It's Amazon Gaming Week, people, and if that isn't enough to get your blood pumping and your excitement levels through the roof... then you're probably quite a well-adjusted human being. Well done. I mean, it is just another way of Jeffy B trying to convince you to part with some money, because he simply doesn't have enough, but there are at least some good gaming laptop deals around today because of it.
This Acer Predator Triton 14 is just $800 at Amazon right now, and is my pick of the bunch. Now, it might only come sporting a relatively lowly RTX 4050 graphics chip, and I would normally not be recommending, but because of the TGP Acer has given it you're looking at gaming performance up there with the RTX 4060 GPUs dropped into other 14-inch laptops.
The Triton 14 is running its RTX 4050 at 95 W, which is the same as the Lenovo LOQ machine I tested not so long ago. The RTX 4060 inside the otherwise lovely HP Omen Transcend 14 is just a 65 W offering, on the other hand, and cannot deliver the same level of performance as the nominal lesser GPU.
You're also getting the full 14-core, 20-thread Intel chip you'll find in the more expensive RTX 4070 version of the Triton 14 and 16GB of DDR5 memory to back it up. You are taking a hit on the storage side, with just 512GB of SSD space to play with, but you do get a 1200p IPS screen with a 165 Hz refresh rate.
It's a great package... just a bit of an ugly one. I love the 14-inch form factor, but I will say that I don't love the slightly chunky aspect of the Acer machine. Though that is arguably going to be the thing which affords you the cooling to push that GPU further than other 14-inch laptops.
If you don't mind the aesthetic, and fancy something a little more powerful, the RTX 4070 version is a great price right now, too. And you get more than just a superior GPU.
As well as the 140 W RTX 4070 graphics chip, you get the full 1TB SSD and a far higher resolution screen to boot. The 250 Hz mini-LED panel has a native 1600p res and is going to be a great upgrade on the 1200p display on the RTX 4050 version.
But it's no OLED, which is what you'll get in the excellent HP Omen Transcend 14. Which, wouldn't you know it, is also on offer for a pretty great price today.
You are sacrificing straight-line performance here, and it might seem odd recommending spending more than the RTX 4070 Acer laptop for this relatively weak RTX 4060 system, but it's not just about fps for super portable machines. And this HP lappy is a lovely thing to take around with you. It still has a decent level of gaming performance, and a stunning OLED display as well. That 512GB SSD is a bit miserly, and you can upgrade to 1TB if you're willing to spend another $90 at the point of sale.
If you're after a miniature gaming machine with a super OLED screen then the Transcend 14 is one of the best value. But if it's performance you crave, either of the Acer Triton 14 gaming laptops will serve you better.
