Now that Cyber Monday is here, you might be shopping for the best gaming PC for a loved one. It can be quite confusing when it comes to picking out individual components, as you need to be sure everything is compatible. So we break it down and list the best components below for building a custom gaming PC – and also give you an out for just buying a prebuilt system to sidestep assembly if that would better suit your needs. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the best gaming PC for Cyber Monday 2021.
How to build the best gaming PC with Cyber Monday deals
Cyber Monday is arguably the best time to build a gaming PC. Most, if not all of the core components you’ll need are on sale. It can be a bit confusing when trying to find all the required pieces to build a gaming desktop on Cyber Monday, though, so we’ve done the hard work for you and found the best deals and products to buy. All of these items are verified to work well together and are compatible as soon as they arrive, making the experience smooth. If you want the best experience, we recommend not straying from our recommendations too far, which we’ll do our best to keep updated as products go in and out of stock. If you have any specific questions related to this build, you can just send us a tweet @9to5toys or @pcamp96, and we’ll do our best to help out!
Choose the right processor, no GPU needed
Picking the right processor can be quite difficult with all the choices out there. Do you go Intel or AMD, for starters? Intel is a great choice for both gaming and content creation, thanks to its Quick Sync Video support as well as integrated UHD Graphics 630.
If you’re looking to build a PC this holiday season, the best value processor is Intel’s i5-10400 this time around. Shipping with six cores and 12 threads, you’ll find the integrated UHD Graphics 630 great for lightweight gaming, though those who want to play the latest AAA titles might want to opt for a dedicated graphics card as well. The benefit with picking up the i5-10400 to start with is it allows you to test the integrated graphics and see if it’ll be enough for the games you play before investing in more expensive components. Normally $187, you’ll find that the i5-10400 is currently on sale for $165, saving you a decent bit and making now a great time to pick one up.
This motherboard makes a great pair for the best Cyber Monday gaming PC
Of course, no computer can be complete without a motherboard, and with so many different models out there, it can be hard to choose the right one. That’s why we recommend opting for the MSI Z590 PRO WiFi ProSeries and skipping the search altogether. While a bit higher-end, with Intel it’s always better to buy a bit more than you need in the motherboard department so you’re ready to upgrade at any time.
As a Z590 motherboard, it supports both 10th Generation as well as 11th Generation processors, and even has overclocking capabilities should you ever pick up an unlocked processor. With built-in Wi-Fi 6E and 2.5Gb Ethernet, this motherboard is made for next-generation networking. It also supports up to 5333MHz OC DDR4 RAM, has two NVMe slots, two full-length PCIe lanes with one reinforced for your graphics card, and much more. Not only that, but it’s also 20% off right now, as Amazon has it for $160 from its normal $200 going rate, making now a great time to pick it up.
NZXT’s case has great cable management
Once you have a processor and motherboard, it’s time to pick a solid case. NZXT is my go-to and has been for years. The company’s H510i case is one of my favorites for smaller builds, as it delivers plenty of cable management room as well as a compact form factor. There’s plenty of space inside to hold larger motherboards than what you’ll buy today as well, providing ample support for future upgrades.
This case specifically is a great choice because it has a tempered glass side panel as well as built-in RGB lighting that’s controlled by the computer once NZXT’s CAM software is installed. I have the H510i for my secondary PC and have loved using it. For Cyber Monday, you can pick one up for $90, which is down from its normal $100 going rate, making now a great time to pick it up.
It’s hard to beat Crucial’s Ballistix RAM kit
Some people try to talk up RAM to say that you need a ton of it for gaming, but that’s just not true. For over a year I’ve been gaming on just 16GB, and it’s more than enough for even 1440p 144Hz and 4K 60Hz experiences. That’s why this year we’re recommending you pick up Crucial’s Ballistix RAM kit, which has a black outer shell to blend in with most systems. The 16GB 3200MHz kit is on sale for $60 right now once you clip the on-page coupon, making it a fantastic time to pick it up. Normally you’d pay upward of $80 or more for this kit, so be sure to act quick before the price goes back up.
The best Cyber Monday gaming PC should have a 1TB NVMe SSD for storage
When it comes to storage, at this point it doesn’t pay to pick up anything that isn’t NVMe. If you’ve not heard of NVMe, that’s okay, it’s a newer technology. While older hard drives, or even solid-state drives required two cables to be run to function, with one coming from the motherboard and the other from the power supply, NVMe doesn’t need either of those things. This helps for a much cleaner builds overall and also removes one more component from the case.
NVMe SSDs mount directly to the motherboard, with the model we recommended above supporting two in total. For your first NVMe SSD, we recommend grabbing the WD_BLACK SN550, which comes in a 1TB storage size for $84 . That’s right, 1TB of blazing fast storage for well under $100. Normally, you’d pay at least $100, if not more for this drive, which makes today a great time to pick it up.
Going gold with your power supply is worth it
There are a lot of power supply choices out there, and some can be quite low cost. However, the power supply is one area you don’t want to skimp on, though that doesn’t mean it has to break the bank either. Cooler Master has you covered this Cyber Monday with its MWE 550W 80+ Gold power supply, which features a fully modular design. Why do you want a fully modular power supply? Well, it helps to have a much cleaner overall build, since only the power cables you need are actually in the case, instead of all of them that are available to you at the time. Right now, it’s on sale for $55, which is a fairly decent savings from its normal $85 or more going rate.
Monitors can pack a punch without breaking the bank
Since today’s picks are all centered around 1080p gaming, it would make sense to pick up a 1080p monitor to go along with it. You might be thinking that gaming displays have to be expensive to be good, but that’s just not the case. For those who don’t have a huge budget, we recommend the the Dell 24-inch 1080p 144Hz monitor. For Cyber Monday, this display is down to $158, which is down from its $200 normal going rate, making today a great time to invest and pick up a new screen for your desk. The 144Hz part is what we want to focus on here, as that allows you or your kid to play at high frame rates where your system can push it, something that’s an absolute must for fast-paced games like Call of Duty or Battlefield 2042.
Don’t forget the other best gaming peripherals and gear you’ll need
- Need a new monitor? Several are on sale for Cyber Monday
- Ready to pick up a new mic or headset? Check out these markdowns
- Microsoft’s latest Surface Pro 8 sees first Amazon discount
- Samsung SSD Cyber Monday deals from $120: 1TB EVO Plus, 980 PRO, more
- Amazon slashes up to 42% off gaming furniture: PC chair $56, 46-inch desk $63, more from $7
- Looking to enter the world of virtual reality? It’s on sale from $399
- You won’t want to miss SteelSeries’ keyboards, mice, and headsets on sale from $32
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