If you’re looking to score a fast laptop at a killer price, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re on the hunt for a blazing fast gaming rig, an affordable laptop under $500, or an everyday Chromebook, we’ve assembled a list of the best laptop deals available right now, using our finely honed editorial judgement (and thousands of hours of testing experience) to only recommend truly compelling deals on worthwhile notebooks.
We’ve separated the recommendations below by best laptop deals under $500, best home use laptop deals, best gaming laptop deals, and best premium laptop deals, to make it easier to find a notebook that fits your budget and needs. For more options, check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops available right now.
Best laptop deals (at a glance)
- Lenovo Flex 3 Chromebook, $328.99 ($150.01 off at Best Buy)
- HP Envy x360, $569.99 ($379.01 off at Adorama)
- HP Victus, $599 ($380 off at Walmart)
- HP Dragonfly Pro One, $698.99 ($700.01 off at Adorama)
- HP ProBook 450 G10, $749.99 ($249.01 off at Adorama)
- Acer Nitro V 16, $977.49 ($152.05 off at Amazon)
- LG Gram 17, $996.99 ($700 off at Adorama)
- MSI Katana 17, $1,215 ($184 off at Amazon)
- Origin EON17-X v2, $2,543 ($635 off at Origin)
Best laptop deals under $500
Lenovo Flex 3 Chromebook: $328.99 ($150.01 off at Best Buy)
Sometimes all you need is an affordable laptop for browsing social media and composing e-mail exchanges. If you’re in the market for such a laptop, the Lenovo Flex 3 Chromebook is definitely worth considering. It’s powered by a Pentium Silver N6000 processor, which is suitable for everyday browsing and streaming Disney+, but not much else. It’s not the fastest processor we’ve ever seen here at PCWorld, but you’ve also got to temper your expectations, as this laptop is specifically designed with basic tasks in mind. However, according to Best Buy reviews, the 1080p touchscreen display is pretty darn crisp, making this machine an excellent value.
That said, because it’s a Chromebook, you’re stuck using Google’s ecosystem (aka ChromeOS). If you’re looking for a Windows alternative, check out the laptop below.
Best for home use
HP Envy x360: $569.99 ($379.01 off at Adorama)
The HP Envy x360 is powerful, lightweight, and versatile. The 2-in-1 form factor means you can fold the screen back and use the laptop like a tablet, and it comes equipped with a good amount of RAM (16GB) and storage (512GB SSD). The 1080p display is quite large at 15.6-inches and is touch-enabled, which is perfect for habitual notetakers and doodlers. The keyboard is also full-sized and has backlighting–this is great for when you’re using the laptop in low light environments.
HP ProBook 450 G10: $749.99 ($249.01 off at Adorama)
The HP ProBook 450 G10 features a peppy Intel Core i7-1355U CPU and a roomy 1080p display. The CPU is fast enough for spreadsheet work, PowerPoint presentations, browsing social media, and so on. The 15.6-inch display, on the other hand, is perfect for watching Netflix or participating in Zoom calls. There’s also a backlit keyboard with a numeric keypad, which is great for data entry, and an RJ-45 port for those times when you need a direct Internet connection. The 720p webcam isn’t the best, but I wouldn’t say it’s a deal breaker, as you can always hook up to an external webcam.
Best gaming laptop deals
HP Victus: $599 ($380 off at Walmart)
The HP Victus contains powerful hardware for the price. It’s outfitted with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card and an AMD Ryzen 5 CPU, so it should have no problem running most modern games. The 15.6-inch 1080p display also has a 144Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync Premium technology built-in, so gameplay should be fluid. The 8GB of RAM is pretty light for a gaming laptop, but you can always upgrade later on if need be. If you’re looking for more details regarding this laptop, be sure to check out PCWorld’s comprehensive write-up.
Acer Nitro V 16: $977.49 ($152.05 off at Amazon)
The Acer Nitro V 16 is a great gaming laptop for those on a budget. In our comprehensive review, we really liked the fast 165Hz display as well as the dedicated button for quick performance mode switching. The hardware makes it a good value, too. You’re getting an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. The tester was able to play most games on the Medium to High graphics preset. It even managed an average of 38 fps during the Metro Exodus benchmark, which is “more than competitive with gaming laptops that have similar components,” according to our review.
