Each November, we see the best gaming PCs go on sale to their cheapest levels of the calendar year. Black Friday gaming PC deals don't come around too often, so it's important to make the most of them when they do. This year, plenty of new components have hit the shelves, but with high prices and a lessened demand compared to last year, there hasn't been quite the buzz about gaming PCs and computer building in 2023.
That said, it remains to be seen what lower prices will bring. Yet another wave of processors has just hit the shelves, and since these Intel 14th-generation chips use the same motherboard socket as the previous two generations, this November could be the best time for folks to finally upgrade to DDR5 systems. During events like Prime Day this year, we've certainly seen some reasonable prices, and with Black Friday being known as the real deal season for gaming PCs, we have a lot of hope for what's to come.
There are many different gaming PC brands on the market right now, and it can be hard to recommend a certain brand and model since new waves of different configurations pop up all the time. First and foremost, we've listed the best specs to aim for this November so that no matter what brand you go for, you know what you'll be getting inside. After that, we've listed some of the major players, taking a look at some current deals, and advising you which models are worth paying particular attention to.
If you're more interested in building your own PC as opposed to buying a complete system, you might want to take a look at our Black Friday SSD deals page, or our Black Friday GPU deals page.
What PC specs should you aim for this Black Friday?
1080p / entry-level specs
If you aren't worried about the likes of ray tracing and 4K and maxed-out settings, then budget specs are the ones to look for. These will be appropriate for anyone buying their first gaming PC, or indeed buying something that they can use mainly for work, with some light PC gaming on the side if they already own a PS5 or an Xbox Series X.
Lucky for these shoppers, these are the specs that are most readily available and usually come the cheapest whether you're aiming for a fully prebuilt rig, or you're planning to buy the parts separately and build it yourself.
Thankfully, things get even cheaper if you aren't fussed about getting components from the most recent generation. In fact, in terms of GPUs, there are plenty of older options that will be exactly what you need and won't break the $200 mark.
On the other hand, it is important to balance out these older specs with some futureproofing, in case you need it. For that reason, you don't need DDR5 RAM, but getting a CPU and a motherboard that's compatible with it might be worth your while since it means you'll have the option to upgrade later without buying a brand-new system. This could drive up the price though, so it's really up to you. In terms of memory, don't settle for any less than 16GB of DDR4. Ideally, you want 1TB of SSD, but if you aren't fussed about having everything running off of a speedy drive, 512GB of SSD combined with a 1 or 2TB HDD is acceptable.
Here's what to look for:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5000 Series, Intel Core i5 (11th gen minimum, ideally 12th)
- GPU: GTX 1060 Super, RTX 3050 / 3060, Intel Arc A550, AMD Radeon RX 6600 / 7600
- RAM: 16GB DDR4 (no less)
- Storage: 1TB of SSD storage / 512GB of SSD, 1TB of HDD
- Expected Price: ~$650-$800 / ~£650-£850
1440p / Mid-range specs
This is the area where you'll probably find the most value for money during Black Friday gaming PC sales. Along with entry-level, these are the rigs we see get the steepest discounts - making them excellent gaming machines to look for, and really well futureproofed at the same time.
DDR4 rigs will be here in abundance, but I'd strongly recommend you get your moneys worth by making sure whatever PC you buy is at least DDR5 compatible. If it isn't, be on the lookout for DDR5 RAM deals this Black Friday since it'll likely be a lot cheaper as well.
This is where we'd recommend definitely looking for a current gen chipset, if possible. On the AMD side of things, that might be a little bit harder, but it will make a difference to your performance in the long run.
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5000 Series / 5 7000 Series, Intel Core i5 (12th gen minimum, ideally 13th)
- GPU: RTX 3060 Ti - RTX 4070 Ti, Intel Arc A770 12GB, AMD Radeon RX 7800
- RAM: 16GB DDR5
- Storage: 1TB of SSD storage
- Expected Price: ~$800 - $1,200 / ~£850 - £1,300
4K / High-end
Even if these machines technically get the largest price reductions of the lot, they're still bloody expensive for most shoppers. For these, you're more likely to find what you're looking for with the big brands you'll find below. Alienware, HP, Acer, will all stock rigs of this calibur. Budget brands will have the occasional high-end system, but these usually disappear fairly quickly.
You'll probably pay a lot of money for a high-end rig, so make sure you get your money's worth. Don't settle on the specs because if you're willing to put down a small fortune, it's only fair you get the power for it.
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5000 Series, 7/9 7000X Series, Intel Core i7,9 (12th gen minimum, ideally 13th)
- GPU: RTX 4070 Ti, 4080, 4090, Intel Arc A770 16GB, AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT/X
- RAM: 32GB of DDR5 or more
- Storage: 1TB of SSD storage / 2TB of SSD / 1TB of SSD + 1TB of HDD
- Expected Price: ~$1,200 - $2,100 / ~1,500 - £2,200
Which gaming PC should you buy on Black Friday?
