If you're currently in the market for one of the best graphics cards, I offer my sincerest sympathies. It's rough out there right now, and although the market is showing some signs of recovery, the MSRP is kind of like Bigfoot—we've all heard of it, and yet, no one's actually seen it in action. Fortunately, there are other PC upgrades that you could spend your money on and enjoy before the GPU market ever considers becoming more reasonable.
Sure, you can buy a graphics card; hell, get yourself the RTX 5090 if you want to. The question is: Do you feel like gifting retailers a few hundred or thousand dollars extra just because? Unfortunately, that's the situation right now, with nearly every GPU selling well above MSRP. Even cheap GPU deals aren't all that cheap these days, but they're simply the best we can get.
Good news: If you give up on the idea of buying a GPU for now, it's actually not a terrible time to shop for other hardware. Broadening your horizons can help improve your entire PC gaming experience through meaningful upgrades.
I'll walk you through some options that are both affordable and impactful. Yes, it's possible, and yes, it's worth it. Well, it's certainly more worth it than spending over $3,000 on an RTX 5090, anyway.
Grab a new CPU
If you have the budget for a new graphics card, chances are you also have the budget for a new processor. That's because CPUs, while also hit by these same disastrous market conditions that we're dealing with in just about every area of life, are still better off than GPUs.
You can get a very solid CPU under $400; only a select few are currently super overpriced. And not even the best of the best gaming CPUs will cost you $1,000 and up, thankfully. Let's hope that whoever's in charge of setting the prices isn't reading this article, or I might have just cursed the next generation of CPUs.
A CPU won't deliver the same kind of upgrade in frame rates that a GPU will, at least not outside of some edge cases and CPU-bound games, but it'll give your whole PC a boost instead. You'll get some extra fps, your PC will get some future-proofing, and you'll be able to indulge yourself by opening a bazillion Chrome tabs all at once while gaming. Win-win-win!
I'm going to leave some top-notch CPU buying advice for you here to help you figure out the motherboard/socket/core count madness. Instead of delving into that, I'll show you some neat deals that you can pick up to upgrade your PC.
AMD CPU deals - Quick links
- AMD Ryzen 9 9900X: $369 | £387
- AMD Ryzen 7 9700X: $302 | £279
- AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D: $391 | £363
- AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D: $269 | £199
AMD users have quite the conundrum when it comes to upgrades. The obvious choice for a gaming PC is the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which has more cache than I have sense—but I'm going to tell you to steer clear of that one; the darn thing is just too expensive right now.
If you're on socket AM5, I'd say you might as well stick to whatever CPU you're using and wait for better days with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. The only two decent options (pricing-wise) from the latest generation are the Ryzen 9 9900X, currently discounted down to $369 (£387), or the Ryzen 7 9700X, down to $302 (£279). Dipping into the past generation is a safer bet; grab the Ryzen 7 7800X3D for $391 (£363) and you're all set.
Because AMD is the opposite of a commitment-phobe and seems to stick to its CPU sockets for years on end, even those with an AM4 motherboard have options. The 5700X3D is a cheap ($269 | £199) but fantastic gaming CPU that'll keep you from doing a full platform replacement for a good while.
Intel CPU deals - Quick links
If you're running on Intel and are in the market for an Arrow Lake CPU (fat chance, I know), you'll be pleased to know that Intel's just slashed the price of a couple of chips by $100. Alright savings and a decent CPU, so if you want one, go for it.
Otherwise, some of my recent Intel favorites include the Core i5-13400F ($134 or £189) and the Core i7-14700K ($320 or £283 for the KF model). I'd advise against buying anything pricier, as you won't see much of an improvement in gaming scenarios anyway.
How about some RAM or a new SSD?
RAM and SSD are among the easiest PC upgrades you can get. Replacing either will take you 15 minutes tops, and both have a sweet impact on the performance of your entire computer.
