Best cheap gaming laptop deals

Steam Deck (LCD) | 512 GB SSD | $449 at Steam
Okay, the Steam Deck may have had an OLED refresh but the original version is still the archetype of what a mobile PC gaming device should be. It's just as powerful as the most recent model so all those Steam Deck compatible games should run well. It's the OG PC gaming handheld, and it still demands respect.

HP Victus 15 | RTX 4050 | Ryzen 5 8645HS | 15.6-inch | 1080p | 144 Hz | 8 GB DDR5 | 512 GB SSD | $979 $599 at Walmart (save $380)
Let's be upfront about this—8 GB of RAM is not enough in 2024. But when you're talking about a gaming notebook that costs just $600, but with a decent RTX 40-series GPU inside it, I can swallow it. Especially when you can easily upgrade the RAM with just a wee screwdriver in-hand. And 16 GB of fast dual-channel DDR5 is just $50-odd right now. The RTX 4050 is just a 75 W variant, so not the outright fastest, but will still definitely do a job at 1080p, and for this money, that's all you can ask.

Lenovo LOQ| RTX 4060 | Ryzen 7 7435HS | 15.6-inch | 1080p | 144 Hz | 16 GB DDR5-4800 | 512 GB SSD | $999.99 $799.99 at Best Buy (save $200)
There's a lot to like here for $800, including an eight core 16 thread AMD CPU, 16 GB of decently fast DDR5 and a 105 W TGP RTX 4060, which is where Nvidia's mobile GPUs start getting tasty. It should have no problem pushing pixels to that 1080p screen, but the real drawback here is only 512 GB of SSD space. Stick a cheap upgrade in, though, and this is a lot of laptop for the money.

Asus TUF F15 | RTX 4070 | Core i7 13620H | 15.6-inch | 1080p | 144 Hz | 16 GB DDR5-4800 | 1 TB SSD | $1,399.99 $1,049.99 at Best Buy (save $350)
This is a gaming laptop deal that makes it tough to recommend RTX 4060 machines for anything near to $1,000. With a genuine RTX 4070 GPU in a system for this much you're got a lot of gaming power for a great price. We did see a 12th Gen version for $980 around Black Friday last year, so there is precedent, but we've not seen a similarly specced system down around this price since.

Price check: Newegg $1,264.99 | Amazon $1,299.99

Gigabyte Aorus | RTX 4070 | Core i7 13700H | 15.6-inch | 1440p | 165 Hz | 16 GB DDR5-4800 | 1 TB SSD | $1,399.99 $1,249.99 at Newegg (save $150)
This Gigabyte lappy has specs that make all the right noises, including an RTX 4070 with the full-fat 140 W TGP spec. Not only that, but it's got a speedier screen than most for this sort of money, with a 165 Hz refresh rate at 1440p resolution. A very tidy package all round, and with a 14 core Intel Core i7 processor handling the CPU duties, a combination of components you can be proud of.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 | RTX 4060 | Ryzen 9 8945HS | 14-inch | 120 Hz | 2560 x 1440 | OLED | 1 TB SSD | 16GB DDR5-6400 | $1,599.99 $1,299.99 at Best Buy (save $300)
We tested the RTX 4070 version of this laptop and rated it very highly, although prices for that model remain substantially higher. This RTX 4060 version might not have the same graphics grunt, but thanks to DLSS 3 it'll still deliver great gaming performance, all wrapped up in a beautiful, ultra-compact chassis with a stunning OLED screen.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 4070 | Core Ultra 185H | 16-inch | 1600p | 240 Hz | 16 GB DDR5-6400 | 1 TB SSD | $1,999.99 $1,499.99 at Best Buy (save $500)
This little laptop is one we absolutely fell in love with in our review, with one caveat—our model had a much too powerful GPU that it couldn't make use of. This RTX 4070 model, on the other hand, should be perfectly balanced. Here you get a stunning OLED display, a slim and svelte form factor, and all the right specs. Simply a brilliant laptop, and one we were loathed to give back.

Gigabyte Aorus 17H | RTX 4070 | Core i7 13700H | 17.3-inch | 1440p | 240 Hz | 16 GB DDR5-4800 | 1 TB SSD | $1,749 $1,599.99 at Amazon (save $199.01)
This is a big laptop that, for once, hasn't been packed with the most power-hungry and heat producing components, which is refreshing. That Core i7 is easier to keep cool than an i9 and it's a more suitable match for the 140W RTX 4070 alongside, which should have no problem pushing 1440p res gaming to that screen. Speaking of which, that 240 Hz panel is very speedy indeed, especially for this price.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 | RTX 4070 | Ryzen 9 8945HS | 14-inch | 1800p | 120 Hz | 32 GB DDR5-6400 | 1 TB SSD | $1,999.99 $1,699.99 at Best Buy (save $300)
Well, look what we have here. Not only does this 14-inch super portable laptop have an RTX 4070, but an eight core 16 thread AMD processor, 32 GB of very fast DDR5 and an OLED screen. That's a huge amount of hardware in a very light, very sleek package. We gave the Zephyrus G14 a 90 in our review, and believe us, that doesn't happen often.

