Hear me out, but you can grab an Alienware Aurora gaming PC with an RTX 4090 inside right now for not much more than just the card. Yes, picking up an entire rig just get hold of Nvidia's powerhouse GPU sound silly, I'd much prefer to get an entire new system complete with liquid cooling, plenty of RAM, and a great CPU pairing than fork out over $2,000 for a single component.
Thanks to a chonky Black Friday gaming PC deal at Dell, the Alienware Aurora R16 is now sitting at $2,999. That's $1,000 off its usual $3,999 price tag, and while it's still an expensive investment, it's a better value way of getting hold of an RTX 4090 right now. I'd even go as far to say that if you've got a build sitting, you'd be better off just spending $500 move on this PC than $2,459 at Amazon for a single GPU (seriously, that's the best the retailer can apparently do right now.)
Of course, if you'd rather hold off and wait for the RTX 5090 and other next gen cards to arrive, you could also grab one of Dell's cheaper Alienware builds. The cheapest rig you'll find is sitting mighty pretty at $1,199.99 for the RTX 4060 version. You're getting a liquid cooled Intel Core i7 14700F CPU, and 32GB DDR5 RAM, making it a good candidate for an RTX 5070 when it eventually arrives.
It's worth browsing Dell's complete range of Alienware Aurora R16 deals for a system that suit your needs, as there are various configurations with Black Friday discounts. If you're going all out on the top model, you'll end up with an i9 14900KF, 64GB RAM, and an RTX 4090, but thinking tactically about specs could serve you well in the generation ahead.
Should you buy an Alienware Aurora R16 gaming PC this Black Friday?
I spent a chunk of time testing the Alienware Aurora R16 for my review, and the latest version of Dell's mean machine is a serious powerhouse. The specific build I used for 4K gaming is the same one with $1,000 off right now, so if you've got any doubts over whether the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 model is worthwhile, I can testify to its abilities.
For starters, the RTX 4090 Aurora R16 is what I'd describe as a no compromise 4K gaming PC. Backed up by that i9 CPU and 64GB RAM, you're going to easily hit well over 60fps without ever touching any in-game settings. In my own benchmarks, I was able to hit an average of 111fps in Cyberpunk 2077 with Ultra settings enabled. Just about every other game I tested manage to hit over 100fps too, and while enabling ray tracing chops native performance down to size, DLSS AI upscaling can effectively fill in any frame rate gaps.
If you couldn't vibe with previous builds like the Alienware Aurora R15, you'll be pleased to see that the R16 is dressed a bit more sensibly. Gone is the weird space egg shell and chonky plastic curves and in is a new conventional case with just a splash of sci-fi vibes. Dell says the new design is all in the name of cooling and efficiency, and if my tests are anything to go by, it does run much quieter than last year's rig.
Of course, there are other RTX 4090 PCs out there, but you won't find many for under $4,000. Amazon has the likes of Corsair ONE i500 listed for $3,994.99 (down from $4,699.99) and while I adore the woodgrain on the front of the case, you're getting all the same specs. It's much the same situation at Newegg, and while there are some rigs sitting under the $3,000 mark, they're both refurbished and only come with 32GB RAM.
Ultimately, the Alienware Aurora R16 wins my vote right now as the best value RTX 4090 PC this Black Friday. Even if you don't end up going for the most expensive rig (I wouldn't blame you), you're going to end up with a nice base machine for next-gen upgrades. Dell's proprietary parts still get on my nerves, and don't get me started on the fact there's only two DIMM slots on the motherboard. But, the R16 makes progress in that regard, and it's far more adaptable than other systems before it.
Looking for more offers? Swing by Black Friday gaming monitor deals and Black Friday TV deals for display discounts. Or, if you want a portable powerhouse, take a peek at Black Friday Steam Deck deals for handhelds and accessories.
