There's no denying that PC gaming is an expensive hobby. You need a decent PC, a good monitor, and a few different gaming accessories in order to play effectively. Thankfully, cloud gaming has come a long way in recent years, so it's easier than ever to get a cloud PC gaming setup at a much more affordable price. So, if you're interested in finding one of the best Black Friday gaming PC deals or are tempted to hold off until Cyber Monday, then you might want to actually consider getting a mini PC instead. However, you'll need to choose the right device for this to work.
I've reviewed several different gaming accessories and devices, and so I've put together this list of inexpensive Black Friday deals for a cheap gaming mini PC setup that is optimal for cloud gaming.
If you go with the lowest price options that I've listed (Beelink EQR6 mini PC for $249 at Amazon and LG UltraGear 27" gaming monitor for $149.00 at Walmart), you could get a gaming area that only costs $399.99 in total. But there are plenty of other options to consider.
Best mini PC for budget gaming
Actual gaming mini PCs with powerful RTX 40-Series GPUs do exist, but there aren't very many of them, and they tend to be rather expensive. As an example, you can look at my ROG NUC 970 review to see a relatively small device packed with an RTX 4060 L. It sells for $1,399.00 at Amazon if you're willing to pay that much for it.
The most affordable PC gaming setup involves getting an inexpensive yet reliable mini PC that you can access cloud gaming or less demanding games with. Thanks to Xbox's "Stream Your Own Game," this is more doable than ever. Cloud gaming means that you rely on powerful distant servers to actually run the game, but it gets displayed on your computer through the internet. Of course, the best mini PCs can also run less demanding games or classic games with no problem.
Disclaimer
WARNING: There are plenty of cheap mini PCs out there, but some less reputable brands can contain harmful malware. To be safe, you need to be careful when making purchases. It's best to stick with trusted companies such as ASUS, Lenovo, Intel, Beelink, and Geekom. For more options you can trust, check out our list of the best mini PCs.
Best gaming monitors for mini PCs
There are plenty of really good Black Friday gaming monitor deals going on right now making it possible to get a really good budget option. Of course, since you're potentially saving a lot of money by going with a mini PC, you might want to spend more on a nicer gaming monitor. Regardless, here are the best gaming monitors for mini PCs ranging from cheap to premium.
PSA: Make sure that the monitor you select can match the best resolution, refresh rate, response time, and VRR (variable refresh rate) that your mini PC supports. For more options, check out our list of the best gaming monitor black friday deals.
Best accessories for gaming mini PCs
Now you've gotten your PC and gaming monitor decided, but you'll still need some good peripherals for the best playing experience. Here are the best PC gaming accessories for mini PCs including everything from headsets to mice and keyboards. You can find more suggestions on our list of the best PC gaming accessories.
Rebecca was lucky enough to be in the first wave of people who received a Steam Deck. Since then, she has acquired an ROG Ally, ROG Ally X, Legion Go, and other gaming handhelds. She's always keen to find the best settings for any games she plays. Just about every night, you can find her playing on one of these devices in bed before going to sleep.
🔥The hottest Black Friday deals🔥
- 🎮ASUS ROG Ally (Ryzen Z1) | $349.99 at Best Buy (Save $150!)
- 💽MSI GeForce RTX 4070 + free game | $489.99 at Newegg (Save $87!)
- 💻Surface Pro 11 (X Plus) | $899.99 at Best Buy (Save $300!)
- 💽AMD Ryzen 5 7600X + free SSD (1TB) | $194.99 at Newegg (Save $74!)
- 📺HP Curved Ultrawide (34-inches) | $299.99 at Best Buy (Save $180!)
- 💾WD_Black Xbox Series X|S Card (1TB) | $99.99 at Best Buy (Save $50!)
🍁More great Black Friday deals🦃
- Best Buy: Big savings on video games, accessories, and more
- Walmart: Early savings on practically everything
- Target: Live deals on a huge range of products
- Dell: Top deals on laptops, gaming PCs, accessories, and more
- HP: Save big on laptops, desktops, accessories, and more
- Lenovo: Doorbuster deals on all Lenovo PCs, monitors, accessories, and more
- Newegg: Save on PC gaming accessories, components, and more
- Razer: Take advantage of free shipping for a limited time
- Samsung: Holiday deals on laptops, TVs, phones, and more are live
- Amazon: Constantly rotating sales on everything you can imagine
Build your dream gaming mini PC setup
You don't necessarily need to get a gaming desktop or gaming laptop in order to enjoy some of the biggest titles on the market. Cloud gaming has come a long way in recent years, so all you really need to enjoy many titles is a good mini PC, a nice gaming monitor, a keyboard and mouse, and a good internet connection.
With this being the case, you can get a decent gaming mini PC setup for very little money compared to what you'd have to spend with a gaming desktop or gaming laptop. I've personally discovered that some cheap mini PCs can come with malware, so it's best to stick with trusted brands such as Lenovo, ASUS, Geekom, and Beelink. Of the mini PC brands, Geekom offers some of our very most favorite options.
Alternatively, I also highly recommend considering getting a PC gaming handheld like the ROG Ally, Legion Go, or Steam Deck. These portable device each have their own perks and drawbacks, but they can allow you to play various games from the comfort of your couch, bed, or airplane seat. If you purchase a docking station, you can even connect them to your monitor and use them like a normal computer.
What is the best budget gaming PC?
There are a wide variety of gaming PCs to choose from. If you want to save money, you'll want to consider compact gaming desktops, mini PCs, and gaming handhelds, as they tend to cost less than full-blown gaming PCs.
The best budget mini PC is the Beelink EQR6. It's perfect for cloud gaming and it offers a decent variety of ports for your accessory needs. It was selling for $349.00, but now it's $249 at Amazon when you click the coupon box before checkout.
The best budget Windows 11 gaming handheld is the ROG Ally, especially if you grab it while it's discounted for Black Friday. It has an MSRP of $649.99, but right now it's selling for just $499.99 at Best Buy.
The best budget gaming desktop deal going on now is arguably the iBUYPOWER Slate 6 Mesh, which comes bundled with the upcoming Assassin's Creed Shadows. It's usually $1,199.99, but it's currently $699.00 at Walmart.
Can I use a gaming handheld like a computer?
You sure can. The ROG Ally and Legion Go are both Windows 11 gaming handhelds and you can connect a keyboard and mouse to them (via docking station or Bluetooth) to control them like you would a laptop. After that, they can be used to browse the internet, run programs, play games, type up documents, and more.
Are mini PCs good for gaming?
This really depends on the mini PC. There are a few gaming mini PCs that feature RTX 40-Series GPUs, but they tend to be rather expensive. Another option is to get a regular budget mini PC and then use it for cloud gaming. You'll save money compared to buying a full gaming desktop, but can still enjoy thousands of games on different services as long as you have a good internet connection and the right accessories.
