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Never go in blind: 5 ways to save money when upgrading your gaming PC

By Tanveer Singh
From XDA-Developers

Never go in blind: 5 ways to save money when upgrading your gaming PC

A huge benefit of being a PC user is the ability to upgrade your machine to keep up with the times. It's one of the major advantages of custom PCs, as you can't always upgrade individual components of a pre-built PC. A lot goes into choosing which upgrades are worth it, but people sometimes end up splurging as soon as something new and exciting comes out. This can unintentionally cost you money, as you fail to fully optimize your PC upgrades.

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To maximize your savings when upgrading your graphics card, CPU, or any other component, first consider if utilizing one (or more) of the following tips is possible in your situation. Simply buying whatever's new right now by paying full price isn't our only option. You can easily save hundreds of dollars by searching for deals, timing your upgrades right, and using old or used components, hence making the best decision possible when leveling up your gaming gear.

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5 Hunt for the best deal

The best price is out there somewhere

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The launch season for a new CPU or GPU series is buzzing with tall performance claims, scores of reviews, and a whole lot of FOMO going around. If you're on the brink of paying top dollar for that fancy new graphics card or processor, take a step back and ask yourself, "Have I searched enough for the best price?"

Maybe your local Micro Center has an offer or Best Buy is running a promotion.

During the first few days of a new product, it can be tough to find major discounts. However, you can still find combo deals if you're upgrading, say, to a new platform, and need both the CPU and motherboard. When your favorite component has been around for a few months, you should look at both offline and online stores to see who's offering the best deal. Maybe your local Micro Center has an offer or Best Buy is running a promotion.

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Sometimes, you can be lucky to find the price slashed on a product out of the blue, on Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg, or somewhere else. The whole point is not to rush into a purchase, spend some time researching the best prices, and only then part with your hard-earned money. After all, the onus to make the best decision is on you alone.

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4 Wait for the big sales seasons

Coincide your upgrades with the biggest sales

Over the course of the year, you've got multiple windows to get the biggest discounts on PC components. Sales like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Prime Day often come with significant discounts, substantially altering your expected budget. Instead of that RTX 4070 Super, maybe you could now spring for an RTX 4070 Ti Super.

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It's not always possible to delay your upgrades till one of the big sales is live, but if it isn't urgent, and you can live with your current performance for a few months, it's worth the wait. Plus, there's often a new generation of GPUs on the market by the time Black Friday rolls in, offering you more options, and hopefully, more performance for your money. If nothing else, the newly launched products will probably bolster your decision to go for the previous-gen hardware.

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3 Wait for the right time to upgrade

It can make all the difference

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It's not just the sales seasons that you should keep an eye out for. Try to keep track of any hardware launches on the horizon. If a new CPU or GPU generation is coming out in the next few weeks or months, it's better to wait and see how it stacks up against the current-gen components. Wait for the reviews to go live, compare the value for money of the new parts vs. the old ones, and then make your choice.

The right time to upgrade your PC should be when you can't live with your current level of performance any longer.

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An additional benefit of waiting for the next-generation hardware is that the previous-gen parts can sometimes see steep discounts, as retailers scramble to clear inventory. Another consideration is the absolute performance of your existing gaming PC. The right time to upgrade your PC should be when you can't live with your current level of performance any longer.

Maybe you're not getting the FPS you want at the settings you want in the newest titles. Or perhaps you're on an ancient platform and want to upgrade to the latest technology. Upgrading when you need to, not just when you want to upgrade, can save you a great deal of money over the long term. It will also provide you with the most tangible performance uplift, as you'll be able to feel a true jump in performance, and not just incremental upgrades.

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2 Buy slightly more than you need right now

It's not future-proofing - it's wallet-proofing

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We're often told to buy only what we need -- 6 cores instead of 8, a mid-range GPU instead of a high-end one, etc. And this advice has merit, considering there are many more essential expenses you need to be worried about. However, what's also true is that buying a budget GPU or CPU can land you in trouble, as you risk running out of mileage in a few months or a year, causing you to want another upgrade soon after.

By opting for a product one tier above what you require right now, you can make your PC last a few more years without another upgrade.

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I'll go so far as to suggest buying more than what you need, so you don't feel the urge to upgrade as frequently. By opting for a product one tier above what you require right now, you can make your PC last a few more years without another upgrade. Of course, you'll have to resist FOMO when something new launches every year. Having more powerful hardware than what you initially intended will, thankfully, make it easier to do that.

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1 Consider pre-owned or older hardware

Don't turn your nose up at used and previous-gen parts

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Many of us have some qualms about turning to used PC parts. While it's true that you shouldn't buy some used components, such as storage drives, motherboards, and power supplies, it's often perfectly fine to go used for other parts. For instance, CPUs and RAM sticks stay perfectly fine for years, unless subjected to brutal conditions.

You can even buy used graphics cards, since they function flawlessly in most cases. You just need to protect yourself before buying used parts with some best practices, and you're good to go. Secondly, you can even look at previous-gen components to save yourself some money. Unless you really want the features found on the latest hardware, buying last year's products can be surprisingly sufficient for most gamers.

You can make use of pre-owned, older-gen, or refurbished PC components to make some of the best purchase decisions of your life.

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Plus, you can also browse open-box and refurbished items on Amazon, Newegg, or other websites, which come with a warranty (usually 6 months), and can save you tons of money. By knowing exactly what you want, and doing your due diligence, you can make use of pre-owned, older-gen, or refurbished PC components to make some of the best purchase decisions of your life.

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Make the most of your PC upgrades

A new graphics card, CPU, or SSD can bring a world of difference to your PC experience. Whether it's gaming performance or the general snappiness of your system, powerful new hardware can breathe new life into an older PC. However, upgrading just for the sake of it shouldn't be the norm. Instead, you should target an upgrade only when you're truly unhappy with your PC's existing performance.

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Additionally, hunting for the best prices, waiting for holiday sales, and buying slightly more than what you need can save you a lot of money in the long run. Moreover, used or older-gen hardware can be perfect alternatives to new and expensive parts, as long as they're enough for your use case.

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