Gaming PCs are a harder Black Friday buy this year. Memory and SSD prices climbed through 2025 and 2026, and PC Game Check expects mid-range prebuilts to drop 10–18% this November, against 15–25% in a normal year. When we checked in late October, only the Lenovo Legion Tower 5 cost less than its 90-day average, and only by about $50.
We chose these six machines on their parts lists and reviews, then checked each Amazon price against what the machine sold for over the past 90 days and its lowest price of the past year, not its list price. All six were sold by Amazon itself when we checked.
Our picks at a glance
6 deals1.The one most players should buy: a 7800X3D, RTX 5070 and 32GB, sold by Amazon. About $50 under its 90-day average.
2.A 9800X3D, RTX 5070 Ti and 2TB for high-refresh 1440p and lighter 4K. Level with its usual price, so not discounted yet.
3.The cheapest current-generation 1080p machine we would buy, on AMD's AM5 platform. Near its usual price; it was $1,100 in July.
4.A 12-core CPU and RX 9070 XT for players who also stream or edit video. About $80 over its 90-day average; it was $2,000 in April.
5.Our 4K pick: an RTX 5080 with Dell support behind it. About $250 over its 90-day average; it was $2,300 last November.
6.The Intel route to 1080p, with an RTX 5060 Ti and a 20-core i7. About $30 over its usual price; it was $1,299 in June.
Our picks
The Legion Tower 5 is the gaming PC we would buy for 1080p and 1440p. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is still one of the fastest gaming CPUs, the RTX 5070 runs 1440p at high settings, and 32GB of DDR5 is what we want in a gaming PC bought this year. TechRadar found it quiet and quick at both resolutions. It ranks above the Skytech because it costs about $500 less and the RTX 5070 is enough for most 1440p monitors.
Skip it if you plan to swap parts often: the interior is cramped, and upgrades take patience.
At about $2,400 from Amazon, it sits roughly $50 under its 90-day average. It sold for about $2,190 in April, so a Black Friday price near that would be the one to hold out for.
Pros
- +Ryzen 7 7800X3D, still one of the fastest gaming CPUs
- +Excellent at 1080p and 1440p, per TechRadar
- +Runs quietly
- +32GB of DDR5 for streaming and multitasking
Cons
- −Cramped interior makes upgrades fiddly
- −Few front ports
- −1TB drive fills quickly with modern games
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
- Graphics
- Nvidia RTX 5070 12GB
- Memory
- 32GB DDR5
- Storage
- 1TB SSD
- Best for
- 1080p and 1440p
Price checked on Amazon Oct 27, 2026, 7:37 AM ET.
#2
Skytech King 95 (Ryzen 7 9800X3D, RTX 5070 Ti)
by Skytech
The King 95 is for players with a high-refresh 1440p monitor, or a 4K one and some patience with settings. It pairs the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, still the gaming CPU to look for, with an RTX 5070 Ti and its 16GB of video memory, and it ships with 32GB of DDR5 and a 2TB SSD, so it needs nothing added on day one. It ranks second because it costs about $680 less than the RTX 5080 Alienware and has the faster gaming CPU of the two. Tech Guided rates it excellent at 1440p, though it notes an RTX 5080 is clearly faster at 4K. Amazon owners give it 4.2 stars across 41 ratings.
Its wireless is Wi-Fi 5, older than the Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 in the ZOTAC and Acer, so use Ethernet if you can. We found no hands-on review from a testing publication.
At about $2,900, it is level with its 90-day average, so this is not a discount. It sold for about $2,370 a year ago.
Pros
- +Ryzen 7 9800X3D, the gaming CPU to look for this year
- +RTX 5070 Ti with 16GB of video memory
- +32GB of DDR5 and a 2TB SSD out of the box
- +Rated excellent at 1440p by Tech Guided
Cons
- −Wi-Fi 5, two generations older than the Acer's Wi-Fi 7
- −An RTX 5080 is clearly faster at 4K
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
- Graphics
- Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti 16GB
- Memory
- 32GB DDR5
- Storage
- 2TB NVMe SSD
- Best for
- High-refresh 1440p
Price checked on Amazon Oct 27, 2026, 7:37 AM ET.
