Best early Prime Day PC computer deals: Gaming & mainstream desktops‎

Amazon’s Prime Day 2025 sales event is just around the corner but there are already tons of great deals on desktop PCs. This year, Prime Day will kick off on July 8, and include solid discounts on everything from gaming PCs to all-in-ones to traditional mainstream desktop computers. You’ll need to be a Prime member to take advantage of Amazon’s steep discounts. If you aren’t a member already, check out our guide for how to get Amazon Prime for free. I’ve been tracking and writing about the best computer deals year-round for a long time now, and at PCWorld I’ve used my this knowledge to curate a list of the best available computer deals across the internet specifically for this Prime Day. Other retailers have jumped in on the Prime Day action, and some of the best desktop PC deals can even be found outside of Amazon, so I’ve included those deals too. Best early Prime Day deals on gaming desktop computers Skytech Shadow, Core i5-13400F/RTX 5060/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,029.99 (9% off with coupon on Amazon) Alienware Aurora, Core Ultra 7 265F/RTX 5070 Ti/32GB/1TB SSD, $1,999.99 (13% off on Dell) Alienware Area-51, Core Ultra 9 285K/RTX 5090/32GB RAM/2TB SSD, $4,849.99 (12% off on Dell) Skytech Azure, Ryzen 5 7600X/RTX 5070/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,749.99 (17% off on Amazon) Skytech Azure, Core i7-12700F/RTX 4070 Ti/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,499.99 (25% off on Amazon) MSI Aegis ZS2, Ryzen 7 7700/RTX 5070/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,699.99 (15% off on BestBuy) Ningmei Gaming PC, Ryzen 7 5700X/RTX 4060/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $949.59 (21% off on Walmart) My top picks: The budget-friendly Skytech Shadow is a solid deal at $100 off on Amazon with the included coupon. The Core i5-13400F CPU and RTX 5060 GPU combo will have you running good framerates at 1080p for most games and it also comes with a generous 1TB of SSD storage to locally store your game library. Dell is running a great 4th of July deal on the Alienware Aurora for $300 off on its website. Rocking a Core Ultra 7 265F and RTX 5070 Ti, this is a killer value for a strong midrange build with a latest-gen GPU. Best early Prime Day deals on all-in-one & mainstream computers All-in-one desktop computers combine a PC’s hardware with a modern display to make a desktop computer that has both form and function. Since everything is built together, you can save precious desktop space with an all-in-one. They make capable work computers and they can also be excellent home computers with the wide range of features appealing to the whole family. Dell 24 AiO, Core 5 120U/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/24-inch 1080p touch display, $849.99 (24% off on Dell) HP OmniStudio X AiO, Core Ultra 7 155H/16GB RAM/1TB SSD/27-inch 1080p touch display, $1,029.99 (28% off on HP) Dell 24 AiO, Core i5-1334U/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/24-inch 1080p display, $699.99 (18% off on Dell) iMac M4, M4/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/24-inch 5K display, $1,541.88 (9% off on Amazon) My top picks: Dell’s reliable 24 AiO is $200 off on its website right now. The always dependable all-in-one comes loaded with the latest-gen Core 5 120U and a handy 1080p touch display. Alternatively, the new HP OmniStudio X AiO model for $410 off on HP’s website is a step up from the Dell if you prefer spending a tad more for more power. The latest all-in-one from HP still comes with a nice 1080p touch display but is powered by the beefier Core Ultra 7 155H CPU and twice the onboard SSD storage. FAQ 1. What type of desktop computer should I get? You’ll see a ton of options when searching for a desktop computer, but they all mainly fit into four main categories: gaming PCs, mainstream PCs (towers or mini PCs), and all-in-ones (AiO). Which you should end up buying is entirely dependent upon what your needs are and what you want to do with your computer. If you’re looking for something that will work in a home office or family room, then a mainstream PC or AiO with a solid CPU and a decent amount of RAM and storage is probably the way to go. If gaming is your main concern, a gaming desktop PC can offer a lot more bang for your buck than a laptop and you should prioritize getting the best GPU possible. 