BuildAPCSales: The Complete Guide to Scoring Amazing PC Deals On Reddit

Building a gaming PC shouldn’t mean draining your savings account. I learned this the hard way three years ago when I planned my first build. I was ready to spend $2,000 on components until a friend told me about r/buildapcsales on Reddit. That simple tip saved me over $400, and I ended up with the exact same parts I wanted.

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Since then, I’ve helped dozens of friends navigate this community and I have personally experienced the way it has changed the experience of PC building. Whether you’re building your first rig or upgrading your current system, learning how to utilize r/buildapcsales will be able to make the difference between a cheap and an expensive computer.

What Exactly is r/BuildAPCSales?

Imagine r/buildapcsales to be your own 24/7 deal-hunting team. It is a Reddit group of more than 2 million PC enthusiasts who post the best deals they have found on computer components. Community members conduct the legwork instead of checking Amazon, Newegg, Best Buy, and Micro Center every day, and post deals as soon as they show up.

The only distinction between this subreddit and the generic deal sites is that there is an expertise to every post. It is not some haphazard individuals posting discounts but rather the builders who know what is worth purchasing in a deal. They understand when a graphics card is being actually discounted or it is just a false sale price.

Why PC Builders Trust This Community

The r/buildapcsales is beautiful because it is community-based. Real people with real builds share genuine savings opportunities. There are three things that I have observed that render this community invaluable:

Instant verification: Within minutes that a deal is posted, experienced builders comment on whether it’s historically good pricing. This has spared me the purchase of an 80-percent off SSD that had in reality been plain ordinary at an exaggerated MSRP.

Knowledge of components: All members (as opposed to general coupon sites) know PC hardware. They will advise whether that inexpensive power supply is going to cook your system, or your RAM unit is going to be incompatible.

Time is of essence: The most attractive deals are short-lived. They are caught in this community when you have a fighting chance before the stocks are depleted.

How Reddit’s BuildAPCSales Actually Works

When I first joined r/buildapcsales, I was overwhelmed by how fast deals moved. Understanding the system helped me catch better opportunities.

The Deal Discovery Process

Community members constantly monitor major retailers. When someone spots a significant discount, they post it following a specific format: product name, price, retailer, and discount percentage. This standardization makes scanning multiple deals incredibly quick.

The upvote system is your friend. Deals rise to the top based on how good they are. If you see a post with 500+ upvotes in the first hour, you’re looking at something special. I grabbed my RTX 3070 during the shortage because I caught a highly upvoted post within 15 minutes.

Reading the Comments is Critical

Never buy based on the title alone. The comment section contains gold:

Price history comparisons (“This was $10 cheaper last month”)
Compatibility warnings (“This motherboard needs a BIOS update for that CPU”)
Alternative suggestions (“The competing model is better at this price point”)
Retailer experiences (“Their return process took three weeks”)

I once avoided a “great deal” on a monitor because comments revealed it had terrible ghosting issues that weren’t mentioned in reviews.

The Flair System Saves Time

Reddit BuildAPCSales uses flairs to categorize posts by component type. You can filter specifically for:

GPU (Graphics Cards)
CPU/Motherboard
RAM
Storage (SSD/HDD)
Monitor
Peripherals
Prebuilt systems

Set up filters for components you need, and ignore everything else. This focus prevents impulse buying random parts just because they’re on sale.

Finding the Best Deals: My Proven Strategy

After years of using r/buildapcsales, I’ve developed a system that consistently delivers savings.

Set Up Notifications Correctly

The mobile Reddit application has the option of push notifications when posts are made in a subreddit. Allow this with r/buildapcsales when you are in the process of shopping. Nevertheless, choose wisely, you will go mad with the notifications being posted on you.

How to do it better: Keyword alerts. Third party apps such as F5Bot or IFTTT may only alert on the mentioning of particular components of your interest. I was searching NVMe 4TB drive and had an alert on 4TB and NVMe and found some deal in two days.

Understand Historical Pricing

One of the mistakes that beginners commit every single day is that they have presumed that all the deals posted are worthy of purchase. There are cases when a sale is simply good pricing with selling magic.

CamelCamelCamel works with Amazon offers or PCPartPicker offer history. And even were that $199 GPU is only $189 last week, it is not actually much of a deal. This is frequently called out in the r/buildapcsales community, but self-verification provides an added benefit.

Timing Your Purchases Strategically

PC component prices follow predictable patterns. Here’s what I’ve observed:

Best times to buy:

Black Friday through Cyber Monday (obvious but true)
January after CES announcements
Back-to-school sales in August
When new GPU generations launch (previous generation drops)

Avoid buying:

Right before major tech announcements
During cryptocurrency mining booms
Holiday seasons when everyone else is buying

I built my entire system across three months by waiting for the right timing on each component. Total savings: $520 compared to buying everything at once.

Component Priority System

Not all PC parts go on sale equally. Based on my experience and community patterns:

Buy immediately when deals appear:

RAM (frequent sales, prices fluctuate wildly)
Storage drives (SSDs have aggressive pricing)
Peripherals (keyboards, mice, headsets)

Be patient with:

CPUs (modest discounts, better to wait for generation transitions)
Motherboards (sales are rare, focus on quality over price)
Graphics cards (volatile market, but worth waiting for major drops)

I waited four months for my CPU because prices only dropped by $20-30 occasionally. But when RAM went on sale, I jumped immediately because I’d seen those deals disappear and not return for weeks.

Avoiding Common BuildAPCSales Mistakes

Even experienced builders fall into these traps. Learn from my mistakes and others I’ve witnessed.

Impulse Buying Syndrome

Simply because it is a discounted component does not imply that you require it. I once bought a 1000W power supply on sale when my build only needed 650W. It was lying idle one year before I sold it at a loss.

