Hulking gaming PCs that cost thousands of dollars and can push ever slider all the way to the right are awesome, but not reasonable for most people. The Lenovo LOQ Tower is different — it's balanced, compact, and affordable, perfect for playing all the latest and greatest PC games at a still-crisp 1080p resolution with no fuss. It's my favorite budget pre-built gaming desktop, and its best sale ever is back again... Except prices are lower than ever from just $649.99 at Lenovo, and I can't recommend it enough.
More great Cyber Monday deals
- Walmart: Black Friday deals on practically everything
- Dell: Top deals on laptops, gaming PCs, accessories, and more
- Alienware: Up to $800 off gaming laptops and desktops
- Best Buy: Big savings on video games, accessories, and more
- HP: Up to 84% of select HP Windows PCs and accessories
- Lenovo: Up to 50% of gaming towers, laptops, and accessories
- Newegg: Save on PC gaming accessories, components, and more
- Razer: Up to 43% off laptops and accessories with free gifts
- Top individual deals:
- Samsung T9 4TB Portable SSD for
$439.99$249.99 at Best Buy - Xbox Stereo Headset — 20th Anniversary for
$69.99$45.18 at Walmart - TP-Link Deco X55 Wi-Fi mesh 3-pack for
$229.99$179.99 at Amazon - Razer Wolverine V2 Chroma for
$149.99$89.99 at Best Buy - Xbox Series X + $50 Best Buy gift card for
$549.99$399.99 at Best Buy for Plus/Total members - Xbox Series S (512GB) + Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (3-months) for
$299.99$249.99 at Best Buy - Lenovo LOQ Tower (17IRB8) + Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (3-months) from
$1,029.99$674.99 at Lenovo - HP OMEN 34c for
$479.99$329.99 at Best Buy - Microsoft Audio Dock for
$249.99$48.61 at Amazon - SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless for
$349.99$297.49 at Amazon - Keychron C3 Pro keyboard for
$49.99$27.74 at Amazon - WD_BLACK C50 Expansion Card for Xbox (1TB) for
$149.99$124.99 at Best Buy - ASUS ROG Ally (AMD Ryzen Z1) for
$599.99$449.99 at Best Buy - LG Class A2 OLED (48-inches) for
$1,299.99$549.99 at Best Buy - ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (Ryzen 9 7940HS, RTX 4060) for
$1,599.99$1,199.99 at Best Buy
- Samsung T9 4TB Portable SSD for
Compact, sleek, and a great entry to PC gaming
While it was fun to review the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i (Gen 8) in all its ludicrously powerful and RGB-lit glory, that's also a high-end gaming desktop that will deter plenty of buyers based on its price tag alone. The Lenovo LOQ Tower is far more reasonable, with an understated design and just enough power to play all the latest and greatest PC games without going too crazy. In my Lenovo LOQ Tower review, I stated that it "undercuts Lenovo's tried-and-true Legion brand of pre-built desktops, focusing on delivering consistent 1080p gaming in a compact chassis at an obtainable price."
• Xbox Game Pass and gift cards
• Unbeatable Xbox bundles
• Xbox SSDs and expansion cards
• Best Xbox controller deals
• 700hrs in this game is 3¢ an hour
• Refurb Surface Pro 9 is just $639
• Microsoft Audio Dock is 80% off
• Pick ROG Ally over the Switch
• LG OLED TVs from $550
• The cheapest Xbox exp card
• Amazing keyboard for $28
I really, surprisingly enjoyed using this PC for a few weeks while reviewing it. It's basically a Lenovo IdeaCentre (you know, the desktop PCs you'll find in abundance in thousands of business and schools around the world), but Lenovo smartly upgraded the cooling systems, power supply, and GPU to transform it into a competent 1080p gaming machine. That means that the very capable 13th Gen Intel Core i5-13400F CPU is regulated with a 65W CPU cooler, the solid NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 GPU with 8GB of VRAM handles graphical duties, and the PSU is surprisingly rated 80+ Platinum for greater power efficiency and reliability (every configuration above the flat bottom has a 500W PSU instead of 380W, too, giving you a little more breathing room).
Oh, and the front grate cleverly hides more ventilation behind a classy blue LED strip, which is basically the only "gaming" design feature Lenovo included on this PC. Otherwise, it's a compact 17-liter tower with quiet fans, and it's actually a really solid performer. Don't expect to play every game at 4K and max settings, of course, but I've been able to comfortably play absolutely any game I try at 60 FPS or higher with great visuals at FHD 1080p resolutions, including Cyberpunk 2077 (72 FPS average with the High graphics preset), Forza Horizon 5 (102 FPS average with the High preset), and Counter-Strike 2 (120-150 FPS average with the Medium preset). For context, my configuration has that same Core i5 and RTX 3050, but I do have 16GB of RAM and a 500W PSU.
I've been consistently impressed with this little PC, and it's upgradeable, too. You get toolless entry into the admittedly cramped internals, with open slots for RAM, storage, and PCIe expansion upgrades. You'll be a little limited by the chassis size, the 500W PSU, and the capabilities of the motherboard, but all-in-all it's a great starting point for any casual PC gamer (or those looking to get into the PC gaming hobby).
The Lenovo LOQ Tower did go on sale for Black Friday, but prices slowly crept back up over time. For Cyber Monday 2023, the same sale I loved and recommended then came back in full force, except prices were even lower, starting at just $649.99 at Lenovo. My specific and highly recommended review configuration is just $749.99 at Best Buy, and is still a great deal too. Wherever you go, you'll be getting some free Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to give you immediate access to some of the best PC games you can play.
Whether you're buying for yourself or considering gifts for the holiday season, the Lenovo LOQ Tower is an awesome product at this price. Getting any competent gaming PC for under $700 is great, but I do recommend spending a little bit more on the middle configuration for more RAM, a better GPU, and that aforementioned 500W PSU. You can thank me for the substantially improved gaming experience you'll get later.
