Fall Prime Day Vs Black Friday! 🛑 Best Time for PC Deals?

Product/Video Focus

This video isn’t reviewing a single hardware product. Instead, it’s a market/deals Q&A for PC components ahead of:

• Amazon Prime Day: Oct 6–7, 2026
• Black Friday: Nov 27, 2026

It also includes guidance on what to buy now vs wait across categories like GPUs, CPUs, RAM, SSDs, motherboards, cases, and monitors.

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Key Points & “Deals Guidance” (by component)

Sale timing & expectations (Prime Day vs Black Friday)

• Amazon Prime Day: announced for Oct 6–7, 2026
  • Most deals expected those days; other retailer promotions may run up to about Oct 11.
• Black Friday: Nov 27, 2026
  • The “best deals” often start around the first (early Black Friday month sales are becoming more common).
• GPU reality: Black Friday GPU deals are usually gone by then
  • GPUs typically sell out before Black Friday, with restocks potentially delayed until Feb/March.

Overall expectation:

• Big discounts: mostly on everything except GPUs (and often not RAM either)
• GPUs: expect fewer/no major drops due to continued demand and fast sell-through

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Unique market observations & pricing notes

RAM (DDR5)

• Main driver: AI demand is pushing up RAM/SSDs (and indirectly GPU/SSD pricing).
• “Holy grail”: DDR5 32GB kits (2×16GB)
  • Reported going rate: about $440 (up ~$90 from recent lows)
  • A mentioned “cheap” level: around $350 (not holding)
• DDR5 16GB kits
  • Example mentioned: ~$222 for a DDR5 6000 CL36 / similar-class kit (sold out/changed frequently)
  • Caution: you likely won’t see huge Prime Day / Black Friday RAM drops
    • Doorbusters may appear but sell out quickly

RAM verdict: likely limited discount depth unless you catch a fast-selling doorbuster.

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Motherboards (B650 / B650E / B850 / X870)

• Takeaway: motherboards are cheaper right now than earlier in the year.
• Examples mentioned:
  • B650 boards as low as ~$89
  • Asus TUF B650E-Plus around $132
    • Called a “value pick” and suggested it’s hard to justify paying more at that level.

Why this is different: motherboard pricing is moving opposite to GPUs/RAM/SSDs because:

• PC sales are slower
• No “rescue” demand like AI is affecting this segment

Motherboard verdict: one of the best categories to buy during/around these sales.

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SSDs (NVMe)

• Past issue: SSD pricing was extremely high “until about a month ago.”
• Current trend:
  • Roughly $145–$149 for Silicon Power A60 class 1TB drives (down from ~$160 recently)
• Not claiming prices are “falling fast,” but pricing is improving.
• AI data center demand still exists, so big Black Friday/Prime Day SSD discounts are not guaranteed, though some deals/doorbusters may happen.

SSD verdict: mildly favorable; potential deals, but not a sure thing like cases/CPUs.

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CPUs

• The host says deals are already excellent, potentially improving on Prime Day.
• Example cited: Ryzen 5 7600X3D — $226
• Comparison claim:
  • Similar performance to higher-end parts that were previously priced much higher (mentions 7800X3D being on sale for ~$250 last year)

CPU verdict: generally a category where buyers should feel good buying now/for Prime Day.

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PC Cases

• Example cited: Fanteks N5S
  • Includes 4 RGB fans and RGB light strips
  • Mentioned price: ~$60 after rebate
• Framed as “insane” value compared to $80–$120+ last year.

Case verdict: strong deals expected and currently available.

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GPU Market (main pain point)

“Prices are going up / deals may be limited”

• Big claim: GPU pricing is the main problem, and waiting may mean missing opportunities.
• Prime Day / Black Friday:
  • The host does not expect big GPU discounts.

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AMD GPU examples mentioned

• Cheapest 9070 XT: about $760
  • XFX Challenger model sold out at Newegg; via XFX direct around ~$759 without a game
• XFX deals are sometimes bundled with games; cited combos are often already gone
• RX 9070 GRE: cited at $570
  • Includes a game bundle
  • Mentioned an additional $70 discount, called a standout value at the time

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Nvidia GPU examples mentioned (very negative pricing outlook)

The host lists examples of “price drift,” including:

• RTX 5060: seen at $375 last week; cheapest now ~ $450
• RTX 5070: ~$820
• RTX 5080: ~$1,579–$1,600 (example $1,579)
• RTX 5090: mentioned as ~$10,000

Claims include:

• Nvidia higher tiers are effectively being bought for AI compute more than gaming
• GPUs with 24GB+ (CUDA-focused workflows) are being snapped up by AI buyers
• Even some used-market availability is affected (e.g., harder to find certain cards like 3090 at reasonable prices)

GPU verdict: If you need one now, the host strongly implies you should buy rather than wait (especially mid/budget). If you don’t need one, waiting may still lead to limited deal depth.

