(Credit: Jade Chung-Lee/HP/Best Buy/PCMag)
Retailers like Dell and HP are celebrating the arrival of summer with price cuts that are worth breaking a sweat over. These seasonal sales mean now a great time to pick up a new rig for all your computing needs, whether you’re gaming, working from home, or just want a reliable workstation for sending emails and producing documents.
Dell Inspiron 3020
Dell XPS 8960
HP Envy TE01
Alienware Aurora R16
Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 8
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 Deals
Our current best value pick is the Dell XPS 8960, which includes an Intel i5 CPU, a 512GB SSD, and 8GB 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 HP Envy TE01 with a 14th Gen Intel i7 CPU and an RTX 4060 GPU a look.
Dell Inspiron 3020 Desktop
$1,269.99 Save $320.00
This compact Inspiron 3020 desktop tower will fit easily into your workspace and it includes a number of ports including an HDMI 1.4 port, a DisplayPort 1.4, 2 USB 2.0 ports, and more. The dedicated RTX 3050 GPU won’t be able to keep pace with the demands of an eSports champ, but it will do a serviceable job with casual gaming and more likely will come in handy for graphic design and 3D rendering. This configuration comes with a Dell Multimedia Keyboard (KB216) and a Dell Optical Mouse (MS116).
Dell XPS 8960 Desktop
$1,249.99 Save $300.00
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 8GB of RAM, which is perfect for daily computing and working from home. The RTX 3050 GPU is sufficient for casual gaming and graphic design.
HP Envy TE01 Desktop
$999.99 Save $200.00
The HP Envy TE01 is a comfortably-priced configuration that is powered by the latest 14th Gen Intel Core i7 processor. This desktop will handle a variety of tasks from web browsing to document processing and, thanks to the RTX 4060 GPU, can even manage gaming as well. A similar configuration received an "Excellent" rating from our expert, who called it a "proficient everyday PC, offering excellent productivity." A wired keyboard and mouse combo are included.
Best Home and Office Desktop Deals
- Dell XPS 8960 Intel i7 RTX 3050 512GB SSD Desktop for $949.99 (List Price $1,249.99)
- Dell Inspiron 3020 Intel i7 RTX 3050 1TB SSD Desktop for $949.99 (List Price $1,269.99)
- HP Envy TE01 Intel i7 1TB SSD 16GB RAM Desktop for $799.99 (List Price $999.99)
- HP Envy TE01 Intel i7 RTX 4060 512GB SSD 16GB RAM Desktop for $1,079.99 (List Price $1,379.99)
- Dell XPS 8960 Intel i7 RTX 4060 Ti 512GB SSD Desktop for $1,099.99 (List Price $1,549.99)
- Dell XPS 8960 Intel i5 512GB SSD 8GB RAM Desktop for $699.99 (List Price $849.99)
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
Best Gaming Desktop Deals
Our midrange recommendation is the iBUYPOWER TraceMesh with an Intel i7 CPU and an RTX 3060 GPU, which will handily run most modern day titles at medium to high settings. Those searching for a gaming powerhouse should take a look at the Alienware Aurora R16 with a 14th Gen KF Intel i7, a powerful RTX 4070 Super GPU, a 1TB SSD, and 32GB of RAM. This configuration will be able to play modern day titles at max settings.
Recommended by Our Editors
iBUYPOWER TraceMesh Desktop
$1,099.99 Save $230.00
The price is right for the iBuypower TraceMesh gaming desktop, which is ready to handle most modern day titles at mid to high settings thanks to an RTX 3060 GPU. Designed with gamers in mind, the customizable RGB-drenched interior is on full display thanks to the glass side panel. For those with large libraries, the 1TB SSD is a must as it will boot up quickly as well as hold a host of games and their storage hungry updates. The wired mouse and keyboard pictured are included.
Alienware Aurora R16 Desktop
$1,499.99 Save $200.00
Our expert gave an Alienware Aurora R16 gaming desktop with similar specs an “excellent” score as well as the Editors' 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 powerful 13th Gen Intel Core i9 processor and an RTX 4060 graphics card, which will handle most modern day titles. Per usual, you can customize the zonal AlienFX lighting to suit your tastes and make your tower your own.
Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Desktop
$1,999.99 Save $400.00
When we reviewed the eighth-generation Legion Tower 5i, 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 and 16GB of RAM, this configuration can handle pretty much any current-gen game you can throw at it.
Best Gaming Desktop Deals
- HP Victus 15L Intel i7 RTX 3060 Dual Drive 16GB RAM Desktop for $799.99 (List Price $1,399.99)
- Alienware Aurora R16 Intel i9 RTX 4060 1TB SSD Desktop for $1,299.99 (List Price $1,499.99)
- Asus ROG Intel i7 RTX 4060 Ti 2TB SSD 32GB RAM Desktop for $1,299.99 (List Price $1,449.99)
- MSI Pro DP180 Intel i5 RTX 4060 2TB SSD Desktop for $999.99 (List Price $1,199.99)
- iBUYPOWER Scale Ryzen 7 RTX 4060 Ti 1TB SSD Desktop for $1,079.99 (List Price $1,179.99)
- Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Ryzen 7 RTX 4070 Super 1TB Desktop for $1,429.99 (List Price $2,079.99)
- Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Intel i7 RTX 4070 1TB SSD Desktop for $1,599.99 (List Price $1,999.99)
- Alienware Aurora R16 Intel i7 RTX 4070 Super 1TB SSD Desktop for $1,799.99 (List Price $2,199.99)
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
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.
What Are Good Websites to Find Computer Deals?
Why, right here on PCMag! We have dedicated deals articles, as well as comprehensive lists of configurations suited to different users.
When’s the Best Time to Shop for a PC?
Black Friday is typically the best time to buy electronics (computers included). You can also shop around the Back-to-School season, which starts in July and usually features price drops on configurations geared toward productivity.
Who Has the Best Deals on Refurbished Desktops?
Dell Outlet is a great source of certified refurbished desktops in a variety of conditions. Best Buy Outlet also deals in expert refurbished computers, but they also offer open-box options that are like-new and can save you some serious cash.
Is It Cheaper to Buy a Desktop Than a Laptop?
Desktops are usually a better value than laptops because your money goes further with desktop components. Building your own PC will often be the cheapest option, but for those who don’t have the know-how, even a pre-built PC tends to cost less than its laptop equivalent.
Best Desktop Under $800?
Our experts have named the Acer Aspire TC-1760-UA92 their top budget pick for its peppy performance and Wi-Fi 6 support—all for only $639. Check out our top picks for The Best Cheap Desktop PCs for more budget options.
Best Gaming Desktop Under $1,000?
Available for just $749, the NZXT Player: One earned PCMag’s Editors’ Choice award for its excellent 1080p gaming performance and well-made, upgradable build.
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