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The best cheap gaming laptop deals under $1,000 for February 2022

No matter your budget we'll find the machine for you

Best cheap gaming laptop deals hero image: Asus Zephyrus G14 on red background

(Image credit: Future)

  • Cheap gaming laptop deal of the week
  • Under $700
  • Under $800
  • Under $900
  • Under $1,000
  • Over $1000
  • Frequently asked questions
  • The best cheap gaming laptops of 2021

You'll find all of this week's best cheap gaming laptop deals rounded up into one cohesive list just down below. We've included a pick for overall best value but you'll also find plenty of alternatives - should you have a different budget. This week, we're seeing a ton of great options over at Dell and Best Buy - the latter of which seems to be offering up fresh gaming laptop deals on a weekly basis right now. Value-wise, we'd recommend the featured mid-range machines with RTX 3050 Ti graphics cards for a decent balance of power and price. For those really on a budget, however, cheaper options are also available.

Gaming laptop deals by budget

gaming laptop deals cheap best price sale under 1000

(Image credit: Getty)

1. Gaming laptop deal of the week
2. Under $700
3. Under $800
4. Under $900
5. Under $1000
6. Frequently asked questions
7. The best gaming laptops

Our cheap gaming laptop deals recommendations focus on sales from trusted retailers like Amazon, Dell, HP, Best Buy, and a few other wild-cards as well. Of course, we're always scanning these retailer's pages every week so we don't miss a single sale and we're always comparing and contrasting their offerings to weed out any sub-par choices.

Brand-wise, you'll find worthy machines from gaming laptop deals veterans like Acer, Dell, Lenovo, and Asus, although we never let big brand recognition totally sway our choices - value for money is the most important value. Speaking of value, you'll find options ranging all the way from around $600 to $1,000 with our choices, with plenty of options should you want to spend a little more to score yourself one of the machines reviewed on our best gaming laptop buyers guide.

If at any point you get stuck or need a bit of additional guidance, simply scroll down to our cheap gaming laptop deals FAQ section. Right there you'll find completely unbiased advice and expertise from TechRadar's experts to get you up to speed if you don't know your Nvidia's from your AMD's. It'll also help you out if you're not sure how much to spend.

  • In the UK? Head on over to the best UK deals under £1,000
  • Check out the upcoming President's Day sales

Cheap gaming laptop deal of the week

MSI Sword 15.6-inch gaming laptop: $1,199

MSI Sword 15.6-inch gaming laptop: $1,199 $899.99 at Best Buy
Save $300 -
A huge discount at Best Buy makes this MSI Sword a great mid-range gaming laptop deal. With an Intel Core i7-11800H processor, RTX 3050 Ti graphics card, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD, you're getting a really respectable amount of power here for 1080p gaming. For this price, we'd have loved to see an RTX 3060 but no one can deny this MSI has a ton of power under the hood.

Gaming laptop deals under $700

Acer Nitro 5 15.6-inch gaming laptop: $779

Acer Nitro 5 15.6-inch gaming laptop: $779 $679 at Best Buy
Save $100 -
At full price, we'd say pass on this Acer Nitro 5, but a nice discount this week makes it a good option if you're strictly on a budget. A combination of a GTX 1650 graphics card, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, and Intel Core i5-11400H processor make it fully capable of running most games at 1080p with respectable performance - if you're willing to tweak a few settings, that is.

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Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15.6-inch gaming laptop: $739.99 at Amazon

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15.6-inch gaming laptop: $739.99 at Amazon
The cheapest gaming laptop deal we've found on Amazon that's worth considering is this Lenovo IdeaPad 3 - featuring a GTX 1650 graphics card, AMD Ryzen 5-5600H processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. These specs will get you going if you're looking for something that will cover the basics. Depending on how patient you are, however, you may want to hold out for a machine with an RTX 3050 graphics card to drop into this price range.

