Best cheap gaming laptop deals

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Lenovo LOQ | RTX 4060 | Core i5 13450HX | 15.6-inch | 1080p | 144 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 512 GB SSD | $999 $799.99 at B&H Photo (save $300)
Even with new Nvidia laptop GPUs on the market, it'll probably be a while before we see sub-$1,000 mobile RTX 50-series machines. So for those saving the pennies, this RTX 4060-sporting Lenovo is still a good deal. It's got a decently speedy screen, 16 GB of DDR5, a 115 W TGP GPU, and, err, a very small SSD. Still, it's the easiest thing to upgrade in a mobile machine, and at this price it's very difficult to find more gaming laptop for your buck.

Price check: Amazon $1,269 (Core i7 13650HX)

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Alienware Aurora 16 | RTX 5060 | Core Ultra 7 240H | 16-inch | 1600p | 120 Hz | 32 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD | $1,499 $1,099.99 at Best Buy (save $400)
Who would have thought we'd be seeing Alienware laptops leading the charge for reasonably-priced RTX 50-series machines? Not me, that's who. Still, this Aurora 16 has a handsome specs sheet for the cash, including a 10-core Intel CPU (six Performance, four Efficient), 32 GB of DDR5 RAM, and a properly-sized 1 TB SSD. And of course you'll be getting a DLSS 4-ready and Multi Frame Generation supported GPU, although it's the current tiddler of the range. It's the 85 W version, though, which is a little power-limited, and not the best match for that 1600p screen. Still, cheaper than you thought, ey?

Price check: Dell $1,149 (configurable)

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Asus TUF F16 | RTX 5060 | Core i7 14650HX | 16-inch | 1200p | 165 Hz | 32 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD | $1,539.99 $1,159.99 at Best Buy (save $380)
A 1200p screen is a good match for the mobile RTX 5060, especially a nicely high-refresh rate 165 Hz panel as you'll find here. We're big fans of the Asus TUF lineup of reasonably-priced gaming laptops—and this one looks to be a bit of a sweetheart, what with a full 32 GB of DDR5 onboard, a 1 TB SSD, and the eight Performance core i7 14650HX calling the CPU shots. Plus it's the 115 W variant, which means it should have plenty of juice at its disposal to make the most of the screen. Budget RTX 50-series machines on discount already? Yes please.

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Acer Predator Helios Neo 14 | RTX 4070 | Core Ultra 7 155H | 14-inch | 1600p | 120 Hz | 16 GB LPDDR5X | 1 TB SSD | $1,299 $1,215.99 at Amazon (save $83.01)
With a 110 W version of the RTX 4070, with wee Acer machine has plenty of grunt about it, and that 120 Hz refresh 1600p panel will make a really crisp screen for a 14-inch laptop. You're also getting a full 1 TB SSD alongside your 16 GB of soldered memory (no upgrades happening there) and a decent Meteor Lake CPU at its heart. It's one of Intel's more efficient chips, with six Performance and eight Efficient cores, which ought to help with the battery life of this portable machine.

Price check: Amazon $1,349 (2 TB variant)

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Asus TUF A16 | RTX 5070 | Ryzen 9 270 | 16-inch | 1200p | 165 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD | $1,699 $1,399.99 at Best Buy (save $300)
Continuing on the RTX 50-series laptop discount train, how about this RTX 5070 machine for the same sort of price you'll find many RTX 4070 laptops at the moment? Sure, it's only got a 1200p screen, but that just means that mobile GPU shouldn't struggle making the most of the 165 Hz refresh rate, particularly when Multi Frame Generation is thrown into the mix. Again, it's got 32 GB of RAM, which makes a real change at this price point from the many, many 16 GB laptops we were finding up until recently. A very tidy gaming laptop for the cash, and one I'm eyeing with my personal funds.

Price check: Amazon $1,999

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MSI Vector 16 HX AI | RTX 5070 Ti | Core Ultra 7 255HX | 16-inch | 1200p | 144 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 512 GB SSD | $1,924.99 $1,749.99 at Best Buy (save $175)
Sitting somewhere under the RTX 4080 and well above the RTX 4070 in terms of gaming performance, the RTX 5070 Ti is a great mid-range laptop GPU. I've used the new Vector 16 HX AI for weeks, and have been hugely impressed with the RTX 5080 version, and the RTX 5070 Ti version promises much of the same. The 1200p IPS screen is a good match for the GPU and CPU, which is of 20-core Intel stock. But, ack, a 512 GB SSD. Why?! Thankfully there are two M.2 slots in the system, making it an easy and cheap upgrade down the line.

Price check: Amazon $2,299.99 (32 GB variant)

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MSI Vector 16 HX AI | RTX 5080 | Core Ultra 9 275 HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 240 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD | $2,499.99 $2,299.99 at Best Buy (save $200)
I know, I know, it's a lot of cash. But the truth is, it's difficult to find RTX 50-series laptops for anything less than silly money right now, and this one's got the big boi RTX 5080 for a just about reasonable sum. Our Dave has been playing with this particular model recently 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.