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Gaming monitor advice (value/performance framing)

• A viewer asks about price-to-performance for gaming monitors.
• The host says it’s more subjective than FPS because of:
  • Resolution
  • Games played
  • HDR/OLED features
  • System capability
• Claim: OLED + modern panels have “come together,” enabling 240Hz OLED for about $300–$350
  • Compared to debut prices around ~$1,000
• Prediction:
  • Prime Day and Black Friday should bring big monitor discounts, especially 240Hz 1440p OLED
• Market shift:
  • 1080p is mostly displaced by 1440p
  • 4K non-OLED “barely exists” competitively; OLED dominates

Monitor verdict: likely one of the better discount categories, especially 240Hz 1440p OLED.

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Upgrade guidance for users with older GPUs (example-driven)

• Viewer complaint: using a Zotac GTX 1070 Ti (one fan left)
• Host provides upgrade comparisons:
  • RX 9700 GRE: claimed ~257% more performance (referenced via a TechPowerUp-style 1080p comparison context)
  • RX 580: claimed ~53% faster
    • Caveat: performance varies differently between 1080p vs 1440p
• Recommendation:
  • If upgrading from a 1070 Ti, consider spending ~$550–$600 for an upgrade now rather than waiting for unrealistic price relief.
• Nvidia note:
  • The host personally recommends avoiding Nvidia due to pricing, but if you “need Nvidia,” at least look for deals/bundles.

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Pros / Cons (as presented in the video)

Pros (buy now / buy during sales)

• Motherboards, CPUs, cases: good discounts now and likely during sales
• Monitors (OLED 240Hz 1440p): expects strong discounts; historically low pricing
• SSD/CPU trend: improving SSD pricing; CPU deals already strong

Cons / Risks

• GPUs: limited discounting expected and high chance of sell-outs
  • Waiting could mean paying more later or waiting until Feb/March restocks
• RAM: likely doorbuster-only improvements; otherwise elevated due to AI-driven demand

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Comparisons made

• Prime Day vs Black Friday
  • Prime Day = major GPU opportunity window
  • Black Friday = good for many categories, but GPU deals often already gone
• DDR5 16GB vs 32GB pricing
  • 16GB is materially cheaper
  • 32GB kits remain expensive
• OLED monitors vs older LCD/TN eras
  • Modern OLED enables high refresh + good visuals around $300–$350
  • Compared to earlier OLED debuts that were much more expensive, or LCD compromises

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Numerical mentions (key ones)

• Prime Day dates: Oct 6–7, 2026
  • Deals start around Oct 5; other sales run to Oct 11
• Black Friday date: Nov 27, 2026
  • “Best deals start around the first”
• RAM
  • DDR5 32GB kits: ~$350 (recent low mentioned), now ~$440
  • DDR5 16GB kits: example ~$222 (also mentioned ~$229 after promo for a white kit)
• Motherboards
  • B650 boards: as low as ~$90
  • Asus TUF B650E-Plus: ~$132
• SSD (1TB class): ~$145–$149, previously ~$160–$170
• CPU: Ryzen 5 7600X3D: $226
• GPU
  • 9070 XT: ~$759–$760
  • 9070 GRE: ~$570 (with $70 discount + game bundle)
  • Nvidia examples: RTX 5060 $375 then $450, RTX 5070 ~$820, RTX 5080 ~$1,579–$1,600, RTX 5090 ~$10,000
• Monitor
  • 240Hz OLED: $300–$350 (debut price cited as ~$1,000)

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Concise verdict / recommendation

• Buy now (or target Prime Day) for: CPUs, motherboards, PC cases, and OLED/240Hz monitors.
• Be cautious about waiting for deals on: GPUs and RAM
  • Core claim: GPU discounts are limited and sell-out risk is high; RAM deals may be doorbusters only.

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Speakers / Input types

• Jason (PC Builder host): primary source of recommendations, pricing examples, and market reasoning (including AI-demand effects, deal timing, and component-by-component strategy)
• Viewers (questions referenced):
  • “Soul Jallop” — whether Black Friday is still good for GPUs/RAM/parts vs waiting for Prime Day
  • “Big Willie” — GPU upgrade path from a Zotac 1070 Ti
  • “JCU84” — gaming monitor price-to-performance