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 HP laptop deals: Get a 17-inch workhorse for $370 and more
HP is one of the best laptop brands on the market, and if you're thinking of picking up a new laptop, then you may want to consider one of its many varieties of laptops. Not only that, but HP usually has some form of deal going on each of its sub-brans, so whether you're looking for an HP Omen gaming laptop or a Spectre X360 2-in-1 convertible, you'll likely find a good deal on it. Of course, it can be hard to navigate the dozens of different types of laptops HP has, which is why we've gone out and collected some of our favorite deals to help save you the trouble. That said, if you can't find quite what you're looking for below, be sure to check out these other great laptop deals and gaming laptop deals as well.
HP Laptop 15z -- $250, was $500
If you need a budget laptop for basic tasks, you can't go wrong with the HP Laptop 15z. With its AMD Athlon Silver 7120U processor, AMD Radeon Graphics, and 8GB of RAM, it's going to be a dependable device for doing online research and working with productivity apps. The laptop features a 128GB SSD with Windows 11 Home pre-loaded, and a relatively large 15.6-inch HD screen for its low price.
Best Adobe Photoshop deals: Get the photo-editing software for free
If you're in the creative field at all, then you probably know that Adobe Photoshop is the go-to app for pretty much any sort of graphical design and photo editing, whether at a professional or hobby level. Unfortunately, being at the top of the game means that Adobe can get very expensive, especially depending on the sort of suite of Adobe apps you're aiming for. Luckily, there are a couple of good discounts, especially if you're a student or teacher, and if not, well, there are some pretty great Photoshop alternatives out there if you don't want to pay Adobe's pricing. On the other hand, if you have to have Adobe Photoshop, then we've collected some deals and other bits of information below. You might also want to check out some of these great laptop deals and desktop deals if you're thinking of upgrading your PC to handle Photoshop and other Adobe apps more smoothly.
Adobe Photoshop free 7-day trial
If you've never used the tool before or you just need to do something quick and don't want permanent access, you can always utilize Adobe's free trial offer. You'll get access to Photoshop on desktop and iPad, including Adobe Express, and you can take advantage of free tutorials, fonts, templates, and much more. Plus, for the trial period you'll get up to 100GB of cloud storage. After the trial, it's $23 per month to retain access if you want it -- that's just Photoshop.
Best Chromebook deals: Cheap computers starting at $54
If you want to grab yourself a Windows laptop but feel that the prices are pretty high, especially when it comes to the best laptops on the market, you may want to consider going for a Chromebook instead. That's because ChromeOS tends to be a lot more lightweight than Windows, so the specs you have can go a much longer way, and even the best Chromebooks don't cost as much as the best Windows laptops. Even better, you can still get some great Chromebook deals, which is why we went out and collected our favorites below, although if you'd still like to go with a laptop, these laptop deals are a good option too.
HP Chromebook 11A G6 Education Edition -- $46, was $244
Probably one of the cheapest options you're going to find for a Chromebook is this education edition that's made to be as basic as possible to bring the price down. The processor is a very entry-level AMD A4 9120C which is just about enough to get productivity tasks completely, and probably can't handle more complex tasks. The 4 GB of RAM isn't a lot either, but at least with ChromeOS not being as demanding resource-wise, you shouldn't feel it as much as you would on a Windows device. The biggest downside is the 16GB SSD, which means you will almost certainly have to rely on one of these external hard drive deals.
