The best cheap gaming laptop deals for January 2025: affordable options for all budgets up to $1,000

You’ll find all of this week’s most productive affordable gaming PC deals, cleverly grouped into one easy-to-read list here on this page. Personally, I have scoured all the best stores nationwide to find only the best priced machines on the market right now for our readers looking for better prices. Fortunately, there are some possible options at the moment, not least because several stores have been offering wonderful New Year’s offers lately.

1. Less than $7,002. Less than $8,003. Less than $9,004. Less than $10,005. Buying Tips

To source our cheap gaming laptop deals recommendations, I’ve rigorously price checked most of the big-name retailers that you’d expect – Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, HP, and Dell to name just a few. The best choices tend to come from these stores, but we’ve always got an eye out for other listings from specialist retailers. We always shop around to find the very best value choices and take care weed out any of the sub-par listings you often find at auction houses or the like.

When it comes to brands, look for machines worthy of gaming PC offering veterans like Acer, Dell, Lenovo and Asus, although we never let the popularity of big brands completely influence our potential features: cash price It is the most important factor. In price, find listings ranging from around $600 to $1,000 with our picks, with plenty of features if you want to spend a little more on one of the machines reviewed in our ultimate productivity gaming computer buying guide.

And, for those who want a little guidance on their gaming PC offerings, scroll down to the bottom of the page where you’ll find a detailed FAQ section. No query is too undeniable to answer and find plenty of expert, unbiased advice that will help you find exactly what you’re looking for, even if you’re not familiar with the technical jargon.

Processor: Intel Core i5-12450HCrp: RTX 3050RAM: GBSAD: 512GB SSD

If you’re on a budget, and I mean a real budget, you might want to pick up this HP Victus at Best Buy. While it’s not a world champion by any means, at $480 this is a very reasonable product. You get an RTX 3050 graphics card. This device is getting a little old now, but it’s still worth taking care of less difficult games and even some high-end titles if you’re willing to tweak a few settings.

Performance Level: 1080p, Medium Settings Spec Score: ⭐⭐⭐ Value Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance: lower to mid graphics settingsDesign: usually plastic, relatively bulkyDisplay: 1080p resolution, not super bright, often lower refresh rate (60Hz)

How We Select Gaming Laptop Deals Under $700

At under $700, we’re primarily looking for a machine that will suffice for the basics. That means at least a GTX 1650 graphics card, preferably an RTX 3050, and at least an 11th gen Intel Core i5 or the equivalent from AMD. We’re automatically filtering out sub-par choices that don’t have dedicated graphics cards or machines that claim to be ‘gaming’ machines but clearly aren’t. While we haven’t reviewed all of these cheaper models personally here at TechRadar we can guarantee you that all of them have components that are ‘gaming ready’ and enough power to play most games at 1080p, albeit at lower graphical settings.

Processor: AMD Ryzen 5-7535HS Graphics card: RTX 4050RAM: GB SSD: 512 GB

The Acer Nitro has been a reasonable gaming computer for many years and this new style is no exception. It’s an entry-level machine, but this configuration includes the newest RTX 4050 graphics card and 16GB of RAM, which deserve to give you decent functionality in max games at 1080p. At $699, this is rarely the most reasonable RTX 4050 gaming computer I’ve ever seen, but it’s still a good and fairly inexpensive option right now.

Performance level: 1080p, high to ultra settingsSpecs score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐Value score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance: Medium graphics at 1080p Design: Normally plastic, large Display: 1080p resolution, usually 144Hz

How We Select Gaming Laptop Deals Under $800

This price bracket tends to actually be quite quiet for gaming laptop deals, depending on the time of the year. Generally speaking, $799ish is a budget that sits between the super budget machines and the start of the ‘mid-range’ gaming laptops. Subsequently, this area often has sub-par options – particularly when retailers try and upsell an otherwise budget machine. We’ve taken special care to omit these poor-value choices and instead focused on finding mid-range options that feature rare price cuts or clearance deals. If you can find a machine with an RTX 3060 at this price, that’s a particularly good buy in our opinion.

Graphics card: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Processor: AMD Ryzen 7-8845 HS RAM: GB DDR5 Storage: 512 GB

It’s not every day that you see a device with an RTX 4070 graphics card for less than $1,000, let alone $900 like this HP Victus at deep discounts at Best Buy. Heavily discounted at $550, this deal is a fantastic loan if you’re looking for a computer that can handle all the newest titles without having to spend a lot of money. Not only do you get a wonderful graphics card here, but 16GB of DDR5 RAM and a rugged Ryzen 7 chipset mean that no blatant upgrades are needed to get wonderful functionality right out of the box. Note that the RTX 4070 here is rugged enough to force a 1440p external monitor, but this device’s 16. 1-inch display tops out at 1080p.

