Price When Reviewed

$1399 Starter Kit| $1749 Streamer Plus Kit | $2799 Streamer Pro Kit

Best Prices Today

Until recently, owning a desktop PC was the result of one of two choices. You went out and bought one already built, or you purchased the components and assembled it yourself. No middle path existed for those who found the idea of building a PC appealing but also daunting.

Enter NZXT and its new BLD Kits. Launched back in October, these curated collections of PC parts both eliminate the stress of selecting your own components and figuring out how to put them all together. You simply choose from one of three different configurations, wait for a box with all necessary components and tools to arrive, and then follow the detailed assembly instructions. Should anything go wrong, NZXT provides a two-year warranty and serves as a singular point of contact for customer support, even after the warranty period expires.

Naturally, as seasoned PC builders, we were curious as to how easy NZXT makes the process. Not only could a BLD Kit assuage the fears of first-time builders, but it also removes another major roadblock for kids eager to put together their first PC. Frustrated young people often write us to say that parents or guardians are leery about the lack of centralized support with a DIY PC; NZXT's approach removes that risk.

Turns out that these BLD Kits do simplify PC building…but can't eliminate all of the potential headaches that come up. In some ways, our experience perfectly encapsulates the highs and lows of assembling your own system—as well as the benefit of a single company at your back for support.

What you get in the box

Alaina Yee / IDG

Our BLD Kit sample was a launch-day Streaming Plus model, which included the following components:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X (6 cores, 12 threads)
• CPU cooler: NZXT Kraken M22 120MM AIO Liquid Cooler
• Motherboard: MSI B550-A Pro (CEC)
• RAM: 16GB Team T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4-3200 (2x8GB)
• GPU: Gigabyte RTX 3060 Ti Gaming OC LHR
• PSU: Seasonic S12III 650W 80+ Bronze
• Storage: WD Blue SN550 NVMe M.2 1TB (WDS100T2B0C)
• Wi-Fi: MSI MS-B905C Dual-Band Wireless PCIe Adapter Card
• Case: NZXT H510 (White)
• OS: Windows 10 Home
• –Keyboard and mouse not included–

Among the configuration options, the Streaming Plus model falls squarely in the middle. Our version is actually now out of date—since launch, NZXT has changed the class of GPU. This config now comes with the upgrade of an RTX 3070 card and costs $1,749.

Stepping down to the $1,399 Starter Pro kit drops the graphics card to an RTX 3060 Ti, and swaps in an Intel Core i5-11400F as the CPU. It also comes with an air cooler and a lower-wattage 500W power supply. All other specs are the same.

Moving up to the Streaming Pro kit is a much bigger jump—you go straight to a RTX 3080 Ti, 32GB of DDR4-3000 memory, and an 8-core, 16-thread AMD Ryzen 7 5800X. The power supply also increases to 750 watts, in order to accommodate the 3080 Ti. As you might guess, the price takes a mighty leap as well: Up to $2,799, or over $1K that of the current Streaming Plus kit.

Stick to the included instructions and success should come with little trouble.

Alaina Yee / IDG

Universal among the kits is how they arrive. You get one big box of PC parts, with the components in a mix of packaging. In our kit, the power supply and graphics card were in their original boxes, but the motherboard was repacked in a plain white box. Smaller parts like the RAM and the storage drive were put in anti-static ziplock bags. No matter what the type of packaging, every PC part had a clear label that identified what it was and when you would install it.

Also in the shipping box was a detailed PC building guide, parts list, and a magnetized toolkit. You don't need to purchase anything separately to complete the assembly. (You may want to, though—for example, a handful of velcro ties to help with cable management.)

However, you must buy your own keyboard and mouse. They don't come included, which could come as a surprise to previous owners of prebuilt PCs, which typically come with peripherals. NZXT isn't explicit about this fact in the product listing pages for the kits.

Building experience

Following the BLD Kit's written instructions is easy. The guide has a similar vibe to a Lego kit's, with full color diagrams for the installation of each component. It's even themed—you're a cartoon adventurer who's discovering a treasure trove of PC parts—which makes the process more approachable, without feeling overly childish. Even if you're not into the cute vibe, you can still clearly see the care and attention NZXT poured into its building manual.

