Times are tough, gamers, times are tough. But that doesn't mean all the good RTX 50-series gaming laptops are out of my reach this Prime Day. I've had my eye on this particular machine for the entire sales period, and last night it dropped by yet another $50 to $1,350 at Best Buy. I reckon that's a fantastic price for such a capable laptop, and it's the one I'd buy with my own funds right now.
What you're looking for in an affordable gaming laptop is balance. You don't want to overpay for components you don't need, nor do you want to pay too much for one specific component when the rest aren't capable of matching it.
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So, this RTX 5070-equipped 16-inch lappy with a 1200p screen really is the sweet spot. It's got a 140 W TGP variant of Nvidia's mid-range mobile GPU, which means it's as powerful as the spec allows. Pair it with a 165 Hz panel, and, thanks to the wonders of DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Generation, this machine shouldn't struggle in even the most demanding games. High frame rates are going to be a thing if you buy one of these, and that's simply the best way to play.
Smooth. What I want is smooth gameplay, not super-high-res-but-crunchy. Plus, the CPU in this particular TUF Gaming model is an eight-core, 16-thread AMD chip with plenty of grunt, paired with 32 GB of DDR5.
It wasn't long ago when all laptops in this price bracket came with 16 GB of RAM, and that's a little tight in 2025. No fiddling with a screwdriver for a later upgrade here—this Asus is ready to go straight from the box.
The SSD is decently-sized, too, and I haven't even mentioned the chassis yet. Asus has much improved the overall designs of its TUF lineup in recent years, which means this laptop is less construction-worker-chic and more svelte and sexy. I could absolutely see myself taking it to work with me, grinning at the price I bought it for the whole way.
There is one fly in the ointment, though, and it comes in the form of the gaming laptop below.
A slightly more expensive choice
I don't know about you, but my personal funds can't quite stretch to this RTX 5080-equipped HP Omen Max 16 right now, and that's a damn shame. Because with a $1,142 discount at HP thanks to promo code LEVELUP20, it represents absolutely astonishing value.
The RTX 5070 in the Asus is very capable, but it'll get its lunch firmly eaten by the RTX 5080 in the HP. No great surprises there, I suppose, but it's simply astounding that you can pick up a well-equipped, slim and svelte HP gaming laptop with such a GPU for this kind of sum.
It's also got a 165 Hz 1200p screen, 32 GB of RAM, and a CPU with proper gaming credentials. It's an Intel chip this time, the Core Ultra 7 255HX, a 20-core behemoth that won't struggle with... well, anything, really.
But I have to be realistic. So, it's the Asus for me, but it does make me look around my house for things to sell in order to make up the difference and grab the HP. We don't really need that ornamental vase, do we?
Oh. Apparently we do. It's the Asus for me then. My mistake.
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1. Best overall: Razer Blade 16 (2025)
2. Best budget: Gigabyte G6X
3. Best 14-inch: Razer Blade 14 (2025)
4. Best mid-range: MSI Vector 16 HX AI
5. Best high-performance: Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10
6. Best 17-inch: Gigabyte Aorus 17X
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