The downsides? Battery life leaves little to be desired, as it died at the four hour mark, an anemic result. The whole thing is also made of plastic, which may turn off some folks. It definitely feels sturdy enough, but it’s not going to be as rugged as a laptop made of metal. That said, it’s still a fantastic value for the hardware and performance.
MSI Katana 17: $1,215 ($184 off at Amazon)
The MSI Katana 17 is a great option for those who like to game on a big screen. The 1080p display measures a massive 17.3 inches, which is absolutely humongous! It’s the kind of screen I’d love to play Sid Meier’s Civilization VI on because I like being able to see every miniscule detail.
You’re also getting an Intel Core i7 CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. That’s a good amount of power right there! This machine should have no issues running graphically intensive games.
Origin EON17-X v2: $2,543 ($635 off at Origin)
If you’re after the ultimate gaming experience, the Origin EON17-X v2 is the one to get because it’s armed to the teeth with top-tier hardware. Thanks to its Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 GPU, this laptop will run anything you throw at it.
The 17.3-inch 1440p display is ginormous, which really helps up the immersion factor. And the 240Hz refresh rate is wildly fast, too, which is ideal for fast, action-intensive games like first-person shooters.
Best premium laptop deals
HP Dragonfly Pro One: $698.99 ($700.01 off at Adorama)
The HP Dragonfly Pro One is a good laptop if you’re a serial multitasker. This baby is packing an AMD Ryzen 7 7736U CPU as well as 16GB of memory and 512GB of SSD storage, so it should be capable of handling a bunch of open tabs and more demanding applications. The 14-inch touch display has a resolution of 1920×1200 and a maximum brightness of 400 nits, which means the picture should be sharp and vibrant. The Ceramic White colorway is also just plain gorgeous and a welcome departure from the grey rectangles we’ve grown accustomed to seeing.
LG Gram 17: $996.99 ($700 off at Adorama)
The LG Gram 17 is one swanky laptop with its 17-inch 2560×1600 display, powerful internals, and lightweight form factor. It weighs just 3.2 pounds and yet it somehow manages to house a giant 90 watt-hour battery inside of it. How does that even make sense?! It also comes armed with an Intel Core i7-1360P CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU, so performance should be pretty darn fast. The RTX 3050 GPU is older, sure, but it’s a nice addition for those who need a little more oomph in the graphics department. Lastly, it comes with four USB ports (two of them include Thunderbolt 4 support) and a micro SD card slot, which is perfect for offloading large files.
FAQ
How much RAM will I need in my laptop?
You’ll want at least 8GB, though 16GB is preferable, especially if you play games. Don’t buy laptops with under 4GB of RAM or 128GB of SSD storage—though on a Chromebook or a budget Windows machine, this configuration is acceptable. Check out our article on how much RAM does a laptop need for more in-depth info.
What’s the difference between a Chromebook and a Windows laptop?
The one big difference between a Chromebook and a Windows laptop is the operating system. Chromebooks run ChromeOS and Windows run, well, Microsoft Windows. Chromebooks make good everyday machines because they’re designed for browsing the web, checking e-mail, and so on. They use less resources and are generally more affordable than the Windows variety. They also don’t need antivirus protection. A Windows laptop is a lot more versatile in what it can do, and not just in terms of running local programs. You can really pump a Windows laptop up with a ton of RAM, storage, and so on.
When should I look for a laptop deal?
You’ll likely find the best laptop deals during Prime Day (mid-July), Black Friday (November 29th), and back-to-school season (June-August). Sure, you’ll find good laptop deals throughout the year, but if you really want to save big, we’d recommend scoping out your favorite online retailers during those times.
Which retailers offer the best deals?
You can find all kinds of deals across a wide range of online retailers such as Newegg, Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon, and so on. However, we’d recommend checking out deals from laptop manufacturers like Lenovo, HP, and Dell. You’ll usually find many different configurations on sale and the discounts can be pretty darn steep.
For more options, check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops available right now.
