Best deals on gaming laptops

Sub-$1,000 gaming laptops are becoming near impossible to find right now, but this is one of the cheapest we'd actually consider. There are others, but you may well be looking at a 45 W TGP in those cases. For budget gaming laptops I would absolutely make sure to track down the wattage the GPU is specced to run at before making a purchase. The 75 W RTX 5050 isn't terrible, but it's not the highest you'll find—although it should be pretty capable with the 1080p screen attached to it.

Key specs: RTX 5050 (75 W) | Core i5 13420H | 15-inch | 1080p | 165 Hz | 16 GB DDR4 | 512 GB

Price check: Walmart $974.99

This Lenovo LOQ machine is well over the magic $1,000 figure, but it does have a decent 100 W GPU, a speedy 1080p screen, and the now miserably familiar memory/storage combo of a 512 GB SSD and 16 GB RAM. The memory side wouldn't be too bad if it wasn't for the fact it's single channel, but in our review that didn't actually harm gaming performance.

Key specs: RTX 5060 (100 W) | Ryzen 7 250 | 15-inch | 144 Hz | 1080p | 16 GB DDR5 | 512 GB SSD

Price check: Best Buy $1,199.99

If you like your budget gaming laptops with big screens, this one's got a 17.3-inch 180 Hz IPS panel for reasonable cash. It's only a 1080p display, but that means the 85 W RTX 5060 on board shouldn't struggle too hard to push pixels. It's a shame about the 512 GB SSD, but unfortunately small storage drives are common at this price point.

Key specs: RTX 5060 (85 W) | Ryzen 7 240 | 17.3-inch | 180 Hz | 1080p | 16 GB DDR5 | 512 GB SSD

Wait, what? This Lenovo lappy is surprisingly well-priced in the current, RAM-ravaged market, what with its 165 Hz OLED display, a chonky eight-core AMD chip, and 32 GB of DDR5. It's worth noting the 1600p panel is a bit much for an RTX 5060 mobile GPU, so you'll likely be leaning on DLSS in the demanding stuff. But for sheer value? This machine is very hard to beat.

Key specs: RTX 5060 (115 W) | Ryzen 7 8745HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 165 Hz OLED | 32 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

This is a lot to pay for an RTX 5060 gaming laptop, but once you take into account the fact you're getting a 240 Hz OLED panel thrown into the bargain, this deal makes a lot more sense—although I have seen it for cheaper in recent months. Being a 1600p display, the 115 W RTX 5060 mobile here will need some DLSS and MFG help to make the most of it at native res, but this is still a slim and sleek machine with a very high desirability factor.

Key specs: RTX 5060 (115 W) | Core Ultra 9 275HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 240 Hz OLED | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

Price check: Newegg $1,681.24 (OOS)

In these RAMpocalypse-infested times, you have to sacrifice something to get a good gaming laptop at an affordable price, and in this case, it's the GPU's power limit—just 85 W, which lowers the chip's full capabilities. At least everything else is nice for the money, and it's plenty skinny. It's a good deal even at full price, especially when most of the competition is ranging around the $1,500 mark.

Key specs: RTX 5070 (85 W) | Ryzen 7 260 | 16-inch | 2880 x 1620 | 165 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

I'm a big fan of this mildly anachronistic gaming laptop. It's thick, can be loud, but it delivers on gaming performance and does so for an affordable price tag. The RTX 5070 Ti at its heart is a quality 12 GB mobile GPU, has a 140 W power limit, and if you run it on balanced mode you'll still get good gaming performance without the turbine whine of the fans. This one's got a 1200p screen, which should give the GPU very little trouble, and it comes with a decent-sized SSD, too.

Key specs: RTX 5070 Ti (140 W) | Core Ultra 7 255HX | 16-inch | 1200p | 144 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

Price check: Best Buy $1,779

This Legion lappy used to be a lot cheaper, but as the memory crisis pushes gaming laptop pricing ever higher, it's jumped recently. It's still a very well-equipped machine well worth considering, with an extremely powerful Intel chip at its heart, a beautiful OLED panel, and a 1 TB SSD. It's a shame about the 16 GB of RAM—but it's still plenty to get gaming with.

Key specs: RTX 5070 (115 W) | Core i9 14900HX | 15.1-inch | 1600p | 165 Hz OLED | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

Price check: Best Buy $1,799.99 (Core Ultra 9 275HX)

This is a lot to pay for an RTX 5070 gaming laptop, there's no doubt. However, this Alienware lappy comes with 32 GB of DDR5 and a 2 TB SSD, both of which command mega-high prices right now. It's also got a 240 Hz display and a powerful Intel chip, so there are definitely upsides to this handsome machine.

Key specs: RTX 5070 (115 W) | Core 9 275HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 240 Hz | 32 GB DDR5 | 2 TB SSD

Price check: Best Buy $1,799.99 (Core Ultra 9 275HX)

This is a seriously beefy set of components. With a full-spec RTX 5070 Ti mobile handling the graphics duties, plus a 24-core Intel chip in the CPU spot, this gaming laptop has a serious amount of gaming and productivity firepower. I'd like to see some more RAM, but hey, at least it's a simple upgrade later on if you can afford the extra modules. Oh, and don't forget to check out the screen. 1600p 240 Hz, with this GPU? Yes please.

