Skip these terrible Prime Early Access PC gaming deals

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What not to buy during the Prime Early Access sale, and what to buy instead.

Nucinzua gamer Socks
(Image credit: Nucinzua Socks)

As the second day of the Amazon Prime Early Access sale rages on, we've spotted numerous good PC gaming deals, especially on SSDs. Lurking out among them however, are some truly terrible deals waiting to strike at your wallet. It doesn't matter what the discount is: you don't need gamer socks.

Like any major retail 'holiday,' you can find incredible deals and some not-so-great deals. Some sellers will inflate their prices before discounting them, so they can jam a higher 'was' price in there to make it look like a bigger win for us. Sorting through the thousands of products on sale can be overwhelming. 

Personally, I like to look at each product's price history using sites like CamelCamelCamel. Here you can paste in the product name or URL, and it'll spit the entire price history, including with 3rd-party Amazon resellers. 

There are two types of bad deal: Good products that appear to have been marked down, but are actually selling for near or at their usual price, and terrible products that we wouldn't recommend whether or not they're legitimately discounted. 

Take, for example, this WD Black 4TB SSD on "sale" for $479.99. The product is marked down from the list price of $949.99, a 50% discount. Based on the price history, however, this SSD has been at this price for months, and right before Prime Early Access started, the price was jacked back up to its original 2020 launch price of $949.99.

Ironically, an example of a not-so-awful SSD deal comes from WD Black, too. This 1TB SN850 NVMe SSD for $148 is actually the lowest price it's ever been. 

Below I've collected some really bad deals you should avoid at all costs and paired them with alternative deals that are actually worth your time and money.

SSDs

WD_BLACK SN750 | 4TB | PCIe 3.0 |5,300 MB/s read|1,600 MB/s write | $949.99 $479.99 at Amazon (save technically nothing)

WD_BLACK SN750 | 4TB | PCIe 3.0 |5,300 MB/s read| 1,600 MB/s write | $949.99 $479.99 at Amazon (save technically nothing)
This older SSD isn't half-price; it's its usual price, but pricing shenanigans make it appear to be half off. Even then it's still a pretty pricey SSD especially when you compare it to WD Black's more recent drives.  

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WD_BLACK SN850 without heatsink | 1TB | PCIe 4.0 |7,000MB/s read | 5,300 MB/s write | $229.99 $128.57 at Amazon (save $101.42)
was $81.99 now $148 at Amazon

WD_BLACK SN850 without heatsink | 1TB | PCIe 4.0 | 7,000MB/s read | 5,300 MB/s write | $229.99 $128.57 at Amazon (save $101.42)
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. Now, this is an example of a good deal.

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Headsets

SVYHUOK Pro Gaming Headset | Wired | 40mm drivers | Flip mic |$18.99 $17 at Amazon (save $1.99)
was $99.99 now $66.49 at Amazon

SVYHUOK Pro Gaming Headset | Wired | 40mm drivers | Flip mic | $18.99 $17 at Amazon (save $1.99)
I can understand a budget headset's appeal, but this isn't it. Aside from being hideous, headsets around this price tend to fall apart after a few months—based on some of the user reviews, maybe sooner than that. 

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Razer Kraken V3 | Wired | Triforce 40mm drivers | Detachable mic | $69.99 $37.99 at Amazon (save $33.50)
was $99.99 now $66.49 at Amazon

Razer Kraken V3 | Wired | Triforce 40mm drivers | Detachable mic | $69.99 $37.99 at Amazon (save $33.50)
These Kraken are the way to go if you're in the market for a budget headset. At around $40, you get better durability, comfort, and sound quality than any of the cheap, under $20 headsets that litter Amazon. 

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Gaming Chairs

Fly YUTING Gaming Chair | Cockpit Simulator | 3-screen support  | $14,918.15 at Amazon (save NOTHING)

Fly YUTING Gaming Chair | Cockpit Simulator | 3-screen support  | $14,918.15 at Amazon (save NOTHING)
OK, this uncomfortable-looking seat isn't on sale, but it does keep coming up in all my searches for gaming chairs. It looks like it runs on blood and costs nearly $15,000. Honestly, I can't even tell if this is even a real product or not. Not recommended.

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Noblechairs Hero | Flexible 4D Armrests | PU Faux leather | Ergonomic design | $589.99 $509.99 at Amazon (save $80)

Noblechairs Hero | Flexible 4D Armrests | PU Faux leather | Ergonomic design | $589.99 $509.99 at Amazon (save $80)
If you want to spend a lot of money on a chair that doesn't look like it'll kill you, this Noblechairs Hero is a more modest option (albeit still pricey) and it's 6th right now on our list of best gaming chairs.

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TVs

LG OLED C1 | 65-inch | 4K | OLED | 120Hz | $2,499 $1,496.99 at Amazon (save $1,003)
was $899.99 now $749.99 at Amazon

LG OLED C1 | 65-inch | 4K | OLED | 120Hz | $2,499 $1,496.99 at Amazon (save $1,003)
I love LG's OLED C1 TVs, just not at this price. Don't be fooled by the massive discount; the actual savings is around $100 or so, not $1,000, since the TV hasn't gone for $2,499 since last year. If you're dead set on this LG, I'd wait till Black Friday for a better price. 

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Hisense U7G Quantum Series| 65-inch | 4K | ULED | 120Hz | $899.99 $699.99 at Best Buy (save $200)
was $899.99 now $749.99 at Best Buy

Hisense U7G Quantum Series| 65-inch | 4K | ULED | 120Hz | $899.99 $699.99 at Best Buy (save $200)
Hisense makes a surprisingly good (and quite large) gaming TV for under $1,000. It has a 120Hz refresh rate, which is hardly blazing fast, but good for a 4K TV. The one catch is that there are only two HDMI 2.1 ports. We can't have it all, can we?

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Gamer Socks

Do Not Disturb I'm Gaming Socks| 65-inch | 4K | ULED | $9.99 $7.99 at Amazon (save $2)
was $899.99 now $749.99 at Best Buy

Do Not Disturb I'm Gaming Socks| 65-inch | 4K | ULED | $9.99 $7.99 at Amazon (save $2)
Listen, I like an ironic pair of novelty gamer socks as much as the next guy, but my brother actually bought me these socks last Christmas and they tore the moment I put them on. 

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I'm still on the hunt for good gamer socks. I'm starting to think they don't exist. 

Jorge Jimenez
Jorge Jimenez
Hardware writer, Human Pop-Tart

Jorge is a hardware writer from the enchanted lands of New Jersey. When he's not filling the office with the smell of Pop-Tarts, he's reviewing all sorts of gaming hardware, from laptops with the latest mobile GPUs to gaming chairs with built-in back massagers. He's been covering games and tech for over ten years and has written for Dualshockers, WCCFtech, Tom's Guide, and a bunch of other places on the world wide web.