Cheap gaming laptop deals

MSI GF65 Thin | Nvidia RTX 3060 | Intel Core i5 10500H | 15.6-inch | 1080p | 144Hz | 16GB | 512GB SSD | $805 at Amazon (opens in new tab)
It's getting harder to recommend RTX 30-series machines in the face of the newer RTX 40-series, especially without a good discount. And while the CPU is a couple of generations old in this MSI machine, the rest of the spec is decent for an $805 gaming system.

MSI Cyborg | Nvidia RTX 4050 | Intel Core i5 12450H | 15.6-inch | 1080p | 144Hz | 8GB | 512GB SSD | $999.99 at Best Buy (opens in new tab)
This might be one of the first RTX 40-series gaming laptops for under $1,000 we've seen so far. The MSI Cyborg is a nice little budget 1080p gaming laptop that should get a decent fps boost thanks to the magic of Nvidia's DLSS Frame Generation tech. It outperforms anything more expensive systems with an RTX 3050 GPU pretty soundly.

Asus ROG Zephyrus 14 | Nvidia RTX 3060 | AMD Ryzen 7 5800HS | 14-inch | 1080p | 144Hz | 16GB RAM | 512GB SSD | $1,399.99 $899.99 at Best Buy (save $500) (opens in new tab)
If you don't want a hulking gaming laptop, let me introduce the Zephyrus 14: a 14-incher that can game without busting your bank balance or your shoulder when lugging it around. No-nonsense specs in a delightful package. That $400 saving doesn't hurt either.

Gigabyte G5 | Nvidia RTX 4060 | Intel Core i5 12500H | 15.6-inch | 144Hz | 1080p | 8GB RAM | 512GB SSD | $999.99 at Amazon (opens in new tab)
Not a huge discount, but this is the cheapest price we've found for a new RTX 4060 gaming laptop. Well, now only applies to the GPU itself; it looks like that has been parachuted into this old design to make for an affordable notebook. And it will easily outperform any RTX 3060 machine and match RTX 3070 frame rates. You do only get 8GB RAM and a 512GB SSD, but the system is easily upgradeable, and there are two M.2 slots to fill, too.

Asus ROG Zephyrus 14 | AMD RX 6700S | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS | 14-inch | 2560 x 1600 | 120Hz | 16GB RAM | 1TB SSD | $1,899.99 $1,249.99 at Best Buy (save $650) (opens in new tab)
I am sorely tempted because the Z14 is one of the loveliest gaming laptops around. And that's from someone hopelessly in love with the Razer Blade 14. The combination of top-end Ryzen mobile CPU and performance Radeon GPU is impressive. That RX 6700S is only a shade behind the RTX 3070 in notebook form, and the rest of the spec rocks, too, especially that 120Hz 2560 x 1600 resolution screen. And it's the Moonlight White version as well. Mmmm.

Gigabyte Aero | RTX 3070 Ti | Intel i7-12700H | 16-inch | 3840 x 2400 | 60Hz | 16GB RAM | 1TB SSD | $2,349.99 $1,399.99 at Best Buy (save $950) (opens in new tab)
This gorgeous Gigabyte Aero deal is the only one with a 4K OLED panel which is why I'm willing to forgive that it's only 60Hz. This is a gaming laptop for both work and play, especially if that work is a lot of video editing.

MSI Katana 15 | Nvidia RTX 4070 | Intel Core i7 12650H | 15.6-inch | 144Hz | 1080p | 16GB DDR5 | 1TB SSD | $1,499 $1,449 at Newegg (save $50) (opens in new tab)
Proof that Nvidia's new RTX 40-series graphics tech doesn't always come at a crazy price. This RTX 4070 laptop is relatively affordable and comes ready to roll with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. The 15.6-inch screen rocks IPS tech and 144Hz, too. OK, it runs last-gen Intel CPU tech, but with six performance cores, it has all the processing grunt you need for gaming.

Acer Nitro 5 | Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti | AMD Ryzen 7 6800H | 15.6-inch | 165Hz | 1440p | 32GB DDR5 | 1TB SSD | $1,499 at Newegg (opens in new tab)
This Acer Nitro 5 packs a lot of power underneath its unassuming exterior. It has one of the last generation's better GPU/CPU combos on a gaming laptop. It has a speedy 1440p 165Hz display, which is the PC gaming sweet spot. 

