This MSI gaming laptop with RTX 3050 is only $750 right now
That's a good price for a modest gaming laptop with a very cool exterior.
MSI make some of the most aesthetically pleasing gaming laptops around, often known for pulling of cool aesthetics as well as good specs. The MSI GS66 Stealth, for example was literally awarded the 'most stylish', in our list of best gaming laptops you can currently buy. It may not be the GS66 Stealth but the MSI Katana GF66 gaming laptop is on sale right now saving you $350.
Available on the Microsoft Store, this MSI Katana GF66 features a 15.6 FHD display backed by an Intel i5-11400H CPU. This is combined with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 to deliver a fairly capable yet fairly priced gaming laptop. Though we haven't had a chance to review this modest machine ourselves, it certainly seems like a reasonable buy.
This, plus the 8GB of RAM and 512GB SSD paint a picture of a lower key machine from a specs perspective, but with the current discount, $749.99 USD is a fair price to pay. Extra features like the 144Hz screen, Bluetooth connectivity and 720p webcam (which is getting rarer and rarer on gaming laptops), help make it feel a little fancier than it is.
The over the top cool black and red motif is apparently inspired by ancient Japanese blades of legend, and while that certainly sounds like a lot, it is a nice looking piece of kit. The red backlighting on the keyboard is always a slick choice against a black chassis, but it does mean you're limited to just the one shade of RGB on this machine.
MSI Katana GF66 | Intel Core i5 11th Gen | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 | 8GB memory/512GB SSD | $1,099.99 $749.99 USD at Microsoft Store (save $400)
The Razer Blade 14 is one of the best laptops in this form factor we've ever had the pleasure of reviewing. Right now this high end version is at a discount, so if you want a supreme beast in a tiny package, now's your time.
If you're after a much heftier machine, the Microsoft Store is also selling the Razer Blade 14 for $400 off at the moment. Both benefit from the fast free shipping as well as the discounts offered on other Microsoft products while configuring your purchase. Though it's worth noting the store's peripheral deals you can bundle in with these laptops can often be found the same price or cheaper elsewhere, so buyer beware, and as always it's best to do a bit of shopping around.
Of course if neither fit the bill, check out our list of best gaming laptops to see if anything else strikes your portable gaming fancies. Or maybe you'd be better off looking into a new portable PC console like the Steam Deck.
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Hope’s been writing about games for about a decade, starting out way back when on the Australian Nintendo fan site Vooks.net. Since then, she’s talked far too much about games and tech for publications such as Techlife, Byteside, IGN, and GameSpot. Of course there’s also here at PC Gamer, where she gets to indulge her inner hardware nerd with news and reviews. You can usually find Hope fawning over some art, tech, or likely a wonderful combination of them both and where relevant she’ll share them with you here. When she’s not writing about the amazing creations of others, she’s working on what she hopes will one day be her own. You can find her fictional chill out ambient far future sci-fi radio show/album/listening experience podcast right here. No, she’s not kidding.