This week's best gaming laptop deals

It's a new year, the perfect time to refresh and upgrade your PC set-up. Or maybe to take the plunge on that gaming laptop deal you've been holding off buying. 2019 is due to bring us plenty of hot new PC games, and you'll need a laptop that can at least run them. If money is plentiful, you could use the January deals to get a better gaming laptop than you'd budgeted for, nabbing a 1070 GPU instead of a 1060, or splashing out on a bigger SSD than the 265GB version you thought you could afford.

Below are the hottest gaming laptop deals you'll find this week. We've tried to include a range of laptops for all budgets, so whether you have $3000 or $500 there should be something for you here. You'll find most of these on our list of the best gaming laptops, although some won't match the exact specs we've praised in our reviews. What you won't find here are poorly built laptops with below-par specs, because we really don't want you to buy something sub-standard or out of date, even if you're coming at this with a smaller budget. We search all the major retailers to make sure you're getting the best deals too.

US deals are up top, click here to see UK deals.

Gaming laptop deals

High-end laptops

Mid-range laptops

Entry-level laptops

UK gaming laptop deals

Our favorite gaming laptops

1. MSI GS65 Stealth Thin

CPU: Intel Core i7-8750H | GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q | RAM: 16GB DDR4-2400MHz | Screen: 15.6-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) wide-view 144Hz | Storage: 512GB M.2 SSD | Battery: 82 Whr | Dimensions: 9.75 x 14.08 x 0.69 inches | Weight: 4.14 lbs

If you're looking for a gaming laptop that combines elegant design, power, and portability, then the MSI GS65 Stealth is an absolute winner. It's thin and light enough to be used as both a working notebook and a relatively powerful gaming PC, and thanks to some smart design, it's actually slightly smaller than most 15" laptops, while offering the same amount of screen real-estate. The case is 18mm thick, in brushed matte black aluminium, but what makes the difference is the 5mm bazels, that mean you've got less wasted space around the screen.

The performance matches the design too. The standard model has a 1060 Max-Q GPU as standard, but higher spec versions come with a 1070 Max-Q, which can easily handle most modern games at 60fps. The screen handles 144Hz too, so it's a great display to handle the output of the innards. It's worth stretching yourself to get the higher-spec machine, as you get increased SSD storage in addition to the upgraded GPU, which makes the whole laptop more capable and less likely to require upgrades or replacing any time soon. The top-spec machine has 16GB of DDR4-RAM (2400Mhz), and comes with a tidy i7-8750H processor.

The battery life is very impressive too, and there are some neat touches to finish the overall feel of the laptop, like an RGB-capable Steelseries keyboard, a powerful webcam, and a pleasingly sensitive touchpad. The only downside is that it doesn't support G-sync. It's the perfect machine for gaming AND work, and that makes the MSI GS65 Stealth our top pick.

2. Razer Blade 15

CPU: Intel Core i7-8750H | GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q | RAM: 16GB DDR4-2666MHz | Screen: 15.6-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) IPS 144Hz | Storage: 512GB SSD | Battery: 80 Whr | Dimensions: 9.25 x 13.98 x 0.68 inches | Weight: 4.63 lbs

With Razer you know what you're getting: a quality product, made with gamers in mind above all else. The Razer Blade 15 is the epitome of this thinking, with everything tailored specifically for gaming use. At the top of the heap of impressive stats is the 1070 Max-Q GPU, which can handle pretty much anything at 60fps, or maybe even 100, if you mess with the settings. In terms of raw power, this machine is slightly ahead of our top pick, the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin. However, it doesn't quite match up in a couple of smaller areas, like battery life and portability.

The Razer Blade 15 is a lovely, finely-crafted laptop, but it's a shade heavier than the MSI, because the whole thing is made from a single, hollowed-out piece of aluminium. And whereas this makes it heavier, it also makes it more durable, so this isn't the kind of laptop that will bend and warp inside a satchel or suitcase. If you're looking to actually take your gaming on the road, and you expect a little roughness along the way, this is definitely the one to get. It's the tougher laptop, for sure.

Elsewhere the 15.6" screen handles everything you throw at it admirably, outputting in 144Hz, and Razer's trademark chroma effects offer a pleasing glow while you play. The only downside here is that there's no ethernet port, so you're relying on WiFi connections (not the most stable for gaming, unless you're on your own home network or with friends). Overall, it's a brilliant pick, if you can afford it, as it's more expensive than the MSI.

3. Gigabyte Aero 15X v8

CPU: Intel Core i7-8750H | GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q | RAM: 16GB DDR4-2666MHz | Screen: 15.6-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) IPS 144Hz | Storage: 512GB SSD | Battery: 94 Whr | Dimensions: 9.8 x 14.0 x 0.74 inches | Weight: 4.49 lbs

If you're looking for a gaming laptop that will last the journey on longer trips, and give you more performance per charge, then the Gigabyte Aero 15x leads the pack here. With a whopping 94whr battery, you can get upwards of six hours of heavy use from it, before needing to plug in. Given that the Aero's base specs are comparable to the other laptops in this list, that extra juice suddenly becomes very important.

What you get here is a 1070 Max-Q GPU, the same i7-8750H processor as the MSI and the Razer, and a generous 16GB of DDR4 RAM and 512GB SSD. In terms of performance, then, it's very much on a par with the best. We don't love the design as much as the MSI, and it isn't quite as sturdy as the Razer, but if these factors aren't as important, then the Aero 15x is just as good as the others on this list.

In fact, we really love the 144Hz screen, which can actually be upgraded to a 4K display if you want to throw more money at a better version of the laptop. Again, if you can find this cheap, you might be able to afford a slightly higher spec. A great laptop that isn't as beautiful or tough as its competitors, but stills offer the same raw power.

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