PAX generally introduces a couple of decent hardware sales from key on-site vendors. This year, Kingston posted a PAX discount code for memory, ASUS has a laptop up with a $50 MIR, and there's an AMD A10-6800K + board combo for $205.
Kingston HyperX Red 8GB RAM ($67): It's pretty painful to buy RAM right now given the price increases, but you can't build a system without it, so we'll take advantage of lower prices where we see them. Using the code GBQ98599 at checkout, you'll get a $5 discount on 8GB memory kits from Kingston; the code TAD98602 will discount 16GB kits by $10. We'd advise purchasing smaller kits for now unless absolutely necessary, then buy more memory when the prices settle back down.
ASUS X502CA-TS31 Slimbook ($350): With its current $50 rebate, ASUS' i3-powered laptop is currently resting at $350. If you're in the market for a browsing and word document notebook and don't really care about gaming capabilities, this is worth a closer look. It's equipped with a basic i3-3217U at 1.8GHz, so isn't really meant for much more than "netbook" applications (but will perform those well), 4GB of RAM, and a 320GB drive. The screen is a standard 15.6" display.
Corsair H100i ($90): If you're looking to get one of the highest-performing 240mm closed-loop liquid coolers on the market, Corsair's H100i is present on sale for $90 after entering coupon code PHD98893 at checkout. The 'i' designation in Corsair products signifies compatibility with their control panel software, giving you more control over fan speeds and noise settings.
Kingston 120GB HyperX SSD ($100): At less than $1/GB, we recently posted this sale standalone because it's a damn good price for a mid-range SSD. You get a 120GB SSD that's powered by a SandForce controller, exhibiting performance just below the more expensive Samsung 840 Pro and OCZ Vector options.
Pick of the Week
AMD A10-6800K + MSI FM2-A75 + Blood Dragon ($205): For a clean $205, you get AMD's A10-6800K APU, an MSI FM2-A75-E35 mATX motherboard, and a free copy of Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (which is hilarious). This combo is ideal for anyone working on a living room gaming PC or other budget-friendly gaming rig. The A10-6800K is capable of running most games on medium settings, and only really struggles with high-end titles (like Crysis 3), so you don't necessarily need a dedicated GPU for a build employing the 6800K.
- Steve "Lelldorianx" Burke.