Technologies
Best Gaming PC Deals: See the Holiday Sales at Best Buy and Newegg
For the gamer on your holiday shopping list, here are the biggest discounts on gaming desktops right now.

If you aren’t up for the challenge of assembling the parts and then building your own gaming rig, a prebuilt system is a quicker and easier route to a new gaming PC. You can find some reasonably priced, off-the-shelf gaming desktops right now with Nvidia’s GeForce 3000-series GPUs. PCs with Nvidia’s next-gen RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 GPUs are starting to roll out, but they are prohibitively pricey. Thankfully, there’s a wide range of desktops with the previous-gen — and still highly capable — RTX 3000-series GPUs, many of which can be found at a discount. And we even found an RTX 4080-based system on sale for a reasonable sum.
PC gamers will find the lowest prices at Best Buy and Newegg right now. After taking a look at the gaming desktops on each site, here are the best deals I’ve found — from a desktop discounted to $790 with RTX 3050 graphics to fully loaded beasts with RTX 3090 and RTX 4080 GPUs.
Read more: Best Graphics Card for Gamers and Creatives in 2022
Check back regularly; I’ll keep this list updated as I find new deals on RTX 30-series gaming desktops.
How to choose a good gaming PC deal
There are thousands of gaming PC deals to choose from, but not all of them are worth your hard-earned cash. As with any pricey purchase, it’s worth assessing your needs before diving in and spending big bucks. When it comes to gaming PC deals, that means looking at how demanding the games you plan on playing are, how your new PC will fit into your existing setup (how many displays it will be driving, for example, and at what resolution and frame rate) and of course, your budget. If you want multimonitor 4K gaming, you’re probably going to struggle with a budget of $1,000, so it’s best to be realistic with your expectations here.
Once you’ve considered those factors, it all comes down to the price-to-performance ratio on offer. The main considerations here are the processor, graphics card and RAM as these will have the most impact on your overall experience. Newer and more powerful parts are going to push the overall price up — just take a look at our list of the best graphics cards for gamers and you’ll see that these don’t come cheap — so consider machines with recent previous-gen components to save some cash.
Should I buy a prebuilt gaming PC deal or build my own?
Depending on how technically savvy you are, the proposition of building your own gaming PC will either excite you or strike fear into you. The main benefit of building a PC yourself is you get to choose every component, shop around for deals on individual parts, and ultimately get more bang for your buck. The downside is that it takes a lot of research, effort and a decent amount of technical savvy. There’s also the risk of something going wrong in the build process, which means you’ll end up damaging parts or pulling your hair out trying to figure out why things aren’t working as expected. With prebuilt gaming PC deals, you get to skip some of the more time-consuming and frustrating parts of the process, but you’ll pay for the privilege and likely spend more money overall.
Technologies
CNET’s Daily Tariff Price Tracker: Prices Steady as Major Retailer Issues Warning
Check out CNET’s tariff impact tracker is keeping tabs on price moves for several popular products as Walmart becomes one of the biggest retailers to warn of price hikes.

The Trump administration has made moves in recent weeks to try and deescalate its tariff policies amid widespread concerns, but major companies are still warning of forthcoming price hikes in the months ahead. On May 15, Walmart, the largest grocery chain in the US, said that increased prices are inevitable due to the «magnitude» of the White House’s import taxes.
«We will do our best to keep our prices as low as possible,» CEO Doug McMillon said during an earnings call. «But given the magnitude of the tariffs, even at the reduced levels announced this week, we aren’t able to absorb all the pressure given the reality of narrow retail margins.»
In this article, we’re closely tracking the effect of President Donald Trump’s tariffs on the prices of 11 popular products you might want or need to buy, whether it be a new phone, laptop or your daily coffee. So far, we’ve seen notable price hikes for the flagship Xbox game console, while everything else has either remained steady aside from occasional fluctuations that might not be tariff-related. That sort of consistency is far from certain, however, especially with new reports emerging that Apple might be looking to make iPhones more expensive this year.
The recent trade agreement with China, much-hyped by the White House, did significantly cut tariff rates against our biggest trading partner, but the new 30% rate is only temporary and still historically high, it just looks better next to the ludicrous 145% rate that was previously in place. As those negotiations move along, companies continue to warn of impending price hikes in order to deal with the new tariffs, including Sony, which could potentially mean a price hike for its ever-popular PlayStation 5 consoles.
