Shop Smart: How to Save Money When Buying a New Gaming PC

Buying a gaming PC is always going to be an expensive undertaking, especially if you want to have the latest and greatest components in it. The latest GPUs from NVIDIA alone, the RTX™️ 40 series, retail for $1,199 to $1,599, depending on the variant. Add all the other parts and you’re looking at quite the chunk of change.

Fortunately, there are ways to make the purchase of a great gaming PC easier on your wallet. Here are a few tips on how to save some bucks when buying a new gaming desktop, just in time for the holidays:

Look for system integrators that offer financing options
Some system integrators may sometimes offer excellent options to finance a gaming PC. CLX is one such SI; you can finance any gaming PC from them with either Affirm or Katapult.

Affirm offers 0% APR financing payable over 6 months, or you can choose to stretch your payment up to 36 months with APR varying between 10% to 30% for any purchases above $2,000. You can easily pre-qualify for Affirm through the Financing link on the CLX website, or choose it as a payment option at checkout.

Katapult, on the other hand, is a no-credit-needed lease-to-own program. Should you qualify, you can be approved for up to $3,500 (for a low initial fee) that you can then use to finance your gaming PC. You can easily pre-qualify for Katapult through the same Financing link above; if you opt for an early buyout of your CLX system, you can qualify for a discount!

Shop around for used parts
You can get great deals on certain key components for a gaming PC if you’re willing to dip into pre-loved parts. It sounds scary at first, but if you buy them online from reputable sites such as eBay, you’ll have some buyer protection on your side.

This can be especially useful when buying an expensive component, such as a graphics card. As you may know, the cryptocurrency crash has freed up a lot of GPUs that were previously used in mining rigs. Generally speaking, these secondhand cards are as safe as any other used GPU that you can find. Mining isn’t that hard on the hardware.

Wait for prices to drop
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and with it, you can expect holiday sales. If you’re diligent about doing your homework, you can fill your online shopping cart with everything you’ll need for the gaming PC of your dreams. After that, all you have to do is wait for the sales to start. Pro tip: consider using price tracker extensions that will alert you when prices drop.

Choose function over form
Do you really need that much RGB or a colored case? You can save a lot of money if you’re willing to go with standard fans and are happy enough to settle for basic black for all of your components. Doing so saves you from paying the customization tax, while still getting a competitive gaming PC that performs well.