The best gaming laptop deals up for grabs before the holidays: Shop Alienware, Acer, and more

Cyber Weekend ushered in some of the best gaming laptop deals of the entire year — but if you didn't buy then, you're not completely out of luck. Best Buy, HP, Dell, Lenovo, and other tech retailers have put current and last-generation configurations of gaming laptops on sale for up to $700 off ahead of the holidays, as well as some likely refreshes at CES.

Read on for a brief rundown of the best gaming laptop deals across the web as of Dec. 11. That includes three of Mashable's current favorite models, one of which is still chilling at its Cyber Monday price (with a freebie to boot).

Our top pick

Why we like it

Read Mashable's full review of the Alienware m16 R2.

Former Mashable Tech Editor Kimberly Gedeon was impressed by this 16-incher's mid-range performance and build quality, especially its "super clicky" keyboard. She also liked its inclusion of a Stealth mode hotkey to dial back its RGB lighting, and its support of Nvidia Advanced Optimus for automatic GPU switching depending on the task. (There's an MUX switch to do it manually, too.) "The Alienware m16 R2 blends portability and power to deliver a laptop that can handle both play and work," she wrote. It snagged a 4.5/5 rating and a Mashable Choice Award.

The model Gedeon tested featured an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, RTX 4070 graphics, 16GB of memory, and 1TB of storage. It's currently on sale for $1,499.99 at Best Buy (normally $1,899.99). That's not quite as good as its Black Friday price of $1,299.99, but $400 off is still pretty decent. For reference, that same discount made it sell out on Dell's website earlier in the week; it's now back in stock there, but it doesn't ship until late December.

Best budget pick

Why we like it

Read Mashable's full review of the Acer Nitro V 15.

Another Mashable Choice Award winner, the 2023 Nitro V 15 is our No. 1 budget gaming laptop largely because it's fully capable of handling graphically intense games Cyberpunk 2077 without getting too hot (though its fans will make themselves known). Gedeon also liked its understated design, deeming it "the perfect balance of fun and serious"; she rated it a 4.7/5 overall. Its dim 1080p display and its passion for clinging to fingerprints are the two biggest things you'll have to reckon with, but its current sale price might push those cons aside.

Walmart has a model with an Intel Core i5-13420H CPU, RTX 4050 graphics, 16GB RAM, and 512GB of storage on sale for just $599, or $200 off — a still-live Cyber Monday deal that includes a free copy of Assassin's Creed Shadows, which is set for release in February. It's slightly pared down compared to the configuration we tested, which had an Intel Core i7-13620H processor and 1TB of storage (but the same GPU), but if it's shipping with that Triple-A game, it should be plenty powerful for most titles.

Best splurge

Why we like it

Read Mashable's full review of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14.

Thin, light, and understated, this 14-incher "is perfect for those who want to bring a respectable, MacBook Pro-esque laptop to the office — before gaming at night with a beastly gaming rig," Gedeon wrote. She gave it a 4.3/5, praising its design, performance, speakers, keyboard, and pretty OLED display, but docking a few points for its tendency to run hot.

The version we tested featured an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU, a GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, 16GB of memory, and 1TB of storage. It's typically priced at $1,599.99, and it's not currently on sale. But Best Buy has the upgraded version with RTX 4070 graphics and 32GB of RAM marked down to $1,649.99, which is $350 off its $1,999.99 MSRP.

More gaming laptop deals under $1,000

• Asus TUF Gaming A15 (AMD Ryzen 7 7435HS, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $499 $719.99 (save $220.99)

• MSI Thin 15 (Intel Core i5-13420H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $649.99 $899.99 (save $250)

• Acer Nitro V 15 (AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $699.99 $949.99 (save $250)

• HP Victus 16t-s100 (AMD Ryzen 5 8645HS, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $729.99 $1,099.99 (save $370)

• MSI Cyborg 14 (Intel Core i7-13620H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $749.99 $1,099.99 (save $350)

• Dell G15 5535 (AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $799.99 $1,049.99 (save $250)

• Lenovo LOQ (Intel Core i7-13650HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $959.99 $1,319.99 (save $360)

• Asus TUF Gaming F15 (Intel Core i7-13620H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $999.99 $1,399.99 (save $400)

More gaming laptop deals over $1,000

• Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (Intel Core i7-13620H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,149.99 $1,599.99 (save $450)

• HP Omen Transcend 16t-u100 (Intel Core i7-14700HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,199.99 $1,599.99 (save $400)

• Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 9 (Intel Core i7-14650HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,249.99 $1,789.99 (save $540)

• Dell G16 7630 (Intel Core i9-13900HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,299.99 $1,749.99 (save $450)

• Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (Intel Core i7-14700HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,569.99 $2,099.99 (save $530)

• Acer Predator Helios 16 (Intel Core i9-13900HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,699.99 $1,899.99 (save $200)

• Alienware m18 R2 (Intel Core i7-14700HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,899.99 $2,299.99 (save $400)

• Alienware x16 R2 (Intel Core Ultra 9 185H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,999.99 $2,699.99 (save $700)

• Acer Predator Helios 18 (Intel Core i9-14900HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,399.99 $2,999.99 (save $600)

• Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 9 (Intel Core i9-14900HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,749.99 $3,219.99 (save $470)

• MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio (Intel Core Ultra 9 185H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,799.99 $3,299.99 (save $500)

• Razer Blade 18 (Intel Core i9-14900HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD) — $3,999.99 $4,499.99 (save $500) + free Razer Skin, 1-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership, Assassin's Creed Shadows, 6-month Ubisoft+ Classics subscription, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Digital Premium Edition