Editor's note: As Black Friday starts to wind down, we are shifting gears and covering all the best Cyber Monday gaming laptop deals. Bookmark this page as we hit all the latest and greatest savings.
Black Friday is like Christmas come early for PC gamers... minus the creepy, bearded intruder who likes to sneak down folks' chimneys in the dead of night. The sales event of the year lets gamers pick up massive discounts on some of the best gaming laptops currently available today.
Whether you want to pick your virtual hobby back up again after a few years away or have been pulling off headshots in CS: GO right from the very start, you'll find a laptop with the specs you need to play the best PC games.
Black Friday gaming laptop deals — latest models
Quick links
- ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (RTX 4060): was $1,599 now $1,199 @ Best Buy
- Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (RTX 4060): was $1,579 now $1,049 @ Best Buy
- ASUS TUF Gaming A16 (Radeon RX 7600S): was $1,099 now $749 @ Best Buy
- Acer Nitro 17 (RTX 4050): was $1,199 now $969 @ Amazon
- MSI Pulse 15 (RTX 4070): was $1,899 now $1,599 @ Newegg
- Alienware x16 R1 (RTX 4080): was $3,249 now $2,614 @ Amazon
- Alienware x14 R2 (RTX 4060): was $1,999 now $1,499 @ Dell
- Alienware m16 (RTX 4060): was $1,699 now $1,249 @ Dell
- Alienware m18 (RTX 4060): was $1,899 now $1,599 @ Dell
- Dell XPS 15 (RTX 4050): was $1,999 now $1,549 @ Dell
- Dell XPS 17 (RTX 4060): was $2,399 now $1,799 @ Dell
Top picks
Black Friday gaming laptop deals — older models
Quick links
- Asus ROG Flow X13 2-in-1: was $1,599 now $831 @ Best Buy
- Acer Predator Helios 300: was $1,499 now $1,000 @ Best Buy
- Lenovo LOQ 15: was $1,069 now $849 @ Walmart
- MSI GE Series Raider 17: was $1,599 now $999 @Walmart
- MSI Stealth 15M: was $1,399 now $1,108 @ Amazon
- Razer Blade 15: was $2,999 now $1,799 @ Amazon
- Razer Blade 14: was $3,499 now $1,799 @ Amazon
Top picks
Is Black Friday a good time to get a gaming laptop?
Gaming laptops tend to be expensive. Even budget devices typically cost close to $1,000 at minimum. Because of that, Black Friday is an excellent time to shop for a new gaming machine. In most cases, you can save several hundred dollars. In other instances, you can save well over $1,000.
What to look for in a gaming laptop
Aside from a good price, there are several things you'll want in a gaming laptop.
The first is a relatively modern CPU and GPU. We (generally) wouldn't recommend a machine with anything older than a 12th Gen Intel Core processor or an RTX 30-series graphics card. RAM-wise, 16GB is typically the minimum you want for a gaming rig. For storage, 512GB is the lowest we'd recommend, especially given how huge game file sizes are nowadays.
Display size is up to personal preference, though most gamers tend to favor 15-inch displays. 4K resolution is great and all, but with laptop screens, you generally don't need more than a 2.5K display. In some cases, 1080p will do the trick. In terms of performance, a 120Hz refresh rate and a 3ms response time are good minimums to go with.
Battery isn't something you should worry about since it's best to keep gaming laptops plugged in. Why? Because you'll see a severe drop in performance (frames per second) when playing unplugged. You also don't need to worry about webcam quality since you'll primarily use a gaming laptop for, well, gaming.
