Prime Day PC hardware deals are here — These are the GPUs, CPUs, SSDs, and RAM that I'd buy as a PC build expert

"Dominate any game at any level, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D offers ultimate performance with 8 cores, 16 threads, and up to 5.0GHz boost clock backed up with 96MB L3 cache."

Windows Central review ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

✅ Perfect for: PC gamers looking to take advantage of AMD's unique 3D V-Cache that directly boosts gaming performance.

❌ Avoid if: You'd rather pay a bit more and land AMD's newer Ryzen 7 9800X3D.

👉 See at: Amazon.com

👀 Alternate deal: $369.99 at Newegg (no membership, free 1TB SSD)

🔎 $20 rebate cards gets you the $259 price

✅ Great for: 1080p and 1440p gaming on the cheap.

❌ Avoid if: You want one of NVIDIA's newer GPUs with access to DLSS 4.

👉 See at: Newegg.com

✅ Great for: Those who want to land 16GB of VRAM to better set up for the future of 1440p gaming.

❌ Avoid if: You want an ultimate GPU for 4K gaming.

👉 See at: Amazon.com

✅ Great for: 1440p and 4K gaming with the latest upscaling FSR tech from AMD.

❌ Avoid if: You generally game at 1080p or would rather have the latest NVIDIA DLSS 4 advancements.

👉 See at: Amazon.com

✅ Great for: 1440p and 4K gaming without compromise. Includes 20GB of VRAM to set you up well for the future.

❌ Avoid if: You game at 1080p or would rather grab one of AMD's newer GPUs.

👉 See at: Amazon.com

✅ Great for: 1440p and 4K gaming, and 24GB of VRAM keeps it relevant for future years.

❌ Avoid if: You usually play at 1080p or you'd rather invest in one of AMD's latest GPUs.

👉 See at: Amazon.com

✅ Great for: 1080p gaming with occasional jumps up to 1440p.

❌ Avoid if: You want one of AMD or NVIDIA's latest GPUs with all of the newest performance upgrades.

👉 See at: Amazon.com

💰 Price check: $279.99 at Newegg

🔎 FantasTech price protection + free $30 gift card

✅ Great for: PC gaming at 1080p or 1440p resolutions, with access to the latest AMD FSR tech.

❌ Avoid if: You primarily game at 1440p and 4K, or you prefer NVIDIA's DLSS 4 tech.

👉 See at: Newegg.com

🔥 Includes a $30 Newegg gift card

✅ Great for: Strong 1080p gaming and respectable 1440p performance with AMD's latest FSR tech.

❌ Avoid if: You want more than 8GB of VRAM or you prefer NVIDIA's DLSS 4.

👉 See at: Newegg.com

💰 Price check: $299.99 at Amazon

✅ Great for: 1080p systems with less space for a three-fan card. Offers DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Gen advancements for the best NVIDIA experience.

❌ Avoid if: You primarily game at 1440p or 4K and want to make your games look as good as possible.

👉 See at: Amazon.com

💰 Price check: $299.99 at B&H

🔎 Free $20 gift card with purchase

✅ Great for: 1440p PC gaming with DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Gen features.

❌ Avoid if: You can find a good deal on a 16GB version, which will better handle 1440p resolutions going forward.

👉 See at: Newegg.com

✅ Great for: 1440p gaming with the latest DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Gen enhancements from NVIDIA.

❌ Avoid if: You want to bump your resolution up to 4K most of the time or you want a GPU with more than 12GB of VRAM.

👉 See at: Newegg.com

💰 Price check: $629.99 at Amazon

🔥Includes a $120 Newegg gift card

✅ Great for: PC gamers looking to target a strong 1440p experience with DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Gen enhancements.

❌ Avoid if: You don't have a lot of space inside your PC case or you'd rather spend more on a card for 1440p/4K.

👉 See at: Newegg.com

💰 Price check: $669.99 at Best Buy

✅ Great for: 4K gaming at an excellent price, complete with the latest FSR technologies. 16GB of VRAM is great for future proofing.

❌ Avoid if: You'd rather go with an NVIDIA GPU or you don't need the power to run your games at 4K.

👉 See at: Newegg.com

💰 Price check: $739.99 at Amazon

✅ Great for: 1440p and 4K gaming thanks to DLSS 4, Multi Frame Gen, and 16GB of VRAM.

❌ Avoid if: You'd rather buy a card more suited to 1080p or you prefer AMD Radeon hardware.

👉 See at: Newegg.com

💰 Price check: $829.99 at Amazon

✅ Great for: Any PC gamers who want to push 1440p and 4K resolutions with full access to the latest DLSS 4 tech, including Multi Frame Gen.

❌ Avoid if: You'd rather opt for a less fancy RTX 5070 Ti model for less money or you primarily game at 1080p.

👉 See at: Newegg.com

🔎 FantasTech price protection

✅ Great for: 1440p and 4K gaming, with plenty of VRAM to hold strong for the next few years.

❌ Avoid if: You don't have a lot of space in your PC or if you'd rather buy a GPU more suited to 1080p.