I'm one of those people who never have fewer than 30 Chrome tabs open at any given time, and if I'm playing an MMO, chances are I'm also watching Netflix and sitting on Discord at the same time. My PC needs a boatload of RAM to support such degenerate habits, and for the sake of my sanity, I also need a fast and spacious SSD. Luckily, both of those things are rather affordable right now.
RAM deals - Quick links
DDR4
- Corsair Vengeance 3200 32 GB: $47 | £47
- Crucial Pro 3200 64 GB: $89 | £90
- Corsair Vengeance 3600 64 GB: $120 | £104
DDR5
- Corsair Vengeance 6400 32 GB: $95 | £99
- TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan 6000 32 GB: $77 | £88
- Crucial 4800 64 GB: $144 | £148
- TeamGroup T-Force Delta 6000 64 GB: $169 | £204
If you're using DDR4 RAM, 32 GB of Corsair's Vengeance 3200 MHz memory is currently just $47 (£47). It's not the fastest DDR4 RAM can be, but an extra 400 MHz isn't worth the extra bucks most of the time. Corsair also has faster, 3600 MHz kits, and 64 GB of that will set you back $120 (£104). Crucial's slower (3200 MHz) 64 GB kit is way cheaper, currently at $89 (£90).
DDR5 users have some nice deals to explore, too. There's the Corsair Vengeance DDR5-6400, and 32 GB will cost you $95 (£99). This is a limited-time deal, so snap it up while it's there. TeamGroup has a cheaper, but slower 6000 MHz option at $77 (£88). If you're looking for 64 GB, Crucial has a 4800 MHz kit for $144 (£148), but I'd spend more to get this set of TeamGroup 6000 MHz RAM sticks, currently $169 (£204).
SSD deals - Quick links
PCIe 4
PCIe 5
- Corsair MP700 Pro 1 TB: $139 | £134
- Corsair MP700 Elite 2 TB: $179 | £199
- Samsung 9100 Pro 2 TB: $269 | £214
As far as storage goes, I'm only going to suggest SSDs. If you're somehow still running on an HDD, the upgrade will blow your mind; if you already have an SSD, it won't make too much of a difference in some tasks, but it'll be noticeable in others.
Doubling SSD data transfer rates might not do much for your Windows loading times because you'll shave off a few seconds at most. Loading screens in games will go from fast to blazing-fast, though, and that's all we really care about, right?
Outside of our curated list of the best SSD deals, a few PCIe 4.0 models I can recommend picking up are the Kingston NV3 1 TB for a budget option ($61 / £55), the Crucial P310 2 TB for fast speeds and plenty of storage ($129 / £102), and the Silicon Power UD90 2 TB for something in between ($110 / £90).
Upgrading to PCIe 5.0 gives you a much faster SSD, although it should come as no surprise that it'll also be pricier. The Corsair MP700 Pro 1 TB is $139 (£134), but it also delivers up to 11,700 MB/sec sequential read speeds. For more storage, there's the Corsair MP700 Elite 2 TB ($179, currently 29% off, or £199), or the powerful but eye-wateringly expensive Samsung 9100 Pro 2 TB ($269 / £214).
For your regular ol' gaming purposes, just load up on reasonably fast storage and don't bother pushing for top-shelf performance. It's just not worth the money.
Or, leave your PC alone and upgrade your whole setup instead
Instead of eyeing your PC and planning to gut the poor thing for some hardware upgrades, why not pivot towards peripherals? While that might not directly improve your gaming performance, it'll boost your whole gaming experience. Fancy stuff.
Truthfully, I spent a long time ignoring my peripherals. I'd spend every last bit of my PC building budget (and then some) on the actual rig, only to get myself a $15 keyboard to match. For shame, Monica, for shame.
These days, having invested in a proper headset, keyboard, mouse, and all that jazz, I can honestly say that peripherals should not be overlooked.
