Amazon has loads of terrible cheap gaming PCs on sale for Black Friday - don't buy those, get these instead

The Lenovo IdeaCentre Gaming 5i and HP Omen 25L gaming PCs on a purple background.
(Image credit: Lenovo, HP)

The Black Friday deals just keep dropping, and it's the best time of year to pick up one of the best gaming PCs - especially now that major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Currys have kicked off their Black Friday sale events.

If you're on the hunt for an affordable gaming PC - whether you're looking to game on a budget or need a Fortnite machine for a younger relative - Amazon is positively awash with highly sketchy gaming PCs featuring oddly nondescript spec lists, so watch out. Luckily, there are some great deals to be found elsewhere.

In the US, Best Buy has the HP Omen 25L on sale for $649.99, a full $250 off the retail price. If you're in the UK, you can pick up the Lenovo IdeaCentre Gaming 5i for £549.99 at CCL. Both are great choices for an entry-level gaming system, with components that aren't horribly outdated (unlike far too many of those you'll find on Amazon right now).

Not in the US or UK? Scroll down to see the best gaming PC deals in your region.

The best Black Friday budget gaming PC deals in the US and UK

HP Omen 25L: $899.99 $649.99 at Best Buy

HP Omen 25L: was $899.99 now $649.99 at Best Buy
Packed with an Nvidia GTX 1660 Super GPU, 13th-gen Intel processor, 8GB DDR5 memory, and a speedy 512GB SSD, the HP Omen 25L in white is the perfect entry-level gaming desktop. The removable tempered glass side panel will make swapping out your components for more powerful ones a snap when it's time to upgrade, too!

Lenovo IdeaCentre Gaming 5i: £1,059.98 £549.99 at CCL

Lenovo IdeaCentre Gaming 5i: was £1,059.98 now £549.99 at CCL
It's not the flashiest-looking gaming PC, but this GTX 1660 Super system also brings a 12th-gen Intel Core i5 processor and 16GB of RAM, making it more than capable of playing games at HD resolution. With a 17L chassis, it's got the space for future upgrades too, meaning you won't have to buy a whole new PC when it's time for a hardware boost.

Both of these budget gaming desktops feature the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super graphics card, a pretty dependable GPU that should be able to play all the latest games at Full HD resolution provided you're willing to dial your graphical settings down to medium.

It's ideal for younger gamers who want to get into PC gaming, especially for running titles with lower system requirements like Fortnite, Minecraft, and Roblox. You don't need to drop thousands on a mighty gaming machine if the person playing on it doesn't need to run Cyberpunk 2077 at maximum settings!

Even better, these two PCs have solid potential for upgrades later down the line. While the GPU is a few years old at this point, both have relatively recent CPUs and sufficiently large cases, meaning that you can swap out the graphics card or add more RAM and storage at any point if you want a performance boost. It's wise to look at a gaming PC as an investment - unlike a console, you can upgrade it piecemeal when you have the money, keeping up with advancements in your favorite games.

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More of today's best Black Friday deals in the US

More of today's best Black Friday deals in the UK

TOPICS
Christian Guyton
Editor, Computing

Christian is TechRadar’s UK-based Computing Editor. He came to us from Maximum PC magazine, where he fell in love with computer hardware and building PCs. He was a regular fixture amongst our freelance review team before making the jump to TechRadar, and can usually be found drooling over the latest high-end graphics card or gaming laptop before looking at his bank account balance and crying.

Christian is a keen campaigner for LGBTQ+ rights and the owner of a charming rescue dog named Lucy, having adopted her after he beat cancer in 2021. She keeps him fit and healthy through a combination of face-licking and long walks, and only occasionally barks at him to demand treats when he’s trying to work from home.

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