Image: IDG/Gordon Mah UngOn the seventh day of the Microsoft Store’s annual 12 Days of Deals marathon, it’s finally time to have some fun. Microsoft’s offering deep discounts on over 100 gaming laptops and desktop PCs today.
Some truly staggering deals are already out of stock as I write this around 8:30 A.M. Eastern, and it’s easy to see why—they paired potent gaming PCs with Windows Mixed Reality headsets for $500 to $650 off. But plenty of systems can still be found with discounts ranging from $100 to $600 depending on the PC and its configuration. As PCWorld’s resident gaming and graphics guru, here are some particularly juicy deals that caught my eye:
Dell Inspiron 15 7577 i7577-5258BLK-PUS for $899 ($200 discount): You don’t find laptops with a GeForce GTX 1060 graphics chip selling for under $1,000 very often.Dell Inspiron 15 i5577-5858BLK-PUS for $600 ($200 discount): The GTX 1050 GPU in this more modest sibling of the above deal won’t melt your face, but it’s still PCWorld’s pick for the best budget graphics card. And a gaming laptop for just $600? Snag it while you can.Alienware 17 R4 AW17R4-7004SLV-PUS for $1,899 ($600 discount): Okay, this discount isn’t as steep as Microsoft claims, as you can find this notebook selling for $2,169 at other e-tailers. But it’s still a solid deal on the Alienware 17 R4, PCWorld’s favorite 17-inch gaming laptop.Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501VI-US74 for $2,499 ($200 discount): And here’s our favorite 15.6-inch gaming laptop going for a solid $200 off mere months after launch. The stunning ROG Zephyrus uses Nvidia’s Max-Q technology to cram the GTX 1080’s power into an incredibly thin and light notebook, bolstered by a luscious 120Hz G-Sync display. The battery life stinks though.
IDG / Adam Patrick MurrayMSI Trident 3 VR7RC-028US Signature Edition for $849 ($150 discount): Core i5, a GTX 1060, and a 1TB hard drive paired with a 128GB SSD is a solid deal for this price—doubly so when it comes in a console-sized case that’s surprisingly quiet. We just reviewed a more potent version of the Trident 3 and fell in love with it.Alienware 15 R3 AW15R3-7003SLV-PUS for $1,599 ($600 discount): Now’s the time to buy an Alienware laptop, it seems. The Alienware 15 R3 just earned a 4 out of 5 star rating in a PCWorld review, and that was at its full $2,199 price. This beast delivers desktop-class firepower in a case you can tuck into your backpack.Razer DeathAdder Elite for $50 ($20 discount): The DeathAdder Elite is one of the most popular gaming mice in the world, and for good reason: You’d be hard-pressed to find a better mouse for first-person shooters. But the DeathAdder’s shape feels divine in your hand even for office tasks. It’s my personal go-to mouse, and the Elite version never sells for anything cheaper than this. Lots of other Razer keyboards and mice are on sale, too.Dell 28 Ultra HD 4K Monitor – S2817Q for $399 ($230 discount): Dell makes damned fine monitors. Damned fine 4K monitors are almost impossible to find for less than $500. Snatch this up if you’ve been looking to upgrade your display to ultra HD. Gamers take note: This monitor does not feature G-Sync or FreeSync technology.Lenovo Y gaming mouse mat for $5 ($5 discount): I haven’t touched this, but it’s a microfiber gaming mouse mat for just $5. Why not chuck it in the cart and give it a try if you’re buying something else too?
That’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are 118 gaming PC and PC peripheral deals in total on Microsoft’s seventh day of deals, so head on over and take a peek even if none of the ones above strike your fancy. Be warned: Several of the desktop deals feature older 6th-gen Intel Core processors. They’ll still do just fine for gaming—especially in a configuration like this beastly HP Omen desktop—but note that we’re up to 8th generation Core chips now. And if you’re considering a gaming laptop that we didn’t mention above, be sure to consult PCWorld’s laptop buyer’s guide and mobile gaming GPU guide to make sure you’re making a wise choice. All that glitters isn’t necessarily gold.