We’ll be updating this article regularly as prices change. It’s all in the name of helping you make sense of things, so be sure to check back every so often. For more, check out CNET’s guide to whether you should wait to make big purchases or buy them now and get expert tips about how to prepare for a recession.
Methodology
We’re checking prices daily and will update the article and the relevant charts right away to reflect any changes. The following charts show a single bullet point for each month, with the most recent one labeled «Now» and showing the current price. For the past months, we’ve gone with what was the most common price for each item in the given month.
In most cases, the price stats used in these graphs were pulled from Amazon using the historical price tracker tool Keepa. For the iPhones, the prices come from Apple’s official materials and are based on the 128-gigabyte base model of the latest offering for each year: the iPhone 14, iPhone 15 and iPhone 16. For the Xbox Series X, the prices were sourced from Best Buy using the tool PriceTracker. If any of these products happen to be on sale at a given time, we’ll be sure to let you know and explain how those price drops differ from longer-term pricing trends that tariffs can cause.
The 11 products we’re tracking
Mostly what we’re tracking in this article are electronic devices and digital items that CNET covers in depth, like iPhones and affordable 4K TVs — along with a typical bag of coffee, a more humble product that isn’t produced in the US to any significant degree.
The products featured were chosen for a few reasons: Some of them are popular and/or affordable representatives for major consumer tech categories, like smartphones, TVs and game consoles. Others are meant to represent things that consumers might buy more frequently, like printer ink or coffee beans. Some products were chosen over others because they are likely more susceptible to tariffs. Some of these products have been reviewed by CNET or have been featured in some of our best lists.
- iPhone 16, 128GB
- Duracell AA batteries, 24-pack
- Samsung DU7200 65-inch TV
- Xbox Series X
- Apple AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C case
- HP 962 CMY Printer Ink
- Anker 10,000-mAh, 30-watt power bank
- Bose TV speaker
- Oral-B Pro 1000 electric toothbrush
- Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook, 256GB
- Starbucks 28-ounce ground dark roast coffee
Below, we’ll get into more about each individual product.
iPhone 16
The iPhone is the most popular smartphone brand in the US so this was a clear priority for price tracking. The iPhone has also emerged as a major focal point for conversations about tariffs, given its popularity and its susceptibility to import taxes given its overseas production, largely in China. Trump has reportedly been fixated on the idea that the iPhone can and should be manufactured in the US, an idea that experts have dismissed as a fantasy. Estimates have also suggested that a US-made iPhone would cost as much as $3,500.
In April, Apple flew bulk shipments of iPhones into the US to get a stockpile here ahead of tariffs kicking in. In recent weeks, reports have indicated that the company is working on moving all manufacturing of US-bound iPhones out of China to India to evade the worst of Trump’s tariff agenda. However, it’s also been reported that the iPhone 19, planned for release in 2027, will need to stay in China, because of the level of complexity planned for its design, tied to the iPhone line’s 20th anniversary. On May 12, further reports emerged suggesting that Apple plans to raise the price of the iPhone with the forthcoming iPhone 17 line, but that it also plans to avoid attributing this to Trump’s tariffs.
Duracell AA batteries
A lot of the tech products in your home might boast a rechargeable energy source but individual batteries are still an everyday essential and I can tell you from experience that as soon as you forget about them, you’ll be needing to restock. The Duracell AAs we’re tracking are some of the bestselling batteries on Amazon.
Samsung DU7200 TV
Alongside smartphones, televisions are some of the most popular tech products out there, even if they’re an infrequent purchase. This particular product is a popular entry-level 4K TV and was CNET’s pick for best overall budget TV for 2025. Unlike a lot of tech products that have key supply lines in China, Samsung is a South Korean company, so it might have some measure of tariff resistance. In recent days, this model has fluctuated from $400, where its been for most of the year so far, and $470, where it sits today. These fluctuations don’t seem to be influenced by tariffs, at least for the time being.
Xbox Series X
Video game software and hardware are a market segment expected to be hit hard by the Trump tariffs. Microsoft’s Xbox is the first console brand to see price hikes — the company cited «market conditions» along with the rising cost of development. Most notably, this included an increase in the price of the flagship Xbox Series X, up from $500 to $600. Numerous Xbox accessories were also affected, and the company also said that «certain» games will eventually see a price hike from $70 to $80.
