Best Times to Buy PC Parts? (Maximize Your Savings!)

PC part sales are best during big shopping events like Black Friday, Prime Day, and Cyber Monday. However, if you’re patient, waiting for new product launches or clearance sales can also save you serious cash.

Here’s a quick overview of when computer parts go on sale:

Best Times to Buy PC Parts

Holiday Sales

• Black Friday & Cyber Monday: These two are the holy grail of pc parts sales. Last year, the RTX 3060 Ti dropped by 15% on Cyber Monday, and GPUs, PSUs, and cases flew off shelves. (Don’t sleep on these deals—hot items like GPUs and NVMe drives disappear fast.)
• Amazon Prime Day (usually in July): While Prime Day is usually packed with deals on accessories like mice, keyboards, and headsets, every now and then you’ll spot a hidden gem on core components like SSDs or RAM. In 2023, we saw SSDs like the Crucial P3 slashed by 20%—a nice steal for anyone upgrading storage. Note that you won’t always find the latest GPUs or CPUs on Prime Day, but if you’re building a mid-range setup or stocking up on peripherals, this PC part sale is solid.
• Back-to-School Sales (August in the US): If you’re after entry-level builds or basic desktop components, Back-to-School sales can be decent. Laptops and simple upgrades like RAM or storage often see discounts during this time. It’s perfect for budget builds or upgrading a family member’s basic setup.

New Product Launch Windows

If you’ve been in the PC-building game long enough, you know the drill.

Major brands like NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel drop new gear on a pretty predictable cycle.

Take NVIDIA for instance—they usually roll out their next-gen GPUs around October. Right before that, older models like GPUs or CPUs go on sale. It’s the perfect time to swoop in and grab last-gen gear at a discount, especially if you’re cool not chasing the latest shiny thing.

Keep your eyes peeled during big tech events like CES in January and Computex in May/June—that’s when the big players tease their new hardware. As soon as that happens, retailers start clearing out the older stock. (We’re talking clearance-level discounts.)

So, if you’re not dead set on the latest RTX 4090 and can live with snagging a 3080 at a solid price, this is when you should pull the trigger.

Off-Season Deals

Post-Holiday Slumps (January/February):

Retailers tend to overstock for the holidays, so come January, you’ll find clearance sales all over. This is your chance to score deals on leftover PC parts. Like last year, we saw prices for unsold RTX 3050s drop by 10% right after the holiday rush.

Summer Clearance (June/July):

Similarly, right before the back-to-school rush, retailers are clearing out inventory to make room for new stuff. It’s not as flashy as Black Friday, but if you’re hunting for mid-range GPUs or SSDs, it’s worth keeping an eye out.

Worst Times to Buy PC Parts

Before New Hardware Launches

I know, I know this feels like a contradiction from the previous section—but hear me out.

Sometimes, when new gear is about to drop, retailers and sellers love to hike up prices on the current generation of parts.

I’m warning you about this because it actually happened in 2021.

Rumors of NVIDIA’s RTX 4000 series caused a 10-15% price spike on the RTX 3000 series months before the actual release. (Yep, the anticipation alone made it pricier to upgrade.)

So if you know a new launch is coming up AND there have been past instances of price hikes—wait for those post-launch discounts instead of paying a premium out of FOMO.

During High-Demand Periods

Buying PC parts for your build during peak hype can be costly.

Remember the chaos when the RTX 3080 launched in 2020? Scalpers jumped in almost immediately, and prices skyrocketed. Some cards were going for double the MSRP as well.

But if you can, avoid the trap of buying during launch hype.

Wait a few months for the hype to settle down and for stock to stabilize. You’ll get a much better deal when prices normalize.

During Global Shortages or Crises

We all remember the 2021 GPU crisis—it was brutal!

Thanks to the global pandemic and supply chain issues, prices hit insane levels. The RTX 3060 was going for over $1,000 (almost triple the retail price). Even in 2023, some of that chaos lingered, with hardware prices still higher than pre-pandemic levels

So, unless you’re desperate, avoid buying parts during these periods. You’re better off waiting for things to stabilize than dropping a fortune on overpriced gear.

Pro Tips for Getting the Best Deals

Timing Multiple Purchases

Buying all your parts in one go might seem like the easiest route, but it often means missing out on killer individual deals.

For example, CPUs usually see price drops during Black Friday, but RAM might hit its lowest during Amazon Prime Day.

If you plan your purchases, picking up each part when it’s on sale, you’ll save more in the long run.

Consider Used Parts

Used or refurbished components can save you a fortune, especially for high-ticket items like GPUs or SSDs. Just make sure you’re smart about where you buy from—stick to trusted platforms like eBay, Amazon, or dedicated tech forums where sellers have good reviews.

Important: If you're considering buying used, it's helpful to know the age of the components else you might overpay. Here's a guide on how to check the age of your computer, which can also be applied to individual parts.

And here’s what you should do to avoid any headaches:

• Ask for recent photos of the product so you know exactly what you’re getting.
• Confirm if the warranty is still valid—having that extra protection is always a plus.
• Check the return policy just in case something isn’t working as promised.

Consider Bundle Deals

Retailers love offering bundle deals that pair up components like motherboards with CPUs or RAM with SSDs.

For instance, Newegg had a sweet motherboard + Intel i7 combo with a 10% discount last year.

So keep an eye on these offers—they’re often exclusive to specific retailers. So, make sure to do some comparison shopping before pulling the trigger.