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HP Victus 16.1-inch gaming laptop: $699.99 at Walmart

HP Victus 16.1-inch gaming laptop: $699.99 at Walmart
This HP Victus at Walmart features a super modern and rather slick design - one of the very latest from the well-known manufacturer. Inside its AMD Ryzen 5 5600H processor, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, and AMD RX 5500M give it some really great bang for the buck. It's not featuring the usual GTX 1650 graphics card at this price, but the RX is going to get you around the equivalent level of performance. The processor is also really strong here being the latest from AMD.

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Gaming laptop deals under $800

$1,018

Dell G15 15.6-inch gaming laptop: $1,018 $764.39 at Dell
Save $254 -
The first, and cheapest, of this week's gaming laptop deals at Dell is this baseline G15 model with an RTX 3050, Ryzen 5-5600H processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB SSD. As you've probably guessed, the main selling point with this machine is the super up-to-date RTX 3050 graphics card - a component that's going to enable you to use the latest Ray-Tracing and DLSS graphical features in-game. Bear in mind, however, that this is still a relatively budget-orientated machine.

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$949

Dell G15 15.6-inch gaming laptop: $949 $799.99 at Best Buy
Save $150 -
If you like the look of that baseline Dell G15 above but want more storage, consider this deal over at Best Buy. This machine features the same RTX 3050 graphics card, Ryzen 5-5600H processor, and 8GB of RAM as the one above but also features an expanded 512GB SSD. In our eyes, this one's definitely worth the upcharge if you can make that budget stretch just a little bit further.

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Gaming laptop deals under $900

$1,268

Dell G15 15.6-inch gaming laptop: $1,268 $881.99 at Dell
Save $387 -
The second of Dell's own G15 gaming laptop deals this week is on this mid-range model, featuring an RTX 3050 Ti graphics card, Ryzen 7-5800H processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. You're getting a really beefed-up GPU and CPU with this model, which is going to give you great performance in-game. Corners have been cut with the SSD here though, which is very, very small for a machine in this price bracket.

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MSI Sword 15.6-inch gaming laptop: $1,199

MSI Sword 15.6-inch gaming laptop: $1,199 $899.99 at Best Buy
Save $300 -
A huge discount at Best Buy makes this MSI Sword a great mid-range gaming laptop deal. With an Intel Core i7-11800H processor, RTX 3050 Ti graphics card, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD, you're getting a really respectable amount of power here for 1080p gaming. For this price, we'd have loved to see an RTX 3060 but no one can deny this MSI has a ton of power under the hood.

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Gigabyte G5 15.6-inch gaming laptop: $1,199

Gigabyte G5 15.6-inch gaming laptop:$1,199 $899 at Newegg
Save $199 - If you're shopping for mid-range gaming laptop deals then you can get a great price on this 15.6-inch Gigabyte G5 at Newegg this week. With an RTX 3050 Ti, Intel Core i5-10500H, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD, this one's going to give you some great 1080p performance. The downside? To get your full saving you'll have to apply for a mail-in rebate, so bear that in mind.

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Gaming laptop deals under $1,000

$1,329

HP Omen 16.1-inch gaming laptop: $1,329 $999.99 at Best Buy
Save $330 -
You're paying a fair bit for this HP Omen, considering it has an RTX 3050 Ti graphics card, but a combination of an AMD Ryzen 7-5800H, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD make it a really decent all-rounder. It should also have a fairly decent quality display, considering the Omen line is HP's range of premium gaming laptops.

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Gigabyte G5 15.6-inch gaming laptop: $1,199

Gigabyte G5 15.6-inch gaming laptop:$1,199 $999 at Newegg
Save $200 - Another superb gaming laptop deal from Newegg, this Gigabyte G5 comes with an RTX 3060, Intel Core i5-10500H, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD. While we'd of loved to see a more recent CPU on this build, it's one of the cheapest on the market right now to feature an RTX 3060 - a great upper mid-range graphics card.Note, to get your full saving here you'll need to apply for a mail-in rebate, so bear that in mind.

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Gaming laptop deals over $1000

$1,549.99

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop: $1,549.99 $1,249.99 at Best Buy
Save $300 -
If money's no object then here's an absolutely stellar gaming laptop deal from Best Buy on one of our favorite machines ever. The 2021 Asus Zephyrus G14 features an RTX 3060, Ryzen 9 5900HS, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD, easily making it one of the most powerful 'small' gaming laptops on the market. It's a great option if you're looking for something that's incredibly portable, but don't want to compromise on all those beefy specs that you'd find on a bigger machine.