Initially, we were tracking the price of the much more popular Nintendo Switch as a representative of the gaming market. Nintendo has not yet hiked the price of its handheld-console hybrid and stressed that the $450 price tag of the upcoming Switch 2 has not yet been inflated because of tariffs. Sony, meanwhile, has so far only increased prices on its PlayStation hardware in markets outside the US.
AirPods Pro 2
The latest iteration of Apple’s wildly popular true-wireless earbuds are here to represent the headphone market. Much to the chagrin of the audiophiles out there, a quick look at sales charts on Amazon shows you just how much the brand dominates all headphone sales. The AirPods Pro 2 have hovered steadily around $200 on Amazon in 2025, but were on sale for $169 the first few days of May before jumping back up.
HP 962 CMY printer ink
This HP printer ink includes cyan, magenta and yellow all in one product and recently saw its price jump from around $72 — where it stayed for most of 2025 — to $80, which is around its highest price over the last five years. We will be keeping tabs to see if this is a long-term change or a brief uptick.
This product replaced Overture PLA Filament for 3D printers in this piece, but we’re still tracking that item.
Anker 10,000-mAh, 30-watt power bank
Anker’s accessories are perennially popular in the tech space and the company has already announced that some of its products will get more expensive as a direct result of tariffs. This specific product has also been featured in some of CNET’s lists of the best portable chargers. While the price has remained steady throughout the year, it is currently on sale for $16 on Amazon, but only for Prime members.
Bose TV speaker
Soundbars have become important purchases, given the often iffy quality of the speakers built into TVs. While not the biggest or the best offering in the space, the Bose TV Speaker is one of the more affordable soundbar options out there, especially hailing from a brand as popular as Bose.
Oral-B Pro 1000 electric toothbrush
They might be a lot more expensive than their traditional counterparts, but electric toothbrushes remain a popular choice for consumers because of how well they get the job done. I know my dentist won’t let up on how much I need one. This particular Oral-B offering was CNET’s overall choice for the best electric toothbrush for 2025.
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook
Lenovo is notable among the big laptop manufacturers for being a Chinese company making its products especially susceptible to Trump’s tariffs.
Starbucks Ground Coffee (28-ounce bag)
Coffee is included in this tracker because of its ubiquity —I’m certainly drinking too much of it these days —and because it’s uniquely susceptible to Trump’s tariff agenda. Famously, coffee beans can only be grown within a certain distance from Earth’s equator, a tropical span largely outside the US and known as the «Coffee Belt.»
Hawaii is the only part of the US that can produce coffee beans, with data from USAFacts showing that 11.5 million pounds were harvested there in the 2022-23 season — little more than a drop in the mug, as the US consumed 282 times that amount of coffee during that period. Making matters worse, Hawaiian coffee production has declined in the past few years.
All that to say: Americans get almost all of their coffee from overseas, making it one of the most likely products to see price hikes from tariffs.
Technologies
Huawei Watch 5 Tested: Easy Heart Scanning, but Not for Americans
The watch’s X-Tap sensor makes it simple to get an overview of your health. But it won’t be available in the US.

The Huawei Watch 5 packs a variety of health tracking tools into a sleek, elegant body. It’s a solid all-round smartwatch and while it doesn’t run Google’s Wear OS, Huawei’s smart watch software is intuitive and it runs just as well on Android or iOS. Its stand-out feature is its all-in-one X-Tap sensor that makes it quick and easy to perform multiple health scans in one go — including heart rate, ECG and respiratory health — to get an easy-to-understand overview of your metrics.
I tested the watch in the 42mm stainless steel variant, which in the UK retails at £400, although a more premium 46mm model made of titanium will be available, costing £500. Due to ongoing restrictions from the US government, the Huawei Watch 5 will not be officially for sale in the US, but for reference, that £400 UK price converts to $531.
I’ve been using the watch for a few days now and I’ve got some early impressions
An elegant design
Some people see smartwatches as purely functional items, like a phone, camera or laptop where aesthetics don’t really matter. Personally, I think that anything you wear like jewellery first and foremost needs to look good. Otherwise why ruin an outfit with an ugly-looking gadget on your wrist?
The Watch 5 is among the nicer looking smartwatches I’ve tested, with an elegant stainless steel body that looks great in the soft gold color of my review model. The top of the metal is brushed while the sides are contrasted nicely in a polished finish. The 42mm model will be better for those of you with slimmer wrists, but if you’ve got thicker-set arms then the larger model is for you.