Performance Level: 1440p, High Settings on UltraSpec Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Value Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance: mid to high graphicsDesign: usually plastic, sometimes slimmerDisplay: 1080p resolution, usually 144Hz

How we pick out gaming laptop deals under $900

This price range is usually where the real mid-range machines start and subsequently, we’d recommend this section if you’re looking for silky-smooth performance on most games. When we look for gaming laptop deals in this price range we prioritize a mid-range graphics card, such as an RTX 3060. Generally speaking, it’s often difficult to find higher-end specs like a Core i7 or Ryzen 7 processor at this budget range, so often compromises have to be made. In these cases, we nearly always weigh in favor of getting a decent GPU as that’s what’s going to give you the most bang for the buck in regards to performance in game.

Processor: Intel Core i7-13620HGraphics card: GeForce RTX 4060RAM: 16GB DDR5SSD: 1TB

Slightly overshadowed by the previously incredibly reasonable RTX 4070 directory, this HP Omen 16 offering is still wonderful – it’s a premium model. With an impressive design, this device looks a little sleeker than the same regular budget devices, but thankfully it also has some wonderful specs. With an RTX 4060 chipset and a 13th generation Intel Core i7, this one is more than capable of running maximum games smoothly with 1080p resolutions.

Performance level: 1080p, ultra settingsSpecs score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐Value score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance: high graphicsDesign: often slimmerDisplay: 1080p resolution, usually 144Hz

How We Select Gaming Laptop Deals Under $1000

For just under $1,000, you deserve to be able to pick up a device with a mid-range graphics card and a decent CPU like a Core i7 or Ryzen 7. That’s the balance of parts we’re looking for in a gaming PC. computer offer. at this value point. Simply put, we want specs that tick all the boxes for $1,000 1080p gaming, adding 16GB of RAM if possible. The theme for this particular price range is out-of-the-box functionality without the need for later updates. This is also a budget diversity where we tend to personally review many gaming computers here at TechRadar, which also greatly informs our potential options when it comes to style selection.

Processor: Intel Core i7-13620H Graphics card: RTX 4070 RAM: GB SSD: 1 TB SSD

It’s been a while since we’ve seen this MSI Katana this cheap at Amazon but right now it’s back down to its lowest ever price. Overall, It’s not a super-cheap machine but this MSI is easily one of the best value right now considering you get a high-end RTX 4070 graphics card. Alongside this powerful component, you’ll also get a respectable Core i7 chipset, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD for good measure, meaning you’ve got plenty of power here to even run games at 1440p resolutions.

Performance Level: 1440p, Medium Settings a Spec Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Value Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance: Ultra graphics Design: Thinner, metallic Display: 1080p to 1440p resolution, 165Hz and above

How We Select Gaming Laptop Deals Over $1000

This specific segment is a complement to our list of reasonable offers on gaming computers and is a kind of doleading in which we publish classified ads that caught our attention, but necessarily very cheap options. Our main criteria for this segment? What strength you get for your money. With this budget, we expect a gaming computer that comes with not only a high-end GPU and processor, but also an excellent display and premium design. Manufacturers also tend to send us their high-end machines for review, which is why many possible options in this segment will be decided specifically by our general purchasing advisor for the best gaming computers.

1. Determine how much you need

You’ll be able to play a surprisingly large amount of titles well with an RTX 3050 gaming laptop

First, make a list of all the games you plan to play with your new lopass gaming laptop. Is your list ready? GOOD. Now you’ll want to know the minimum and recommended specifications for each of your titles. We recommend checking the game directory on the Steam online store, as it has an easily viewable list of minimum specifications for each title. If you’re purchasing on behalf of a friend or child, ask them to list their favorite games and go from there.

Generally, the older the game, the less strength you’ll need. If you plan to play strategy games, esports names, or indie games, you might find that a device with an entry-level RTX 3050 or similar graphics card is more than enough. Conversely, if you’re looking to play CyberPunk 2077 or a similar studio hit at maximum graphics settings, you’ll probably need to look at a device with an RTX 3070 or equivalent graphics card. Again, use the recommended game specs as a general guide to calculate how much strength you need.

It’s worth noting that you’ll be able to play a surprisingly large amount of titles well with an RTX 3050 gaming laptop. Just because it’s a budget option doesn’t mean it’ll exclude you from playing all the latest games. Just remember though, you may have to sacrifice a fair amount of graphical fidelity to get those games running smoothly.

