Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Deals

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Should you buy a gaming PC or gaming laptop? Sales on both at Dell today

Briley Kenney
By

There comes a point in every tech-lover’s life where they must decide: Gaming desktop or gaming laptop? It is a difficult choice indeed, especially when there are excellent sales on both. Do you snag one of the awesome gaming laptop deals, which you can take anywhere, or do you go with the gaming PC deals for a static setup?

Truthfully, we cannot answer that question for you, at least not directly. We can help you decide, though, by exploring some of the reasons why you would want one over the other. You’re gonna need it, too, since Dell is offering the G5 Gaming Desktop for $700, or $230 off, and the Alienware Area-51m R2 Gaming Laptop for $2,000, or $1,230 off.

Should you buy a gaming PC or a gaming laptop?

When you break it down, there are pros and cons of both types of computers. Deciding which fits your playstyle or workstyle is a matter of looking at what each type of system offers.

Related

Laptop pros

  • Much more portable.
  • They use less energy.
  • Excellent connectivity.
  • Built-in peripherals.

Laptop cons

  • Discreet graphics.
  • What you buy is what you get.

Desktop/PC pros

  • Customizable (hardware).
  • Lots of power.
  • Bigger screen size.
  • Powerful graphics.

Desktop/PC cons

  • Not as portable for LAN parties.
  • They use lots of energy.

Ultimately, the best way to decide between the computer types is to choose where you will be doing most of your gaming. If you’re going to be gaming at home a lot from a desk, then a desktop PC is best. If you need portability and will be gaming out of your home often, then a gaming laptop is best.

Dell G5 Gaming Desktop — $700, was $930

Dell G5 Gaming Desktop with side off
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Dell G5 Gaming Desktop has a 10th-generation Intel Core i5 6-core processor with a 12MB cache and clock speeds up to 4.3GHz. Plus, there’s 8GB of DDR4 RAM, an AMD Radeon RX 5300 GPU with 3GB of GDDR6 VRAM, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth built-in. For storage, you get a 256GB M.2 PCIe NVM2 solid-state drive and a 1TB 7200 RPM 3.5-inch SATA drive. All of that is only $700, which is $230 off the normal price ($930).

Alienware Area-51m R2 Gaming Laptop — $2,000, was $3,230

Alienware Area-51m
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Alienware Area-51m R2 Gaming Laptop is rocking a 10th-gen Intel Core i7 8-core processor with a 16MB cache and clock speeds up to 4.8GHz with Turbo Boost Max 3.0. You’ll also get 16GB of DDR4 RAM, an Nvidia Geforce RTX 2070 Super with 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM, and a 512GB solid-state drive. The 17.3-inch FHD display has Tobii Eyetracking technology built-in, supports a native resolution of 1920 x 1080, and has a refresh rate of 300Hz at a response time of 3 milliseconds. In our Alienware Area-51m review, Matthew S. Smith said it’s “worth every penny.” He also said it offers top-tier gaming performance. Normally $3,230, you can get the Area-51m for $1,230 off, which means the final price is $2,000 with free shipping. Availability is limited, so act soon if you’re interested!

More gaming laptop deals available now

Want a gaming laptop that’s a bit more affordable? How about a different brand? We rounded up all of the best gaming laptop deals that are available right now. Check them out below.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Briley Kenney
Briley Kenney
Senior SEO Copywriter
Briley has been writing about consumer electronics and technology for over a decade. When he's not writing about deals for…
HP sale: Up to 68% off laptops, printers, monitors, and more
Photo of an HP Envy 16 laptop.

HP has a huge sale going on now with awesome laptop deals, monitor deals, and many other deep discounts. If you’re keen to buy a new device for less, this is your chance to do so. There are over 50 different items in the HP sale from high-end laptops to mice, so the best thing you can do is tap the button below and see for yourself what’s out there. Alternatively, if you want to see what we recommend, keep reading while we take you through our choices.

What to shop for in the HP sale
The biggest discount in the HP sale is being able to buy the for $989 reduced from $3,098. Perfectly suited for business users, you get an Intel Core i7-1255U processor, a huge 32GB of memory, and 512GB of SSD storage. A 14-inch WUXGA screen with 100% sRGB, 400 nits of brightness, and 1920 x 1200 looks great, while there are extensive security provisions courtesy of HP Wolf Pro Security Edition. From one of the best laptop brands, you can’t go wrong.

Read more
Save $650 on this Lenovo gaming PC with an RTX 4080 Super
Lenovo Legion Tower 7i gaming PC sitting on a table.

As part of Lenovo’s clearance sale, it has one of the most appealing gaming PC deals around today. It’s currently selling the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i for $2,600 instead of $3,250. That means a considerable saving of $650 on a gaming rig that will last you a long time to come. It’s full of the greatest and latest hardware so all you need to do is hook it up to one of the best gaming monitors. All sound appealing? Here’s what else you need to know.

Why you should buy the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i
Sure to be one of the best gaming PCs for most needs, the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i is a delight. It has a sleek yet stylish design which will easily fit under your desk or even on top of it. A 14th-generation Intel Core i9-14900KF processor powers proceedings while there’s 32GB of memory which increasingly feels like the minimum you want from a reliable gaming rig.

Read more
This Lenovo gaming laptop with an RTX 4090 is $740 off today
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i on a desktop surface outside.

Lenovo often has some of the best laptop deals and today is no different with a sweet discount for anyone seeking a new gaming laptop. A new arrival from Lenovo, the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is already $740 off bringing it down to $2,900 from $3,640. Packed with the latest hardware, you’re going to love it and we’re here to tell you exactly why. Remember -- this deal is unlikely to stick around for long.

Why you should buy the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i
As one of the best gaming laptop brands, it’s always worth strongly considering Lenovo and its Legion range when seeking a new gaming rig. This particular model is packed with the latest hardware. It has a 14th-generation Intel Core i9-14900HX processor paired up with a massive 32GB of memory so it’s all set for gaming for a long time at high detail levels. Of course, to do so, it needs a great graphics card and you can’t get much better than the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 with 16GB of dedicated VRAM that’s included here. It all comes together to futureproof your gaming sessions for a long time to come.

Read more