Best cheap gaming laptop deals

The gaming laptops deals are not great at the turn of the year, indeed finding one RTX 5060 laptop deal below the $1,000 mark has been a trial. But here we are, with a Lenovo LOQ machine with a decent 115 W GPU, 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: Ryzen 7 250 | RTX 5060 | 15-inch | 144 Hz | 512 GB SSD | 16 GB DDR5

While the 115 W RTX 5060 will need some DLSS help to make the most of its 1600p panel, this is still a great selection of components for the cash—although I'd like to see a bigger SSD. Still, at least it's an easy upgrade. Lenovo makes some excellent gaming laptops, and this one delivers serious bang for your buck.

Key specs: RTX 5060 | Ryzen 7 260 | 15.1-inch | 1600p | 165 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 512 GB SSD

Price check: Lenovo $1,369.99

This is by far the cheapest RTX 5070 gaming laptop I can find at the moment that you'd actually want to buy. It's got a beautiful chassis design, as our Zak found in his review of the RTX 5060-equipped variant—but like that model, the much more powerful GPU here has also been power limited, in this case down to 85 W. Still, it should deliver more than enough performance to feed its 1200p display, and it's a decently-speedy 165 Hz panel, too.

Key specs: RTX 5070 | Core i7 13620H | 16-inch | 1200p | 165 Hz IPS | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

Price check: Amazon $1,349.99 (32 GB)

This is a very powerful gaming laptop for the money. First, you get that RTX 5070 mobile GPU, which is a very capable chip for a 1920 x 1200 resolution, especially with a 115 W TGP. And second, you get a 16-core, 32-thread AMD processor which is a mobile beast. Throw in 16 GB DDR5-5600 and a 1 TB SSD and you've got a lot of hardware for a very decent price. The only issue is that the MSI Vector 16 can be picked up with an RTX 5070 Ti GPU inside it for the same price below; if that remains available it would be a better bet.

Key specs: Ryzen 9 8940HX | RTX 5070 @ 115 W | 16 GB DDR5-5600 | 1 TB SSD | 16-inch | 1200p | 165 Hz

The Vector 16 HX AI is usually the cheapest RTX 5070 Ti laptop out there, but this non-AI-branded version with a seriously powerful CPU is now outrageously good value for the components you receive. Sitting somewhere under the RTX 5080 and well above the RTX 5070 in terms of gaming performance, the RTX 5070 Ti is a great upper mid-range laptop GPU. Plus, the CPU, while being one of AMD's last-gen models, is a 16-core 32-thread monster. In short, it's an absolute beast for the cash.

Key specs: RTX 5070 Ti | Ryzen 9 8940HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 240 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

Price check: Best Buy $1,849

This Legion machine gets you on the OLED train for less cash than many non-OLED RTX 5070 gaming laptops I'm finding at the moment, although it has risen in price recently. It's well-specced in general, too, with a powerful 24-core Intel chip at its heart and a 1 TB SSD. It's a shame about the 16 GB of RAM—but it's still plenty to get gaming with, and given the state of memory pricing at the moment, it's about the best you can hope for at this sort of price.

Key specs: RTX 5070 | Core Ultra 9 275HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 165 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

Price check: Best Buy $1,599.99 (Core Ultra 255HX, 1 TB)

This 16-inch lappy is relatively slim and sleek, being one of Acer's S-line models, which is all the more surprising given the price and the hardware nestled inside. It's got a 1600p 240 Hz OLED display, which is kept fed by a 24-core Intel chip and a 115 W RTX 5070 Ti. Those are some pretty mega components for the money, and you even get 32 GB of DDR5 in the middle of the RAMpocalypse. Luxury!

Key specs: RTX 5070 Ti | Core Ultra 9 275HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 240 Hz OLED | 32 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

This Vector is still one of the cheapest RTX 5080 gaming laptops you can find right now, even if it has jumped in price significantly since the Black Friday sales. Our Dave reviewed the Vector 16 HX AI earlier this 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, and it still performs about as well as the other RTX 5080 machines we've tested. Which is to say, very well indeed.

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

Price check: Best Buy $2,499.99

Our best high-performance gaming laptop pick features a monstrous collection of components, and this is the cheapest I can find it for in full game-crunching trim. The RTX 5080 is a full-strength 175 W variant, the panel is a 240 Hz OLED stunner, the Intel CPU is mega, and as our Dave found in his review, the gaming performance is simply excellent. It's one of the fastest laptops we've tested to date, yet comes wrapped in a chassis you'd actually want to show off—although it must be said, it's a pretty sizeable machine to lug around if you plan on taking it on your travels. It's jumped in price recently, too—like almost everything else with a memory chip in it, it seems.

