The 10 best gaming laptop deals right now: January 2023
The 10 best gaming laptop deals right now: January 2023
Between chip shortages and the crypto mining craze, buying a pre-built gaming laptop is the fastest way to get your hands on a new GPU, especially if you want the latest options from vendors including Nvidia.
Gaming laptops tend to be pricey because they demand top graphics cards — often containing one or two — high-end processors, strong connectivity features, and quality displays. Together, the cost of these components packaged up in a laptop’s chassis means that consumers often feel the sting.
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However, you don’t need to pay the typical retail price for a portable gaming rig. If you know where to look, you can uncover hidden gems worth purchasing.
Fortunately, we’ve combed the internet to find the best bundles and deepest discounts on top brands like Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte. We tell you how much you can save and what to expect from each model, so you can find the right gaming laptop for your play style.
- Current price: $2,000
- Regular price: $3,000
If you’ve been waiting for the perfect deal to buy a new gaming laptop, check out the Predator Triton 500 SE from Acer. Right now, if you buy directly from Acer, you can save $1,000 on this top-of-the-line gaming laptop. It’s built with a 12th generation Intel Core i7 CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics card, 16GB of RAM, and a 2TB SSD. It also sports a 16-inch display with a native refresh rate of 240Hz for buttery smooth action as well as 2560 x 1600 resolution for incredibly lifelike images. It also has a decent battery life of about 5.5 hours, giving you plenty of time to play before you need to think about plugging in.
- Current price: $3,000
- Regular price: $3,800
The Alienware x17 R2 is another top-notch gaming laptop with an excellent discount. You can save $800 if you buy direct from Dell, letting you get your hands on a premium rig. This laptop features both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos for virtual surround sound without a headset and more lifelike images. The 17-inch display also supports Nvidia G-Sync VRR technology as well as a 1ms response time for smoother playback and better reactions to your inputs.
The laptop is built with an Intel Core i9-12900HK, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU, 1TB SSD, and 32GB of RAM for more than enough power to take on the latest triple-a titles. It also supports Wi-Fi 6 for blazing fast wireless internet speeds and Bluetooth 5.2 for more reliable connections to wireless peripherals.
- Current price: $1,800
- Regular price: $2,520
Lenovo might not be the first name you think of when shopping for a gaming laptop, but their Legion 5 is an excellent choice. And right now if you buy directly from Lenovo, you can save over $700 on one. It boasts a 15-inch display with a 165Hz refresh rate and 1080p resolution for clean, crisp graphics. It’s built with an AMD Ryzen 7 6800H CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GPU, 32GB of RAM, and a 2TB SSD for plenty of power, performance, and storage for tackling everything from graphically intensive triple-a titles to even 3D modeling and animation. It also supports Wi-Fi 6 for ultra-fast wireless internet speeds, and you’ll also get 3 months of Xbox Game Pass for free.
- Current price: $1,500
- Original price: $2,150
Lenovo might not be the first brand that comes to mind when you think of gaming laptops, but their 7th generation Legion 5i Pro is an excellent choice. And you can grab one direct from Lenovo for $650 off. It uses an Intel Core i7-12700H CPU as well as a GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card for plenty of power to handle triple-a and indie games. It also has a 2TB SSD for all the storage you need for game downloads, screenshots, and mod files. And with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 support, you’ll get excellent wireless internet speeds and more reliable wireless peripheral connections. The 16-inch display produces 2560 x 1600 resolution and a 165Hz refresh rate while an anti-glare coating gives you better visibility in bright environments.
More gaming laptop deals
Below are more great deals and discounts on gaming laptops from retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Newegg:
How did we choose these laptops?
When researching the best gaming laptop deals, we considered various factors, including tech specs and price points. While every gamer would no doubt love to have the newest and most powerful machines, chip shortages can impact availability. Plus, affordability can be a deciding factor — especially with the uncertainty of the global economy.
What defines a gaming laptop?
Gaming laptops are designed to run power-hungry applications. These include gaming services, dedicated platforms like Steam, and individual games loaded onto a PC.
The specifications in a gaming laptop focus on several things: a high-power display with a decent refresh rate and resolution, dedicated graphics cards, quality processors, and a fair amount of storage. They may also have keyboards and other peripherals included that are designed with gaming functionality in mind, whether by the way of backlighting or programmable keys.
What specifications are the most important in a gaming laptop?
The first consideration is whether or not a laptop has the right specs to run your software. Many games will come with a recommended specifications list on PCs, and out of these, the processor, RAM (memory), and graphics card capabilities are the most important.
What else do I need when I buy a gaming laptop?
You might want to consider purchasing a gaming mouse, as it can be programmed to perform specific actions based on your clicks. Plus, they can make gaming a more enjoyable experience — or, as is the case for speedruns, make those important actions as fast as possible.
You may also want to investigate comfortable gaming headsets for a more immersive experience.
What are the best deals by retail, brand, and category?
ZDNET experts split out the best deals by retailer, brand, and category, which you can see below.
Latest deals by retailer
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