The best Black Friday PC gaming deals for 2016

Black Friday is almost here. The shopping event of the year means weeks of deals on PC components like SSDs and cheap games on Steam. But it also means a whole lot of junk going on sale at prices that look great, until you realize you're saving money on something you shouldn't be buying in the first place.

When Black Friday 2016 rolls around in a few days and the shopping season officially begins on November 27, take some time to think before you buy. Here are our tips on what you should be buying this holiday season, and how to make sure you're getting a good deal.

The deals are starting sooner than ever this year, so you may not need to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to start shopping. For deals outside PC gaming, check out our sister site Techradar's comprehensive Best Black Friday deals guide.

CHECK OUR 2016 BLACK FRIDAY GUIDES

How to avoid Black Friday scams

There will be a gazillion deals during Black Friday. Some of them are real deals at all. Here's our guide on how to avoid being scammed or actually paying more.

How to sell your old stuff before Black Friday

Our tips on the best way to get the most money from your old gear. Sell your stuff early before the deals come out.

Why Black Friday is the perfect time to score a 4K screen

If you've been holding out on a 4K display or TV, Black Friday is the best time to get one. Some deals are up to 50% off.

Are pre-Black Friday deals any good?

Every year, deals come out earlier and earlier. Here's how to know if what you're buying is any good.

Save big game purchases for the Steam Winter Sale

The holidays are the time for big AAA releases. They're also the time for Valve's annual winter sale on Steam, which slashes prices on thousands of games across the Steam library. Brand new big games rarely see big discounts, but you still might be able to save a few bucks. More importantly, games you've been waiting patiently to buy from spring and summer should see some heavy discounts. The longer you can wait to buy, the better the savings.

Also keep an eye on the sales on Amazon, GOG, and EA's Origin stores. You'll find deals there, too!

Storage and memory may be your chance for big savings

When it comes to PC components, there are some parts that rarely see big discounts. You're likely not going to score a price drop on an Intel processor, and that new graphics card you've been eying probably won't drop much in price, either. But hard drives and SSDs? Those are going to have some great deals. If you want bulk storage, keep an eye on Western Digital hard drives. Green drives aren't that fast, but they're perfectly fine for holding thousands of photos and other files. Speeds on SATA SSDs are pretty similar across the board, so as long as you buy one that's reliable, a Black Friday deal would be a good time to buy an SSD dedicated to your game library.

You may also see some good deals on RAM and power supplies. Again, make sure what you're buying is well-rated for reliability. If it has no reviews on sites like Amazon and Newegg, you may want to steer clear.

Check our buying guides for the best components

Black Friday deals usually aren't about getting the best. They're about getting the cheapest. Still, sometimes you get lucky. If you spot something from our hardware buying guides on sale, you know that it's both a good deal and a good product.

Check Amazon prices on CamelCamelCamel

Sometimes a Black Friday deal isn't actually a deal, because it's a crappy product that you shouldn't buy at any price. And sometimes a Black Friday deal isn't actually a deal, because it's not even a discount over that product's typical price! Prices on Amazon.com tend to fluctuate all the time, and a Black Friday discount could still see that price substantially above a typical Amazon dip. To make sure you're actually getting a good deal, price check your buy on CamelCamelCamel. If it regularly hits a lower price, save that purchase for later.

The hottest pre-Black Friday deals right now

HDTVs

LG 55-inch 4K Smart OLED TV (2016 model): $1,997, Amazon (save $2,003)

LG 55-inch 4K LED TV (2016 model): $997, Amazon (save $803)

LG 55-inch 4K Smart LED TV (2016 model): $500, Newegg, (save $250)

LG 43-inch 4K Smart LED TV: $300, Newegg (save $147)

Samsung 50-inch Full HD Smart LED TV: $427, Walmart (save $773)

Samsung 49-inch 6500 series curved 4K Smart LED TV: $547, Walmart (save $553)

Samsung 65-inch curved 4K Smart LED TV: $1,598, Amazon (save $400)

Samsung 54.6-inch curved 4K Smart LED TV: $700, Best Buy (save $300)

Samsung 54.6-inch curved 4K Smart LED HDR TV: $1,000, Best Buy (save $400)

Sceptre 50-inch Full HD LED TV: $280, Walmart (save $220)

Vizio 65-inch 4K Smart LED TV: $848, Walmart (save $450)

Monitors

Asus PB Series 27-inch PB278Q 2560x1440: $380, Newegg (save $120)

Laptops/Tablets/2-in-1

Apple 9.7-inch iPad Pro Wi-Fi 32GB: $500, Best Buy (save $100)

Apple iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi 128GB: $475, Walmart (save $124)