Key specs: RTX 5080 | Core Ultra 9 275HX | 16-inch | 240 Hz OLED | 1600p | 32 GB DDR5 | 2 TB SSD

Price check: Lenovo $2,906.26

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

The Legion Go is a whole lot of screen and controller for a handheld, featuring a glorious 144 Hz touchscreen and the ability to take the controllers off like a Nintendo Switch. It's also pretty powerful, too, thanks to its Z1 Extreme processor.

Key specs: Ryzen Z1 Extreme | 9-inch | 1600p | 144 Hz | 16 GB LPDDR5x | 1 TB SSD

Our best gaming handheld pick is a little cheaper than it used to be, and a truly excellent machine. The lightweight Steam OS integration in combination with its Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU means it's surprisingly powerful, all while being extremely comfortable to use and remarkably well-equipped. While you can find the Z2 Go version for cheaper, this is the one you want.

Key specs: Ryzen Z1 Extreme | 8-inch screen | 32 GB RAM | 1 TB SSD

Price check: Lenovo $1,099.99

It is a borderline ludicrous amount of cash to drop on a gaming handheld really, but the ROG Xbox Ally X really is a 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

We reviewed this laptop very recently, and found it to be good—with one primary caveat. The 85 W RTX 5060 at its core isn't the fastest variant you'll find, thanks to the power limit. However, pretty much every RTX 5060 laptop below a grand right now has the same version, and this one is wrapped up in a lovely frame with plenty to recommend it for. It's the cheapest RTX 5060 machine I can find that I'd still happily buy myself, and that's no bad thing.

Key specs: RTX 5060 | Core i7 13620H | 15.6-inch | 1200p | 165 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

Price check: Scan £1099.99

This little Acer machine packs a decent whack of gaming punch for the price, particularly as good sub-£1,000 RTX 5060 gaming laptops are hard to find right now. The Nvidia GPU has a 95 W power limit, which is pretty good going given than most of the machines I'm finding for the same money are 80 W or less, and it's got an eight-core AMD chip with plenty of go in it. It's a shame about the very small SSD, though.

Key specs: RTX 5060 | AMD Ryzen 7 260 | 15.6-inch | 1200p | 180 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 512 GB SSD

While this Gigabyte lappy has a relatively low-power variant of the RTX 5070 at an 85 W TGP, the fact that it's also been equipped with an easy-on-the-GPU 1200p screen stacks the odds in its favour. We've already reviewed the RTX 5060 version and called it good—if a little underpowered, thanks to that entry-level GPU. This one? Much more like it for the cash.

Key specs: RTX 5070 | Ryzen 7 260 | 1-inch | 1200p | 165 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

Price check: Amazon £1,499.99 (OOS)

This Asus TUF A16 is a particular favourite of mine, as it's a powerful machine that often turns up with a discount. This one's got an older—yet still very beefy—16-core, 32-thread AMD CPU, a 115 W RTX 5070, and 32 GB of DDR5. Sure, it's only got a 1200p display, but that's the sweet spot for keeping your frame rates high without too much DLSS help, and your digital adventures should look lovely regardless.

Key specs: RTX 5070 | Ryzen 9 7940HX | 16-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 a fantastic price for the components you end up receiving. That's apart from the SSD, unfortunately, which is far too small. Still, sticking a 1 TB drive in a laptop is one of the easier hardware tasks you can perform, and the rest of the components are pretty stellar for the cash.

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

Price check: Amazon £2,799

Although the RTX 5070 Ti here has had its wings clipped slightly with a 115 W TGP, it should thrash any RTX 5070-equipped lappy in the gaming benchmarks with very little issue. Plus, it's been combined with an eight-core, 16-thread CPU with plenty of get up and go, a 180 Hz 1600p screen, and a proper 1 TB SSD. I'd like to see some more RAM, but it's darn expensive right now, so bear that in mind if you're thinking of an upgrade.

Key specs: RTX 5070 Ti | Ryzen AI 7 350 | 16-inch | 1600p | 180 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

Price check: Amazon £1,749.99 (32 GB variant)

RTX 5080 machines are still eye-wateringly expensive for the most part, but we're big fans of this Vector lappy, especially because of the price. It might not have the prettiest chassis, but it's as fast as a very, very fast thing for a fair bit cheaper than most of the competition—with a speedy 240 Hz IPS panel thrown into the bargain, too. That makes it a genuine value proposition in a laptop market filled with extremely pricey equivalents. It's a smart buy, no doubt, although I'd stick a touch more RAM in it—if you can find some for anything less than silly money.

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

Price check: Overclockers UK $2,699.99