Create a build list first. Use PCPartPicker to plan exactly what you need, then only buy those specific components when they go on sale. This discipline alone will save you hundreds.

Ignoring Compatibility Issues

That cheap RAM kit might not work with your motherboard. That “bargain” CPU might require a BIOS update you can’t perform without a compatible CPU already installed.

Always cross-reference deals with PCPartPicker’s compatibility checker. The few minutes spent verifying saves the headache of returning incompatible parts.

Forgetting Total Cost Calculations

A deal isn’t a deal if shipping costs negate the savings. I’ve seen people get excited about saving $15 on a component, only to pay $20 in shipping because they didn’t meet the free shipping threshold.

Factor in:

Shipping costs
Sales tax (varies by retailer and state)
Potential return shipping if something goes wrong
Credit card foreign transaction fees (for international retailers)

Missing Return Policies

Some deals come with strict conditions. I once bought an “open box” motherboard at an amazing price, only to discover it had a no-return policy. Fortunately it worked fine, but I learned to always check return windows before purchasing.

Red flags to watch for:

“All sales final” items
Return windows under 15 days
Restocking fees over 15%
Shipping not included in returns

Smart Shopping Tactics That Actually Work

Let me share some advanced strategies that separate deal-hunting pros from casual browsers.

The Bundle Evaluation Method

Prebuilt PC deals occasionally appear on r/buildapcsales. Sometimes they’re genuinely cheaper than building yourself, especially during GPU shortages.

When evaluating prebuilts:

List every component included
Price each part individually using PCPartPicker
Add $100 for assembly labor
Compare total to prebuilt price

I helped a friend save $300 by buying a prebuilt during the GPU crisis, then upgrading specific components later. The GPU alone would have cost more than the entire system.

The Layered Discount Technique

Stack savings whenever possible:

Credit card cashback (2-5% typical)
Retailer rewards programs (Best Buy, Newegg Premier)
Cashback sites (Rakuten, TopCashback)
Manufacturer rebates

On a $1,500 build, these combined strategies added another $100-150 in savings beyond the deal prices.

Community Participation Benefits

Active r/buildapcsales members often share insider information before deals go public. I’ve received private messages about upcoming sales from community friends I made by being helpful in comments.

Contribute value:

Share deals you find
Provide helpful compatibility advice
Post follow-up reviews on parts you bought
Thank people who help you

The community rewards participation with better information access.

BuildAPCSales vs Other Deal Resources

I use multiple deal-hunting platforms, but each serves a different purpose.

r/buildapcsales strengths:

PC-specific expertise
Community verification
Real-time updates
Compatibility discussions

PCPartPicker advantages:

Price history graphs
Automatic compatibility checking
Build planning tools
Multi-retailer comparison

Slickdeals benefits:

Broader product coverage
Longer deal history
More cashback stackinginformation

My personal approach: Use PCPartPicker for planning and price tracking, r/buildapcsales for catching live deals, and Slickdeals as a backup for peripherals and accessories.

Real Questions from Real Builders

How quickly do deals sell out?

Top-tier deals on GPUs and CPUs can vanish in minutes, especially for popular models. Storage and RAM deals typically last hours or even days. Peripherals often remain available longest.

I’ve lost deals by hesitating for 20 minutes. When you see something you’ve been waiting for at a genuinely good price, act fast but smart.

Are these deals actually safe?

The r/buildapcsales community has strong self-policing. Questionable deals get called out immediately, and moderators remove scam posts quickly. However, always verify:

Buy from established retailers (Amazon, Newegg, Best Buy, Micro Center, B&H)
Check seller ratings for third-party Amazon sellers
Verify the exact product model number
Read recent reviews for that specific listing

Can I request specific part deals?

The subreddit is for posting deals, not requesting them. However, commenting on relevant posts about what you’re looking for often results in helpful suggestions. I’ve had community members tag me in posts after I mentioned searching for specific components.

What if I miss a great deal?

Deals cycle. That exact price might not return soon, but similar opportunities will appear. I’ve seen RAM prices swing by $30-40 every few weeks. Patience usually pays off unless you’re dealing with limited-edition items.

Should I buy used parts from the community?

r/buildapcsales is for new retail deals. For used hardware, check r/hardwareswap instead. I’ve had mixed experiences with used parts—great for budget builds if you know what to inspect, risky if you’re inexperienced.

Taking Action: Your Next Steps

You now understand how r/buildapcsales works and how to use it effectively. Here’s your action plan:

Starting today:

Join r/buildapcsales and spend 30 minutes reading posts and comments
Create your complete build list on PCPartPicker
Set up notifications for your most-needed components
Learn current market prices for your target parts

This week:

Follow the subreddit daily to understand deal patterns
Verify your build compatibility thoroughly
Research which retailers have the best return policies
Set up cashback accounts with major retailers

This month:

Start buying components as good deals appear
Share helpful information with other builders
Track your total savings compared to regular pricing
Adjust your build plan based on what deals materialize

Also Read: Why You’re Seeing content://cz.mobilesoft.appblock.fileprovider/cache/blank.html & How to Fix It

The PC building community is based on common knowledge. Each time one is posting a deal or a helpful comment, he/she opens the door of building to everybody. You are now ready to not only be a beneficiary of this community, but also its contributor.

Keep in mind: PC construction is a marathon, not a race. Waiting until you get the right deals will pay in the form of improved components at reduced costs. The construction of my first one took three months due to the waiting period in sales of each component. The result? The same system that had cost me 1580 would have cost $2,000 to build.

It is out there and it is your ideal build. Get it and do not spend the fortune when you use r/buildapcsales.