It's rough to search for PC swagger on a budget—even on Black Friday. We've got some killer Black Friday deals, sure, but that doesn't make the spending anxiety any less real, especially when your wallet's thinner than usual. Luckily for you, I've found a couple of great steals for under $500. Don't say uncle Harvey never gave you anything.
First up, you can never underestimate the power of a good gaming monitor—even if it's the last thing you might consider when putting together your build. When you've already shelled out thousands for a top-of-the-line graphics card and a CPU that could pilot a spaceship, it's hard to drop another few hundred bucks on something external.
Fortunately, you can get a great higher-end monitor at Newegg for just shy of $400—or $350 with the promo code: BFCY2Z739. 32 inches, 4K capability, 144Hz and IPS, this thing's a steal for its price, since it's usually a bank-busting $700. If you've already got a good gaming PC, then the Acer Nitro XV322QK is a no-brainer.
- We're curating all the best Black Friday PC gaming deals right here.
But maybe you've already got your gamer cave set up, already? What if you want to slum it on the sofa? You might want to grab a Steam Deck for its current price of $349. "But wait," I hear you say. "Isn't its SSD just 64GB? That's tiny." You're right, it is tiny. Even Tekken 8's like, 100 gigs now. Here's where your pocket change comes in.
You can very easily grab a deck-compatible SSD, the WD-Black SN770M for $80, right now. That brings the whole package to $429, giving you a Steam Deck with a whole terabyte of storage. Sure, you're missing out on the OLED screen, a bit of battery life, and that 90hz refresh rate, but it's still a chunk cheaper than buying Valve's 1TB OLED wholesale, and it's just as powerful otherwise. Game smarter, not pricier.