MSI 17.3-inch GE72VR Apache Pro-023 GTX 1060: $1,339, Newegg (save $220)

Lenovo 15.6-inch 700 Core i7-6700HQ GTX 950M: $769, Newegg (save $230)

MSI 17.3-inch GL72 6QD-001 Core i5-6300HQ GTX 950M: $730, Best Buy (save $120)

MSI 17.3-inch GE72 Apache Pro-070 Core i7-6700HQ GTX 970M: $1,300, Best Buy(save $200)

MSI 17.3-inch GS73VR Core i7-6700HQ GTX 1060: $1,700, Best Buy (save $100)

MSI 17.3-inch Core i7-6700HQ GTX 1060 G-Sync: $1,450, Best Buy (save $150)

MSI 15.6-inch Core i7-6700HQ GTX 970M: $1,200, Best Buy (save $200)

MSI 15.6-inch Core i7-6700HQ GTX 1060: $1,350, Best Buy (save $100)

Lenovo 15.6-inch 700 Core i7-6700HQ GTX 950M: $770, Newegg (save $230)

HP Desktop PC ProDesk 600 G1: $280, Newegg (save $120)

Desktops

ABS Vortex-A Core i7-6700K GTX 1070: $1,330, Newegg (save $270)

Motherboards

ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Professional Gaming: $140 (after $30 MIR), Newegg (save $80)

Asus H110M-A/M.2: $49 (after $10 rebate card), Newegg (save $14)

Asus Z170 Pro Gaming: $130, Newegg (save $25)

Asus Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura: $141, Newegg (save $25)

Biostar TA970 AM3+: $40 (after $10 MIR), Newegg (save $30)

Power Supplies

Rosewill Photon 1200W: $150, Newegg (save $70)

Corsair CX650M 650W 80 Plus Bronze: $65, Newegg (save $25)

EVGA Supernova 650W 80 Plus Gold: $70, Newegg (save $30)

Graphics Cards

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 Windforce OC 6GB: $230 (after $15 MIR), Newegg, (save $30)

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB: $380, Newegg (save $20)

MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Armor 8G OC: $580 (after $20 MIR), Newegg), (save $50)

MSI GeForce GTX 1070 Gaming 8G 8GB: $386 (after $20 MIR), Newegg, (save $64)

PNY GeForce GTX 1060 6GB: $220 (after $20 MIR), Newegg (save $30)

MSI Radeon R7 240 2GB: $35, Newegg (save $15)

MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Gaming 8G 8GB: $634 (after $20 MIR), Newegg (save $86)

Powercolor Red Devil Radeon RX 480 8GB: $230, Newegg (save $30)

Peripherals/Accessories

Vertagear Racing Series P-Line PL6000 Racing Chair: $300, Newegg (save $300)

BestChair OC-H12 ergonomic mesh chair: $39, Newegg (save $60)

Networking/Printers/Scanners

TP-Link DOCSIS 3.0 (16x4) cable modem: $60, Amazon (save $30)

Fujitsu FI-7160 printer: $860, Newegg (save $335)

Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 printer: $420, Newegg (save $40)

Storage

Adata S102 Pro 16GB USB 3.0 flash drive: $9, Newegg (save $16)

Tek Republic USB 3.0 card reader: $15, Newegg (save $15)

SanDisk 32GB Ultra Flair CZ73 USB 3.0 flash drive: $10.50, Newegg (save $9.50)

SanDisk 64GB Cruzer CZ36 USB 3.0 flash drive: $15.50, Newegg (save $14.50)

Seageate 3TB NAS HDD 64MB: $110, Newegg (save $41)

WD 4TB Black My Passport USB 3.0: $130, Newegg (save $31)

Kingston SSDNow UV400 480GB SSD: $144, Newegg (save $24)

Crucial MX300 750GB SSD: $170, Newegg (save $30)

RAM

G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3-1600: $75, Newegg (save $23)

Team Dark 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-2400: $65, Newegg (save $25)

Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-2133: $78, Newegg (save $10)

Audio

Klipsch RB-10 bookshelf speaker: $130, Newegg (save $120)

Polk Audio Monitor60 Series II floorstanding loudspeaker: $88, Newegg (save $212)

Klipsch Quintet V 5-channel home theater system: $240, Newegg (save $360)

JBL Cinema Base 2.2 all-in-one Bluetooth soundbase: $120, Newegg (save $30)

MISC

Feather Feel 18-inch messenger bag: $100, Amazon (save $300)

Lamicall iPad stand (adjustable): $16, Amazon (save $54)

Rosewill 1800W induction cooker cooktop w/ steel pot: $59, Newegg (save $41)

Source: Pc Gamer

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