2. Set your budget

We’d recommend spending somewhere between $650 to $850 for a first time buyer

Okay, so you have your wish list of specifications. Now let’s set a budget and go from there. Possibly here you will find that your budget adapts to your needs. On the contrary, your dream device will be a little out of your budget, at least for now.

To start, we propose spending between $650 and $850 for a first-time buyer. Most top-priced devices tend to fall into this budget range, with graphics cards decent enough for 1080p gaming. Sometimes cheaper features appear, but they have older specifications and less storage. Your mileage may vary, but sometimes we suggest spending a little more if you can to get a device that will last a few more years.

3. Buy. . . or let us do it for you

Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, Dell, and HP are the best retailers

Now you’re clued in and know what you need, it’s time to shop around. In the US, the best retailers to check for gaming laptop deals are Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, Dell, and HP, all of which will have fairly cheap machines up for grabs at any one time. Patience will be rewarded here, especially if you’re coming up to a big sales event like Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday. Before you jump in, it’s always worth it staking out a listing and seeing if the other retailers are offering something better.

Alternatively, you can simply bookmark this page and let us do all the work for you. We update this page weekly, on Mondays or Tuesdays, with the best gaming deals we can find, many of which we’ve personally tested. here at TechRadar.

1. Graphics card (GPU)2. Processor (CPU)3. RAM4. Storage5. Display

The graphics card is by far the most important component for gaming computer offerings in 2023. It is the center of the device and the component most responsible for sleek gameplay. If you’re looking for greater value, sometimes you should prioritize getting a larger GPU over other components.

That’s not to say the other specs are vital. The processor will be to blame for the fast load times, fancy overall use, and help for your graphics card in the game. This is the time when you should prioritize the maximum vital detail and, depending on your game. , can make a big difference in your overall consistent performance. RAM is also an essential aid component to expand the frames according to the moment and loading times of the game. However, we would rank it in the third position, as it is quite reasonable. and simple to upgrade this component yourself with a little Know how.

Depending on your use case, we would classify Garage and Demo as the next vital specs for Array. Both innovations are more of an improvement in the quality of life; However, for many gamers, a 512GB SSD, for example, is a must-have. for a computer. Some budget computers come with 256GB storage drives, which is often enough to hold more than a few modern games at a time, depending on the genre. The overall quality of the screen, and especially the refresh rate, is This is extremely important if you basically want to use your computer as is, without an external monitor. Typically, we’d say go for a screen with a refresh rate of 120Hz or higher. It’s incredibly rare to find a 60Hz monitor on a gaming computer these days. However, it is more productive to avoid them if possible as it will make your game slower in comparison.

This is absolutely subjective, it depends on the type of games you need to play and the point of functionality you need. However, as a smart measure, we propose at least the following if you have a strict budget:

Anything less than the above tends to struggle with modern gaming at 1080p settings. Of course, you can get away with lower-tier or older parts if you’re just making plans to play older games, but for newer releases, definitely keep the above in mind at the very least.

Unlikely, to be honest. There are occasional listings on Walmart especially that get close to $500 but they often feature last-gen components and are often not the best value in context. At any one time you’ll often also find third-party listings on Amazon, eBay, or Newegg that advertise ‘gaming laptops’ but are in fact office computers or ultrabooks. If the laptop being advertised doesn’t have a dedicated graphics card like an Nvidia RTX or AMD Radeon RX then it’s a dead give away that it’s being falsely advertised as a gaming laptop. Usually these listings may run from around $350 to $600, which is suspiciously cheap for a gaming laptop. In general, our advice is to ignore these third party listings and save up a little bit more for a budget gaming machine.

Fortunately for gamers on a budget, deals on gaming laptops tend to be weekly at most major retailers, so there’s plenty to choose from. That said, there are definitely some highlights throughout the year, namely big grocery shopping occasions like Black Friday, Cyber ​​Monday, and Amazon Prime Day that can create wonderful effects for those who are willing to wait. And as many of our picks this week show, the Labor Day sales also generated wonderful savings.

Our most productive advice: do your research. Specify the style and specifications you need and check with your favorite stores every week. You can also let TechRadar do all the work for you and a regular guest on this page or in our committed deals feed.

Alex is TechRadar’s Deals Editor and specializes in getting the top productive price for our readers of the generation we know and love. She’s savvy at covering in-store events like Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day, and has over seven years of e-commerce experience. at Future PLC; adding signatures from our sister sites T3 and GamesRadar. Alex’s experience spans most TechRadar spaces, however, he has a specific love for phones, laptops, and cameras, and is an avid photographer. Outside of work, find him enjoying his hobby street and travel photography, at home running to music, or at the local climbing gym.

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