The Best Desktop Deals for September 2022

If portability isn’t high on your list of PC priorities, your dollar goes a lot further with a desktop when it comes to processing power, graphics capabilities, and storage capacity. That goes double when you can find a great machine on sale (especially when you can throw in a new keyboard or headset, too). With the approach of Labor Day, the price of desktops are going down—and we’re already seeing deals ahead of Sept. 5.

When it comes to upgrading a desktop or moving over from a laptop, you’re going to find that aside from its permanent spot on your desk, these machines offer a lot of flexibility. Prefer a larger monitor or a multi-monitor setup? Make one! Want a vertical screen and a mechanical keyboard? Get ‘em! Into tricking out the ambient lighting behind your gaming machine, or looking at some multi-terabyte storage options? You got it.

For those who need a new monitor to pair with their new desktop, check out our monitor deals roundup for the latest discounts on home, business, and gaming options. Dual-monitor or large monitor options are great for productivity. If you’re gaming, you want to look for faster refresh rates to reduce ghosting and to have a smooth, fluid gaming experience. In our opinion, you should aim for at least a 1080p (1,920 by 1,080) monitor for sharper texts and images. 

Now is prime time to buy a computer considering merchants are offering strong Labor Day discounts. Cut through the noise with these deals:

(If you’re looking to save some cash on a more mobile device like a standard laptop or a 2-in-1 machine, check out all our favorite laptop deals.)

Home and Office Desktop Deals

Dell Inspiron 3910 Intel i5 256GB SSD

This Inspiron 3910 series desktop features a 12th Generation Intel Core i5 6-core processor. This is a decent entry-level desktop for those who don’t need much storage space and just want something to do word processing, surf the web, and stream video. This configuration comes with a 256GB SSD and 8GB of RAM.

Acer Aspire Intel i5 512GB SSD

The Acer Aspire measures 13.39 inches tall and 6.42 inches wide and, despite its small form factor, it has an optical drive, two USB 3.2 ports, and a headphone and microphone jack. This tower utilizes a 12th Generation Intel Core i5 processor, giving it the speed and power to handle any task, as well as 12GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, which make multitasking a no-brainer. Your purchase also includes a USB keyboard and mouse.

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.

Lenovo IdeaCentre 5i Intel i5

This Lenovo IdeaCentre 5i configuration won’t break the bank. The combination of a 10th Generation Intel Core i5 chip and 12GB of high-bandwidth RAM are powerful enough to run multiple programs and browser tabs without a hitch. If productivity is your focus, this PC should be on your list.

HP Pavilion Ryzen 5 12GB RAM 512GB SSD

The Windows 11 HP Pavilion desktop features an AMD Ryzen 5 5600G 6-core 3.9GHz processor, 12GB of RAM, and 512GB solid state drive storage for under $500. This pre-built desktop also includes a wired keyboard and mouse. If you love your ports on your desktop, the Pavilion has a decent amount of them—seven in the front, including a USB-C port and a memory card reader. If you plan on browsing the web, doing word processing for work or school, or streaming content, this should be more than sufficient.

Gaming Desktop Deals

Alienware Aurora R10 Ryzen Series Processor Desktops

Any savings on what we called Alienware’s flagship gaming desktop is worth your consideration, and listed below are some of the top AMD Ryzen 5000 series processor configs with discrete Nvidia or AMD graphics cards from the Dell PC sale(Opens in a new window). You can’t go wrong with any config if you plan on playing any AAA titles, but of course, the more powerful the configuration, the better the performance. All versions have a 1,000W power supply and CPU liquid cooling along with one year of Dell premium support.

Asus ROG Strix GL10 Intel Core i7 RTX 3060

The Asus ROG Strix GL10 uses an 11th generation Intel Core i7 processor and has a 1TB SSD and 16GB RAM. It also has an RTX 3060 graphics card, which can handle high-end gaming in 1080p with ease. Considering the trending prices of graphics cards, this configuration is definitely worth the asking price—even more so because it’s on sale.

Acer Predator Orion 5000 RTX 3070

The Acer Predator Orion 5000 is a powerful machine capable of high-fidelity gaming and multitasking heavier workloads like video and photo editing, plus streaming.The 12th Generation Intel Core i7 processor coupled with a lightning-quick 1TB SSD will have your programs and games loading up quickly. As an added bonus, you can customize the lighting to your liking with up to 16.7 million different colors. The PredatorSense Pulsar Lightning gives you an even higher degree of creative freedom.

HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop Intel Core i5 RTX 3060

If you don’t want to build or mod your own gaming CPU from the ground up (or like most of us, can’t find a wildly overpriced graphics card), the HP brand of pre-built machines are a great alternative. This machine manages to get you the basics of a gaming rig for under $1,000, including 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card that, if bought separately, could run nearly as much as this whole machine. This is probably best for casual gamers looking for better graphics than you’ll get with your average office-work tower.

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.

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