Lenovo Legion Pro 5i | RTX 4070 | Core i9 14900HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 165 Hz | 32 GB DDR5-5600 | 1 TB SSD | $1,899.99 $1,699.99 at Best Buy (save $200)
We've been big fans of Lenovo's gaming laptops for a while now, and this one is specced very well for the cash. Sitting at the heart of this machine is Intel's monstrous 24 core mobile CPU, the Core i9 14900HX, paired in this case with a 140W RTX 4070. It's also got 32 GB of fast DDR5, which is much more like it in 2024 compared to a lot of the 16 GB models we see on the regular.

Acer Predator Helios 16 | RTX 4080 | Core i9 13900HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 240 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1TB SSD | $2,499 $2,099.99 at Best Buy (save $200)
We've seen this laptop for lower in the past, but this is the cheapest version you'll find right now. It features a superb IPS 240 Hz screen, a great-looking chassis, and an all important combo of a full-fat mobile RTX 4080 and one of the fastest laptop CPUs, the Core i9 13900HX. The downside is only 16 GB of RAM, which is a bit mean for this sort of money. You can upgrade it for relatively cheap, however.

Lenovo Legion Pro 7 | RTX 4080 | Core i9 14900HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 240 Hz | 32 GB DDR5-5600 | 1 TB SSD | $2,799 $2,199 at B&H Photo (save $600)
Lenovo make some brilliant gaming laptops, and this Legion Pro 7 is no exception. Featuring the mighty RTX 4080 in combination with Intel's top spec Core i9 mobile CPU, this high-end model should have no trouble tearing through any game you can throw at it. The screen is plenty speedy too with a 240 Hz refresh rate, and 32 GB of speedy DDR5 is not to be sniffed at.

Gigabyte G5 | RTX 4060 | Core i5 12500H | 15.6-inch | 1080p | 144 Hz | 16 GB DDR4-3200 | 512 GB SSD | £1,099 £799 at Currys (save £250)
We're big fans of this little budget gaming laptop, and our Jacob loved its great gaming performance (check out our review). With over £250 off the original price and some genuine 1080p gaming chops on offer, we reckon this makes quite a tidy deal. 

Price check: Amazon £799

Asus TUF | RTX 4060 | Ryzen 5 7735HS | 15.6-inch | 1080p | 144 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 512 GB SSD | £799.20 at Cyberpower
This isn't the cheapest RTX 4060-powered laptop around, but it's the one that will likely give you the most performance thanks to its 140 W TGP. The Gigabyte above makes do with 75 W, so this is pushing the silicon a whole lot further and that will show in the gaming benchmarks. The TUF laptops are quality budget machines, too. Not as sleek as the Asus ROG notebooks, but they've got it where it counts. Well, except for that miserly 512 GB SSD, that is.

MSI Katana 15 | RTX 4070 | Core i9 13900H | 15.6-inch | 1080p | 144 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD | £1,249 at Currys
Yes, it's only got a 1080p screen, and yes, 32GB of RAM instead of the included 16GB would be nice, but for just £1,249 you get a super-fast Core i9, an RTX 4070 and a 1TB SSD. That's a bit of a magic combo if you ask me. That GPU isn't running at peak performance, however, with just a 105 W TGP, but that still gives it enough juice to cope with that 1080p screen even if it's not the full 140 W deal.

Price check: Amazon £1,149

MSI Pulse 17 | RTX 4070 | Core i9 13900H | 15.6-inch | 1080p | 144 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD | £1,899 £1,398.98 at Amazon (save £500.02)
If you're looking for a bit more screen real estate than the MSI above, and a bit more GPU oomph as well, this Pulse 17 model is a good shout for the cash. It's got the full-fat 140 TGP version of the RTX 4070, the same very fast Intel CPU, and a 17-inch display. Shame it's only 1080p again, but at least with a 144 Hz refresh rate, it's pretty nippy.

Asus TUF A15 | RTX 4070 | Ryzen 9 8945H | 15.6-inch | 1440p | 165 Hz | 32 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD | £1,899.98 £1,499.99 at Scan (save £399.99)
She may not be the cheapest, or prettiest, but this packed Asus machine has got a lot going for it. That 165 Hz IPS panel is high-res and the RTX 4070 is running at its top 140 W power limits. And that chonky chassis only helps that. You're also getting a ton of DDR5 memory and a decent 1 TB of fast SSD storage, too. 

MSI Vector 17  | RTX 4080 | Core i9-13980HX | 17-inch | 1200p | 165 Hz | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD | £2,047.90 £1,799 at Amazon (save £250)
When it comes to the hardware running under the bonnet, this 17-inch MSI Vector certainly has the goods, what with that Intel Core i9 processor and an RTX 4080 making a very tempting package indeed. Bit of a shame about the 1200p display and 16GB of RAM, but at least the screen's a good 'un with a 144Hz refresh rate and nice and bright panel. There's a huge amount of performance here in quite a slim and svelte package, making this machine a lot of power for just under £1,800.