Truly lucrative desktop PC deals are rare during Black Friday, so I’m laser-focused on uncovering the best ones for you. I review dozens of PCs every year for PCMag, putting them through our benchmark tests, judging their build quality, and publishing verdicts. I’ve been working here for more than a decade, so I’ve seen quite a lot of desktops.
I’ve found the most appealing desktop among the Early Black Friday Deals here. Of all the offers, Amazon’s discount on the MSI Codex Z2 stands out the most. It’s a significant 29% off at Amazon for Black Friday, marked down to $997.45 from $1,399.99. Sure, you’ll find simpler desktops on sale—and much pricier gaming PCs, too—but this is a top value for PC-gaming deal hunters. A discount as big as $400 is rare for PCs at this price, presenting you with a midrange gaming rig at an entry-level price.
Pro Tips for Buying a New Gaming Desktop
Gaming PCs come in all shapes, sizes, performance levels, and most importantly, prices. The graphics card is the single most crucial component in determining the price (and power) of any given gaming desktop. The processor and memory are also important, as you want to achieve a certain speed baseline to avoid bottlenecks, regardless of your graphics card.
An Intel Core Ultra 7 or AMD Ryzen 7 CPU represents a sweet spot for gaming PCs, though a lower-midrange Core Ultra 5 or Ryzen 5 processor from either would get the job done, too. A RAM pool of 16GB is generally considered the baseline for a fast-enough gaming rig, although more RAM is always preferable. With the size of modern game installations, at least 500GB of storage is a must; however, even that will soon feel restrictive.
While I could highlight some all-powerful high-end systems, Black Friday shopping is all about bargains and savings; a super-expensive desktop is hardly going to accomplish that. Fortunately, my MSI pick here meets or exceeds all of those minimums above.
MSI Codex Z2 Gaming Desktop
That brings us to this particular desktop. We didn’t test this exact configuration yet, but we reviewed the MSI Codex R2 last year with an RTX 4060 GPU, handing it our Editors’ Choice award for budget gaming desktops.
This newer Z2 configuration features an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060, one of Nvidia’s latest entry-level graphics cards. Sure, that GPU might underwhelm some enthusiasts, but most PC gamers just want a capable and smooth performer for mainstream gaming without busting their budget. You’ll have to spend many hundreds more for a desktop with a faster GPU.
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All of Nvidia’s RTX 50-series cards include access to DLSS 4, an AI-driven suite of image optimization and frame generation tools that drastically boost frame rates in all games that support it. Even if you find this GPU’s raw power lacking, DLSS 4 bridges the performance gap for mainstream users. Using DLSS 4, the GPU can enable lightning-fast low-detail 1080p play or a smooth high-detail experience at 1440p resolution—you can even tweak your settings for something in between.
It’s not all about the graphics card, either, and that’s what makes this an excellent deal. This Codex Z2 comes with a fast Ryzen 7 8700F processor (the AMD Ryzen 7 8700G variant of which we’ve reviewed), 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, the latter of which is particularly appealing. Memory constraints and current market pricing make this one of the easiest and most affordable ways to acquire a 32GB memory system, doubling the expected RAM at this price before the memory market becomes even tighter.
Recommended by Our Editors
On top of that, since we’ve seen the Codex R2 before, we know it comes with a well-designed tower. The chassis showcases some style, featuring glitzy RGB lighting and adequate airflow for the price (although the fans become somewhat loud under load). The Codex Z2 is as good as it gets in this price range for a case, and overall, this is a highly appealing package at a steeply discounted price. A new RTX 5060 gaming desktop with 32GB of RAM for less than $1,000 is one of the best computing deals you’ll find this Black Friday.
More Desktop Deals
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
Check out our in-depth coverage of all the Early Black Friday deals, steals, sales, and discounts that we’ve found so far!
Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Black Friday Deals
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
FAQs
Is Black Friday a Good Time to Buy a Desktop?
Yes, definitely. PC components are expensive, especially if you want the latest parts. Having an opportunity to buy into the current GPU generation, among other relevant components, with a discount applied across the board, is something you shouldn’t miss if you’re in the market for a new PC. Significant discounts only drop a few times a year, and this is when you’ll see the most substantial price cuts on new parts.
Are Games Cheaper on Black Friday?
You’ll find many game sales weeks during the year, especially online, and Black Friday is one of them. Expect to see discounted games at major retailers, which can help build the library for your new PC at a lower cost. Additionally, while leading digital storefront Steam shifted its major seasonal sales schedules, according to its blog, it will still run “Black Friday special offers on our Discounts and Events page from November 24 through December 1.”
Stop Overpaying: Track Prices Before You Buy on Black Friday
About Our Expert
Matthew Buzzi
Principal Writer, Hardware
Experience
I’ve been a consumer PC expert at PCMag for 10 years, and I love PC gaming. I’ve played games on my computer for as long as I can remember, which eventually (as it does for many) led me to build and upgrade my own desktops to this day. Through my years at PCMag, I’ve tested and reviewed many, many dozens of laptops and desktops, and I am always happy to recommend a PC for your needs and budget.
This article was published by WTVG on 2025-11-20 16:01:00
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