#3Best budget
ZOTAC MEK (Ryzen 5 9600X, RTX 5060)
by ZOTAC
ZOTAC is best known for graphics cards, and the MEK is its complete system: the cheapest current-generation 1080p machine we would buy. The Ryzen 5 9600X sits on AMD's AM5 platform, so a faster processor can go in later, and the MEK adds Wi-Fi 6E and a low-maintenance tower air cooler. Tech Guided rates it excellent at 1080p, and GamingPCGuru says 1440p is workable with DLSS turned on.
The compromises are 8GB of video memory and 16GB of RAM. Both are fine at 1080p and limiting at 1440p with high textures; for that, look at the Lenovo. The system warranty is one year, though the ZOTAC graphics card carries three.
It costs about $1,300 from Amazon, close to its 90-day average, so it is not discounted yet. It was $1,100 in July.
Pros
- +Ryzen 5 9600X on AM5, with room for a faster CPU later
- +Wi-Fi 6E built in
- +Low-maintenance tower air cooler
- +Tidy white build
Cons
- −8GB of video memory runs short at 1440p with high textures
- −16GB of RAM is tight for streaming while gaming
- −One-year system warranty (three years on the graphics card)
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 5 9600X
- Graphics
- Nvidia RTX 5060 8GB
- Memory
- 16GB DDR5
- Storage
- 1TB NVMe SSD
- Best for
- 1080p
Price checked on Amazon Oct 27, 2026, 7:37 AM ET.
#4
Acer Nitro 85 N85-100-UR37 (Ryzen 9 9900X, RX 9070 XT)
by Acer
The Nitro 85 is for people who game and also stream, edit video or run other CPU-heavy work. Its 12-core Ryzen 9 9900X has more cores than any other AMD chip on this list, and its Radeon RX 9070 XT carries 16GB of video memory. PC Gamer called it strong for both gaming and CPU-heavy tasks and includes it in its Black Friday list.
PC Gamer also named what holds it back: 16GB of RAM, thin for a machine pitched at creators, and memory is costly to add this year. We found no hands-on review from a testing publication, so this Pick rests on its parts list. If you only play games, the Lenovo has 32GB for about $200 more.
Amazon had it at about $2,200, around $80 over its 90-day average. It dropped to $2,000 in April, and we would wait for something close to that.
Pros
- +12-core Ryzen 9 9900X for streaming and editing
- +Radeon RX 9070 XT with 16GB of video memory
- +Wi-Fi 7
- +Gen 4 SSD
Cons
- −Only 16GB of RAM for a machine aimed at creators
- −1TB is tight for games plus video projects
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 9 9900X
- Graphics
- AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB
- Memory
- 16GB DDR5
- Storage
- 1TB Gen 4 SSD
- Best for
- 1440p and streaming
Price checked on Amazon Oct 27, 2026, 7:37 AM ET.
This is our 4K pick. The RTX 5080 and its 16GB of video memory are what we would want for 4K play, and a 1000W Platinum power supply and Dell's support network come with it. TechRadar, which reviewed the same Aurora chassis with an RTX 5070, liked its ventilation and easy access and found it quiet. Amazon owners give this listing 4.3 stars across 158 ratings.
Dell uses its own motherboard, which limits later upgrades, and 1TB fills fast with 4K game installs. In CPU-bound games the Core Ultra 9 285 trails the 9800X3D in the Skytech, which is the better buy if you play at 1440p.
At about $3,580 from Amazon, it is roughly $250 over its 90-day average. It sold for $2,300 the week before Thanksgiving last year, so we would wait to see whether November brings it down again.