The composite rubber and fabric strap is fairly comfortable though it doesn’t quite have the same luxurious appeal as the watch itself. I actually managed to sleep in it in order to use the sleep tracking functions. I normally hate wearing a watch to bed but the Watch 5 went mostly unnoticed throughout the night. The display is bright and vibrant, and I found it easy enough to read under bright sunlight. You’ll find the digital crown on the side, along with a second button used for navigation or bringing up quick-access apps.
But there’s also a very visible sensor in between the button and crown, which brings me on to…
Easy health tracking
The Watch 5 tracks a variety of health metrics from heart rate, skin temperature, blood oxygen levels and more but it does much of it through the new easy access sensor on the side. Huawei calls it the X-Tap sensor and it essentially makes it easier to press your fingertip against and get a variety of readings.
By using the sensor, the watch can track nine different health metrics in 60 seconds (some require guiding you through, like performing an ECG) to give you what it calls the «health glance.» It’s essentially a brief summary of how healthy you are at that point, and I definitely found the side sensor comfortable to use.
You can activate the screen and then press and hold your fingertip to the sensor to activate the health glance scanning function. It’s certainly a quicker way of working than going into the watch’s apps to find the right one and I can definitely imagine it making it easier to build into your routine throughout the day if you’re keen on regular tracking.
It’s got some new tricks as part of its scanning, too, including HRV (heart rate variability) tracking, which analyses your heart rhythms over time and which Huawei claims is a first on a smartwatch. It also analyzes your respiratory health by having you cough three times into the microphone. Both the respiratory health and HRV tracking are performed as part of the Health Glance operation.
Beyond health, the watch can track movement analytics for a huge variety of sports and activities from running and cycling to belly dancing and, er, esports. Good to know if you really want to track your heart rate as you’re getting demolished in Fortnite.
Other watch features include GPS tracking, eSIM functionality to make calls without a phone, gesture control (tapping your thumb and index finger to answer a call, for example — yes, like the Apple Watch does) and sleep tracking, along with «contextual recommendations to help users understand and improve their lifestyle.» I’m hoping that won’t include passive aggressive comments about why I shouldn’t order a second beer.
Huawei Watch 5: Should you buy it?
Huawei’s smartwatches have always been great bits of kit, and the company’s titanium Watch 5 Ultimate is still one of my absolute favorite models to wear. The Watch 5 is a much more elegant option, and I’m certainly a fan of its curving form and even the soft gold color. It’s easy to use, with up to five days battery life that seems solid. It’s easy to scan your health metrics, which will be genuinely helpful if you need to take multiple readings throughout a day.
It’s a solid overall smartwatch and while it doesn’t run Wear OS, it doesn’t feel like it’s lacking in any way because of it. If you’re keen for something a bit different to the Apple Watches you see on everyone’s wrists, it’s certainly worth considering. Just as long as you’re not in the US.
Technologies
Trump Asks Apple to Make Your Next iPhone in the US, Not India
Apple has agreed to «up» production in the US, according to the president.

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has reportedly agreed to increase the amount of iPhone production that takes place in the US, according to President Donald Trump.
Speaking to press in Qatar, Trump said he had «a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday,» regarding Apple’s plans to shift production away from China to India in a bid to avoid tariffs. But the president has asked Cook not to build out its Indian manufacturing base.
Apple didn’t respond to a request for comment on the matter.
Back in February, Apple announced plans to boost US-based production with a $500 billion investment that will see it build new manufacturing facilities and a manufacturing academy across multiple states. But earlier this month, Cook also said the majority of Apple’s iPhone production would shift to India.
The reason tech companies including Apple don’t already manufacture devices in the US is that the cost of domestic manufacturing and labor in the US is currently still too high for them to consider abandoning their international supply chains. Tariffs might be pushing the price of goods up, but shifting production to the US is only likely to exacerbate the rising cost of almost everything we buy.
But for Trump, making iPhones in the US should be the priority. «I said to him, Tim, you my friend, I treated you very good,» the president said, recounting his conversation with Cook. «You’re coming here with $500 billion but now I hear you building all over India. I don’t want you building in India.»
According to Trump, Cook agreed to Apple «upping their production in the United States.» Even if that is the case, the reality is that it could be a long time before your next iPhone is made in the US.
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