Easy sub-$190 upgrades for your gaming setup this Amazon Prime Early Access

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Get yourself some fresh tech for Prime Day mark two, even if you aren't in the market for a major upgrade just yet.

Prime Day 2022 cheap deals header
(Image credit: ViewSonic, Western Digital, Razer, Teamgroup)

Amazon Prime Early Access , or Prime Day two as many of us have taken to calling it, has come with its selection of PC gaming deals. As with all big sales events, I am ensnared by my own FOMO. "I'm not ready to do any big upgrades," I used to often think, though this year the truth is that I just did several big upgrades so it's time to chill out. 

Anyway, it always seemed like I should take advantage of the deals to get something useful, and Prime Early Access has turned out to be a great time for anyone to follow suit on some cheap and easy upgrades.

If you're waffling at that juncture too—eager to save some cash on something nice but not ready for an entire new gaming laptop or a jump to a 4K monitor, here are some of the best minor upgrades you can make to your gaming PC. 

A nice refresh, without ripping out your motherboard.

With the help of all our other deal wizards, I've picked you out a nice handful of lean and mean upgrades. There's a set of peripherals to get you off that freebie mouse and crappy earbuds. Just because I'm still using the iPhone wired earbuds I filched from some family member doesn't mean you need to. There's also a set of RAM to walk your system up a notch, and a few SSD choices whether you're sticking to SATA or ready for a PCIe drive.

Oh, and don't miss the Viewsonic Omni 1440p monitor down from $239.99 to $189.99. I know a monitor upgrade doesn't feel cheap but I recently just made the jump from my 6-year-old 1080p monitor to a 1440p 144Hz one and even my sad, astigmatismed eyes are enjoying the upgrade. Getting into a nice new monitor for under $200 is a deal I would have jumped at, myself. 

Teamgroup T-Force Vulcan Z | DDR4 | 16GB Kit (2x8GB)  | 3200MHz | CL16 | $52.99 $48.99 at Amazon (save $4)

Teamgroup T-Force Vulcan Z | DDR4 | 16GB Kit (2x8GB)  | 3200MHz | CL16 | $52.99 $48.99 at Amazon (save $4)
It might not look like much of a saving, but consider this already a great price and with a little extra off the top to make it that much more alluring. A great PC upgrade if you're currently using just 8GB of total RAM. 

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Razer DeathAdder V2 | Wired | 20,000 DPI | 8 buttons | Right-handed | 82g | $69.99 $28.49 at Amazon (save $41.50)
was $69.99 now $28.49 at Amazon

Razer DeathAdder V2 | Wired | 20,000 DPI | 8 buttons | Right-handed | 82g | $69.99 $28.49 at Amazon (save $41.50)
The updated DeathAdder is the latest spin on the classic Razer gaming mouse. The updated 20K sensor is super-accurate and never less than responsive. A great mouse at an unfeasibly cheap price.

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HyperX Cloud Alpha | 50mm drivers | 13Hz - 27,000Hz | Closed-back | Wired | $99.99 $69.99 at Amazon (save $30)
was $99.99 now $69.99 at Amazon

HyperX Cloud Alpha | 50mm drivers | 13Hz - 27,000Hz | Closed-back | Wired | $99.99 $69.99 at Amazon (save $30)
The Cloud Alphas are still one of the best gaming headsets out there. And at just $60, this is a bargain considering they sound just as good as their wireless cousins. 

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HyperX SoloCast microphone
was $39.99 now $59.99 at Amazon

HyperX Solocast USB Microphone| Black| $59.99 $39.99 at Amazon (save $20)
This cute pill-shaped mic offers incredible sound at an even more incredible price. It may lack many features more serious streamers want, but if you're on a budget but still want good sound quality, a Solocast for $40 is an awesome price.

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WD_BLACK SN850 with heatsink | 1TB | PCIe 4.0 |7,000MB/s reads | 5,300MB/s writes | $279.99 $148 at Amazon (save $132)
was $279.99 now $148 at Amazon

WD_BLACK SN850 with heatsink | 1TB | PCIe 4.0 | 7,000MB/s reads | 5,300MB/s writes | $279.99 $148 at Amazon (save $132)
This impressive SSD consistently gives the Samsung 980 Pro's performance a run for its money and is arguably the PCIe 4.0 drive to beat. It's our favorite high-speed SSD, and at this price makes a great upgrade for your gaming rig's boot drive. This version with the heatspreader is cheaper than the bare drive right now too.

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WD Black SN770 | 1TB | PCIe 4.0 | 5,150MB/s reads | 4,900MB/s writes | $129.99 $79.99 at Amazon (save $50)
was $129.99 now $79.99 at Amazon

WD Black SN770 | 1TB | PCIe 4.0 | 5,150MB/s reads | 4,900MB/s writes | $129.99 $79.99 at Amazon (save $50)
It may not match the peak performance of the pricier SN850, but this is a great budget option. And a good shout for anyone still stuck on a PCIe 3.0 motherboard but with a yearning for an upgrade soonish. This SSD will be as fast as any PCIe 3.0 drive but then will reach its own top speeds as soon as you upgrade to a PCIe 4.0 board.

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PNY CS900 3D NAND SSD | 1TB| SATA |535 MB/s reads | 515 MB/s writes | $95.99 $59.99 at Amazon (save $36)
was $95.99 now $78.70 at Amazon

PNY CS900 3D NAND SSD | 1TB| SATA | 535 MB/s reads | 515 MB/s writes | $95.99 $59.99 at Amazon (save $36)
This PNY SATA SSD is a great option for budget builds where you can't quite stretch to a full PCIe drive. For less than $80 you can slowly ease yourself off your old spinning HDD with a large enough capacity for your OS and a bunch of games. Alternatively, it will make a great secondary storage if you're already sporting a faster SSD as your boot.

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Viewsonic Omni | 27-inch | 1440p | IPS | 144Hz | $239.99 $189.99 at Best Buy (save $50)
was $239.99 now $189.99 at Best Buy

Viewsonic Omni | 27-inch | 1440p | IPS | 144Hz | $239.99 $189.99 at Best Buy (save $50)
Of course, you couldn't bag a 27-inch 1440p gaming monitor for less than $200, could you? Turns out, yes you can. This big-screen, high resolution, high refresh rate IPS screen is a bit of a bargain right now, and as cheap as it's ever been, too.

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Lauren Morton
Lauren Morton
Associate Editor

Lauren has been writing for PC Gamer since she went hunting for the cryptid Dark Souls fashion police in 2017. She accepted her role as Associate Editor in 2021, now serving as self-appointed chief cozy games and farmlife sim enjoyer. Her career originally began in game development and she remains fascinated by how games tick in the modding and speedrunning scenes. She likes long fantasy books, longer RPGs, can't stop playing co-op survival crafting games, and has spent a number of hours she refuses to count building houses in The Sims games for over 20 years. 

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