Until recently, PC gamers considered laptops to be a questionable value at best. Those days are behind us now, though, because computer hardware has reached the point where the best gaming laptops can hang with desktop PCs thanks to mobile GPUs that are capable of tackling the latest AAA releases. Many gaming laptops even offer features like vertical sync and boosted refresh rates, which are display technologies you used to only find on desktop monitors. You don’t have to empty your bank account to score a good gaming machine, either, and this roundup of the best gaming laptop deals proves it. Here’s your chance to score a portable battle station and keep some cash in your pocket:
Best gaming laptop deals
- Dell G15 RTX 3050 Gaming Laptop — $686, was $1,019
- Asus TUF 17 RTX 3050 Ti Gaming Laptop — $750, was $1,000
- Gigabyte G5 RTX 3060 Gaming Laptop — $900, was $1,300
- Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16 RTX 3070 QHD Gaming Laptop — $1,400, was $1,700
- MSI GE66 Raider RTX 3060 4K OLED Gaming Laptop — $1,399 after rebate, was $1,799
Dell G15 RTX 3050 Gaming Laptop — $686, was $1,019
Why buy
- Great value
- 120Hz refresh rate for 60 FPS gameplay
- Good thermals
- Solid hardware for playing the latest games
Dell is a value leader in the world of laptops, and gaming laptops are no exception. The Dell G15 is arguably the best budget laptop on the market for gaming if you want a solid machine for work and play that won’t set you back more than a grand. This one pairs a Ryzen 5 5600H processor with a GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card, one of Nvidia’s newer RTX 30-series GPUs, which has 4GB of GDDR6 video RAM. It comes with 8GB of RAM as well.
That hardware is more than capable of playing new games at good settings, and it’s helped further by the 1080p display’s smooth 120Hz refresh rate. This higher refresh rate allows you to game comfortably at 60 frames per second without annoyances like visual stutter or screen-tearing. The 15.6-inch screen is surrounded by slim bezels, too, giving the laptop a nice aesthetic that’s suitably modern without looking garish.
You can normally expect to pay nearly a grand or even more for a gaming laptop sporting a GeForce RTX 30-series graphics card, but a nice discount knocks the Dell G15 down to a very affordable price for a limited time.
Asus TUF 17 RTX 3050 Ti Gaming Laptop — $750, was $1,000
Why buy
- Big, beautiful 17-inch 1080p display
- A suitable desktop replacement
- Great full-sized keyboard complete with numeric keypad
- Professional-looking design
You might know Asus for its budget-friendly work laptops, but this brand has some pretty great gaming machines under its umbrella, too. The Asus TUF is one of them, and this 17-inch laptop is a beast that can be a stand-in for a desktop PC if you want a larger machine that you can still fold in half and put into your backpack or shoulder bag. And with an HDMI port, you can even hook it up to an external monitor when you’re back at your battle station for a desktop-like gaming setup.
Under the hood, this gaming laptop combines the speed of an 11th-gen Core i5 processor with 8GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics card with 4GB of VRAM. That’s enough power to enjoy modern games at good settings while also delivering plenty of juice for work — this would be a fine laptop for a student who likes to kick back with some gaming after a day of class. The full-size backlit keyboard is also ideal for working on comfortably, and you even get a numeric keypad.
The chassis has a professional-looking design that doesn’t scream “gaming laptop” to everybody in the room, too, making it suitable for classroom and workplace environments. This multimedia machine can be yours for a great price, and it’s easily one of the best 17-inch gaming laptop deals on the market right now.
Gigabyte G5 RTX 3060 Gaming Laptop — $900, was $1,300
Why buy
- Fantastic hardware setup
- 16-inch 144Hz display
- Understated aesthetic
- GeForce RTX 30-series graphics card
If you’re looking for one of the cheapest gaming laptop deals that’s still worth your money, the Gigabyte G5 is a fine choice. Normally, the GPU is the most expensive part of a gaming machine — if any component will bottleneck your gaming performance, it’s going to be the graphics card. However, the CPU and RAM are still very important, as they handle general computing tasks as well as almost everything else you’re doing when you’re not gaming.
