Skip to main content

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

For just $550 you can snag this entry-level gaming laptop with an RTX 3050

The Lenovo LOQ 16-inch gaming laptop at a side angle.
Lenovo

While gaming laptops used to be quite big, bulky, and expensive, the past few years have seen a big jump in technology, and now most gaming laptops tend to be quite thin and easy to carry around. Not only that, but there are some nice budget-oriented options as well, such as this configuration of the Lenovo LOQ. What makes it impressive is that it’s been discounted at Best Buy down to $550 and yet comes with an entry-level RTX 30-series GPU, which is rare at this price bracket. In fact, this laptop usually goes for $800, so you’re getting a whopping $250 discount in the process.

Why you should buy the Lenovo LOQ 15.6-inch gaming laptop

The beating heart of any gaming laptop is its GPU, and in this case, you get yourself an RTX 3050, which admittedly is an entry-level graphics card, but for the $550 price tag, it’s actually really impressive to see. In terms of gaming, you’re going to easily be able to play casual and indie games, as well as older games from the last few years. You can also get away with playing some free-to-play games, and with the screen’s FHD resolution and 144Hz refresh rate, you can actually optimize your settings for better framerate, which is a nice addition.

As for processing power, you get a mid-range AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS processor that should be enough for most gaming and day-to-day tasks. The slightly more efficient AMD CPU will also help extend the battery’s lifetime. Equally impressive at this price point is 12GB of RAM, and while we would have preferred 16GB for a gaming laptop, it’s a lot better than having 8GB of RAM. The 512Gb of storage is also pretty solid, especially if you aren’t going to be playing the latest games that are often 60-100GB each, although you may want to supplement it with one of these external hard drive deals or an M.2 SSD deal if you’re a bit more tech-savvy.

All in all, while this Lenovo LOQ might not win any awards for best laptop, it’s easily one of the best deals on a budget gaming laptop you’re likely to see in a while, especially with Best Buy’s $250 discount that brings it down to $550. That said, if you’d still like to explore a few more options, be sure to check out these other great gaming laptop deals.

Albert Bassili
Deals Writer
Albert’s been a tech and gaming writer for over a decade, writing for websites such as CNET, PopSci, and How-To-Geek, and…
Early Black Friday gaming laptop deals 2024 — Asus, Alienware, Lenovo, more on sale
AMD and Intel logos next to each other on gaming laptops.

Update 10/23/24: We've just now started collecting gaming laptop deals for the upcoming event and... we're happy? These deals are looking pretty good and you can get 4K series RTX (laptop edition, of course) GPUs for a surprisingly affordable price already. We're excited to see what is to come in the following weeks, too, of course... but buy now if you wish, there's really no harm in picking up a good deal.

Black Friday doesn't officially begin until November 29. As that's near the tail end of November, it doesn't take a long ponder to realize that the big shopping holiday is quite some time away. However, if you're in the mood and market for a new gaming laptop, you don't really need to wait. Retailers and companies are already pushing out deals on serviceable gaming laptops now. Some of them are even on the best gaming laptops available. So, if you want to get started on your portable gaming journey, there's no need to wait until the last minute, you can get started with these great deals now.
HP Victus 16 — $900 $1,400 36% off

Read more
Our favorite gaming monitor has a $220 discount today
The Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor on a white background.

Dell often has some of the best monitor deals, and that’s certainly the case today. For gamers, there’s a fantastic offer on the Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor, which bring it down to $680 for a limited time. Usually $900, you’re enjoying a $220 discount if you buy today. The monitor is perfect for gamers who want to be immersed in the action. Here’s a quick look at what it has to offer.

Why you should buy the Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor
The Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor is right at the top of our look at the best gaming monitors. It provides a gorgeous image while also wrapping you up in the action. It has a WQHD resolution of 3440 x 1440, and the 165Hz refresh rate means it can handle fast moving action without any issue. It also has AMD FreeSync Premium Pro support to work well alongside your graphics card.

Read more
Quick! Dell’s laptop sale gets you $400 off a Dell Inspiron 16
The Dell Inspiron 15 at a side angle while showing an image of a man and a ball.

Dell has some fantastic laptop deals at the moment, with options for those on a budget and anyone looking to spend a little more too. Dell laptop deals are generally the ideal first port of call for anyone seeking a new laptop, and that’s no different here. Right now you can save $50 on the Dell Inspiron 15 and a massive $400 off the Dell Inspiron 16 laptop. If you’re keen to learn more, read on and we’ll take you through what each model has to offer and who it's a good fit for.
Dell Inspiron 15 -- $280, was $330

With Dell being one of the best laptop brands out there, even its budget offerings are worth considering. With the Dell Inspiron 15, you get all the basic essentials needed for working on the move, as long as it isn’t anything too demanding. This particular model has a 12th-generation Intel Core i3-1215U processor along with 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD storage. None of that is particularly impressive. You may find yourself needing to use cloud storage to supplement your storage, and it could use a RAM upgrade. However, this is a super cheap laptop. It also has a surprisingly good screen for the price. It has a 15.6-inch full HD display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 250 nits of brightness, and narrow borders. That and its roomy keycaps and spacious touchpad ensure this laptop is good for basic needs.

Read more