Lenovo Legion 5i | Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti| Intel Core i7 12700H| 16-inch | 1080p | 165Hz | 16GB DDR5-4800 | 2TB NVMe SSD | $2,399.99 $1,489.99 at Lenovo (save $910) (opens in new tab)
This powerful 1080p Legion 5i provides impressive performance if you're searching for a laptop for work and play. I'm a huge fan of the massive 2TB SSD, which is something we often don't see at this price. 

Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 | Nvidia RTX 3080 | AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX | 15.6-inch | 300Hz | 1080p | 16GB DDR5 | 1TB SSD | $1,999 $1,699 at Amazon (save $300) (opens in new tab)
If you need portability and power for less than $1500, this Strix Scar 15 should be right up your alley. Its most impressive feature is its buttery smooth 300Hz display on an IPS panel. This means you'll be able to play most of your favorite shooters at 1080p on high settings and still hit some pretty impressive framerates.

Alienware m17 R5 | RX 6850M XT| AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX| 17.3-inch | 1080p | 360Hz | 16GB DDR5-4800 | 1TB NVMe SSD | $2,199.99 $1,499.99 at Dell (save $700) (opens in new tab)
This config of the Alienware m17 R5 offers immense speed on that 1080p monitor, for a competitive edge. A nice, big 17-inch display means this thing could potentially replace your aging desktop if you saw fit. I would have liked to see a larger SSD and a bit more RAM but this is still a solid all AMD buy. 

Alienware m15 R7 | RTX 3070 Ti| AMD Ryzen 7 6800H| 15.6-inch | 1440p | 240Hz | 16GB DDR5-4800 | 1TB NVMe SSD | $2,149.99 $1,399.99 at Dell (save $750) (opens in new tab)
This Alienware m15 R7 offers you some solid 1440p gaming performance as well as being a reliable little workstation. A nice, speedy 240Hz 1440p panel means this thing is ideal for competitive shooters. 

Lenovo Legion Pro 7i | Nvidia RTX 4070 | Intel Core i9 13900HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 240Hz | 16GB DDR5-5600 | 1TB NVMe SSD | $2,299.99 $2,069.99 at Newegg (save $230) (opens in new tab)
We are big fans of the RTX 4080 version of Lenovo's Legion Pro 7i. This Legion pretty much has the same spec as that laptop, except it's got an RTX 4070 GPU which brings the cost down to around $2,000. It's got a great CPU, a speedy 1600p 240Hz display, and 16GB of DDR5 RAM.

Lenovo Legion Pro 7i | Nvidia RTX 4080 | Intel Core i9 13900HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 240Hz | 32GB DDR5-5600 | 1TB NVMe SSD | $2,899 $2,299 at B&H Photo (save $600) (opens in new tab)
This is a surprise: a discount on the best RTX 4080 laptop I've tested. It's a fantastic notebook, offering performance that can often match and sometimes beat an RTX 4090-based system. There's a high-performance CPU to back it up, a decent, bright 1600p screen, and a fair amount of storage. All with a $100 discount. Neat.

Medion Erazer Deputy P25 | Nvidia RTX 3060 | AMD Ryzen 5 5600H | 16GB RAM | 512GB SSD | 15.6-inch | 1080p | 144Hz | £999.99 £799.99 at Ebuyer (save £220) (opens in new tab)
For a budget laptop, this Medion has pretty much everything checked off. An RTX 3060, check; a decent CPU, check; 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD, check and check. It's also got the requisite high refresh rate screen. I wouldn't want to spend more than this on an RTX 3060 machine in the face of the RTX 40-series release, but this is a decent, thick laptop for the money.

Asus TUF A15 | Nvidia RTX 4060 | AMD Ryzen 7735HS | 15-inch | 16GB DDR5 | 512GB NVMe SSD | 1080p | 144Hz | £1,189.38 £1,179.99 at CCL (save £9.39) (opens in new tab)
The RTX 4060 isn't a vast improvement over the RTX 3060, but you're looking at around 30% higher performance or something around the RTX 3070 level. And that makes this price tag about right. You'll want to get a little more storage in this thing down the line, but that's historically been a little problem for the A15 machines.

MSI Katana 15 | Nvidia RTX 4070 | Intel Core i7 12650H | 15-inch | 1080p | 144Hz | 16GB DDR5 | 1TB SSD | £1,647.97 £1,397.97 at Laptops Direct (save £148) (opens in new tab)
You will find some small discounts on laptops with an RTX 40-series GPU inside, such as this MSI model. It's a real all-around performer from its spec, with a chunky Intel CPU, lots of DDR5 RAM, and a decent-sized SSD. Not bad, considering how new it is.