A few years ago, buying a gaming laptop meant you had to spend thousands of dollars for a big and bulky thing that could barely play most video games for more than an hour. Luckily, that has changed drastically in the past two to three years, and you can now get some really excellent laptops, even at budget prices. That said, gaming laptops do remain expensive compared to non-gaming laptops, especially if you want to play some of the best PC games, which is why we’ve gone out and found our favorite gaming laptop deals for you. We’ve picked several choices at different prices and performance brackets, so you can pick something that fits your needs best, and if you’re not totally convinced and might want something else, you can check out these laptop deals.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is an excellent budget option, and while it won’t be able to play the latest games at max settings, it’s still pretty good. Under the hood it has an RTX 3050, which is an entry-level GPU that will handle most free-to-play games relatively ok with lower graphical settings. It also comes with an AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS processor, which is a mid-range option and will handle most games just fine, plus will let you get some productivity work done as well. As for the screen, it’s 15.6 inches big and runs at FHD at 120Hz refresh, which won’t massively stress the RTX 3050, which is good.
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 — $800, was $1,200
Acer
If you want something with a bit more power and yet still budget-friendly, this Acer Predator Helios Neo is the perfect match, especially since it runs an RTX 4050 under the hood which, again, is an entry-level GPU, but it does give you access to DLSS 3.0. You also get a larger 16-inch screen with a whopping 165Hz refresh rate, although the resolution sits at FHD, which actually isn’t a bad thing considering you’re more likely to hit a higher refresh rate with the lower resolution. Luckily, even for being a budget gaming laptop you get 16GB of DDR5 RAM, so you won’t have trouble running lots of windows an apps, although the 512GB of storage could be a bit bigger in an ideal world.
The Acer Nitro 5 is a good gaming laptop to consider if you’re looking for some value. It has internal hardware that’s hard to find at such a great price, including a 12th-generation Intel processor with eight cores, 16GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card, which is an entry-level GPU. These work together to make your gaming experience immersive and smooth, and a 512GB solid-state drive makes for a lot of space to store your favorite PC games. You also get an impressive 17.3-inch screen that runs at FHD and a 144Hz refresh rate, although the RTX 3050 might struggle with that without graphical setting compromises.
Dell G16 gaming laptop — $1,000, was $1,200
Dell
From one of the best laptop brands, the Dell G16 gaming laptop is a tempting proposition. It has a 13th-generation Intel Core i7 processor paired up with 16GB of memory and 1TB of SSD storage. Already onto a good thing with the storage and memory, there’s also an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card, which is great for the majority of the latest games. Perhaps the biggest highlight is its 16-inch QHD+ screen with 2560 x 1600 resolution and 165Hz refresh rate ensuring everything looks super sharp. It all fits into a shell that’s the same size as a 15-inch laptop so it’s more portable than you’d expect.
Lenovo Legion Slim 7i gaming laptop — $1,340, was $1,770
Arif Bacchus / Digital Trends / Digital Trends
Packing a 13th-generation Intel Core i7 processor with 16GB of memory and 512GB of SSD storage is a good start for the Lenovo Legion Slim 7i. It also has an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card so it’s all up to date. Paired with that is a 16-inch WQXGA screen with HDR 400 support, 100% sRGB, 500 nits of brightness, 240Hz refresh rate, and 2560 x 1600. That means whatever you play will look gorgeous. Other useful extras include a per-key RGB backlit keyboard, a fingerprint reader, and 1080p full HD webcam. It’s sleek and lightweight as you’d expect from the maker of some of the best thin and light gaming laptops. It’s ideal if you have ambitions to stream your gaming time.
Alienware m18 gaming laptop — $1,410, was $1,770
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
From one of the best gaming laptop brands, the Alienware m18 is a great gaming laptop if you want a desktop replacement. It has a 13th-generation Intel Core i7 processor paired with 16GB of memory and 1TB of SSD storage. There’s an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card, too, but the true highlight here is the huge 16-inch full WQXGA screen with 2560 x 1600 resolution, 240Hz refresh rate, and 3ms response time. It means it isn’t the most portable of laptops but it’s perfect if you don’t have the room (or inclination) for a desktop gaming PC. Alienware Cryo-tech advanced cooling gives you plenty of system stability while there’s Dolby Vision support, Dolby Atmos, a great keyboard and much more.
