Best Desktop Deals | PCMag



Retailers like Dell and HP are doing a bit of spring cleaning, discounting stock to make room for new models. That makes now a great time to pick up a new rig for all your computing needs, whether you’re gaming, working from home, or just need 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 DealsOur current best value pick is the HP Pavilion TP01 with a Ryzen 7 CPU, a 1TB 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 pairs with 32GB of RAM in order to enable you to run power hungry applications and 512GB of storage can easily be upgraded with an external drive if you need more space.

Best Home and Office Desktop Deals

*Deals are selected by our commerce team

Best Gaming Desktop DealsBudget-conscious gamers should definitely check out the HP Victus 15L with an Intel i7 CPU and an RTX 3060 GPU—a solid base for 1080p and even 1440p gaming, depending on the title. 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 powerful 14th Gen Intel Core i9 CPU and an RTX 4080 Super GPU, which will future-proof your adventures in gaming for some time.

Best Gaming Desktop Deals

HP Victus 15L Intel i7 RTX 3060 Dual Storage Desktop

for
$879.99

(List Price $1,399.99)

Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Intel i7 RTX 4060 Ti Dual Drive Desktop

for
$1,249.99

(List Price $1,739.99)

MSI Pro DP180 Intel i7 RTX 4060 2TB SSD 32GB RAM 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 SSD Desktop

for
$1,899.99

(List Price $2,199.99)

Acer Predator Orion 5000 Intel i7 RTX 3080 1TB SSD Desktop

for
$1,499.99

(List Price $2,199.99)

iBUYPOWER TraceMesh Ryzen 7 RTX 4060 1TB SSD Desktop

for
$999.99

(List Price $1,299.99)

Alienware Aurora R16 Intel i9 RTX 4080 Super 1TB Desktop

for
$2,499.99

(List Price $2,799.99)

*Deals are selected by our commerce team

Best Home and Office Desktop Deals

(Credit: Dell)

Dell Inspiron 3020 Desktop (Intel i7 13th Gen/1TB SSD/16GB RAM) Looking for a capable daily-use configuration that won’t break the bank? Look no further. The Inspiron 3020 has a speedy 13th Gen Intel i7 processor, a 1TB SSD, and 16GB of RAM, plus it comes with a Dell Multimedia Keyboard (KB216) and a Dell Optical Mouse (MS116). If you’d like to do a little more with your tower, whether you’re gaming or designing, there’s also an option to add a RTX 3050 or RTX 3060 GPU.

(Credit: Best Buy)

HP Pavilion TP01 (Ryzen 7/1TB SSD/16GB RAM)The HP Pavilion TP01 offers solid specs for the price, including a 1TB SSD, a speedy Ryzen 7 processor, and 16GB RAM. This desktop will easily navigate tasks with a healthy amount of multitasking and those who need even more onboard memory will be glad to hear this configuration supports up to 32GB of RAM. A wireless mouse and keyboard are included with your purchase.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

Dell XPS 8960 (Intel i7 13th Gen/RTX 4060 Ti/512GB SSD/8GB RAM)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 16GB of RAM, which is perfect for daily computing, but with the inclusion of an RTX 4060 Ti GPU you can do graphic design and even game.

(Credit: Dell)

Dell Inspiron 27 7720 AIO Desktop (Intel i7/ MX550/ Dual Storage/ 16GB RAM) This all-in-one PC is a great solution for content creators with limited desk space. An Intel i7 CPU, MX550 GPU, and 16GB of RAM built into a 27-inch 1080p display make for powerful tools whether you’re editing videos, rendering designs in AutoCAD, or using your Wacom tablet to draw your graphic novel. The dual storage solution of a 512GB SSD and a 1TB HDD gives you an ample amount of space for all your projects and renders. Also included is a wireless keyboard and mouse.
Best Gaming Desktop Deals

(Credit: HP)

HP Victus 15L (Intel i7/RTX 3060/Dual Storage/16GB RAM)This HP Victus 15L can do it all whether you’re gaming or working. The 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.

Recommended by Our Editors

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

Alienware Aurora R16 (Intel i7 14th Gen/RTX 4070 Ti Super/1TB SSD/16GB RAM)Our expert gave an Alienware Aurora R16 with similar specs an “excellent” score 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 14th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, a RTX 4070 Ti Super graphics card, a 1TB SSD, and 16GB of RAM. This gaming powerhouse will run AAA titles and perform resource-intensive tasks like 3D rendering with ease.

(Credit: Best Buy)

MSI Pro DP180 (Intel i7 13th Gen/RTX 4060/2TB SSD/32GB RAM)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’s plenty of connectivity options, including a media card slot, 8 USB ports, an HDMI output, and 2 ethernet ports. Also included with your purchase is a wired MSI mouse and keyboard.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Gen 8 (Intel i7/RTX 4060 Ti/Dual Storage/16GB RAM)When we reviewed the Legion Tower 5i Gen 8, we said it was “a well-rounded tower that does little wrong and only needs a sale to set it soaring.” Now is your chance to lock in that sale price and get your hands on a tower that offers reliable 1440p performance and sports a premium case loaded with RGB lighting. Featuring an Intel 13th Generation Core i7 processor, an RTX 4060 Ti GPU, and 16GB of RAM, this configuration can handle pretty much any current-gen game you can throw at it.

(Credit: Best Buy)

Acer Predator Orion 5000 (Intel Core i7/RTX 3080/ 1TB SSD/ 16GB RAM)The Acer Predator Orion 5000 tower will turn heads with its dazzling ARGB-drenched interior—the colors of which are fully customizable thanks to Pulsar Lighting via PredatorSense. A 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, 1 TB SSD, and 16GB of high bandwidth RAM make this a very capable gaming PC. A wired keyboard and mouse are included with your purchase, so all you need to worry about is finding the perfect monitor to take advantage of the powerful RTX 3080 GPU.

FAQ
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.

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