With Amazon Prime Early Access (opens in new tab), we're already into the bargain season this year, and not only is Amazon embarking on a bargain campaign for gaming laptops and gaming PCs, but other retailers on the web are also They are slashing prices.

Everything starts at midnight PDT on Tuesday, October 11, and the discounts will last for 48 hours; it doesn't look to be as deep as Black Friday on November 25, but there may still be some worthy contenders that will force you to open your wallet early.

Prices will vary widely between inexpensive and powerful gaming machines, with CPUs and upgrade possibilities varying widely. Prices also vary wildly. Finding a bargain requires weighing what is most important to you, and you may not have to choose the absolute cheapest. [Also, going with a 10th generation Intel CPU when 13th generation chips are about to go down may be a step too far for you. Ultimately, if you are looking for a gaming PC or laptop, the most important thing is the graphics card. That is the component you want to focus on. That is what will determine how well your system can handle today's games.

But how much do you expect such a system to cost? Keep this crib sheet in your life in time for Prime Early Access. Here's an example of a system.

RTX 3060 ~$800 - HP Pavilion | $848 $749 at Walmart (save $99) (opens in new tab) RTX 3060 Ti ~$1,200 - AVGPC Hellfire | $1,299 at Amazon $1,199 ($100 off) (opens in new tab) RTX 3070 ~$1,500 - Skytech Shiva | $1,899.99 $1,499.99 at Amazon (save $400) (opens in new tab) RTX 3070 Ti ~$1,600 - ABS Gladiator | $2,099.99 $1,699.99 at Newegg (save $400) (opens in a new tab) RTX 3080 ~$1,800 - iBuyPower | $2,399 $2,399 at iBuyPower $1,899 (save $400) (opens in a new tab) RTX 3080 Ti ~ $2,400 - Skytech Chronos | $2,999.99 $2,299.99 at Amazon ($750 discount) (opens in new tab) RTX 3090 ~ $2,600 - HP Omen GT13 30L | $3,094.99 $2,749.99 $ at HP (save $345) (opens in a new tab) RTX 3090 Ti ~$2,800 - CUK Continuum Micro Gamer | $2,899.99 at Amazon (save $450) (opens in new tab)

I did something similar to this last Black Friday (opens in new tab) Since I did, prices have dropped significantly. This is mainly because graphics cards are available again, but also because new CPUs and GPUs were announced during that time.

If you're looking for a little more mobile fun with your games, the good news is that there are plenty of Prime Early Access laptop deals (opens in new tab). However, as Nvidia's GPU stack goes up, prices will rise significantly.

RTX 3050 ~$750 - Acer Nitro 5 | $839.99 $769 (save $70.99 at Amazon) (opens in new tab) RTX 3060 ~$1,000 - Gigabyte A7 K1 | $1,299 $999 (save $200 at Amazon) (opens in new (opens in new tab). RTX 3070 ~$1,500 - MSI Pulse GL66 | $1,499 $1,399 at Amazon (save $100) (opens in new tab) RTX 3080 ~$1,800 - Asus ROG Strix Scar | $2,219 $1,799.99 at Newegg (save $600) (open in new tab)RTX 3090 ~$2,600

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Again, these numbers are only a guide. Especially with laptops, the relationships between the various subsystems are much tighter, and you do not have the same upgrade options as you would with a desktop computer. This combination would have to be used to the end.

Still, the important points are the same as with desktops. You don't want to drop $1,500 on a gaming laptop with an RTX 3060 at its core when you know you can get a more powerful RTX 3070 for that amount.

Spend wisely and stave off buyer's remorse.

When checking out a deal, a holistic approach is important. For AMD, the chips must be from the Ryzen 5000 series for desktops and the 4000 series or later for laptops.

Next is memory capacity. Ideally, you need 16GB of RAM, and to get the most out of your memory subsystem, you want two 8GB sticks, not just one 16GB SODIMM. 8GB is often standard on inexpensive systems, but can be upgraded later if needed.

For storage, you need at least a 500GB NVMe SSD. If you are writing dream specs, a 1TB or even 2TB drive is preferable given the size of modern games, but can usually be upgraded later. This is because some laptops have SSDs soldered in that cannot be replaced.

Whatever you are looking for, there are certainly some good deals out there. As Prime Early Access approaches, you can expect to see a selection of great deals. Just be mindful about how much you should pay for what is being offered, and you won't make an expensive mistake.