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MSI GL66 15.6-inch gaming laptop: $1,499

MSI GL66 15.6-inch gaming laptop: $1,499 $1,467 at Amazon
We're well over budget with this MSI GL66 but hear us out - this machine has an extremely competitive price for an RTX 3070. It's also got an Intel Core i7-11800H processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD, meaning it's all set to offer outstanding frame rates on even the most demanding of titles. Definitely a good consideration for enthusiast-level gamers.


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Frequently asked questions

Where should I look for cheap gaming laptops?

Generally speaking, the most reliable retailers that have plenty of options and the best prices are Best Buy and Amazon, although Dell and HP often have great sales on Holiday events like Black Friday. You might get lucky on Ebay or another auction site, but we definitely recommend picking up your cheap gaming laptop from one of the big official retailers, as you're sure to be getting a decent warranty, as well as the latest components more or less.

Newegg, B&H Photo, and Adorama are also worthy mentions, and definitely worth a quick comparative glance. They don't tend to price match quite as well as Amazon and Best Buy however, unless they're doing a closeout deal.

Here are some quick links to the best gaming laptop deals retailers, in case you want to head over to their sites and check them out yourself.

  • Best Buy - often has the best gaming laptop deals nationwide.
  • Amazon - great marketplace options, plus exclusive gaming laptop deals.
  • Dell - only sells own brand, but excellent price cuts all year round.
  • Lenovo - particularly good for flash sales around Black Friday.
  • Newegg - often not the best, but occasionally has gold.
  • HP - great options for cheaper gaming laptops especially.
  • Acer - often sells out, but another great cheap option.
  • Adorama - has lower-priced options mostly.
  • B&H Photo - another top contender and a viable alternative retailer.

What should I look for in a cheap gaming laptop?

This is completely subjective, depending on what type of games you want to play and what kind of level of performance you want. Specs-wise, we'd recommend determining the level of specs you need by checking out the recommended and minimum system requirements of your favorite or upcoming games. This can give you a general idea of what you need, as well as stop you from buying that new gaming laptop that's not going to be able to play new releases.

Just for good measure however, we'd recommend the following as a minimum if you're strictly on a budget:

  • Minimum - Intel Core i5 (9th gen) / AMD Ryzen 5 (3rd gen) processor or later
  • Minimum - Nvidia GTX 1050 / AMD RX 560x graphics card or later
  • Minimum - 8GB of RAM
  • Optional - 512GB solid-state drive
  • Optional - 120Hz refresh rate display monitor

Anything lower than the above and you'll tend to struggle with modern games at 1080p settings. You can, of course, get away with lower-level or older components if you're just planning on playing older games, but for new releases, definitely consider the above as a bare minimum.

How much should I spend on a cheap gaming laptop?

Again this is completely subjective based on your requirements, but in our opinion the best bang for the buck machines tend to sit around the $700 to $900 price range.

You can of course go lower but you'll often encounter machines that simply aren't designed for gaming or quite frankly up to the task. It can be tempting to pick up a cheaper ultrabook with a Core i7 or Ryzen 7 processor and tons of RAM but remember these don't come with the dedicated graphics card or cooling requirements you'll need for proper gaming.

When's the best time to pick up a gaming laptop deal?

Luckily for gamers on a budget, gaming laptop deals tend to be a weekly feature over at most of the big retailers so there's always plenty to chose from. That said, there are definitely high points throughout the year, namely big sales events such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Amazon Prime day which can yield great results for those willing to wait. And as several of our picks from this week show, Labor Day sales have provided some excellent savings, as well.

Our top tip - do your research. Narrow down which model and specs you want and check-in at your favorite retailers each week. Alternatively, let TechRadar simply do all the work for you and become a regular visitor to this page or our dedicated deals feed.

