Some of us use sale events like Prime Day to get discounts on big purchases—monitors, graphics cards, Instant Pots—but frugal gamers can also use the discounts to stock up on essentials like Ethernet cables and USB drives. You know, the things you don't think about until you need them.
Below, we've collected deals on some everyday items you might consider nabbing during Prime Day (which is actually two days, and runs through Wednesday). If you don't see anything you're looking for, though, you can also search Amazon's Prime Day deals as if it's a department. Here are all the Prime Day discounts on HDMI cables, for example.
Also check out our other Prime Day deals collections:
- The best Prime Day deals
- The most popular Prime Day deals
- The Prime Day deals we actually bought ourselves
A cheap 50-foot Ethernet cable | $12.95 $10.36
A giant Ethernet cable is always handy. This flat 50-foot Cat6 cable can help you bring gigabit bliss to an out-of-the-way spot in your home. I used a cable exactly like this to put my wireless router in an optimal spot to cover the whole house, and love that I can run the flat cable unobtrusively along the wall. If you just need a basic, short Ethernet cable, you can get one of those for a few bucks off, too.View Deal
KER ratcheting magnetic screwdriver | $16.30 $9.13
A 7.4-inch, bendable screwdriver that will pick up the screws you drop with its magnetic bits. No more turning your case upside down to dislodge screws from the crevasses of your motherboard.View Deal
USB-C to DisplayPort cable | $14.99 $11.99
Many slim laptops today are able to output video over a USB-C connection, but unless you've gone out of your way to buy one you might not have the cable to take advantage of that. Here's a cheap one with a thousand 5-star reviews. It'll output 4K60 from a laptop to a monitor, no problem. You can also grab the USB-C to HDMI version for $11.19.View Deal
Dual USB-C / USB-A 64GB flash drive | $14.99 $10.31
These dual-head flash drives are nifty, because you can use them to back up photos or files from USB-C mobile devices like Android phones, then easily plug them into a desktop PC. The speeds on this cheap one won't set the world on fire, but the convenience is great. And they're really fun to spin around.View Deal
A buttload of screen cleaning wipes | 210 for $19.99 $12.79
Monitors get dirty. It happens. You could keep reusing the same microfiber cloth, or get a five year supply of nice little alcohol wipes that will do a better job. Give your smartphone a wipedown, too. It's probably been too long.View Deal
6-pack of cable management sleeves | $19.99 $12.99
I can't think of a better stuck-at-home-and-anxious-as-hell-in-2020 activity than tearing out the nest of cables behind a desk and making them look nice. These zip-up cable sleeves are a nice way to do that. There are many other cable management tools out there, like super simple cable ties or long tubes that you cut yourself. I like these zip-up fabric wraps, though, because they look nice and are a cinch to use.View Deal
Neewer MW-35 Metal Suspension Boom Scissor Arm Stand | $41.49 $25.99
Whether you're streaming, playing games with friends, or just typing while in an online meeting, a quality mic arm can cut down on the extra noise that occurs when your mic is just sitting on your desk, and it's easier to keep the mic close to your mouth while keeping your hands free. (Note: this stand isn't compatible with the popular Blue Yeti mic, and doesn't come with a pop-filter.)View Deal
First Alert Smoke Detector and Carbon Monoxide Alarm | $54.99 $27.99
Smoke alarms aren't exactly an impulse buy (or a PC gaming accessory, exactly), but if you happen to need one, this is a good deal on one of the most popular and recommended brands. If your living space isn't up to code, now's the time to fix that. (You don't have to speak to many PC gamers to find one who's accidentally started a fire or two in their life.)View Deal