Price check: Newegg $2,499.99

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Lenovo Legion Pro 7i | RTX 5080 | Core Ultra 9 275 HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 240 Hz | 32 GB DDR5 | 2 TB SSD | $3,499 $2,999 at B&H Photo (save $500)
Here comes the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i again, a regular feature on these pages at points, except this time with a full-fat 175 W RTX 5080 on board. Oh, and still with a rather substantial discount. We've extensively tested the mobile RTX 5080 at this point, and can confirm it's a very speedy GPU indeed. Plus, 32 GB of RAM, a 2 TB SSD and a 240 Hz screen? Yeah, this is the full package alright, although it's not exactly cheap, I'll grant you.

Price check: Lenovo $3,049

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HP Omen Max 16 | RTX 5090 | Core Ultra 9 275 HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 240 Hz | 32 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD | $2,999.99 at Amazon
If the RTX 5080-equipped machine above doesn't quite do it for you in the "my car's faster than yours" stakes, how about this Intel-chipped RTX 5090 model? You're unlikely to get a huge jump in performance out of this lappy compared to the one above, but an RTX 5090 machine for $3,000 is worth talking about, which says a fair bit for top-end RTX 50-series pricing at the moment. It's about as cheap as you'll find the most powerful Nvidia mobile GPU right now, though.

Price check: HP $3,099.99

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Steam Deck (LCD) | 256 GB SSD | SteamOS | $399 at Steam
Okay, the Steam Deck may have had an OLED refresh and 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 OLED model, so all those Steam Deck compatible games should run well. It's the OG PC gaming handheld, and it still demands respect, although this particular version does have quite a small SSD. Replacing it later with a larger unit is no great hassle, however.

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Lenovo Legion Go | Z1 Extreme | 8.8-inch screen | 16 GB RAM | 512 GB SSD | $699.86 $571.09 at Newegg (save $98.77)
The Legion Go is one of the more polished handhelds on the market, with a sleek 8.8-inch screen and detachable controllers. That screen is a little overkill for the lil' AMD chip inside this machine, the Z1 Extreme also found in the ROG Ally, but it's great for playing indies on while relaxing. One of the controllers also becomes a mouse if you need it, which is a bit of a gimmick but works pretty well. The main downside here is the small SSD, but it's a pretty easy upgrade later on.

Price check: Best Buy $699.99 | Amazon $614.99

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Steam Deck LCD | SteamOS | 256 GB | £349 at Steam
There's no deal on the Steam Deck right now, but since the launch of the OLED model, you can buy the mid-sized LCD for a good price. It's still a wicked handheld, too, most of all because of its custom SteamOS operating system.

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Acer Nitro 14 | RTX 4060 | Ryzen 7 8845HS | 14.5-inch | 1200p | 120 Hz | 16 GB DDR5-4800 | 512 GB SSD | $1,399 £849 at Currys (save £550)
With a 14-inch form factor and a 100 W variant of the RTX 4060 onboard, I reckon this machine would make a great little budget travel companion. Sure, the chassis isn't the most premium, and it's only got a 1200p screen, but it still makes a good match for this particular GPU. And the eight-core processor is no slouch, either. It's a shame about the SSD size, but you can't have everything for this sorta cash—and it's simple enough to upgrade later on.

Price check: Amazon £1,168.32

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Gigabyte Aorus 16X | RTX 4070 | Core i7 14650HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 165 Hz | 16 GB DDR5-5600 | 1 TB SSD | £1,699 £1,199 at Currys (save £500)
Well lookee here, it's that rarest of things—a 1600p, 140 W RTX 4070 gaming laptop deal in the UK from a major manufacturer for less than £1,300. Much less, actually, which makes this a very good shout for anyone looking for an RTX 4070 machine for less with very few drawbacks. I'd like to see some more RAM, but other than that it's a corker.

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Gigabyte Aero X16 | RTX 5070 | Ryzen AI 7 350 | 16-inch | 1600p | 165 Hz | 32 GB DDR5-5600 | 1 TB SSD | £1,499 at Currys
The bad news here is you're getting an 85 W variant of the RTX 5070. The good news is, it's a very slim and svelte machine, and thanks to DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Generation, this sleek lappy should be able to pump frames (AI-generated or otherwise) at its 1600p 165 Hz display with aplomb. RTX 5070 machines are yet to see substantial discounts in the UK, but this one is definitely worth a look if you want to get on the DLSS 4 train for reasonable cash.

Price check: Amazon $1,499

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MSI Vector 16 HX AI 16 | RTX 5070 Ti | Core Ultra 7 255HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 240 Hz | 32 GB DDR5 | 512 GB SSD | £1,899 at Amazon
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 unlikely to be a slouch, either. While most RTX 50-series lappys are still priced into the stratosphere, this 16-inch machine is downright reasonable 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.

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MSI Vector 16 HX AI 16 | RTX 5080 | Core Ultra 9 275HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 240 Hz | 32 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD | £2,799 £2,399 at Currys (save £400)
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 much cheaper than 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 that's still starved of stock and filled with extremely pricey equivalents. A smart buy right now, no doubt.

Price check: Amazon $2,883.90 (2 TB variant)