With so many gaming PC prebuilt options on the market right now, it can be confusing to know what to look for on Black Friday, especially if you're looking for your first gaming PC. That's why you'll find a few of our favorite models below. These have, historically, offered fantastic value for money as well as being high-quality machines in their own right.
If you're brand new to the world of gaming PCs, your best bet is to do some research. Component language can be quite daunting, and awfully confusing for newcomers. If you read up on what the various parts and specs are first, you'll most likely be armed with better knowledge for what to look for come Black Friday.
The Acer Predator Orion 7000 is definitely worth watching this Black Friday. Often, its prices are still a little higher than we'd like, even when discounted, but there's no denying you get some cracking configurations. This line has seen a refresh this year which means you can get it with DDR5 and new-gen CPUs. We would strongly recommend seeking these out since they'll offer the best value.
It has a thoughtful design for upgrading, a powerful build, and is most definitely futureproofed for years to come. We'd caveat that by saying it does have obtrusively loud fans and an annoying proprietary BIOS that doesn't let you change RAM timings. In terms of raw gaming power though, there was nothing we could throw at this machine in testing that it couldn't handle, providing 100+ FPS at 4K and 1440p resolutions.
While we don't necessarily expect something this good to see massive discounts for Black Friday, we do suggest making a note of it since it's our top pick.
Alienware has made some of our favorite gaming PCs in recent years, including the Alienware Aurora line which has recently received an upgrade thanks to the Alienware Aurora R15, and the older Intel R13s and AMD R14s. That means those two last-gen models should drop in cost for Black Friday. If you can see an even older Aurora, you'll likely get a good configuration for the money but don't hold out hope since these are now hard to find.
Over at Dell, we usually see plenty of great discounts on the Alienware Auroras. Many will feature 12th and 13th-generation Intel CPUs, along with 30 and 40-series GPUs. On the AMD side, you'll get really solid specs most of the time, but you will be resigned to the R14.
In the past, we've seen several Alienware gaming PC models reach some of their lowest prices of the year in the Dell Black Friday Sneak Peek sale, so keep an eye out for that as we get closer to Thanksgiving.
The HP Omen line of prebuilt gaming PCs is one of the more readily available ranges from major online retailers, as well as one of the more competitively priced models in comparison to some PC manufacturers at the moment.
Currently, at Amazon, you can get yourself an HP Omen 30L RTX 3060 gaming PC for only $1,479.07, a variant featuring an AMD Ryzen 5 5600 CPU and a 1TB SSD. Similarly, on the cheaper end of things, you can pick up an HP Omen rig with a GTX 1660 Super and a 10th-generation i5 for just $1,285. What's more, HP Omen gaming PCs are plentiful at both Best Buy and Walmart, and while they're mostly budget models, they're a good shout if you've been after an affordable gaming rig from a trusted retailer.
Where to look for a boutique-built gaming PC on Black Friday
Certain retailers, such as Newegg (in the US) and Ebuyer (in the UK) sell their own in-house gaming PCs, which are sure to be deeply discounted on the day based on the deals weve seen previously. These are the ABS and AlphaSync lines respectively, though we've seen Skytech and iBuyPower hit historic low prices around this time period in the past, too, just to name a few.
ABS Master / Gladiator
Two popular ABS configurations that you can pick up from Newegg are the Master and Gladiator builds. The main difference between the two is the GPUs used, as Master units tend to be a little more budget-friendly and Gladiator machines are aimed more at the enthusiast level.
Fortunately, regardless of preference, deals are commonplace and offer exceptional value on rigs with in-demand GPUs selling at aggressive price points. What's more, consumer parts are used here, such as G.Skill TridentZ RGB RAM (the best RAM for gaming) and Corsair power supplies, so upgrading and replacing parts as you go is far easier than it would otherwise be in manufacturer-made machines (Alienware, HP, etc.).
iBuyPower
iBuyPower is one of the more prevalent names in the PC gaming scene, and because of this fact, machines are available at Amazon, as well as Best Buy, Walmart, and other major online retailers.
Because of the sheer amount of options available on the online market at the moment, it's a little challenging to nail down specific models to watch out for, but generally, Amazon hosts some of the most aggressively priced machines for your money.
Skytech Gaming
Skytech has some of the more stylish-looking custom-built machines, as well as some of the more competitively priced rates on mid-tier and high-end gaming PCs from major retailers.
While it has a presence on Amazon, we think that Best Buy is the best retailer to pick one up, as the prices are far fairer overall.
AlphaSync
Ebuyer's AlphaSync custom-built gaming PCs feature some of the most aggressive UK price points given the hardware inside, with deals frequently appearing.
What's more, Ebuyer is currently honouring a Black Friday price match guarantee, so anything you buy this side of the Winter sales event is price-protected; if it gets any cheaper on the day, you'll be refunded the difference, so you can buy with full confidence.
Take the portable route for less this month with the Black Friday gaming laptop deals, and upgrade your current display at a reduced rate in the Black Friday gaming monitor deals.
