Gaming can be a lot of fun, but if you’re the sort of person who doesn’t want to deal with a big gaming desktop, then going for a gaming laptop makes a lot of sense. Of course, you aren’t going to get as much power under the hood as you would with a desktop, and it might cost a bit more, but you do get a lot of mobility and an included screen in the process. Either way, modern gaming laptops have become really great, and even the budget-oriented stuff can play some of the best PC games out there.
To that end, we’ve gone out and collected some of our favorite gaming laptop deals out there. On the other hand, if you don’t want something that yells “gaming laptop,” check out some of these other laptop deals that include more traditional-looking laptops with some gaming specs.
IdeaPad Gaming 3 gaming laptop — $617, was $950
Lenovo
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is an excellent budget option, and while it won’t be able to play the latest games at max settings, it’s still pretty good. Under the hood it has an RTX 3050, which is an entry-level GPU that will handle most free-to-play games relatively ok with lower graphical settings. It also comes with an AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS processor, which is a mid-range option and will handle most games just fine, plus will let you get some productivity work done as well. As for the screen, it’s 15.6 inches big and runs at FHD at 120Hz refresh, which won’t massively stress the RTX 3050, which is good.
If you want something with a bit more power and yet still budget-friendly, this Acer Predator Helios Neo is the perfect match, especially since it runs an RTX 4050 under the hood which, again, is an entry-level GPU, but it does give you access to DLSS 3.0. You also get a larger 16-inch screen with a whopping 165Hz refresh rate, although the resolution sits at FHD, which actually isn’t a bad thing considering you’re more likely to hit a higher refresh rate with the lower resolution. Luckily, even for being a budget gaming laptop you get 16GB of DDR5 RAM, so you won’t have trouble running lots of windows an apps, although the 512GB of storage could be a bit bigger in an ideal world.
Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop — $751, was $950
Acer
The Acer Nitro 5 is a good gaming laptop to consider if you’re looking for some value. It has internal hardware that’s hard to find at such a great price, including a 12th-generation Intel processor with eight cores, 16GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card, which is an entry-level GPU. These work together to make your gaming experience immersive and smooth, and a 512GB solid-state drive makes for a lot of space to store your favorite PC games. You also get an impressive 17.3-inch screen that runs at FHD and a 144Hz refresh rate, although the RTX 3050 might struggle with that without graphical setting compromises.
Dell G16 gaming laptop — $1,300, was $1,900
Dell
From one of the best laptop brands, the Dell G16 gaming laptop is a tempting proposition. It has a 13th-generation Intel Core i9 processor paired up with 32GB of memory and 1TB of SSD storage. Already onto a good thing with the storage and memory, there’s also an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card, which is great for the majority of the latest games. Perhaps the biggest highlight is its 16-inch QHD+ screen with 2560 x 1600 resolution and 165Hz refresh rate ensuring everything looks super sharp. It all fits into a shell that’s the same size as a 15-inch laptop so it’s more portable than you’d expect.
Alienware x14 R2 00 $1,500, was $1,900
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
While there is a lot of focus on bigger screens, there are a lot of great smaller gaming laptops that pack a punch. For example, the Alienware X14 R2 has a 14-inch display, but it runs a 2560 x 1600 resolution and can hit an impressive 165Hz refresh rate. It also comes with an RTX 4060, which should be powerful enough to do a hundred frames or so at medium settings at this resolution, although that can be increased if you play a game that runs on DLSS 3.0. You’ll also be happy to know you get 16GB of DDR5 RAM, an impressive 1TB SSD, and an Intel Core i7-13620H processor, which will easily knock most games and productivity tasks out of the park.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 — $1,600, was $1,950
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends / Digital Trends
If you want one of the best bangs for your buck when it comes to gaming laptops, then the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 is probably it since it balances all the specs really well. It runs an RTX 4070, which is a solid 2K GPU, while also running a 16-inch 2K monitor, so neither is overpowered or underpowered. The monitor can also hit a 240hz refresh rate which, granted, you’ll struggle to hit without serious graphical compromises, but at least you have the option to prioritize what is important for you. It also comes with an Intel Core i9-13900H, one of the most powerful CPUs on the market, so you could even potentially stream to Twitch or YouTube with this laptop, which is neat.
