such as Photoshop or autocad software, this desktop is an absolute beast of a workhorse. The robust thermal design enables up to four system fans, and a liquid cooling option keeps your rig from overheating during even the most intense usage. With AlienFX software, you can tailor the RGB lighting to your liking, so your rig will look as impressive as its performance.
(Credit: Amazon)
HP Victus 15L Intel i3 RTX 1660 Super 256GB SSD 8GB RAM Desktop
The HP Victus 15L is a good budget option with a decent amount of graphical power. The RTX 1660 Super GPU can easily run modern titles, though you may have to lower settings for games with a lot of ray tracing and the like. The more modern RTX 3000 series supports DLSS and can achieve more frames, so if you’ve got the extra cash, we would recommend stepping up to one of those.
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 very light work or display-signage duty 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 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 2022, 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.
Looking for a Deal?
Sign up for our expertly curated Daily Deals newsletter for the best bargains you’ll find anywhere.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
Hits: 0