This gaming laptop sports an 11th-gen Core i5 CPU, and on top of that, it’s got 16GB of RAM which are fantastic specs for any sub-$1,000 gaming laptop. The star of this show is, of course, the graphics card: You get an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, one of the best high-value mobile GPUs on the market now. This processor, RAM, and graphics card combo is more than sufficient for tackling modern games at good settings, and with that GPU, you have plenty of horsepower for video work and multitasking as well. You even get 512GB of solid-state storage.
The attractive chassis and backlit keyboard also look great if you’d prefer something that’s a little sleeker than most gaming laptops, but still don’t want something that looks too loud or gaudy. And at this price, it’s one of the best budget gaming laptops if you want to spend less than a grand.
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16 RTX 3070 QHD Gaming Laptop — $1,400, was $1,700
Why buy
- 16-inch QHD display is gorgeous
- Perfect hardware configuration for its price point
- Comfortable keyboard
- Ideal laptop for both gaming and productivity
One of our favorite gaming laptops to come along in recent years, the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro is a great compromise between 15-inch and 17-inch laptops if you want something a little bigger but not too bulky to comfortably move around. With its 16.1-inch 1440p display, the Legion 5 Pro fits the bill, giving you a little more screen real estate to work with but without veering too far into “desktop replacement” category like a bulkier 17-inch laptop would.
The highlight of this design is the sleek frame and 16-inch display, but it’s got the hardware where it counts, too. Its AMD Ryzen 7 processor packs eight cores, which is great for productivity and multi-tasking. It’s no slouch for gaming, either, with its incredible GeForce RTX 3070 GPU. Better still, you’ve got 16GB of RAM — double the amount that you usually see on laptops.
The display has a 165Hz refresh rate as well, so you don’t have to worry about the screen being unable to keep up with all that muscular hardware when you’re playing at higher framerates. If your motto is “go big or go home” and you want a beefy gaming laptop that’ll last for years, it doesn’t get much better than the Legion 5 Pro.
MSI GE66 Raider RTX 3060 4K OLED Gaming Laptop — $1,399 after rebate, was $1,799
Why buy
- Excellent hardware setup for serious gaming
- Lovely 4K UHD display
- Bright and vibrant OLED panel
- Premium design with great thermals
If “cheap” isn’t in your vocabulary and you want a serious gaming laptop that will last you for years and years, the new MSI Creator 15 needs to be on your radar. This portable gaming PC is a practical size with its 15.6-inch display, but its sleek overall design and narrow bezels keep the laptop slim enough that it shouldn’t weigh you down.
That 15-inch 4K Ultra HD screen also has a very impressive OLED panel, something not often seen on laptops. That’ll let you enjoy your games, movies, and other entertainment on a screen that’s brighter and more color-accurate than standard LCD and LED panels. That also ensures that you get the most out of the hardware under the hood.
And you’ll want a display like that to go with the hardware: This 4K gaming laptop laptop comes loaded with a Core i7-11800H octa-core processor, a boosted 16GB of RAM, and Nvidia’s RTX 3060 GPU with 8GB of VRAM, meaning this laptop will effortlessly handle new AAA releases for years to come. The cooling design is also one of the better thermal setups we’ve seen on a laptop.
When are the best gaming laptop deals?
Gaming laptops (and laptops in general) are hot items, but they’re also pricey. That’s why it’s always a good idea to poke through any and all gaming laptop deals that are available when you’re in the market for a new one. Even a budget-friendly computer isn’t a small purchase by any means, and a good gaming laptop deal can easily save you hundreds of dollars on what is likely to be the most expensive piece of tech you own.
It shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that the best gaming laptop deals are up for grabs during big seasonal sales. Retailers run big sales during holidays and especially during holidays that involve three-day weekends as people love to shop during these times. Presidents Day, July 4, and Labor Day are popular examples. But the biggest gaming laptop deals always come during huge retail events like Amazon Prime Day, which typically happens in the summer, and Black Friday (now a weekend-long event that includes Cyber Monday).
Oftentimes, however, if you need a new laptop — particularly if you use yours for work or school — you can’t afford to wait weeks or even months for the next big sale to arrive. After all, the biggest blowouts like Prime Day and Black Friday/Cyber Monday only happen a few times a year. If you don’t have the luxury of waiting, then the good news is that retailers are offering up good gaming laptop deals pretty much year-round. Just do your research and keep an eye on this roundup right here, as we’ll always keep you updated with the best gaming laptop deals that are available.
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