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 Dell (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 which is a little power-limited, and not the best match for that 1600p screen. Still, cheaper than you thought, ey? Make sure to pick the RTX 5060 version in the configurator, not the rather underpowered RTX 4050.

Price check: Best Buy $1,499.99

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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 $1,199 at Amazon (save $100)
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.

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HP Omen 16 | RTX 5060 | Ryzen 9 8940HX | 16-inch | 1200p | 144 Hz | 32 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD | $1,579.99 $1,249.99 at Best Buy (save $330)
Unlike the Alienware RTX 5060 machine above, this laptop has a 1200p screen, which is much better suited to the Nvidia GPU's talents. HP has once again made the TGP unclear, but even if its a low-wattage variant (and it's unlikely to be too low, given this is a 16-inch machine) it should still be well-matched with the other components here, including the surprisingly beefy 16-core AMD CPU. And 32 GB of DDR5, with a 1 TB SSD? Yeah, this is a decent whack of gaming hardware for the cash.

Price check: HP $1,799.99

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Alienware 16X Aurora | RTX 5070 | Intel Core Ultra 9 275H | 16-inch | 1600p | 240 Hz | 32 GB RAM | 2 TB SSD | $1,899.99 $1,599.99 at Dell (save $300)
Beyond the brand-spanking-new 115 W variant of the RTX 5070 sitting at its heart, you're also getting a beefy eight Performance core, 16 Efficient Intel chip, 32 GB of DDR5, and a 2 TB SSD thrown in with this particular machine. Oh, and a speedy 240 Hz screen, making for quite the specs sheet. It's not got a fancy OLED panel, but otherwise this is a very well-rounded package for a fair bit less than many RTX 5070 machines we're finding right now.

Price check: Best Buy $2,099.99

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HP Omen Transcend 14 | RTX 5070 | Intel Core Ultra 9 285H | 14-inch | 1800p | 120 Hz | 32 GB RAM | 1 TB SSD | $2,039.99 $1,699.99 at Best Buy (save $340)
Should you wish for an RTX 5070 in a very portable frame, well, normally you'd have to pay a serious sum for it. But this HP machine is a very tempting offer at this sort of price, given the firepower that's been crammed inside the 14-inch frame. Dollars to donuts its a low-wattage RTX 5070 variant, and the 1800p panel means you'll need to make use of DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Generation to make the most of the 120 Hz refresh rate, but still—hyper portable laptops come with caveats, and this has relatively few.

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MSI Vector 16 HX AI | RTX 5070 Ti | Core Ultra 7 255HX | 16-inch | 1200p | 144 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD | $1,799.99 $1,749.99 at Best Buy (save $50)
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. Plus, this one comes with a 1 TB SSD, which is a darn sight better than the 512 GB variant we were finding at this price until recently.

Price check: Amazon $2,499.99 (32 GB variant)

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Razer Blade 14 (2025) | RTX 5070 | Ryzen AI 9 365 | 14-inch | 120 Hz OLED | 32 GB LPDDR5x-8000 | 1 TB SSD | $2,699.99 $2,299.99 at Razer (save $400)
Our Dave's absolute favorite Razer gaming laptop is somehow still rocking a hefty $400 discount right now, proving that some Prime Day deals just keep going and going. In his Blade 14 review he said: "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. I just checked.

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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 at Best Buy
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, even if it has gone up a bit recently. 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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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 | $749.99 $599.99 at Best Buy (save $150)
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: Amazon $614.99

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Lenovo Legion Go S Steam | Ryzen Z1 Extreme | 8-inch screen | 16 GB RAM | 512 GB SSD | $829.99 at Best Buy
Our new favorite gaming handheld might not technically be on discount at the moment, 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.

Price check: Newegg $935

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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 £1,699 at Amazon (save £200)
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)