9to5Toys Gift Guide: Best PC gaming battlestation upgrades from $30

From $30
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The holiday season is fast approaching, meaning it’s that time of the year when we put together some gift guides to help you pick the best for your friends and family. We already have a few guides in place for Apple lovers, musicians, and the like, and today, we’re looking at some of our favorite PC gaming upgrades to enhance your battlestation. From must-have accessories to deck out someone’s existing gaming setup to new gaming PCs and laptops to help set up a new battlestation this holiday season, we got you covered with recommendations and deals for all the PC gamers in your life. Head below to find a curated list of the absolute best gifts for those who enjoy playing video games.

Xbox PC Game Pass

I’ve been having a lot of fun lately on titles that are available for free on Microsoft’s Xbox PC Game Pass, and it has been a game-changer for me. It has allowed me to discover and play a huge variety of games, from big-budget AAA titles to hidden Idie gems. I’ve lost countless hours to games I never would have tried otherwise, and I highly recommend giving it a shot which is why it’s one of my top picks as a gift to PC gamers this year. You can score a 3-month PC Game Pass for $29.99, which is pretty good to get something started with Microsoft’s value-packed gaming service.

Notably, Woot is currently offering a 3-month Game Pass Ultimate subscription for PC and Xbox down for $28.99 with free digital delivery using code GAMEPASS at checkout. This is down from the usual $50 price, making it a great deal.

Gaming handhelds – Help them game away from their desk

Gaming handhelds are all the rage right now and for the right reasons. These handhelds have come a long way over the last couple of years, and there are some solid options out there that let you carry your games with you on the go, letting you break the shackles of your desk. My top recommendation would be to go with either Valve’s Steam Deck OLED or ASUS’ ROG Ally X. Both of these are fairly popular on the market right now and it’s easy to see why that is the case. The Steam Deck OLED has been a reliable pick thanks to Valve’s SteamOS which is known to be quite stable and run all the games very smoothly. The upgraded OLED model also has a number of improvements over the regular model including a bigger OLED screen, longer battery life, and more.

ASUS’ ROG Ally X, on the other hand, is also among the most performant gaming handhelds out there with a 120Hz refresh rate panel, AMD Z1 Extreme processor, and more. The upgraded Ally X model also brings a lot of notable changes over the original Ally handheld, including double the battery capacity, redesigned internals for better heat dissipation, support for 2280 M.2 SSDs, and more. The original Ally handheld is also worth considering if you’re looking to gift a handheld for a casual gamer who enjoys emulators and less intensive Indie titles.

Keyboard, mouse, and controllers – Gift the right peripherals

If you’re looking to upgrade someone’s new or existing gaming setup, then consider grabbing some new peripherals like keyboards, mice, and controllers. Having the right accessories to go with the setup is extremely important, so these peripherals make for great gifts. Starting off with some keyboard options, there are a bunch of options to choose from if you’re searching for a gift for a PC gamer whose keyboard has seen better days. One of the better options to consider would be SteelSeries’ Apex Pro Gen 3 model at $239.99 shipped, which offers tri-mode connectivity and comes with a 45-hour battery life. It comes fitted with OmniPoint 3.0 Hall Effect magnetic switches that allow for precise and quick actuation, and you also get customizable RGB lighting on it to light up your setup.

Glorious’ new GMMK 3 models are also worth looking into if you want more keyboards with Hall Effect switches. The brand’s GMMK 3 Pro HE model, in particular, is great as it comes with a 75% layout and a rotary encoder at the top right corner. If you’d rather have a display on the top instead of a knob, then Razer’s new BlackWidow V4 Pro is a solid option to consider as well. It’s a wireless 75% keyboard with an OLED panel on the top, and you can learn more about it in our launch coverage right here.