Alienware m18 gaming laptop — $2,195, was $2,795
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
From one of the best gaming laptop brands, the Alienware m18 is a great gaming laptop if you want a desktop replacement. It has an AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX processor paired with 32GB of memory and 1TB of SSD storage. There’s an AMD Radeon RX 7900M graphics card, too, but the true highlight here is the huge 16-inch full WQXGA screen with 2560 x 1600 resolution, 165Hz refresh rate, and 3ms response time. It means it isn’t the most portable of laptops but it’s perfect if you don’t have the room (or inclination) for a desktop gaming PC. Alienware Cryo-tech advanced cooling gives you plenty of system stability while there’s Dolby Vision support, Dolby Atmos, a great keyboard and much more.
Lenovo Legion 7i Gen 9 gaming laptop — $2,241, was $2,360
Arif Bacchus / Digital Trends / Digital Trends
Packing a 13th-generation Intel Core i9-14900HX processor with 32GB of memory and 1 TB of SSD storage is a good start for the Lenovo Legion 7i Gen9. It also has an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card so it’s all up to date. Paired with that is a 16-inch WQXGA screen with HDR 400 support, 100% sRGB, 500 nits of brightness, 240Hz refresh rate, and 2560 x 1600. That means whatever you play will look gorgeous. Other useful extras include a per-key RGB backlit keyboard, a fingerprint reader, and 1080p full HD webcam. It’s sleek and lightweight as you’d expect from the maker of some of the best thin and light gaming laptops. It’s ideal if you have ambitions to stream your gaming time.
More gaming laptop deals we love
We’ve only touched the surface when it comes to great gaming laptop deals. While we’ve highlighted the very best options, there are many more. This includes some cheap deals as well as some high-end gaming laptops. Brands include HP Omen, Alienware, Lenovo Legion, Asus, and many others. Take a look below at what’s out there.
Best Acer laptop deals: From Chromebooks to gaming laptops
If you're looking to pick up a new laptop, then you may want to consider the Acer lineup, especially considering it's one of the best laptop brands when it comes to budget-oriented computers. That even includes gaming laptops. Even better, you can find a lot of great deals on Acer's laptops, meaning that the already budget-friendly laptops become even cheaper, which is why we've gone out to find our favorite deals and list them for you below. That said, if you can't find what you're looking for below, be sure to check out some of these other great laptop deals as well, since there is some crossover between this list and our picks for the best Chromebook deals, 2-in-1 laptop deals and gaming laptop deals.
Aspire 1 -- $200, was $300
If you need something very basic just to get online and do some general productivity and day-to-day stuff, then the Acer Aspire 1 is a good budget option. It has a 15.6-inch screen with an FHD resolution, which is nice to see at this price point, and the screen bevels are actually relatively thin for a budget-oriented product. Of course, it does come with a lower-end Intel Celeron N4500 and only 4GB of RAM, which means Windows 11 is in the reduced S mode, but the lower spec does mean the price can stay really low too.
Best 2-in-1 laptop deals: Turn your laptop into a tablet for $349
If you find that your traditional laptop isn't quite doing it for you in terms of workflow, then you might want to consider taking some of what the best tablets and the best laptops have and combining them together in the form of 2-in-1 laptops. These can offer a ton of versatility to your workflow, such as being able to use them in handheld mode for drawing or presenting, as well as the fact that most, if not all, are touch-enabled, so you don't even have to use a mouse if you don't want to.
There are, of course, a ton of great choices out there, but some of the best 2-in-1 laptops can get quite expensive, especially when you're buying them from some of the best laptop brands out there. That's why we've gone out and looked for our favorite 2-in-1 laptop deals to help save you some effort. We've pulled from HP laptop deals, Dell laptop deals, the classic 2-in-1 Surface Pro deals, and more. Check them out below.
When it comes to powerful and reliable mini-computers, one of the most popular options is the Raspberry Pi. In fact, this particular PC gets most of the mini-CPU fanfare, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only small computer worth considering. If you’re thinking about investing in a bite-sized machine, we’ve put together this list of four mini PCs in direct competition with Raspberry Pi.
