How much money could you save by buying the PC Gamer Rig this week, thanks to the various Black Friday bargains that are going around? Are PC components even included in any of these seasonal fire sales?
To find out, we've done the shopping around for you.
Yes, Black Friday was technically yesterday, but the whole phenomenon is a relatively new one on these shores and I'm really only just starting to be aware of it. Besides, it seems to be more of a week long event than just one now, and this weekend is really when the bargains are to be found.
So if you're looking to build or upgrade your PC before Christmas, today could be the best day to do it.
A reminder – the PC Gamer Rig is our desktop for the average gamer. It's not the fastest PC you can build, or the cheapest, but it is the one that we think is the best possible value and will comfortably play any game now and in the foreseeable future for £1000/$1500.
As thorough as I've been in deal hunting, though, I'm fairly sure you can find some better. Any tips for other readers gratefully received in the comments below.
What's in the Rig?
CPU
Intel Core i5 2500K
An unlocked Sandy Bridge quad core, capable of all the top end features but hyperthreading.
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z68AP-D3
An awesome Z68 board, comes with mSATA connectors for mini SSDs and Intel's caching technology.
RAM
Crucial Ballistic Sport/G.Skill Ripjaws X
Eight gigabytes of fast 1600MHz DDR3.
3D Card
GeForce GTX 560Ti
Curiously, prices for the 560Ti have gone up in the US this week, but down in the UK. Is old stock being cleared out for something new...?
Hard drive
Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB
Short supply of hard drives means you'll probably have to settle for a lot less storage than you're used to.
DVD drive
LG GH22NP21
Fast DVD writers are pretty much generic these days, and there's no real argument for spending any more.
Case
BitFenix Shinobi
Easy access to all components and not too noisy either, our favourite budget case looks better than others too.
Power supply
OCZ ZS 650W
A decent 650W PSU that's rated well for efficiency. The minimum you should try to get away with.
Mouse
Logitech G400
Classic Logitech style in a brand new mouse, this 3600dpi mouse is comfortable and precise.
Keyboard
Microsoft SideWinder X4
This is currently less than £10. There is nothing more to say.
Monitor
LG IPS236V
£139.96 / $249.99
Some of you think that an IPS screen is no good for gaming because of low response times. You are wrong.