We’ve slogged through January, fought through February, and now here we are in March, with spring on the horizon. If you’re closing out the quarter on the same creaky desktop you’ve been using for years, that hard drive may be struggling a bit as it pulls up video files, opens big presentations, or crunches numbers in a complex PivotTable. Now’s the time to make a change, and we can help you save money while you do so.
Here’s some more good news: If you primarily do your job from a desktop setup, chances are you’ve been locked into a Windows machine, but Apple machines can now officially run Windows 11. This means if you’ve been itching to upgrade to a shiny new M1 or M2-powered Mac mini but felt trapped in the world of Dell, HP, and Lenovo, you’re now free to enter the Apple ecosphere courtesy of Parallels Desktop. Still love your Windows device? Not a problem; we found deals on high-powered gaming towers and office machines too.
Dell also has some new coupon codes so the more you buy, the more you save:
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Extra $100 off $999+ with coupon code SAVE100
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Extra $150 off $1,499+ with coupon code SAVE150
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Extra $250 off $1,999+ with coupon code SAVE250
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Extra $350 off $2,499+ with coupon code SAVE350
The Best Home and Office Desktop Deals for February
Our current best value deal pick is the Lenovo IdeaCentre AMD Ryzen 7 desktop that also includes 16GB of RAM and dual storage (256GB SSD + 1TB HDD). At $549.99, the Apple Mac mini M2 desktop is discounted by $50 and it’s a great option for those looking for a low-cost, small-form-factor macOS computer. Speaking of small, the configurable Dell Optiplex 3000 or 5000 micro configs are worth taking a look at if you need a Windows Professional business desktop.
The Best Gaming Desktop Deals for February
The Lenovo IdeaCentre Gaming 5i configuration with an Intel Core i5 processor and RTX 3060 graphics card is currently the best bang for your buck since it also includes a 1TB HDD and 512GB SSD dual storage. If you need more power, the HP Omen 25L features dual storage as well as an RX 6700 XT GPU, which will easily handle gaming in 4K resolution in high to ultra settings. Our premium deal pick is the Alienware Aurora R15, which includes a Ryzen 9 processor, RTX 4080, and a 1TB SSD for plenty of games and media. Currently, you can save an additional $350 off the sale price with code SAVE350.
When it comes to desktops, many are no longer the massive plastic brick towers of yesteryear. Oftentimes they sit snugly on a bookshelf or even in a drawer if you’ve got enough airflow to keep it cool. Whether you tuck it away or sit it next to your monitor, these devices offer a flexibility that’s hard to equal with a laptop.
Want to swap your old creaky HDD for an 8TB solid-state drive? Go for it! Add in some more RAM? Plug it in. Want a wall of monitors, be they curved, vertical, or extra-wide? Still need that CD burner drive? Add away. All of these are much easier options to trick out on a desktop device.
If your desktop upgrades include a high-powered graphics processor, the best way to see those impressive graphics is with a sharp monitor. Max out your brightness and refresh rate for the strongest, sharpest response (and save a few dollars with our roundup of discounted monitors).
Home and Office Desktop Deals
Dell OptiPlex 3000 Micro 12th Generation Intel i5
Think of this tiny OptiPlex as a response to the Mac mini. Dell packed a high-powered PC into a desktop box just about 7 inches square. For most work-from-home tasks, web browsing, and video streaming, the latest 12th Generation Intel i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and the 256GB hard drive should be enough for most users. Unlike most OptiPlex deals we see, this configuration includes a Wi-Fi card. You can save some extra cash by declining the keyboard or mouse options on the page.
Apple Mac Mini M2 Chip Desktop
At $50 off retail, the Mac Mini M2 base desktop is still a good deal and offers a good balance between affordability and power compared to other desktops at its price-point. The new base M2 chip offers 8 CPU cores and 10 GPU cores with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD storage. This is a great choice if you just need an everyday desktop to stream content, check emails, or browse the web. Please note, Mac mini desktops do not come with a keyboard or mouse. You will need to buy those separately.
Dell Inspiron 3910 Intel i7 512GB SSD 16GB RAM Desktop
This Inspiron 3910 series desktop features a snappy 12th Generation Intel Core i7 processor and includes a 512GB SSD and 16GB of RAM, making it powerful enough to multitask programs and browser tabs with a little streaming on the side. This will make a great daily use configuration and won’t break the bank. Plus, if you wanted a gaming PC down the line, you could easily add a suitable GPU and more storage.
Lenovo IdeaCentre 5 Ryzen 7 16GB RAM Dual Drive Desktop
The price is right for this entry-level desktop. The IdeaCentre 5 has an AMD Ryzen 7 5700G processor, 16GB RAM, and a 256GB SSD, so while it may not blow you out of the water it will do a serviceable job on apps like Word and PowerPoint, sending and receiving emails, and browsing the Web.
Dell Inspiron 24 5415 Ryzen 7 512GB SSD 16GB RAM AIO Desktop
A sleek all-in-one desktop is an easy way to save desk space. This 24-inch AIO touch display houses everything you need: a 8-core Ryzen 7 processor, a 512GB SSD and 16GB of RAM. It also has a built-in pop-up camera for video chatting, built-in speakers, three USB ports, and Wi-Fi 6E capability. A Dell Pro Wireless Keyboard and Mouse are included with your purchase.
Recommended by Our Editors
Gaming Desktop Deals
Alienware Aurora R14 Ryzen 9 RTX 3080 1TB SSD 16GB RAM Desktop
The Alienware Aurora R14 has a powerful AMD Ryzen 9 5000 series processor and 16GB of RAM and is capable of running resource-heavy programs such as Photoshop as well as juggling multiple browser tabs and applications. The RTX 3080 graphics card is robust enough to play most modern-day titles in 4K resolution on high to ultra settings—just make sure you pair it with a monitor that makes the most of it.
HP Omen 25L Ryzen 7 Radeon RX 6700 XT Dual Drive Desktop
The HP Omen 25L desktop PC has a Ryzen 7 5700G processor, 16GB RAM, and a dual storage capacity of 1TB HDD and 512GB SSD. This configuration gives you a ton of bang for your buck, including an AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT graphics card that’s good for 1080p gaming.
Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Gen 6 Intel i5 RTX 3050
An 11th Generation Intel Core i5 processor, RTX 3050 graphics card, 16GB RAM, and dual storage in the form of a 512GB SSD and 1TB HDD make this configuration a formidable gaming desktop. Lenovo Vantage for Gaming enables you to personalize your gaming experience, whether that’s overclocking your CPU/GPU or adjusting your thermal settings so that your PC runs cool even when the action heats up on screen. Plus, get three months of Xbox Game Pass for free with your purchase.
SkyTech Shadow 3.0 Ryzen 5 RTX 3060
Inside this PC is an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 6-core CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. SkyTech also provides an 80 Plus Gold Certified 600 Watt power supply with a heatsink and three RGB fans. All of this is encased in a SkyTech Shadow gaming case with tempered glass.
HP Envy Intel i5 RTX 3050 256GB SSD 8GB RAM Desktop
This HP Envy has an Intel i5 processor, 256GB SSD, and 8GB of RAM. These specs are pretty baseline for gaming and the included RTX 3050 will manage most titles in 1080p. If you’re on a tighter budget, this PC will do the job, but you may want to consider upgrading your storage capacity sooner than later.
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.
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