In my opinion, the biggest issue with gaming laptops is their high barrier to entry. They're expensive, with many costing several thousand dollars. It makes sense, though, since you're (usually) packing top-tier hardware, a high-quality display, and a robust cooling system into a compact machine.
Black Friday technically starts tomorrow, but early sales are going in full swing already. Thanks to that, Amazon has dropped the price of the 16-inch Alienware Aurora gaming laptop to just $900. You're saving a straightforward $350 on its retail price of $1,250, and the sale is open to all shoppers. Even better, there are no coupon codes required to score the drop. Just add the laptop to your cart, and the discount applies automatically.
Price is an all-important factor when it comes to finding the right budget gaming laptop. By definition, you're also trying to get as much performance as you can out of the device. If that's what you're seeking, then the Alienware 16X Aurora probably isn't right for you. You can get performance at least this good in laptops hundreds of dollars cheaper, including within the Alienware lineup.
It's like if the Alienware m16 R2 from 2024 hit the gym; this is a very beefy computer. It sports an 18-inch WQXGA resolution (2,560 x 1,600 pixels) display. Although the lack of a 4K screen may be disappointing, I didn't mind it so much because it has an incredible refresh rate of 300Hz and a response time of 3ms for super smooth gameplay.
Thanks to the event, we've spotted the 15-inch Lenovo LOQ gaming laptop going for just $780 on Amazon - yes, it's not a glitch. This is a whopping $400 off the retail price of over $1,100, and quite literally the lowest price we have seen this go for in a long time. You're getting a machine packed with features that will take your gaming sessions to the next level, but we don't know how long the discount will last.
That breadth of choices means choosing a gaming laptop in 2025 isn't simple. While picking any option from our Best Gaming Laptops guide is a good place to start, you still might not end up with a gaming laptop perfectly suited for your needs. Having tested many gaming laptops in over a decade of reviewing products, I'll break down each element of these spendy machines to lead you in the right direction, as well as explain what to expect from the major laptop brands.