Key specs: RTX 5070 Ti (140 W) | Core Ultra 9 275 HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 240 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

This Vector is one of the cheapest RTX 5080 gaming laptops you can find right now, even if it does go up and down like a yo-yo. Our Dave reviewed the Vector 16 HX AI last year and likes the value proposition you get when you take into account that mega GPU, although it is a bit of a hairdryer on full whack. Still, stick it in Balanced mode and the noise is much more reasonable.

Key specs: RTX 5080 | Core Ultra 9 275 HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 240 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

Price check: Best Buy $2,389 | Newegg $2,349

Okay, so this model doesn't have the properly punchy Z2 Extreme chip of the ROG Xbox Ally X below. As such, it's nowhere near as powerful, and more suited to indie games rather than the demanding stuff. That being said, handheld gaming PCs are rising to silly prices right now, and this one's still got a super-comfortable chassis, a good screen, and the Xbox FSE interface.

Key specs: Ryzen Z2 A | 7-inch | 1080p | 144 Hz | 16 GB LPDDR5x | 512 GB SSD

Okay, there are heaps of more powerful handhelds around, but the original version is still the archetype of what a mobile PC gaming device should be. It's just as powerful as the original model, just with an OLED screen, so all those Steam Deck-compatible games should run well. It's the OG PC gaming handheld, and it still demands respect, and this particular version has a decent SSD and a lovely display.

Key specs: 512 GB SSD | OLED | SteamOS

It is a borderline ludicrous amount of cash to drop on a gaming handheld really, but the ROG Xbox Ally X is a truly great device. I thought the design ridiculous until I had my review unit in-hand. It's super comfortable to use, the new library makes Windows usable, and the Z2 Extreme chip is powerful. Could do with a bit of a discount, but this is the cheapest you'll find it today.

Key specs: Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme | 7-inch | 1080p | 120 Hz | 24 GB LPDDR5x-8000 | 1 TB SSD

This laptop is a bit of a chonk, but for this sort of cash it's well worth considering. Our James reviewed a version with a different CPU last year, and found it to deliver good 1080p performance from its RTX 5060 mobile GPU. It's got a slightly dull screen, and the chassis design won't set your heart aflame, but you'll struggle to get more gaming performance for the price.

Key specs: RTX 5060 (115 W) | Core i5 13420H | 15.6-inch | 1080p | 144 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

This little Nitro might not have all the bells and whistles of fancier machines, but it's certainly got everything you need to get gaming. The RTX 5060 at its heart has a 75 W power limit, which is a little on the tight side, but paired with a 1080p screen should do just fine. The CPU is a neat and tidy little 10-core model (six Performance, eight Efficient) and it's got 16 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD, which are both good amounts.

Key specs: RTX 5060 (85 W) | Core i7 13620H | 15.6-inch | 1080p | 165 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

It's only a small discount, but this neat and tidy Acer machine is definitely worth a look for this sort of money. It's got an eight-core, 16-thread AMD chip, a 1 TB SSD, and a pretty nippy 1200p screen. The GPU has been power limited to 85 W, but it's still one of the cheapest RTX 5070 gaming laptops you'll find right now. By far, in fact.

Key specs: RTX 5070 (85 W) | Ryzen AI 7 260 | 16-inch | 1200p | 180 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

This Lenovo Legion 5i is back on discount again, and a very good deal. This model is still one of the cheapest RTX 5070 gaming laptops you'll find in the UK right now from a major manufacturer, and one that's worth some serious consideration. It's got a speedy Intel chip, a 115 W variant of Nvidia's mid-tier mobile GPU, and a proper 1 TB SSD, making it quite the catch. We love a Lenovo lappy, and this one makes a whole lot of sense.

Key specs: RTX 5070 (115 W) | Core i7 13650HX | 15.3-inch | 1200p | 165 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

We've been very impressed by the RTX 5080 version of this particular laptop for the value proposition it provides, and the RTX 5070 Ti variant is no slouch, either. While many RTX 50-series lappys are still priced into the stratosphere, this 16-inch machine is great value for the components you end up receiving. That's apart from the SSD, unfortunately, which is far too small.

Key specs: RTX 5070 Ti (140 W) | Core Ultra 7 255HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 240 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 512 GB SSD

Price check: Scan £1,648.99

You may be squinting at the specs of this machine and wondering why you might consider it over the MSI Vector above. After all, the MSI machine has a much more powerful CPU, and a full-fat RTX 5070 Ti compared to the power-limited one here. However, this slimmer lappy has 32 GB of RAM, and a 1 TB SSD, both of which are very rare to find for this sort of cash right now. Those looking for sheer performance will want the MSI Vector, those who want a bit more storage and memory breathing room without a pricey upgrade might want to look here instead.

Key specs: RTX 5070 Ti (115 W) | Core 7 240H | 16-inch | 1600p | 165 Hz | 32 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD