Best gaming laptop deals for September 2022
You don't have to go broke to get a good gaming machine. We've got the best gaming laptop deals right here.
AbJimroe
The age when PC gamers snubbed laptops is over. During the last decade, mobile hardware has advanced to the point where modern laptop GPUs can hold their own against their desktop counterparts. There are even plenty of worthy cheap gaming laptops for those who don’t want to spend a ton of money. Whether you’re into more casual games like Fortnite or Minecraft or you want a portable battle station that can handle newer AAA releases like Elden Ring and Halo Infinite with the settings cranked to the max, our roundup of the best gaming laptop deals can scratch that itch without emptying your bank account.
Best gaming laptop deals
— $600, was $850 — $695, was $840 — $900, was $1,300 — $1,300, was $1,700 — $1,399 with rebate, was $1,799Lenovo IdeaPad 3i GTX 1650 Gaming Laptop — $600, was $850
Why buy
Great value Good specs for a cheap gaming PC Full-sized keyboard complete with numeric keypad Nice-looking designYou might know Lenovo for its no-nonsense work laptops, but this brand has some pretty solid gaming machines under its umbrella, too. The IdeaPad Gaming 3i notebook is one of them, and this 15-inch laptop is a highly affordable gaming battle station that you can fold in half and put into your backpack or shoulder bag. And with an HDMI port, you can even hook it up to an external monitor when you’re back at home for a desktop-like gaming setup.
Under the hood, this gaming laptop combines the speed of a Core i5-11300H processor, 8GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card with 4GB of VRAM. That’s enough power to enjoy modern games at decent settings while also delivering plenty of juice for work — this would be a fine laptop for a student who likes to kick back with some gaming after a day of class. The full-size backlit keyboard is also ideal for working on comfortably, and you even get a numeric keypad.
The chassis has a professional-looking design that doesn’t scream “gaming laptop” to everybody in the room, too, making it suitable for classroom and workplace environments. This multimedia machine can be yours for a great price, and it’s easily one of the best cheap gaming laptop deals on the market right now.
Acer Nitro 5 RTX 3050 Gaming Laptop — $695, was $840
Why buy
Great value 144Hz refresh rate for 60 FPS gameplay Nice design Solid hardware for playing the latest gamesAcer is a value leader in the world of laptops, and gaming laptops are no exception. The Acer Nitro 5 is one of the best budget laptops on the market for gaming if you want a solid machine for work and play that won’t set you back more than a grand. This one pairs a Core i5-10300H processor with a GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card, one of Nvidia’s RTX 30-series GPUs, which has 4GB of GDDR6 video RAM. It comes with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD as well.
That hardware is more than capable of playing new games at good settings, and it’s helped further by the 1080p display’s smooth 144Hz refresh rate. This higher refresh rate allows you to game comfortably at 60 frames per second without annoyances like visual stutter or screen-tearing. The 15.6-inch screen is surrounded by slim bezels, too, giving the laptop a nice gamer aesthetic that’s suitably modern without looking too chunky.
You can normally expect to pay nearly a grand or even more for a gaming laptop sporting a GeForce RTX 30-series graphics card, but a nice discount knocks this machine down to a very affordable price right now.
Gigabyte G5 15 RTX 3060 Gaming Laptop — $900, was $1,300
Why buy
Understated style Perfect hardware configuration for its price point Comfortable keyboard Ideal laptop for both gaming and productivityIf you’re looking for one of the best gaming laptop deals for under a grand but one that doesn’t skimp on hardware, the Gigabyte G5 is a fine choice. Normally, the GPU is the most expensive part of a gaming machine — if any component will bottleneck your gaming performance, it’s going to be the graphics card. However, the CPU and RAM are still very important, as they handle general computing tasks as well as almost everything else you’re doing when you’re not gaming.
