Best cheap gaming laptop deals

This is a pretty appealing price for a capable 16-inch gaming laptop with a modern GPU. Sure, it's an RTX 5050, which needs to be affordable to be worthwhile, but this Acer Nitro V 16 AI is certainly that. It has a good screen for the money, too. A 180 Hz, 1200p IPS. Oh, and while the storage capacity isn't great, there's space for another drive under the hood.

Key specs: RTX 5050 | Ryzen 5 240 | 16-inch | 1200p | 180 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 512 GB SSD

Price check: Newegg $799.99

It's near impossible to find good RTX 5060 laptops for under $1,000 at the moment, but this HP machine squeaks under the wire with a great specs sheet for the cash. It's got an eight-core 16-thread AMD chip with plenty of grunt, a 1 TB SSD, and a 1200p screen, which should go nicely with that budget gaming GPU. It's difficult to find the exact TGP spec, but I'd imagine it was an 85 W variant—which should still deliver decent gaming performance, especially when you take advantage of the DLSS 4 goodies.

Key specs: RTX 5060 | Ryzen AI 7 350 | 16-inch | 1200p | 165 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

Price check: HP $1,099.99

Boo, boo to the 512 GB SSD. Still, it's one of the easiest things to upgrade on any gaming laptop, and this one provides you with a lovely OLED display, which is rare to see on a laptop at this price. The RTX 5060 might be one of Nvidia's lower-stack mobile GPUs, but DLSS and Frame Gen will be the great equaliser here to make the most of that 1600p panel. Lenovo makes some excellent gaming laptops, and this one gives you a fair bit of 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 $1,099.99

We've been very impressed by the design of this laptop, and while the RTX 5060 variant is a touch underpowered (although a good machine if you can find it for the right price), this 85 W RTX 5070-equipped machine is much more like it, even with the juice turned down a little. Like the RTX 5060 version above, you get a six Performance core, four Efficient Intel chip, 32 GB of DDR5, and a decently-sized SSD thrown into the bargain. Pretty good going for the cash, I reckon.

Key specs: RTX 5070 | Core i7 13620H | 16-inch | 1200p | 165 Hz | 32 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD |

Price check: Amazon $1,399.99

"Ooh, an OLED" I said out loud as I stumbled across this deal. That's because OLED displays are traditionally found on expensive laptops, but we're starting to see them on cheaper machines these days, and that's great to see—especially in 240 Hz form. This model is also a very slim and sleek customer, despite its substantial rear lip. I have been known to pick up the new Acer Predator Helios models at trade shows and coo over their aesthetic design, and this one's no exception. Plus, it's got a 115 W variant of the RTX 5060, which means it's a bit more powerful than other slim machines using the same GPU—although you'll definitely need some DLSS and MFG help to make the most of its 1600p display. Still, it's a very desirable gaming laptop, if you ask me.

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

Price check: Newegg $1,599.99

I reckon this Gigabyte machine is a fairly handsome beast, and although the price has jumped around a lot recently, it's a still a very good deal on an RTX 5070 machine. It might be an 85 W variant, but DLSS 4 and Nvidia's AI doohickies should make up a fair bit of the difference when pushing that 1600p panel. 32 GB of DDR5 is nice to see, and it looks like there's plenty of upgrade potential here too, should you wish to up the RAM or cram in a bigger SSD.

Key specs: RTX 5070 | Ryzen AI 7 350 | 16-inch | 1600p | 165 Hz | 32 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD |

Price check: Newegg $1,399.99

With a 110 W version of the older, yet still very capable RTX 4070, this hyper-portable Acer still 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 travel-friendly little machine.

Key specs: RTX 4070 | Core Ultra 7 155H | 14-inch | 1600p | 120 Hz | 16 GB LPDDR5X | 1 TB SSD |

An OLED display, a full-fat RTX 5070, and a 20-core Intel CPU? Don't mind if I do. This Lenovo lappy has a serious amount of firepower for the cash, but the real star feature is that 16-inch 1600p panel. You'll still need a dose of DLSS and perhaps the odd dash of Multi Frame Generation to really make the most of it, but this is a laptop with a handsome set of features (and a lovely chassis) for very sensible cash, and quite the desirable thing.

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. Our Dave tested the Vector 16 HX AI for weeks, and came away very 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, and while I'd like to see more RAM, it's a very easy upgrade to perform. I'd also like to see a bigger SSD, which you'll find in the price check variant below. Still, for under $1,500 this one has to go in prime position, as an SSD is an easy thing to upgrade at a later date.

Key specs: RTX 5070 Ti | Core Ultra 7 255HX | 16-inch | 1200p | 144 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 512 GB SSD |

Price check: Best Buy $1,799.99 (1 TB SSD variant)

If you did a double take, you're in good company. This HP machine is an RTX 5070 Ti lappy for more like regular RTX 5070 money. That's a great GPU (here in top-wattage spec), combined with a chonky eight-core AMD chip and a pleasingly well-weighted 1200p display, which means it should have no issue spitting out plenty of frames to make the most of its 165 Hz refresh rate. The RAM is a little meagre at 16 GB, and the SSD is very small, but both can be upgraded with relative ease—and compromises have to be made somewhere at this price.

