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 judgment (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 under $500Lenovo
Our top pick: Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5, $449.99 ($340 off at B&H)
Sometimes all you need is an affordable laptop for browsing social media and watching Netflix. If you’re in the market for such a laptop, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 is worth considering. It’s powered by an Intel Core 5 120U processor, which is suitable for office work and day-to-day tasks. You’re also getting 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage, and the 1200p display measures a pretty spacious 16 inches.
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LG
Our top pick: LG Gram 16, $649 ($250 off at Adorama)
The LG Gram 16 is a lightweight laptop with a high resolution (2560×1600) IPS display. It weighs just 2.64 pounds, which is impressive given the spacious 16-inch display. As for the internals, you’ll find an Intel Core i5-1340P processor, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of SSD storage. These are modest specs, so it should be smooth sailing with checking e-mail or working on spreadsheets. You’re also getting a full size keyboard with backlighting and a number pad and a colossal 80 watt-hour battery.
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Acer
Our top pick: Acer Nitro V, $949.99 ($350 off at Newegg)
The Acer Nitro V offers powerful hardware for a decent price. It comes loaded with an Intel Core i9-13900H CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU as well as 16GB of memory and 512GB of PCIe SSD storage. Given the hardware, you shouldn’t have any problem zipping through most games on Medium or High graphics. The 15.6-inch LED-backlit IPS display also has a resolution of 1920×1080 and a refresh rate of 144Hz, which should give you a smoother experience in games.
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Acer
Our top pick: Acer Swift X 14, $1,099.99 ($400 off at Best Buy)
The Acer Swift X 14 really is the full package. It has a beautiful 2880×1800 OLED display, a lightweight form factor, powerful hardware, and a diverse selection of connectivity options. It weighs just 3.31 pounds, which is perfect if you’re an on-the-go type of person. This laptop also comes with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD. Given the specs, this laptop should be able to handle light workloads as well as more demanding applications. Other cool features include a backlit chiclet-style keyboard, a 76 watt-hour battery, and an RJ45 (Ethernet) port.
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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 (the day after Thanksgiving), 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.