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 $500
Lenovo
Our top pick: Lenovo Flex 3 Chromebook, $109.99 ($369.01 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 worth considering. It’s powered by a Pentium Silver N6000 processor, suitable for web 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 crisp, making this machine an excellent value.
More laptop deals under $500
- Asus FHD Laptop, Intel Celeron N4500 processor/14-inch 1080p display/4GB RAM/64GB eMMC, $119.99 ($60 off at Best Buy)
- Acer Go 15, Intel N100 processor/15.6-inch 1080p display/4GB RAM/128GB flash storage, $229.99 ($20 off at Acer)
- Lenovo Ideapad 1, AMD Ryzen 5 7520U processor/15.6-inch 1080p display/8GB RAM/256GB SSD, $330.99 ($249 off at Best Buy)
- Dell Inspiron 15, Intel Core i5-1235U processor/15.6-inch 1080p display/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $429.99 ($200 off at Best Buy)
- Acer Aspire 5, Intel Core i5-12450H processor/15.6-inch 1080p display/12GB RAM/512GB SSD, $449.99 ($100 off at Newegg)
Best mid-range laptop deals
Asus
Our top pick: Asus Zenbook 14 OLED, $699.99 ($350 off at Best Buy)
The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED has a lot to offer the everyday person. Driven by an Intel Core Ultra Series 1 155H processor, it should be fast enough to handle spreadsheet work, browsing social media, and so on. You can expect a good looking picture with the 14-inch 1920×1200 OLED (touch) display, as OLEDs produce richer colors and deeper blacks. The connectivity is diverse, too–you’re getting one HDMI 2.1 port, two USB-C ports, and one USB-A 3.2 port.
More mid-range laptop deals:
- Dell Inspiron 14, Snapdragon X Plus processor/14-inch 1200p display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $599.99 ($200 off at Best Buy)
- HP Envy 2-in-1, Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 1 155U processor/16-inch 1200p touch display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $699.99 ($400 off at Best Buy)
- HP Dragonfly G4, Intel Core i7-1355U processor/13.5-inch 1280p touch display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $789.99 ($709.01 off at Adorama)
- Dell Inspiron 16, Intel Core 7 processor 150U/16-inch 1200p display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $799.99 ($250 off at Dell)
Best gaming laptop deals
Acer
Our top pick: Acer Nitro V, $1,099.99 ($200 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.
More gaming laptop deals:
- HP Victus, RTX 2050 graphics/15.6-inch 1080p display/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $569 ($130.99 off at Amazon)
- MSI Cyborg Gaming Laptop, RTX 4050 graphics/15.6-inch 1080p display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $789.99 ($210 off at Newegg)
- Gigabyte Aorus 15, RTX 4050 graphics/15.6-inch 1080p display/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $849 ($250 off at Amazon)
- Asus ROG Strix, RTX 4050 graphics/16-inch 1200p display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $899.99 ($400 off at Newegg)
- Alienware M16 R2, RTX 4060 graphics/16-inch 1600p display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,299.99 ($300 off at Dell)
Best premium laptop deals
Asus
Our top pick: Asus Vivobook 16X, $999.99 ($300 off at B&H)
The Asus Vivobook 16X is a great laptop for creative work, as it boasts powerful internal components and a spacious display. Inside you’ll find an Intel Core i9-13900H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. The display also measures 16 inches with a refresh rate of 120Hz and a resolution of 1920×1200. Overall, this is an excellent buy, especially for laptop with discrete graphics.
More premium laptop deals:
- Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1, Intel Core Ultra 7 155U processor/14-inch 1200p display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $919.99 ($285 off at Lenovo)
- Microsoft Surface, Snapdragon X Elite processor/13.8-inch 1536p touch display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,038.99 ($361 off at Amazon)
- Microsoft Surface Pro 11, Snapdragon X Plus processor/13-inch 1920p touch display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,039.99 ($150 off at Amazon)
- Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11, Intel Core i7-1355U processor/14-inch 1080p display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,169 ($230.99 off at Amazon)
- Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 5, AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor/14-inch 1200p IPS display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,349 ($120 off at Adorama)
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 (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.
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.