Key specs: RTX 5070 Ti | Ryzen AI 7 H 350 | 16-inch | 1200p | 165 Hz | 16 GB RAM | 512 GB SSD |

Sure, it's a lot of money for an RTX 5060 machine, especially as this one's got an 1800p display to push with its mobile GPU. That being said, it is a 115 W variant of said graphics chip, and the form factor (in combination with that gorgeous 120 Hz OLED panel) makes this our favourite 14-inch gaming laptop design overall. You're going to want the RTX 5070 version if you can spare the extra cash, but this one's still a great deal with plenty of hyper-portable gaming potential.

Key specs: RTX 5070 | Ryzen AI 9 365 | 14-inch | 1800p | 120 Hz OLED | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

Price check: Best Buy $1,549.99

A 240 Hz OLED display, a 115 W RTX 5070 Ti, a speedy, 24-core Intel chip and it's all wrapped up in a relatively slim and stylish form factor? Yep, this laptop is a real winner for $1,600. I've often marvelled at Acer's new Predator Helios Neo designs (what a sentence) at trade shows, and this sleek customer is a very nice thing to slip in your bag. And then give back, in my case, but you can own one and I can live vicariously through you. Excellent.

Key specs: RTX 5070 Ti | Core Ultra 9 275H | 16-inch | 1800p | 240 Hz OLED | 32 GB RAM | 1 TB SSD |

Price check: Amazon $2,199

Our Dave's absolute favorite Razer gaming laptop has dropped even further in price lately, turning a great deal into a downright fantastic one. In his Blade 14 review he said it's "a huge improvement over last year's model, and there's now no other gaming laptop I'd want to have my digits on or spend my money on." And he stands by that, which is no surprise as he's made this little marvel his daily driver. It's incredibly portable, gorgeous to behold, and pretty much the most desirable lappy on the planet right now. How's that for a deal?

Key specs: RTX 5070 | Ryzen AI 9 365 | 14-inch | 120 Hz OLED | 1800p | 32 GB LPDDR5X-8000 | 1 TB SSD |

I know, I know, it's still a lot of cash. But the truth is, it's difficult to find most RTX 5080 laptops for anything close to $2,000 right now, so this one actually represents pretty stunning value. 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.

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 while it can be found on discount at various retailers right now, 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.

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

Price check: Lenovo $2,819.98

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.

Key specs: 256 GB SSD | SteamOS |

Our new favorite gaming handheld might not have a discount right now, but it's still the best you can get thanks to its magnificent SteamOS integration. That's one of the best things about the Steam Deck, too, but here you're getting much more powerful hardware and a supremely comfortable chassis that makes the Legion Go S SteamOS an absolute delight to game on.

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

This Alienware lappy does have a pretty heavy caveat—a 1600p screen represents a whole lot of pixels for a 105 W RTX 5060 to pump out. That being said, if you're prepared to lean on DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Generation, it should still do fine in most games—and the rest of the specs are reasonable for the price, too. It's not quite a monster of a gaming machine, but for under $1,000 it still makes for a very tempting offer.

Key specs: RTX 5060 | Core 7 240H | 16-inch | 1600p | 120 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD |

Price check: Amazon £1,049

Most RTX 5060 machines have yet to be hit by the heavy deals stick in the UK, but this one has a decent smattering of specs for a low price. It's a 75 W variant of the RTX 5060, which isn't exactly turbocharged, but with some DLSS help it shouldn't have much trouble with a 1080p display, and the refresh rate is nice and speedy to make the most of Multi Frame Generation, too. Plus, a 1 TB SSD in a budget gaming laptop: Heavens be praised!

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

Price check: Amazon £1099.97

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. It's one of the cheapest RTX 5070 gaming laptops you'll find in the UK right now, and 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

If you like your gaming laptops on the larger side, this Asus TUF 18-inch model is well worth a look. It's got a decently-powerful eight-core, 16-thread AMD CPU, a 115 W RTX 5070, and a sizable screen that should show off your games with aplomb. Sure, it's only 1200p, 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 7 260 | 18-inch | 1200p | 144 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD |

This HP lappy has a seriously chonky CPU, in combination with a 140 W RTX 5070 and 32 GB of RAM, making it a very well balanced setup. Sure, it's only got a 1200p screen, but that means the GPU should have little issue pumping out plenty of frames, and it all comes wrapped in a very stylish chassis design, too.

Key specs: RTX 5070 | Ryzen 9 8940HS | 16-inch | 1200p | 144 Hz | 32 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 unlikely to be a slouch, either. While most 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 | 32 GB DDR5 | 512 GB SSD

This sleek contender has a 240 Hz 1600p OLED screen in tandem with a 115 W variant of the RTX 5070 Ti mobile, which is a truly desirable combination. A touch of DLSS, a touch of Frame Gen, and this machine should deliver a pretty stunning gaming experience, all wrapped up in the sort of chassis you can take to work, too. A very smart pick, if you ask me.

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

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. A smart buy right now, no doubt, although I'd stick a touch more RAM in it for cheap to really bring it up to mega spec.

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

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