1. The "Golden" Upgrade: NVMe SSD Storage
If you only buy one thing today, make it storage.
2025 was a volatile year for NAND flash pricing, but for Boxing Day, manufacturers like Samsung, Western Digital, and Crucial have engaged in a price war. With games like GTA VI looming on the horizon (rumored to be 200GB+), storage is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity.
🏆 The PS5 King: Samsung 990 Pro (with Heatsink)
There is a reason this drive is the best-seller globally.
Why buy today?
The PlayStation 5 requires a minimum read speed of 5,500 MB/s to run Gen 5 games smoothly. The Samsung 990 Pro crushes this requirement with a blistering 7,450 MB/s read speed and 6,900 MB/s write speed.
In our testing, this drive actually loads texture-heavy games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Spider-Man 2 faster than the PS5's internal storage.
⚠️ Crucial Warning: You will see two versions of this drive on sale. You MUST buy the version with the integrated Heatsink. The PS5’s expansion slot is a confined space with little airflow. Without a heatsink, a Gen 4 drive will thermal throttle (slow down) within 15 minutes of gameplay to prevent melting.
🏆 The PC Powerhouse: WD Black SN850X
If you are a PC gamer, the WD Black SN850X is arguably the better deal today. While it matches the Samsung in speed, its "Game Mode 2.0" software (exclusive to Windows) helps predict game assets for faster loading times.
Price Target: Look for the 2TB model. The price-per-gigabyte on the 2TB version is currently 20% better than the 1TB version.
| Model | Read Speed | Best Use Case | Boxing Day Deal Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung 990 Pro | 7,450 MB/s | PS5 Expansion | 🌟 Legendary (40% Off) |
| WD Black SN850X | 7,300 MB/s | High-End PC | ✅ Great (30% Off) |
| Crucial P3 Plus | 5,000 MB/s | Secondary PC Drive | 🔥 Budget King (50% Off) |
2. Visuals: The OLED Revolution & The Death of IPS
Boxing Day 2025 marks the unofficial end of the IPS panel era for high-end gaming.
Why are monitor prices crashing right now? Because LG and Samsung are about to unveil their "Gen 4" panels at CES in January. Retailers are desperate to clear out the "Gen 3" stock—which is fantastic news for you, because Gen 3 OLEDs are still spectacular.
💎 The Ultrawide Choice: Alienware AW3423DWF (QD-OLED)
This monitor has held the crown for two years for a reason. It uses QD-OLED (Quantum Dot OLED) technology.
Unlike traditional OLEDs that can look dim, QD-OLED offers higher brightness and more vibrant colors.
The Experience: Playing a game with true blacks (infinite contrast) changes everything. In space games like Starfield or horror games like Resident Evil, the dark areas are pitch black, not "glowy gray."
Warranty Note: Dell/Alienware is one of the few companies offering a 3-year burn-in warranty. This makes buying it on Boxing Day a safe long-term investment.
⚡ The Competitive Choice: LG UltraGear 27GR95QE
If you play competitive shooters like Valorant, Counter-Strike 2, or Overwatch, you don't care about "cinematic immersion" as much as speed.
This 27-inch monitor offers a 240Hz refresh rate with an absurdly low 0.03ms response time.
Traditional IPS gaming monitors have a response time of 1ms. This OLED is 33 times faster. It effectively eliminates motion blur. Seeing an enemy clearly while turning the camera quickly is a competitive advantage you can buy.
3. The Danger Zone: Graphics Cards (GPU) Strategy
This is the most critical section of this guide. As we discussed in this morning's "Tekin Morning" update, the GPU market is a minefield right now.
⛔️ THE RED LIST (Do NOT Buy):
- NVIDIA RTX 4090: Buying this card today is financially dangerous. With the RTX 5090 confirmed to be revealed in January with a massive performance leap, the value of a 4090 could drop by $500 overnight. Do not be tempted by a 5% or 10% discount.
