Best cheap gaming laptop deals

Steam Deck (LCD) | 512 GB SSD | $449 at Steam
Okay, the Steam Deck may have had an OLED refresh but the original version is still the archetype of what a mobile PC gaming device should be. It's just as powerful as the most recent model so all those Steam Deck compatible games should run well. It's the OG PC gaming handheld, and it still demands respect.

HP Victus 15 | RTX 4050 | Ryzen 5 8645HS | 15.6-inch | 1080p | 144 Hz | 8 GB DDR5 | 512 GB SSD | $979 $599 at Walmart (save $380)
Let's be upfront about this—8 GB of RAM is not enough in 2024. But when you're talking about a gaming notebook that costs just $600, but with a decent RTX 40-series GPU inside it, I can swallow it. Especially when you can easily upgrade the RAM with just a wee screwdriver in-hand. And 16 GB of fast dual-channel DDR5 is just $50-odd right now. The RTX 4050 is just a 75 W variant, so not the outright fastest, but will still definitely do the job at 1080p, and for this money, that's all you can ask.

HP Omen | RTX 4060 | Core i9 13900HX | 16.1-inch | 1080p | 165 Hz | 16 GB DDR5-5600 | 1 TB SSD | $1,399.99 $999.99 at Best Buy (save $400)
HP Omen gaming laptops often crop up on discount, but this one for $1,000 is a bit of a peach. Here you get a full-spec mobile RTX 4060 paired with one of Intel's fastest mobile CPUs, with a decent dose of DDR5 and a 165 Hz screen. Shame it's only a 1080p unit, but the price is very much right for the components on offer here.

Price check: Newegg $1,409

Lenovo Legion 5| RTX 4070 | Ryzen 7 7735HS | 16-inch | 1600p | 165 Hz | 16GB DDR5-4800 | 1 TB SSD | $1,349.99 $1,149.99 at Best Buy (save $200)
With a proper 140 W TGP RTX 4070 handling the graphics duties, this Lenovo lappy should have plenty of gaming horsepower to feed that 165 Hz 1600p screen. The DDR5 here isn't the fastest, but the eight core 16 thread AMD CPU is a decent match for that excellent mobile GPU.

Price check: Newegg $1,409.99

HP Omen Transcend 14| RTX 4060 | Core Ultra 7 155H | 14-inch | 1800p | 165 Hz | 16GB DDR5-7466 | 1 TB SSD | $1,699.99 $1,299.99 at Best Buy (save $400)
Before you double check the figures here and think we've made a mistake putting an RTX 4060 laptop in at this price, there's two things to point out: One, this is a super-portable 14-inch lappy, which is a format we love for gaming on the go. And two, this has a proper 1800p OLED display, which should make everything from games to media look fantastic. That Intel 16-core CPU is not to be sniffed at, either, although the 65 W GPU does hold it back a bit for hi-res gaming. Still, DLSS 3 is a marvel, ey?

Price check: Newegg $1,884.99

Acer Predator Helios| RTX 4070 | Core i9 14900HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 240 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD | $1,699.99 $1,449.99 at Best Buy (save $250)
This Acer might not be the slimmest of models, but it's got some specs that should make you look twice. Alongside a proper 140 W RTX 4070 sits the current fastest Intel mobile CPU, in tandem with a blazing fast 240 Hz IPS display. It's a little chonky, and the branding is less than subtle, but there's a lot of grunt here inside that substantial chassis. It's likely to get loud though, what with a 24-core CPU sitting next to that full-fat GPU.

Price check: Newegg $1,799.99

Gigabyte Aorus | RTX 4070 | Core i7 13650HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 165 Hz | 32 GB DDR5-4800 | 1 TB SSD | $1,699.99 $1,549.99 at Best Buy (save $150)
This Gigabyte has a nicely balanced set of components, what with a mobile Core i7 with six Performance cores and eight Efficient matched with a 140 W RTX 4070 handling the graphics. 32 GB of DDR5 memory is good to see at this price as well, although admittedly it's not the fastest. Still, a well-weighted laptop for the money. 

Acer Predator Helios | RTX 4070 | Core i9 14900HX | 18-inch | 1600p | 240 Hz | 32 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD | $1,999.99 $1,749.99 at Newegg (save $250)
While this is relatively pricey for an RTX 4070 laptop, there's a full package here that's well worth a look if you like your laptops on the larger side. That 18-inch 240 Hz 1600p display is fed by a proper 140 W spec GPU, the CPU is top notch, and there's a full 32 GB loadout of DDR5. It's large and in charge, with an impressive set of components in that substantial frame.

