I buy these same 6 PC building accessories every year, and so should you before the Prime Day deals all disappear

Building custom gaming PCs is one of the only parts of my job that crosses over into my hobbies as something I genuinely enjoy doing. Sure, it has its highs and lows, and there have been occasions when a computer refuses to boot for some inexplicable reason. Still, these are usually countered by the thrill of fine-tweaking every little BIOS section until everything runs just right and, inevitably, never playing games on it anyway.

However, one thing is constant: I will forget something every time I build a PC. Every single time, I realize something is amiss, and all of my cable management has about gone to waste because I need to disassemble it. Well, at least I have my trusty box of bits, pieces, and accessories that make it move a little smoother, and all of them were once again on sale during Amazon Prime Day (and a few even cheaper during Newegg's Fantastech sale.)

Here's what I'm buying. It's everything you should grab if you're also about to build a custom rig.

Thermal paste

Arctic Silver thermal compound | $8.39now $6.53 at Newegg

Arctic Silver thermal compound | was $8.39 now $6.53 at Newegg

Old reliable. I always want a little tube of this world-class thermal paste in my backup box for when I get obsessive about my heatsink placement, which is every single time.

Perfect for: Avoiding the stress of perfectly mounting a CPU cooler, take as many tries as you need.

Not great for: Cleanliness. Arctic Silver sticks to skin and should be washed off immediately.

Cable zip ties

Cable Matters 200 assorted nylon zip ties | was $10.99 now $7.99 at Amazon

Cable Matters 200 assorted nylon zip ties | was $10.99 now $7.99 at Amazon

Back to full price: $9.99 at Amazon 😭

Cable management, you either love it or you hate it. 200 might seem excessive, but there's no harm in having spares. I use the tiny ones all the time.

Perfect for: Tidy cables inside your PC case, free of obstructions.

Not great for: Disassembly. Be kind to yourself and leave enough space to cut them off.

Anti-static wristband

Arctic Eagle anti-static wristband | was $6.99 now $4.79 at Amazon

Arctic Eagle anti-static wristband | was $6.99 now $4.79 at Amazon

Back to full price: $6.99 at Amazon 😭

To be clear, not everyone will need a new anti-static wristband each year, but if you asked me to find mine right now, I'd struggle to answer. Too cheap to matter.

Perfect for: Protecting your components from static electricity by grounding your body.

Not great for: Walking away mid-build and giving yourself a wicked bruise from the whiplash.

Plastic organizer baggies

Aubeco 400pcs 3 x 4-inch plastic bags | was $8.99 now $7.58 at Amazon

Aubeco 400pcs 3 x 4-inch plastic bags | was $8.99 now $7.58 at Amazon

Back to full price: $8.99 at Amazon 😭

You're disassembling an old CPU cooler? Put the screws in a bag. Removing a drive bay? Screws in the bag. Spare mounting bracket? In the bag. Label the bags.

Perfect for: Organizing the endless spare parts for old and new components because you don't need to keep all those boxes.

Not great for: Looking suspicious when ordering hundreds of little plastic baggies online. It's fine; they're for screws and things.

GPU brace / sag protector

nkomax GPU brace | was $9.99 now $7.90 at Amazon

nkomax GPU brace | was $9.99 now $7.90 at Amazon

Back to full price: $9.99 at Amazon 😭

"Didn't I just buy one of these?" Maybe. But it's holding up a different GPU now, and you'd be surprised how useful these are in the middle of a build.

Perfect for: Supporting heavy graphics cards and protecting your PCIe slot against damage caused by sagging.

Not great for: Accidentally magnetizing them to the back of a PC case and losing them forever.

Isopropyl alcohol wipes

Winner 600 isopropyl 70% alcohol wipes | was $32.99 now $26.39 at Amazon

Winner 600 isopropyl 70% alcohol wipes | was $32.99 now $26.39 at Amazon

Back to full price: $32.99 at Amazon 😭

Alright, so 600 is a little overkill, but I stand by these wipes. They clean up thermal paste from your CPU, your skin, and whatever else it's stuck to. Lifesaver.

Perfect for: Cleaning old thermal compound from a CPU, and wiping any residue from your skin.

Not great for: Getting into that cut on your hand from the motherboard's I/O shield.

🔥 The hottest Prime Day 2024 deals 🔥

Organization is how we beat frustration

Even with a giant case, I'm reaching for my zip ties — cable management kings. (Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)

Building your own computer is more rewarding than you might think. It's almost brutally frustrating when things go wrong (and they will go wrong), but the payoff is a fully functioning Windows desktop you make by hand.

Most of what's on this list comes from our larger guide to the best PC build tools and accessories, but everything here regularly goes missing in my home office. I blame the imaginary PC gremlins because I otherwise don't understand how I'm always misplacing magnetic GPU braces, but it happens.

The zip ties, in particular, are useful for practically anything else, which is usually why I get through a full pack in a year (or often less). A 600-pack of isopropyl alcohol wipes is definitely excessive, but again, they can prove useful around the house.

Honestly, even if you weren't planning to build a PC in the next few weeks, it doesn't hurt to have any of these in your workspace. Thermal paste is good for years if sealed, and the anti-static wristband will always be there when you need it.. mine are around here somewhere, I swear.

When does Prime Day end?

Amazon's Prime Day 2024 sale event is now over. Sort of. It ran between July 16 and 17 and ended at 11:59 PM PT. If you're on the East Coast, it technically ended on July 18 at 3 AM ET. It was a two-day affair, despite the singular "day" in its name, and led to competitive pricing from its most prominent rivals, like Newegg, which continue past Amazon's sale.

While there were plenty of lowest-ever prices offered up with exclusive deals at Amazon, the back-and-forth deal-matching habits at Newegg's deals page only created more benefits for shoppers.

If you're already an Amazon Prime member, it can be easier to take advantage of next-day shipping on most products. A free 30-day trial is also open to those who have never signed up before, but Newegg offers free delivery without extra fees.

Did I need a Prime membership for Prime Day?

Yes, a paid membership or 30-day free trial was required to access the full range of Prime Day benefits during the event. If you hadn't signed up in the past, you'd be eligible for the free trial and could cancel afterward if you want to.

Amazon Prime: Free 30-day trial

Amazon Prime: Free 30-day trial

New members can enjoy exclusive Prime Day discounts for free and cancel anytime. After the trial, membership is $14.99/month plus tax. Includes access to games via Prime Gaming alongside Prime Video and Prime Music.

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Ben Wilson
Senior Editor

Ben is a Senior Editor at Windows Central, covering everything related to technology hardware and software. He regularly goes hands-on with the latest Windows laptops, components inside custom gaming desktops, and any accessory compatible with PC and Xbox. His lifelong obsession with dismantling gadgets to see how they work led him to pursue a career in tech-centric journalism after a decade of experience in electronics retail and tech support.

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