Gaming mice deals - Quick links
- Razer Viper V3 Pro: $136 | £127
- Razer Basilisk V3: $44 | £41
- Logitech G502 Lightspeed Wireless: $99 | £139
- Razer Naga V2 Pro: $179 | £152
Whether you're on Year 25 in Stardew Valley or you're currently obliterating enemies in PUBG as we speak, you need a mouse. We dug up some great gaming mouse deals that will have you covered in that regard, but I've got more.
I'll add the Razer Viper V3 Pro to that list (currently $136 / £127), alongside the Basilisk V3 ($44 / £41) and the Logitech G502 Lightspeed Wireless ($99 / £139). I've personally tested all three squeakers and can swear by them. I'm currently using a Naga V2 Pro ($179 / £152), but you don't really need one unless you play games that make the most of these types of button-heavy mice.
Gaming headset deals - Quick links
- HyperX Cloud Alpha: $144 | £128
- Audeze Maxwell: $299 | £349
- Razer BlackShark V2 X: $38 | £36
- Antlion ModMic Wireless: $149 | £139
Moving on to gaming headsets, most audiophiles will yell at me if I recommend you actual headsets—meaning headphones and a microphone all in one. It's true that the sound quality won't match a separate set of cans and a standalone mic, but some of the best gaming headsets can do the job just fine. Your buddies will still hear you well enough on Discord, complete with heavy breathing, chewing, and angry dogs in the background. (That might just be my experience.)
I'm a fan of wireless, so I recommend the HyperX Cloud Alpha wireless. These are fairly affordable, too, and you can snag them for $144 (£128) right now. The Audeze Maxwell is a superb pair that racks up the price to $299 (£349). For something that's wired and much cheaper, check out the Razer BlackShark V2 X, right now on sale for just $38 (£36).
Or, make your own DIY gaming headset with an Antlion ModMic Wireless ($149 | £139) and one of the best gaming headphones.
Gaming keyboard deals - Quick links
- Asus ROG Strix Scope II Wireless: $169 | £125
- Razer BlackWidow V3: $139 | £111
- Razer Ornata V3 X: $29 | £33
- Logitech G213 Prodigy: $49 | £39
I used to think that owning a high-quality keyboard just for gaming wasn't a big deal, but it so is. Seriously, I truly love that thing. While my own keyboard doesn't rank on our list of the best gaming keyboards, I'll still say that it's worth buying just based on my own experience with it. It's the Razer BlackWidow V3, which you can pick up for $139 (£111).
Beyond my love for my pink, clickety keyboard, our favorite gaming keeb is the Asus ROG Strix Scope II, and it's on sale for $169 (£125). Cheaper options exist: Check out the Razer Ornata V3 X ($29 / £33) and the Logitech G213 Prodigy ($49 / £39).
Desperate for a GPU? Try this
Between all the upgrades listed above, you've got plenty of options to sink your money and time into. Whether you decide to upgrade your CPU or pick up a new gaming headset, you'll still see an improvement in your overall gaming experience. Buying a GPU can—and should—wait for better days.
While all of these options are sound, they won't help if your current graphics card bursts into tears the moment you launch your Steam library. If you need one, then you need one, and that's that. I recently rounded up five of the GPUs that are (sorta, kinda, maybe) worth buying in this current climate, so start there if you're desperate.
We've got new GPUs on the imminent horizon, too. AMD's RX 9060 XT and Nvidia's RTX 5060 are right around the corner, and those are mainstream cards, so even if both manufacturers and retailers add on an extra premium on top of their MSRPs, they'll still be somewhat affordable. Whether they'll be a good deal is another matter entirely.
As a last resort, I recommend trying the second-hand market. Used GPUs from the previous generations are plentiful on eBay, and they'll keep you going if you're in a pinch. Beware, though, because scams are wildly common.
Ultimately, remember that all of these upgrades will still be good whenever you're ready to buy a GPU. You're not wasting money or time—you're just sitting this one out and buying something else instead. I don't know about you, but I much prefer that to spending $900 on a GPU that was meant to cost $600 (looking at you, RX 9070 XT).
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