Lenovo Legion Pro 7 | RTX 4080 | Core i9 14900HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 240 Hz | 32 GB DDR5-5600 | 1 TB SSD | $2,799 $2,149 at B&H Photo (save $650)
Lenovo make some brilliant gaming laptops, and this Legion Pro 7 is no exception. Featuring the mighty RTX 4080 in combination with Intel's top spec Core i9 mobile CPU, this high-end model should have no trouble tearing through any game you can throw at it. The screen is plenty speedy too with a 240 Hz refresh rate, and 32 GB of fast DDR5 is not to be sniffed at.

Price check: Newegg (2 TB SSD model) $2,499

Gigabyte G5 | RTX 4060 | Core i5 12500H | 15.6-inch | 1080p | 144 Hz | 16 GB DDR4-3200 | 512 GB SSD | £1,099 £799 at Currys (save £250)
We're big fans of this little budget gaming laptop, and our Jacob loved its great gaming performance (check out our review). With over £250 off the original price and some genuine 1080p gaming chops on offer, we reckon this makes quite a tidy deal. 

Price check: Amazon £798

Asus TUF | RTX 4060 | Ryzen 5 7735HS | 15.6-inch | 1080p | 144 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 512 GB SSD | £799.20 at Cyberpower
This isn't the cheapest RTX 4060-powered laptop around, but it's the one that will likely give you the most performance thanks to its 140 W TGP. The Gigabyte above makes do with 75 W, so this is pushing the silicon a whole lot further and that will show in the gaming benchmarks. The TUF laptops are quality budget machines, too. Not as sleek as the Asus ROG notebooks, but they've got it where it counts. Well, except for that miserly 512 GB SSD, that is.

MSI Katana 15 | RTX 4070 | Core i9 13900H | 15.6-inch | 1080p | 144 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD | £1,249 at Currys
Yes, it's only got a 1080p screen, and yes, 32GB of RAM instead of the included 16GB would be nice, but for just £1,249 you get a super-fast Core i9, an RTX 4070 and a 1TB SSD. That's a bit of a magic combo if you ask me. That GPU isn't running at peak performance, however, with just a 105 W TGP, but that still gives it enough juice to cope with that 1080p screen even if it's not the full 140 W deal.

Price check: Amazon £1,149

Asus TUF 16 | RTX 4070 | Ryzen 9 7845HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 165 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 5200 | 1 TB SSD | £1,398 at Amazon
This Asus has a set of components that make a lot of sense for this kind of money. You get a proper mobile RTX 4070 that can reach the full 140 W spec with dynamic boost, a 12 core 24 thread AMD processor, and some decently speedy DDR5. Oh, and that IPS panel with a 1600p resolution and 165 Hz refresh rate is pretty tasty, too.

Asus TUF A15 | RTX 4070 | Ryzen 9 8945H | 15.6-inch | 1440p | 165 Hz | 32 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD | £1,899.98 £1,499.99 at Scan (save £399.99)
She may not be the cheapest, or prettiest, but this packed Asus machine has got a lot going for it. That 165 Hz IPS panel is high-res and the RTX 4070 is running at its top 140 W power limits. And that chonky chassis only helps that. You're also getting a ton of DDR5 memory and a decent 1 TB of fast SSD storage, too. 

MSI Vector 17  | RTX 4080 | Core i9-13980HX | 17-inch | 1200p | 165 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD | £2,047.90 £1,699 at Amazon (save £250)
When it comes to the hardware running under the bonnet, this 17-inch MSI Vector certainly has the goods, what with that Intel Core i9 processor and an RTX 4080 making a very tempting package indeed. Bit of a shame about the 1200p display and 16GB of RAM, but at least the screen's a good 'un with a 144Hz refresh rate and nice and bright panel. There's a huge amount of performance here in quite a slim and svelte package, making this machine a lot of power for just under £1,800.

Acer Predator Helios 16  | RTX 4080 | Core i9 13900HX | 16-inch | 1200p | 250 Hz | 32 GB DDR5-5600 | 2 TB SSD | £2,286 at Laptops Direct
It can be difficult to find good deals on high-specced gaming laptops in the UK, but this one has components that simply cannot be ignored. Not only do you get the mighty Core i9 13900HX, but a proper RTX 4080, a 250 Hz refresh rate display, 32 GB of RAM and 2 TB of storage, which is a rarity in gaming laptops at the moment. It might be pricey, but it's got just about everything you might want in an ultra high-end laptop right now.