- NVIDIA RTX 4080 Super: Similarly, this card occupies a price bracket that will be directly attacked by the upcoming RTX 5080. Wait.
✅ THE GREEN LIST (Safe to Buy):
- NVIDIA RTX 4070 Super: This is the "safe zone." The replacement for this card (the RTX 5070) is not expected until mid-to-late 2026. If you buy this card today, you are guaranteed at least 6-8 months of having a "current gen" mid-range card. It is perfect for 1440p gaming.
- AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT: This is the value king of Boxing Day. It offers 16GB of VRAM (more than the 4070) and excellent rasterization performance. AMD is aggressively discounting this card to clear stock. If you don't care about Ray Tracing, this is the best raw performance per dollar you can find today.
4. Audio: The Upgrade You Can Hear
Many gamers spend $2,000 on a PC but use cheap earbuds. Audio is 50% of the gaming experience. Boxing Day usually sees the deepest cuts in audio gear margins.
🎧 The Wireless King: SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless
This headset is expensive, but Boxing Day brings it down to a reasonable price. Its "Killer Feature" is the Infinity Power System.
The headset comes with two batteries. One is in the headset, and the other charges inside the base station on your desk. When your headset dies, you swap the batteries in 8 seconds and keep playing. You are never tethered by a charging cable. Once you experience this, you cannot go back.
🎙️ The Streamer's Mic: HyperX QuadCast S
You have seen this microphone on every Twitch stream for a reason. It sounds broadcast-quality out of the box (USB Plug-and-Play) and features a built-in shock mount and pop filter.
Today, the white/RGB version is seeing significant discounts. If you spend time on Discord or Zoom, your friends/colleagues will thank you for this upgrade.
5. Handheld Essentials: Steam Deck & ROG Ally
Did you wake up yesterday to find a Steam Deck OLED or ASUS ROG Ally under the Christmas tree? Congratulations! But out of the box, these devices are incomplete. You need three things immediately:
- MicroSD Card: SanDisk Extreme (512GB or 1TB).
Do not buy the cheaper "Ultra" version. The "Extreme" has the A2 app performance rating, which is critical for running modern games directly from the card without stuttering. - The Power Bank: Anker 737 (PowerCore 24K).
Handhelds eat battery life. Most phone power banks cannot charge a Steam Deck while you are playing (they only slow down the drain). The Anker 737 outputs 140W, meaning it can charge your Steam Deck at full speed while you are playing Cyberpunk 2077 at max brightness. - The Dock: JSAUX 6-in-1 Docking Station.
This turns your handheld into a desktop PC. It allows you to connect a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and ethernet cable. JSAUX is currently running a massive Boxing Day bundle on their site.
6. Scam Prevention: How to Spot a Fake Deal
Retailers play a dirty game on Boxing Day called "Price Jacking."
They raise the price of a product by 20% in mid-December, then drop it by 20% on Boxing Day and slap a "HUGE SALE" sticker on it. You aren't actually saving money.
The Solution: Use Price Trackers.
- For Amazon: Use the site or browser extension CamelCamelCamel. Paste the product link, and look at the price history chart.
Rule of Thumb: If the price today isn't the lowest it has been in the last 6 months, it is not a real deal. - For Newegg/General Web: Use the Honey extension or PCPartPicker price trends.
7. Commander's Checklist: Summary
Before you checkout, run through this mental checklist:
- ✅ SSD: Did I check if it has a heatsink (for PS5)?
- ✅ Monitor: Is it an OLED model? (Avoid buying expensive IPS panels today).
- ✅ GPU: Am I safe from the RTX 5090 launch? (Stick to mid-range).
- ✅ Price: Did I verify the deal on CamelCamelCamel?
💬 Discussion: What did you hunt down today? Did you find a hidden gem we missed? Share your haul in the comments below so other Commanders can grab it before stock runs out!