This gaming laptop sports an Intel Core i5-11400H CPU, and on top of that, it’s got 16GB of RAM which is fantastic to see on any sub-$1,000 gaming laptop. The star of this show is, of course, the graphics card: Here, you get a GeForce RTX 3060, one of the best mobile GPUs on the market now. This processor, RAM, and graphics card combo is more than sufficient for tackling modern games at high settings for years to come, and with that GPU, you have plenty of horsepower for video work and multitasking as well. You even get 512GB of solid-state storage.
The attractive chassis and backlit keyboard also look great if you’d prefer something that’s a little sleeker than most gaming laptops and don’t want something that’s too bulky. And with this hardware, it’s one of the best gaming laptops money can buy.
Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition RX 6800M QHD Gaming Laptop — $1,300, was $1,700
Why buy
Fantastic hardware setup 165Hz 1440p display Striking LED-accented aesthetic Powerful graphics cardOne of the best gaming laptops to come along in recent years, the Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition is a great upgrade over standard 1080p gaming laptops if you want a crisper picture. With its 1440p display, this gaming laptop fits the bill, giving you a noticeably better resolution to work with but without the refresh rate limitations that usually come with laptops.
The highlight of this design is the sleek frame and QHD display, but it’s got the hardware where it counts, too. Its AMD Ryzen 9 5980HX processor packs eight CPU and eight GPU cores, which is superb for productivity and multi-tasking. It’s no slouch for gaming, either, with its beefy Radeon RX 6800M GPU. Better still, you’ve got 16GB of RAM — double the amount that you usually see on laptops.
The display has a 165Hz refresh rate as well, so you don’t have to worry about the screen being unable to keep up with all that hardware when you’re playing at higher framerates. If you you want a muscular gaming laptop that’ll last for years and years, it doesn’t get much better than this.
MSI GE66 Raider RTX 3060 4K OLED Gaming Laptop — $1,399 with rebate, was $1,799
Why buy
Excellent hardware setup for 4K gaming 4K OLED panel Tons of storage Cool LED-accented designIf “cheap” isn’t in your vocabulary and you want a serious gaming laptop that will last you for years to come, the MSI GE66 Raider needs to be on your radar. This on-the-go gaming PC is a practical size with its 15-inch 4K display, and its sleek design and narrow bezels keep the laptop slim enough that it won’t weigh you down.
That UHD screen is also a very impressive OLED panel, something not often seen on laptops. Its gorgeous 4K resolution also lets you enjoy your games, movies, and other entertainment on a screen that’s superior to standard 1080p panels. The screen ensures that you get the most out of the hardware under the hood.
And you’ll want a display like that to go with the hardware: This 4K gaming laptop laptop comes loaded with an 11th-gen Core i7 processor, a boosted 16GB of RAM, and Nvidia’s RTX 3060 GPU, meaning this machine will effortlessly handle new releases for years. You get a 1TB SSD for installing your game library as well. The cooling design is also one of the better thermal setups we’ve seen on a laptop.
When are the best gaming laptop deals?
Gaming laptops (and laptops in general) are hot items, but they’re also pricey. That’s why it’s always a good idea to poke through any and all gaming laptop deals that are available when you’re in the market for a new one. Even a budget-friendly computer isn’t a small purchase by any means, and a good gaming laptop deal can easily save you hundreds of dollars on what is likely to be the most expensive piece of tech you own.
It shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that the best gaming laptop deals are up for grabs during big seasonal sales. Retailers run big sales during holidays and especially during holidays that involve three-day weekends as people love to shop during these times. Presidents Day, July 4, and Labor Day are popular examples. But the biggest gaming laptop deals always come during huge retail events like Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday (now a weekend-long event that includes Cyber Monday).
Oftentimes, however, if you need a new laptop — particularly if you use yours for work or school — you can’t afford to wait weeks or even months for the next big sale to arrive. After all, the biggest blowouts like Prime Day and Black Friday/Cyber Monday only happen a few times a year. If you don’t have the luxury of waiting, then the good news is that retailers are offering up good gaming laptop deals pretty much year-round. Just do your research and keep an eye on this roundup right here, as we’ll always keep you updated with the best gaming laptop deals that are available.
