If you’re struggling to find the right laptop for your home office, gaming setup, or both, then you’ve come to the right place. These gaming laptop deals on Acer, MSI, and Razer are the perfect centerpiece for any work-and-play setup. With prices starting at $600 and discounts as hefty as $300 off on Best Buy and B&H Photo, these bad boys are selling out quickly, so don’t hesitate to check them out while supplies last.
Acer Nitro 5 Gaming Laptop — $600, was $670
The Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop is one of the most affordable gaming laptops on the market with nearly just as much power as a dedicated midrange desktop. It utilizes a relatively large 15.6-inch display for sufficient screen size, and it displays images in Full HD 1,920 x 1,080p resolution for optimal viewing output for both games and any visual-related office work. The screen itself uses an IPS display for wide viewing angles, ensuring that visuals don’t get compromised when the laptop is viewed from at an angle and that colors are as vibrant as they can be.
It must be noted that while there are two variants of the Acer Nitro 5, one with an AMD and one with an Intel processor, the latter is far more expensive. The AMD Ryzen 5 processor in this laptop is only mere steps behind in terms of overall processing power, letting you save more for roughly the same performance and allowing you to run most software programs with ease. Plus, with the built-in AMD Radeon RX 560X graphics card and 8GB of RAM, you can play moderate games without a hitch. Heavier games like Red Dead Redemption 2 might take a bit of a hit, though. The speakers could use some work, but for casual gaming, they get the job done. You can always opt for external speakers if you really need to.
For storing your important documents and game files, the Acer Nitro 5 has a decently sized 256GB SSD for fast storage. Unfortunately, as game sizes continue to take up more and more space, 256GB may no longer be enough. In that case, an external storage device never hurt. The laptop can last a maximum of seven hours without breaks, which may be a bit short if you prefer to distance yourself from sockets, but if you won’t be gaming for the entire duration of its battery life, then periodic charging from time to time shouldn’t be too much of a hassle. If you’ll be taking it on the go, the 5.07-pound weight shouldn’t be a problem. And lastly, teleconferences won’t be a problem with the built-in webcam and microphone. You can check out the Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop on Best Buy where it’s currently on sale for $600.
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MSI Alpha 15 Gaming Laptop — $899, was $999
The MSI Alpha 15 gaming laptop is the first on our list to start edging into high-end territory, reserved for dedicated gamers who know exactly what they’re paying for: Quality. Like the Acer Nitro 5, this laptop also features a 15.6-inch screen with a broad enough viewing area that is neither too small nor too large. It renders images in 1,920 x 1,080 resolution for peak gaming visuals that show you the full scope of each scene, regardless of whether it’s a movie or video game. And as it uses an IPS display, you can view the screen from every angle and never miss out from desaturation as color accuracy remains consistent all throughout.
Under the hood, the MSI Alpha 15 is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 processor with 8GB of RAM. This isn’t as powerful as some of the newer Intel Core i7 models, but it still manages to beat out a vast majority of its competitors, capable of pumping out over 100 frames per second with demanding games like Grand Theft Auto V and consistent 50 fps with Nier: Automata. The AMD FreeSync and 120Hz refresh rate empowering the AMD Radeon RX 550 graphics card also ensure that there is absolutely no screen tearing and each frame transitions smoothly from one to the next for buttery-slick play-by-play action. And trust us when we say hitting 120Hz for the first time makes it impossible to ever go back to 60Hz, justifying the price completely. The sound is decent, but it could do better as it’s still lacking in fullness.
The MSI Alpha 15 doubles the Acer’s storage capacity with its own 512GB SSD for greater storing power for your important multimedia, documents, and game files. With this, you won’t need to worry about additional storage for a decently long time. The most glaring downside to this laptop is its four-hour battery life, which means it can’t survive for very long while it isn’t plugged in and makes travel practically impossible, especially with its 7.75-pound weight. A laptop like this is best when you’re settled in an area and won’t be taking it around. For teleconferences and video calls, it has its own mic and 720p webcam, so you won’t miss out. If you’re interested in the MSI Alpha 15 gaming laptop, you can check it out on B&H Photo where it’s on sale for $899.
