Howdy partner! (stop it now -Ed) Okay... if a budget gaming laptop deal is what you desire this Black Friday, you've come at a particularly opportune time. We're seeing deals on Black Friday gaming laptops left right and center this year, which to be honest is no huge surprise.
This is the time when major retailers make a big push to clear out older stock to make way for new models next year, but don't let that put you off pressing the button on the RTX 4060-equipped machines below. 40-series mobile GPUs will be the way to go for gaming laptops for a while yet, so your shiny machine will still feel brand spanking new for some time to come.
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So why go for an RTX 4060 gaming laptop? Well, despite the budget price point, the mobile RTX 4060 can still take advantage of DLSS 3 and Frame Generation in supported games, making it a much better shout for modern gaming performance than older generation mobile GPUs.
Plus it doesn't run as hot as some of its more powerful siblings, making it a good GPU to aim for in a budget-yet-brilliant mobile gaming machine. Below I've found three models for $800 or less, so let's take a look at our options, shall we?
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MSI Cyborg 14
Starting out with the smallest (and the cheapest), how about this little MSI Cyborg 14? It's a 14-inch model, which means it should slip in your backpack with minimal effort, and thanks to its 3.5 lb weight your spine will be in much better shape than if you bought one of the chonkier (albeit more powerful) models below.
For $750 at Best Buy you really are getting quite a lot of laptop when it comes to the specs. It's got a 10-core Intel CPU with a max boost clock of 4.9 GHz that should have no problem crunching both games and day-to-day productivity tasks, 16 GB of decently quick DDR5 RAM, and a speedy 144 Hz 1080p screen.
There are a few caveats, however. It's only got the 45 W version of the RTX 4060, which is pretty much the slowest version you'll find, and puts it alongside an RTX 4050 in terms of performance—although it'll still be fine for some 1080p gaming if you're careful with the settings and engage some upscaling support. Plus, that 512 GB SSD is on the small side, although unfortunately common at this price point—I'd stick a cheap 1 TB NVMe drive in that single M.2 slot when I got the chance.
And it's not entirely a looker, with a semi-translucent chassis of the love it or hate it variety that, I'll be honest, doesn't feel all that great. Still, it's remarkably cheap for the specs, especially if you're looking for a hyper-portable gaming machine for this kind of cash.
Acer Nitro V 15
If you don't mind going a bit larger, you'd do well to check out this Acer Nitro V 15.6-inch model. I remember a time when Acer Nitro laptops were clunky affairs, but Acer has smartened up its act a bit in recent years and delivered a range of laptops that actually look downright subtle.
Yep, this wouldn't look out of place at your next meeting, never mind your next gaming session—and thanks to that 75 W RTX 4060, it's better equipped than the MSI above for decent 1080p performance. Other than that the specs are virtually identical, although of course you're getting a bigger panel size and a bit more weight to lug around.
Still, it's not exactly a house brick, and I reckon for $800 at Best Buy this Acer is worth looking at. It's sleeker than you might expect, and has a nice balance of specs and portability that makes it well worth considering in your sales shopping.
Dell G15
If you're chasing bang for your buck at the $800 mark, this is the laptop to buy. Unlike the lesser wattage RTX 4060 machines above, this one's got a full 140 W TGP RTX 4060 on board—which should deliver significantly better GPU performance.
Just as well really, as it's also got a 165 Hz 1080p display to keep fed. Depending on who you ask there's not a lot of difference between gaming at 144 Hz vs 165 Hz, but it's nice to have the extra turn of speed on tap when the GPU has a much better chance of making use of it—especially once you factor DLSS 3 and Frame Generation into the equation.
The CPU has plenty of grunt as well, what with it being an eight core, 16 thread AMD chip paired with 16 GB of DDR5. It's not the fastest RAM, admittedly, but it's not like you'll notice in most games.
Really there's only one major downside here, and it's that substantial chassis. You'll either get a kick out of the retro-cool, overbuilt vibes of this machine, or consider it a bit of a clunker. Still, with this sort of horsepower on offer for $800 at Dell right now, I reckon I could learn to love it.
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