The best cheap gaming laptops of 2021

Dell G15 gaming laptop image

(Image credit: Dell)

1. Dell G15

Dell's latest budget-friendly gaming machine

CPU: Intel Core i5 i7 (10th, 11th-generation) | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 RTX 3060 | RAM: 8GB 16GB | Screen: 15.6-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) IPS | Storage: 256GB - 512GB SSD

Low Stock

$1,369.98

View Deal at Walmart

Check Amazon

Affordable

Great performer for the money

Average IPS displays

USB 2.0 on the cheaper specs

The Dell G15 is the company's latest budget-orientated machine for 2021 - replacing the excellent G3 and G5 ranges with a single consolidated, highly customizable, option. New features include your choice of the latest RTX graphics cards, 11th gen Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, and a new chassis that's actually reminiscent of the super-premium Alienware laptops from Dell - albeit with muted shades of grey and fewer bells and whistles. Options also exist for AMD-based components, and, depending on whether there are seasonal sales over at the Dell site, incredibly compelling discounts all year round. In short, you can't go wrong with one of these machines if you're strictly on a budget.

MSI GF63

(Image credit: MSI)

2. MSI GF63 Thin

Premium specs in a thin profile at an affordable price point

CPU: Intel Core i5 - i7 (10h-generation) | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 - RTX 3060 | RAM: 8GB - 16GB | Screen: 15.6-inch FHD | Storage: 256GB - 512 SSD

$994.65

View Deal at Amazon

$1,074.77

View Deal at Amazon

$1,099

View Deal at Amazon

7 Amazon customer reviews

Sharp, colorful bezel-less display

Very affordable

Limited configurations

10th gen Intel CPU

The MSI G563 Thin is one of the cheap gaming laptops to beat, alongside the Nitro 5 and Legion 5. It generally sits comfortably in the lower price brackets alongside its aft mentioned competitors but somehow manages to pack everything into an attractive, part metal chassis - a rarity at this price point. Specs are around the ballpark you'd expect with an entry-level machine - starting at a 10th Gen Intel Core i5 CPU and an Nvidia Geforce GTX 1650, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. With a design that's essentially been unchanged for 2021, these machines have a fairly chunky bezel now and the processor options are a little older too. That said, don't discount them - they're still great value and come packed with the latest RTX 3000 cards on the higher specs.

Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop image

(Image credit: Acer)

3. Acer Nitro 5

A competent laptop for budget gamers

CPU: Intel Core i5 i7 (11th-generation); AMD Ryzen 5 - 7 (4th-generation) | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 RTX 3060 | RAM: 8GB 16GB | Screen: 15.6-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) IPS | Storage: 256GB - 512GB SSD

Low Stock

$560.99

View Deal at Walmart

Low Stock

$844.99

View Deal at Amazon

$859.99

View Deal at Best Buy

92 Walmart customer reviews

User controllable fans

Good battery life

Decent gaming performance for price

Thick display bezel

The Acer Nitro 5 has been a good option for PC gamers who want to want to forgo the bells and whistles for quite a few years now. The aesthetic here is basic, some would say fairly generic, but not many machines can offer the sheer amount of competitively priced configurations as the Nitro 5. Ranging from super cheap and cheerful GTX 1650 / Core i5 machines to RTX 3060 / Core i7 (and plenty of AMD options too), you'll find Nitro 5 options at all price points - and often on sale too. Downsides, as with most cheaper gaming laptops, tends to be fairly average displays and cheaper RAM options.

Read our full review: Acer Nitro 5

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro

(Image credit: Lenovo)

4. Lenovo Legion 5

A good higher end option

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 - 9 (5000 series) | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 - RTX 3080 | RAM: 8GB - 16GB | Screen: 15.6-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) IPS | Storage: 256GB - 1TB SSD

$1,299.99

View Deal at Lenovo USA

$1,349.99

View Deal at Amazon

$1,699

View Deal at Walmart

Huge array of configurations

New AMD processors

Expensive, unless on sale

While you'll be hard-pressed to find one at the very cheaper end of our gaming laptop deals roundup, the 2021 Lenovo Legion 5 is a solid mid-range option if you're willing to spend a bit more. Not only do they look fantastic with a chassis that's definitely much classier than most cheaper machines, but they generally come with decent screens and respectable components. If you're lucky, you can often score yourself an RTX 3060 / Ryzen 5 configuration for around $899 in a sale - a great price for such a powerful machine. Be warned though, at full retail price these machines can be pretty expensive indeed.