You can also consider gifting a gaming mouse as it can make or break a PC gamer’s experience. Logitech has a bunch of new options on the market right now that are worth considering. If you’re picking one for a serious competitive gamer, then Logitech’s brand new G Pro 2 LIGHTSPEED at $109.99 shipped would be a solid pick. It’s available in Black, White, and Pink, and it’s an ambidextrous gaming mouse, featuring the same form factor as the G Pro X Superlight 2. The brand has packed this mouse with its HERO2 sensor and LIGHTFORCE switches, and this model also supports the tournament-grade LIGHTSPEED wireless and USB-C connectivity.

Razer’s Basilisk V3 Pro is also among the best options out there. It is a high-performance model with 11 programmable buttons and the signature Chroma RGB lighting. We’ve also included some additional options for gamers that are worth considering.

Gamers can always use an extra controller, so a new PC controller is a great gift idea for the one who seems to have everything else. My top pick is the Xbox One Controller, particularly the Sky Cipher Special Edition model which can be had before Christmas for $66.87 shipped. It’s one of the more unique-looking controllers out there on the market right now, and it works well with PC and Xbox consoles.

8BitDo also has some great options to consider like its Black Myth: Wukong edition Ultimate 2C model that comes in both wired and wireless flavors starting at $24.99 shipped. I’ve been using the regular version of the Ultimate 2C model myself for a few months now, and it has been a reliable unit for wireless gaming. A few other options are waiting for you down below.

  • Xbox Elite Series 2 Core Wireless Gaming Controller $98
  • 8BitDo Ultimate 2C Wireless Controller $30
  • Razer Kitsune arcade controller $300

Gaming monitors – Improve gaming with OLED or high-refresh rate panels

Gaming experience, as you probably already know, is greatly influenced by the quality of your display. Upgrading to a higher refresh rate monitor can dramatically improve the experience, making gameplay smoother and more responsive. Similarly, a bigger or a higher resolution panel can also deliver a significantly better experience. One of the better options out there in the 27-inch category is LG’s UltraGear 27-inch OLED, which also happens to be on sale right now for $599.99 shipped, down from $300 from its usual price of $900. This 1440p LG Ultragear utilizes HDR so you’ll be gaming with a brilliant range of colors, and it also supports a 240Hz refresh rate with a response time of 0.03ms for gaming.

If you’re willing to spend a bit more, Samsung’s 49-inch Odyssey OLED G9 (G95SC) curved gaming monitor would be a great pick. It’s available for $1,047.97 shipped right now, down $31 from its usual going rate of $1,079. More monitors, including some affordable models, are highlighted below.

Gaming PCs and laptops – Help setup a new battlestation from scratch

Buying monitors and accessories are great, but they’re not going to do much to improve the experience if the underlying PC or the laptop powering the battlestation is in dire need of an upgrade. We’ve got some solid picks for you below that can help you grab some new machines to either upgrade the heart of an existing battlestation or help you get someone started with a new one.

ASUS has solid options right now in its G-series, and the one you can definitely consider as a gift is the brand’s ROG Zephyrus G14 at $1,599.99 shipped. You’ll hardly a laptop that is more sleek than this 14-inch model, and it also delivers good performance and a good experience with its OLED panel, the RTX 4060, and plenty of storage. If you don’t mind splurging to get the best gaming notebook out there this holiday season as a gift for your loved one, then Gigabyte’s AORUS 17X laptop w/ i9-14900HX/32GB/2TB/4090 is hard to beat at $3,199.99 shipped. It also sports a 1440p panel with support for up to 240Hz refresh rate, making it a great option for folks who play competitive games, too.

But if you’d rather gift a gaming PC instead of a laptop, then Dell has some unbeatable options, including the Alienware Aurora R16 range that starts at $1,199.99 shipped. These PCs pack high-end components in a sleek-looking chassis with RGB lighting and a good selection of ports, and they all ship with a basic keyboard and mouse too. Notably, you can also check out iBUYPOWER’s range at Best Buy, as many of them are currently discounted and they deliver arguably better value for your money compared to Alienware PCs if you’re not particularly picky about how your PC looks from the outside. We’re highlighting some options below for you to check out as well.

Miscellaneous components and accessories

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