Alienware x14 R2 00 $1,500, was $1,900
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
While there is a lot of focus on bigger screens, there are a lot of great smaller gaming laptops that pack a punch. For example, the Alienware X14 R2 has a 14-inch display, but it runs a 2560 x 1600 resolution and can hit an impressive 165Hz refresh rate. It also comes with an RTX 4060, which should be powerful enough to do a hundred frames or so at medium settings at this resolution, although that can be increased if you play a game that runs on DLSS 3.0. You’ll also be happy to know you get 16GB of DDR5 RAM, an impressive 1TB SSD, and an Intel Core i7-13620H processor, which will easily knock most games and productivity tasks out of the park.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 — $1,600, was $1,950
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends / Digital Trends
If you want one of the best bangs for your buck when it comes to gaming laptops, then the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 is probably it since it balances all the specs really well. It runs an RTX 4070, which is a solid 2K GPU, while also running a 16-inch 2K monitor, so neither is overpowered or underpowered. The monitor can also hit a 240hz refresh rate which, granted, you’ll struggle to hit without serious graphical compromises, but at least you have the option to prioritize what is important for you. It also comes with an Intel Core i9-13900H, one of the most powerful CPUs on the market, so you could even potentially stream to Twitch or YouTube with this laptop, which is neat.
More gaming laptop deals we love
We’ve only touched the surface when it comes to great gaming laptop deals. While we’ve highlighted the very best options, there are many more. This includes some cheap deals as well as some high-end gaming laptops. Brands include HP Omen, Alienware, Lenovo Legion, Asus, and many others. Take a look below at what’s out there.
HP Spring Sale: Up to 52% off bestselling laptops and free shipping
HP currently has a huge Spring sale on with substantial discounts on many different laptops from the inexpensive HP Pavilion to the highly sought-after HP Spectre x360 2-in-1 laptop. With hundreds of dollars to be saved, these are the laptop deals you need to check out. Below, we’ve picked out some highlights but the best idea is to take a look for yourself by clicking the button below. There are dozens of laptops to choose from.
What to shop for in the HP Spring sale
With HP being one of the best laptop brands out there, whatever you buy in the HP Spring sale is sure to be great. The cheapest laptop in the sale is the which is down to $220 from $330. It’s pretty basic but its Intel Celeron N4500 processor with 4GB of memory and 32GB of eMMC storage suits ChromeOS well. It’s perfect for simple tasks or for your child’s first system.
This Lenovo gaming laptop with an RTX 4060 is $430 off
There are a lot of gaming laptop deals online, but not all of them will get you a dependable device for a reasonable price. To help you narrow down your options, here's one of the best ones we've come across recently -- the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 at $430 off from Best Buy, which brings its price down to $1,050 from $1,480 originally. We're not sure how much time is remaining before this bargain gets taken down though, so if you think this is the perfect gaming laptop for you, proceed with the purchase right now so that you don't miss out on the savings.
Why you should buy the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 gaming laptop
Lenovo is one of the best laptop brands and a mainstay in our roundup of the best gaming laptops, so you can be sure that you'll be getting a topnotch gaming machine with the Lenovo Legion Slim 5. It's got enough power to run the best PC games without any issues as it's equipped with the AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card, combined with 16GB of RAM that's the best place to start for gaming, according to our guide on how much RAM do you need. The gaming laptop also features a 1TB SSD with Windows 11 Home pre-installed.
Play Fortnite and more: This HP gaming PC is discounted to $550
If you’re a keen gamer but tend to prefer older or less demanding games like Fortnite or even World of Warcraft when tweaking the settings, check out the amazing gaming PC deals going on at HP. One huge highlight is the HP Victus 15L which is down to $550 from $830. That means you’re saving $280 off the regular price and you just need to add a monitor and maybe some accessories like a keyboard and mouse. Ideal for starting out with PC gaming, here’s all you need to know about the setup.
Why you should buy the HP Victus 15L
HP makes some of the best gaming PCs and this particular HP Victus 15L shares some of those elements. Contained within its sleek and small shell is some great hardware for the price. That includes an Intel Core i5-12400 processor along with 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD storage. For the graphics card, there’s an Intel Arc A380 graphics card. That may not be a GeForce RTX series card, but it has good compatibility with games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Forza Horizon 5, and many other games. Granted, combined with the processor and amount of RAM, you’re best off tempering your expectations but games like Fortnite will still look great.
