The Prime Day deals we actually bought ourselves

When picking the best Prime Day deals, we considered our existing tests and benchmarks, product specifications, the manufacturer's reputation, and how the sale price compares to the usual price. We also considered that some people might want a gaming headset with LED cat ears, even if we don't.

Without coming off as anti-cat ears, we thought you might also want to know what's on sale that PC Gamer's editors actually own and use at their desks, or plan to buy on sale this week. To that end, we've made a list of Prime Day deals are for things we already own, or are about to. They aren't all related to PC gaming, because we're people who need to eat, too.

We'll strive to add more selections from the team as more deals roll in, and more of our money rolls out.

LG OLED 55-inch CX-series TV | $1,596 (was $1999.99)

Long-standing readers of PC Gamer's deals reportage may recall that I'm a huge devotee of LG's OLED TVs. These are the first TVs I've experienced that blow away the glorious black levels of the old Panasonic plasmas, while also offering startlingly vivid colour, thanks to supporting various flavours of HDR. The CX series (ie, the 2020 line) also uses the HDMI 2.1 standard found on Nvidia's Ampere GPUs, comes with G-Sync and FreeSync compatibility, and has a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz. All of which makes it bloody good to plug a PC. The TV recognises when it's receiving a signal from your rig and automatically switches to the low latency Game mode. Slightly annoyingly, there's not much of a saving to be had on the 48" model which can double as a chonky desktop monitor, (just be careful of burn-in), but the larger sizes in the range—like this 55"—have steep savings on offer today. 

I blew the kids' college fund on a 77" earlier this year, and despite initially worrying it was going to tan me like a defective sunbed, I am in absolute love with it. The really good news? I don't have kids. —Tim Clark

Razer Ornata Chroma keyboard | $59.99 (was $99.99)

I won't be buying one of these because I already own, uh, two (one of which is trapped in our COVID-closed office, to be fair). I should also note that Jacob from our hardware team rolls his eyes whenever I sing the praises of this mecha-membrane keyboard, but I find the combination of clickiness and squishiness to be a delight, particularly because I spend so much typing on it, as I am right now, and it feels deliciously pliant. —Tim Clark

I've never tried the Ornata that Tim likes so much, but as a loud, clacky mechanical keyboard enthusiast, I feel obligated to point out that the Corsair K95 RGB and Razer BlackWidow Elite mechanical keyboards (that's fully mechanical, with Cherry MX Speed switches in the Corsair) are also on sale. I've used the K95, and I liked it a lot, although it's a bit ugly. The keyboard I use now, the Das Keyboard Ultimate, is not on sale, but it is quite nice if you don't mind the blank keycaps (because you're 1337). —Tyler Wilde

Razer DeathAdder v2 | $55.99 (was $69.99)

A great mouse. I've been using an older model DeathAdder for years and years, and the only thing wrong with it is that one of the rubbery grips on the side came off. (It gets hot in California and my hands sweat, what can I say.)

Once I find something I like I don't like to change things up, so I'll probably keep buying DeathAdders until you can't anymore—though I really don't need to replace the one I have yet, as a bit of superglue will fix it. —Tyler Wilde

WD 12TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive | $174.99 (was $218)

My three SSDs are bloated with hundreds of gigs of captured game clips. Every time I drop into Valorant or Rainbow Six Siege, I clip another gig or two of memorable frags or dumb teammate moments. Look, I can't be bothered to sort through, upload, or (heaven forbid) delete this stuff, so I'm taking the nuclear option: magnetic storage. It's a downgrade, but if I use this slow storage essentially just for file backup, suddenly $15 per terabyte looks a lot sexier.  —Evan Lahti

Instant Pot | $49.99 (was $119.95)

This might sound like obvious advice, but the healthier I am the better I feel sitting at my desk for hours and hours to play the latest cRPG or get in a few Hades runs. Cooking for myself rather than taping together cupboard scraps or calling in last second takeout has helped me eat better and save money while building good, regular habits. I let out a long, satisfied sigh when I sit down to play computer games lately. Thank you, large heated pot. 

I hate gimmicky kitchen junk but I'm an absolute evangelist for the Instant Pot. Sure, its existence is predicated on the idea that we've built a life that squeezes out what little free time we have, but I can't tell you how nice it is to have a goddamn pot roast ready in one hour. Soup? I'm a huge soup guy now. I eat curry every week. My brother made a cake in his. Dangerous, but possible. I no longer scavenge. I feast.   —James Davenport

EDUP 1300 Mbps 802.11 ac Wireless Network Adapter | $15.97 (was $19.99)

I'm on the internet on a mini-ITX PC using this adapter right now. It's a cheap model—nothing special really—but that's exactly what I was looking for when I bought it for $20 a couple months ago, and it's slightly discounted now for Prime Day. This adapter is unobtrusive with a small USB plug and a single antenna, and performance for me a dozen feet or so away from my router has been great. It supports 2.4GHz and 5GHz wi-fi and speeds up to 1300 Mbps, though realistically if you actually want gigabit speed out of a wi-fi adapter, you should spring for something fancier. This is just a simple, easy way to add wi-fi to a PC that doesn't have room for a PCIe card, or to a laptop with a busted antenna. —Wes Fenlon

Arlo Video Doorbell | $129.99 (was $149.99)

Our regular doorbell broke recently (it's from the 1960s) and we're pretty much stuck at home all the time, and we're getting frequent deliveries left outside. So, I just ordered the Arlo Video Doorbell on the strong recommendation of a friend. There is a $3 per month subscription to be able to use all the features, but that seems worth it to be notified when someone's at the door, even if they don't ring the bell. Especially if they leave a package sitting there. Plus, it just seems like a neat gadget. I have a webcam on my PC, and I think my house should have one on its front-part. —Chris Livingston 

Alienware AW3420DW 120Hz ultrawide monitor | $849 (was $1,199.99) (still up for debate)

"Shall I buy an ultrawide monitor?" I pondered this morning, to which Dave our hardware lead replied "Yes, absolutely, they're lush." Historically, I've always been skeptical about ultrawide curved monitors, reasoning that most games aren't really designed to be played at that width, resulting in an excess of periphery with the action still confined to the middle. (I note here, as you surely have, that this is not the most informed take.) But, again driven by lockdown, I've started coming around to the idea of working and playing on one big monitor rather than two regular sized ones. I recently ordered a standing desk from Uplift that should arrive next month, the width of which would be perfect for this 34" Alienware ultrawide. According to Amazon, at time of writing I have 35 hours to continue pondering this purchase. What say you, readers? —Tim Clark