Read our full review: Lenovo Legion 5

(Image credit: HP)

5. HP Pavilion Gaming 15

A more affordable machine from HP

CPU: Intel Core i5 - i7 (11th-generation), AMD Ryzen 5 - 7 (5000 series) | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 - 3050 Ti | RAM: 8GB - 16GB | Screen: 15.6-inch FHD | Storage: 256GB - 512GB SSD

Low Stock

$1,369.99

View Deal at Walmart

$1,449.99

View Deal at Best Buy

$1,995

View Deal at Amazon

75 Amazon customer reviews

Really cheap 5th gen AMD chips

Poor display

Dated design

The HP Pavilion 15 is the slightly more budget-focused gaming laptop range from HP (the other being the long-serving Omen laptops). As is the standard fare with cheap gaming laptops, the HP Pavilion is a decidedly no thrills, fairly stripped back affair that focused on packing in as many up-to-date components as possible for the money. This year's iteration comes with the latest processors from both Intel and AMD, although you tend to be able to find last year's components still available at many retailers for a cut-down price. Probably the main selling point for the HP Pavilion 15 is its range of super-cheap options for the latest AMD Ryzen 5000 series of processors - often offered on machines for well under $700.


Not quite what you're looking for? Maybe our other laptop articles will have what you need.

If you're buying a gaming laptop, you don't want to clutter it with all your everyday computing needs. For something cheap and portable, check out our favorite cheap laptop deals from this week. If you want to even cheaper, check out the best laptops under $500. You can also add extra port functionality to your gaming laptop with these awesome USB-C hubs and docks, or take control of your gaming experience for less with our top picks of the cheapest Xbox One controller deals.

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Image

MSI GF65, 15.6-inch, Intel i5-10500H, RTX 3060, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD: $1,099 $849 at Best Buy
Save $250 -
Midrange gaming laptops typically see some of the best Black Friday gaming laptop deals, and this MSI GF65 15.6-inch laptop is definitely one of them. With an RTX 3060 GPU and 144Hz refresh FHD display, you'll get blazing fast graphics that look great, all for the price of a budget gaming laptop with far less powerful hardware.

View

Image

MSI GF65, 15.6-inch, Intel i5-10500H, RTX 3060, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD: $1,099 $849 at Best Buy
Save $250 -
Midrange gaming laptops typically see some of the best Black Friday gaming laptop deals, and this MSI GF65 15.6-inch laptop is definitely one of them. With an RTX 3060 GPU and 144Hz refresh FHD display, you'll get blazing fast graphics that look great, all for the price of a budget gaming laptop with far less powerful hardware.

View

Round up of today's best deals

Low Stock

Reduced Price

Dell G3 15 Gaming Laptop -...

Dell G3 15 (3500)

Walmart

$1,999.99

$1,369.98

View Deal

See all prices

MSI GF63 15.6

MSI GF63

Amazon

$994.65

View Deal

See all prices

Low Stock

Acer Nitro 5 AN515 Laptop:...

Acer Nitro 5

Amazon

$844.99

View Deal

See all prices

Lenovo Legion 5i Gaming...

Lenovo Legion 5i

Amazon

$1,349.99

View Deal

See all prices

HP Omen 15 (2021)

HP Omen 15

Best Buy

$1,449.99

View Deal

See all prices

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Techradar

Alex Whitelock

Alex Whitelock

Deals Editor

Alex is deals editor at Future PLC and an all-around expert at one thing - saving readers as much cash as possible while scoring them the best products for their needs. With content that's always packed full of helpful information, no-nonsense expertise, and of course deals, Alex has also written for other leading sites such as T3 and GamesRadar. At work, you'll find him mostly covering computing, gaming, and advising people on how to save on their cell phone plans. Outside of work, you'll find him playing guitar, indulging his love for music, or down at the local climbing gym mostly hanging off boulders far too difficult for his abilities.

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