Pros
- +RTX 5080 with 16GB of video memory for 4K
- +1000W Platinum power supply
- +Well-ventilated case that opens easily, per TechRadar
- +Dell's support network behind it
Cons
- −Proprietary motherboard limits later upgrades
- −1TB drive fills quickly with 4K game installs
- −Core Ultra 9 285 trails the 9800X3D in CPU-bound games
- CPU
- Intel Core Ultra 9 285
- Graphics
- Nvidia RTX 5080 16GB
- Memory
- 32GB DDR5
- Storage
- 1TB NVMe SSD
- Best for
- 4K
Price checked on Amazon Oct 27, 2026, 7:37 AM ET.
#6
CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme VR GXiVR8040A19 (Core i7-14700F, RTX 5060 Ti)
by CyberPowerPC
The Gamer Xtreme is the Intel alternative to the ZOTAC, from the line Tom's Hardware names its best budget gaming PC. Tom's Hardware tested a different configuration (Core Ultra 5 225F with an RTX 5060) and praised its build quality and the lack of bloatware. This version's RTX 5060 Ti is a step up from the ZOTAC's RTX 5060 at 1080p, and the 20-core Core i7-14700F leaves headroom for a faster card later.
It ranks last because it costs about $300 more than the ZOTAC for a modest gain, and its LGA1700 socket gets no new processors. The 8GB of video memory runs short at 1440p with ultra textures, and Tom's Hardware found the stock air cooler loud.
At about $1,600 from Amazon, it is around $30 over its 90-day average. It sold for $1,299 in June, the price we would hold out for.
Pros
- +RTX 5060 Ti handles 1080p at high settings
- +Core i7-14700F leaves headroom for a graphics upgrade
- +Solid build and no bloatware in Tom's Hardware's testing
- +PCIe 4.0 SSD
Cons
- −8GB of video memory runs short with ultra textures at 1440p
- −16GB of RAM is tight for streaming while gaming
- −Stock air cooler was loud in Tom's Hardware's testing
- −LGA1700 socket gets no new processors
- CPU
- Intel Core i7-14700F
- Graphics
- Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti 8GB
- Memory
- 16GB DDR5
- Storage
- 1TB SSD
- Best for
- 1080p
Price checked on Amazon Oct 27, 2026, 7:37 AM ET.
How to choose a gaming PC this Black Friday
Start with your monitor, then pick the graphics card. An RTX 5060 or 8GB RTX 5060 Ti, as in the ZOTAC and CyberPowerPC, is a 1080p card. For 1440p, look for an RTX 5070 or RX 9070 XT; for high-refresh 1440p, an RTX 5070 Ti; for 4K, an RTX 5080 or above. Video memory matters as much as the model name, because 8GB runs short with high textures at 1440p.
Buy 32GB of RAM now if you will want it later. 16GB runs most games with background apps closed, but 32GB matters for streaming and multitasking. Memory is expensive this year, and system builders buy it on contracts, so a machine that already has 32GB can cost less than adding a kit later.
Check the upgrade path. The Ryzen machines here use AMD's AM5 socket, which has a longer future than the LGA1700 socket in the CyberPowerPC. The Alienware Aurora uses a Dell motherboard, so expect fewer upgrade options. Check the power supply's wattage before planning a bigger graphics card.
Ignore the struck-through price. The Alienware Aurora shows a list price near $4,380, against a 90-day average around $3,330. Judge a deal by the recent average and the 12-month low we quote in each Pick, and expect smaller cuts than in past years.
Check the seller and the return window. All six Picks were sold by Amazon when we checked. Many gaming PC listings on Amazon come from resellers who add parts or mark up big-brand machines, so check who is selling before you order. Amazon usually extends returns over the holidays, but confirm the date on your order page.
How we chose these gaming pc deals
Every deal on this page was selected and checked by Ed Hollinghurst. We start from products with a strong track record in independent reviews and owner feedback, then compare the current Black Friday price against the product's typical selling price over the past months, not just the inflated list price. A deal only makes the cut if the product is genuinely good and the discount is real.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Commissions never influence which products we pick or how we rank them. Read our full affiliate disclosure.