2. How much processing power will I need in a desktop computer? If you’re after CPU power, look for processors with higher numerical labels. Intel processors are available in the newer Core Ultra 3, 5, 7, or 9, and the older Core i3, i5, i7, and i9. AMD processors are available in the Ryzen 5000, 7000, 8000, and 9000 versions. Generally speaking, the higher the number, the more powerful the CPU for both manufacturers. If you don’t need a ton of power, Intel Core Ultra 5 or Core i5 processors are your best bet, as they offer good performance at a decent price. You can get along just fine with a Core Ultra 3 or Core i3 for basic office and web browsing. A Core Ultra 7 or Core i7 is more suited to gaming and more intense work than everyday tasks. Also, if gaming is your concern, you may want to consider opting for the older Core i-processors as the newer Core Ultra processors are optimized for AI performance rather than gaming. As for AMD options, the Ryzen 5000 chips rival Intel’s Core i5 as solid all-arounders. If you need more power, the Ryzen 7000 or 8000 chips are well suited for content creation like video editing. Finally, if you’re dealing with 4K video or want peak gaming performance, spring for a Ryzen 9000. 3. What GPU should I get for a desktop computer? If you don’t intend to do any gaming on your computer, then feel free to save some money by going with integrated graphics. However, if you are looking to get your game on, then we recommend at least an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 or RTX 5060 as these are the least expensive discrete graphics cards that can handle 1080p gaming on High graphics settings in most games. For 1440p gaming you’ll typically want to aim for an RTX 4070/5070, and for 4K gaming you’ll need to shell out for at least an RTX 4080/5080 or upgrade to the RTX 4090/5090 Thankfully, the latest-gen GPUs have dropped significantly in price in pre-built systems so opt for those if you have the money and want a performance boost. But if you’re on a tight budget, then opting for a rig with a previous-generation card can allow you to save some money while still providing decent graphics quality. 4. How much memory do I need in a desktop computer? As for RAM, nowadays I think it’s best to shoot for 16GB at the minimum for all systems. If you’re on a budget or just need a basic browsing machine then 8GB may suffice but you’ll likely notice a performance drop if you tend to have multiple applications or browser tabs open. Those looking to do heavy content creation such as video editing should aim for at least 32GB or go for 64GB for 4K editing. 5. What is a good amount of storage for a desktop computer? Storage size is dependent upon your personal needs, but it is generally a good idea to opt for an SSD over a standard HDD as they are much faster and don’t significantly affect the price of a desktop. Before deciding, it’s best to consider what your intended use of the computer will be. Are you just storing documents or doing web browsing? Then something like 512GB will be plenty. If you want to load up a lot of large files such as games or content creation projects, then you’ll need at least 1TB to 2TB of storage. However, just remember that even if your computer doesn’t have enough storage built-in you can always upgrade your SSD or go with an external drive to increase your available storage options. 6. Will tariffs affect desktop computer prices? Yes, it’s likely that any tariffs on foreign imported computer materials or products is going to lead to an increase in prices for the consumer. As the U.S. still heavily relies on China and other Asian countries for the production of desktops and computer hardware, a tariff on imports from these countries will mean someone has to pay more. Companies typically don’t want, or can’t afford, to eat these increased costs so they shift the burden to consumers. At this point it’s still hard to tell how much prices will increase; just because a 20 percent tariff is imposed doesn’t mean computers will become that much more expensive. Every company will adjust prices differently and products with many individual components—such as computers—will vary due to the tariff effects on each component. That being said, a recent independent Consumer Technology Association study concluded that desktops may see price increases of up to 24% or an average of $287 per computer if the latest round of tariffs hold. 7. Is now a good time to buy a desktop computer? While the prospect of tariff-induce price increases may seem daunting to consumers, I believe the timing on this Prime Day may actually make for a great time to buy a new desktop if you time it right. Currently, tariffs have been paused until July 9 with many countries scrambling to make deals exempting technology products. This means that you might have a small window to get in and snag a good deal on a desktop PC during Prime Day before any additional tariffs take effect.