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Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop — $1,049, was $1,349
The biggest difference — and we do mean big — between the Acer Predator Helios 300 gaming laptop and the other laptop deals on our list isn’t its specs, it is its sheer size. While the other gaming laptops use the Goldilocks 15.6-inch screen, this one boasts a massive 17.3-inch display for incredible corner-to-corner visual coverage. Its 1,920 x 1,080 resolution isn’t hurt by the increased size, however, and manages to deliver uncompromised visual output with crisp images in stunning high definition. Like the other laptops, this one also features an IPS display for wide viewing angles and vibrant colors, making this an ideal screen for local sharing.
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is powered by an Intel Core i7 processor with 8GB of RAM for peak performance and minimal delay, even with multiple programs working at full capacity, making it one of the best options for office work and play. Its wildly powerful Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti blows the industry-leading GTX 1060 out of the water with frame rates upward of 70 per second even on the most hardware-intensive games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Far Cry New Dawn without compromising on their visual quality in terms of brightness, texturing, or shading. The 60Hz refresh rate isn’t the best for hardcore gamers who need pixel-perfect precision, but for casual to semi-intense players, it’s satisfactory. The sound quality isn’t astounding though, so we recommend getting external speakers for this one.
In terms of storage space, the Acer Predator Helios 300 also uses a 512GB SSD. This means you won’t have to worry about running out of space for your important documents of game files for a relatively long period of time. The battery life isn’t as bad as the MSI Alpha 15’s, but it isn’t the best either at only six hours, so charging will still be a constant occurrence if you’re traveling, but if your laptop isn’t moving around, this shouldn’t be a major issue. Oddly enough, despite being larger than the MSI Alpha 15, the Acer Predator Helios 300 only weighs 6.4 pounds, 1.35 pounds lighter than the former. The laptop also comes with its own webcam and mic for voice calls and video conferences. If you think this laptop is the one you’re looking for, you can find it on B&H Photo where it’s currently discounted by $300 at just $1,049.
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Razer Blade Gaming Laptop — $1,400, was $1,600
Now, if you want a laptop with all the best features of the previous entries on our list, then you need to take a look at the Razer Blade gaming laptop. It uses the ever-competent 15.6-inch display size for its screen, with the standard 1,920 x 1,080 resolution for great visual output that fully delivers what it’s capable of rendering. As with the other laptops, this one also has an IPS display for wide viewing angles from every position, so that the picture quality doesn’t suffer from desaturation.
The Razer Blade uses a ninth-generation Intel Core i7 processor with a whopping 16GB of RAM for incredibly fast processes that can handle extreme multitasking while remaining at peak efficiency all throughout, from working in the day to gaming at night. Much like the Acer Predator Helios 300, this laptop also boasts the uber-powerful Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics card for intensive video editing and even more hardware-demanding games. With this, you’re getting better visuals than some older console models with an average of 70 frames per second on even the most visually demanding games like Control and Borderlands 3, further proving that PC truly is the master race when it comes to gaming. Additionally, the Razer Blade is equipped to handle virtual reality devices like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, so you can take your gaming experience to new heights. And with Dolby Atmos-equipped stereo speakers, you’re getting decent sound quality, so you don’t need an external speaker to get good sound.
The storage space is the biggest boon of the Razer Blade as it has both a 1TB HDD and a 128GB SSD for insane storing capacity. While all your office documents and files can be kept safely in the SSD, all your bigger game files and videos can be stored away in the HDD, so you won’t need an external storage upgrade for an impressively long amount of time if at all. Unfortunately, the laptop’s battery life isn’t very impressive with only six hours of runtime. So, if you’re going to get the most out of this laptop, whether it’s for work or play, you’ll be mostly chained to a socket. But in comparison to what you get, it’s a small price to pay. You can check out the Razer Blade gaming laptop on Best Buy where it’s currently on sale for $1,400, letting you walk away with $200 saved.
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