Best laptop deals today: Save big on work, school, home use and gaming

s August 11, 2024

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)

Best laptop deals under $500

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3: $329 ($200 off at B&H)

If you fancy yourself a casual user (aka someone that likes to browse the web or social media), the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is the laptop for you. It comes equipped with an Intel Core i3-1315U CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD storage–that’s plenty of oomph for everyday tasks. The 15.6-inch 1920×1080 IPS display is nice, too. It should be clear enough for daily activities like spreadsheet work or watching a YouTube video. It also has a decent port selection with one USB-C and two USB-A. Not bad for a sub-$300 laptop!

Lenovo Flex 3: $328.99 ($150.01 off at Best Buy)

Sometimes all you need is an affordable laptop for surfing the web and composing e-mail exchanges. If you’re in the market for such a laptop, the Lenovo Flex 3 is definitely worth considering. It’s powered by a Pentium Silver N6000 processor, which is suitable for general browsing and streaming Netflix, 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.

Lenovo IdeaPad 1: $499.99 ($300 off at Best Buy)

The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 is an affordable, reliable laptop with all the right features. It’s an AMD forward laptop, so you’ll find a Ryzen 7 5700U CPU (with eight cores, 16 threads) and Radeon graphics underneath the hood. It’s plenty speedy for office work, school work, and day-to-day tasks. It also boasts 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage, which is good for the price point. The display is nice, too. It measures a sizeable 15.6 inches, has a resolution of 1920×1080, and is touch-enabled.

This is a really good deal, especially if you’re a student heading off to college for the first time. Don’t miss out!

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.

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.

Asus TUF Gaming: $1,099.99 ($300 off at Best Buy)

If you’re looking to pick up a fast gaming laptop with RTX 4070 graphics, you’ve come to the right spot. The Asus TUF Gaming laptop is on sale for just $1,099.99 at Best Buy, which is a savings of $300. This baby features the aforementioned Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, an Intel Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. Game performance should be zippy thanks to the powerful CPU and GPU, and the 15.6-inch 1080p display should produce smooth looking visuals due to the 144Hz refresh rate.

Asus ROG Strix G16: $1,272 ($127.99 off at Amazon)

The Asus ROG Strix G16 is another powerful gaming laptop with RTX 4060 graphics and 1TB of PCIe Gen4 SSD storage. The 1TB of storage is perfect for those with loads of games and no space to store them. The Intel Core i7-13650HX is also fast and reliable and, combined with the RTX 4060 GPU, you’ve got yourself a competent gaming laptop that will blitz through any game you throw at it. Visuals should look great as well thanks to the 1200p display’s 165Hz refresh rate and 16:10 aspect ratio. Additional features include a an additional intake fan that directs airflow directly to the internal components as well as a that reduces latency.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14: $1,699.99 ($300 off at Best Buy)

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a portable, powerful gaming machine. Not only is it rocking an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU and 32GB of RAM, but it also weighs just 3.31 pounds. Most gaming laptops are big and bulky, so this is a nice change of pace, especially if you’re the type of person that’s always on-the-go. The 14-inch display also has a resolution of 2560×1440 and a refresh rate of 120Hz, which means gameplay should be stutter free.

Lenovo Legion Pro 7: $2,299 ($500 off at B&H)

If your budget knows no bounds and you’re looking for the ultimate gaming experience, the Lenovo Legion Pro 7 will surely deliver. Not only is it packing RTX 4080 graphics, but it also has 32GB of RAM and an Intel Core i9-13900HX processor. In other words, given the hardware inside, performance should be blazing fast. The 16-inch display also has a resolution of 2560×1600 and a refresh rate of 240Hz, so images should appear sharp and gameplay smooth. The connectivity options are quite good as well. You’re getting two USB-C, four USB-A, and one HDMI.

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.

Lenovo Flex 7: $1,039.99 ($220 off at Adorama)

The Lenovo Flex 7 is a great laptop for those who want an affordable 2-in-1. You’re getting a lightweight design as well as a decent amount of power for just over $1,000. It has an Intel Core i7-1355U CPU, Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. Zipping through spreadsheet work, light use tasks, and so on should be no problem for this machine. In addition to the 2-in-1 form factor, in which the screen swings back 360 degrees, it also weighs just 3.53 pounds. That means you can easily slip it in a backpack or messenger back and take it with you anywhere.

FAQ

1.

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.

2.

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.

3.

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.

4.

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.

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