👉 See at: Newegg.com

💰 Price check: $999.99 at Amazon

"It's indisputable that the Ryzen 9 9950X is the world's most powerful consumer CPU, but it comes at a cost, both literally and through hardware requirements. You'll need a capable cooler to keep this 170W beast under control and performing its best, but it'll deliver the best metrics for creative apps."

Windows Central review ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

✅ Great for: Unparalleled productivity performance with outstanding gaming performance as well.

❌ Avoid if: You'd rather maximize gaming performance with one of AMD's X3D chips.

👉 See at: Amazon.com

💰 Price check: $559 at Newegg

✅ Great for: 20-core productivity performance, and it'll handle modern gaming as well.

❌ Avoid if: You'd rather go with an AMD chip, especially an X3D model for far better gaming performance.

👉 See at: Amazon.com

💰 Price check: $429.99 at Best Buy

"The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X is an excellent processor for gaming and medium workloads. It can get seriously hot when pushed to its limit, but AMD has created something truly special here."

Windows Central review ⭐⭐⭐⭐

✅ Great for: Gaming PC upgrades on the cheap. This CPU is still a great performer today.

❌ Avoid if: You'd rather invest in one of AMD's X3D chips that offers ultimate gaming performance.

👉 See at: Amazon.com

💰 Price check: $178 at Newegg

"AMD's Zen 4 architecture promised considerable uplifts in performance and the company has delivered with the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X. This processor is a fantastic upgrade for those on older AMD hardware, though it does require a new AM5 motherboard."

Windows Central review ⭐⭐⭐⭐

✅ Great for: PC gaming builds that are using the AM5 socket.

❌ Avoid if: You'd rather spend more on an AMD X3D gaming CPU.

👉 See at: Amazon.com

💰 Price check: $254 at Newegg

"Intel made good use of the drawing table and returns with something truly special. The Core i9-12900K is a leap in the right direction for those seeking a powerful, yet efficient desktop processor."

Windows Central review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

✅ Great for: Gaming and productivity with 16 cores. It's a few years old, but it's still a potent CPU.

❌ Avoid if: You prefer one of Intel's newer chips, or you'd like to grab an AMD X3D CPU.

👉 See at: Amazon.com

💰 Price check: $304.98 at Newegg

"The AMD Ryzen 7000 series of processors offer excellent value and performance per watt, but the Ryzen 9 7900X and Ryzen 9 7950X take all this to a whole different level. These are the best consumer processors out there."

Windows Central review ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

✅ Great for: PC gamers and creators working with an AM5 motherboard.

❌ Avoid if: You'd rather spend more and land an X3D chip made specifically for gaming.

👉 See at: Amazon.com

💰 Price check: $513.99 at Newegg

"Coming out on top in synthetic benchmark results puts the Core Ultra 9 285K at the top of the productivity pile, but the gaming situation hasn't changed much from the previous-gen Core i9-14900K, and that's by design."

Windows Central review ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

✅ Great for: Ultra-efficient and powerful productivity in a system with the LGA1851 socket.

❌ Avoid if: You want to get the most gaming performance possible out of your CPU.

👉 See at: Amazon.com

💰 Price check: $559.99 at Newegg

✅ Great for: Adding all the RAM you'll ever need to your gaming PC.

❌ Avoid if: You don't need 96GB of RAM or don't need RGB lighting.

👉 See at: Amazon.com

💰 Price check: $269.99 at Newegg

✅ Great for: PCIe 4.0 storage with up to 7,000MB/s speeds.

❌ Avoid if: You'd rather opt for a slightly faster SSD or don't need as much capacity.

👉 See at: Amazon.com

💰 Price check: $234.99 at Best Buy

✅ Great for: Bulk 8TB storage for your games and stellar 7,200MB/s performance.

❌ Avoid if: You'd rather spend less on a smaller capacity.

👉 See at: Amazon.com

💰 Price check: $619.99 at Best Buy

✅ Great for: Desktop gaming PCs that can handle DDR5 RAM. Works with Intel XMP and AMD EXPO.

❌ Avoid if: You want something faster than DDR5-6000 or need more than two 16GB sticks.

👉 See at: Amazon.com

💰 Price check: $76.99 at Best Buy

✅ Great for: Anyone who needs 2TB of M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD storage for their gaming or work PC.

❌ Avoid if: You need transfer speeds beyond 5,000MB/s.

👉 See at: Newegg.com

💰 Price check: $97.97 at Amazon

"The SK hynix Platinum P41 PCIe 4.0 SSD comes out ahead of other SSDs we've tested in almost every benchmark. It's competitively priced, it has an excellent TBW rating, and it's available in three capacities. It's an easy recommendation if you want an upgrade for gaming or for productivity."

Windows Central review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

✅ Great for: Durable 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD with a five-year warranty and speeds up to 7,150MB/s.

❌ Avoid if: You're holding out to upgrade to a PCIe 5.0 drive.

👉 See at: Newegg.com

✅ Great for: Bulk storage in a reliable Seagate package.

❌ Avoid if: You can't live without SSD speeds.

👉 See at: Newegg.com