Each step is broken down into small actions designed to put brand-new PC builders at ease. Stick to what's on the page and success should come with little trouble. As I found out, going off-script can cause confusion, as you can see in the embedded video above. During the live build of our BLD kit, I occasionally complicated things by going on autopilot and prepping things out of habit, resulting in skipped steps or other impediments to progress.

In the event you can't understand the written guide, or don't do well with static visual instructions in general, you can instead watch a series of instructional YouTube videos. During our build, we found that the videos serve as a good supplement to the guide. But for those who are using both, tiny differences in instruction can potentially cause confusion. I ended up relying on the guide and using the videos for better views of installation technique, rather than trying to reconcile both sets of instructions if they conflicted.

Alaina Yee / IDG

NZXT could improve on its already excellent instructions with a few additions—like a motherboard diagram with labels for the different parts, rather than pushing new builders to navigate a far-less friendly manufacturer's manual. For our kit, a new builder wouldn't have even been able to consult the manufacturer's manual, unless they thought to look online for the PDF version. The manual wasn't transferred over from the original packaging to the white box the mobo came in.

Advice on how much to tighten screws, the ideal tightening pattern for securing screws, and even how to check motherboard stand-offs for adequate seating would be useful tips, too. Ideally a build goes without a hitch and that last point isn't necessary—you wouldn't ever have to fuss with disassembly to troubleshoot problems. But problems can crop up even despite the best instructions and careful assembly. Such tips can go a long way toward ensuring a positive experience, and it's good info for new builders to know anyway.

It's also puzzling why a backup DVD for Windows 10 was included, instead of a USB stick. These BLD kits lack a DVD drive—heck, the case doesn't have a 5.25-inch drive bay. There's not even a mention of the Windows 10 media creation webpage. It would help eliminate confusion down the road should a wipe become necessary (which it almost did in our case).

All that said, these are mostly nitpicked suggestions for further improving the experience. NZXT successfully keeps PC building from being intimidating, and we enjoyed how the guide and videos hold your hand through the process. Our only true criticism is the handling of Windows 10 media—mostly because of what happened after we finished the build.

Post-build troubleshooting

PCWorld

Aside from a few moments of self-inflicted mistakes, putting together our BLD kit went smoothly. However, after booting up the PC, things took a hard turn onto bumpy territory.

We successfully entered POST on first try—that wasn't the issue. But we did run in to a POST error message that the CPU or memory had changed or the CMOS had been cleared. Presented with the choice to enter setup or load default values and continue, I chose the latter.

Usually I would choose to enter setup to manually verify that the BIOS or UEFI recognized all of the components accurately. I might also choose to leave RAM at stock speeds, if anything registered incorrectly and I anticipated more troubleshooting to come. But some new builders might decide they don't know enough about computers to navigate through BIOS settings and instead trust that the defaults wouldn't steer them wrong. I decided to mimic that line of thought.

After making this selection, Windows loaded for a brief moment, only to then throw up a Blue Screen of Death. And that's when the actual problem reared its head: On reboot, the system showed a blank black screen. No POST, no sign of response outside of the power being on.

PCWorld

This is the sort of situation that can happen during DIY builds. Usually something isn't assembled quite right, but one of the components could be faulty, too. NZXT handling the components beforehand can accidentally throw a wrench into matters as well, as could the pre-installation of Windows 10 on the storage drive. For us, not a big deal. For a new builder, a potential heart-stopping moment.

Unfortunately, this problem was not fixable using NZXT's basic troubleshooting tips, which would leave a new builder in our situation with two choices: contacting customer support, or looking up their problem on the internet in the hopes of figuring it out themselves.

Most buyers would presumably contact NZXT first, but like with prebuilt PCs, the wait time for help from technical support can take awhile. When we tried calling, we were given an estimated wait time of 9 minutes—and ended up on hold for 55 minutes before being shunted to a voicemail system, due to close of the business day.

The next step would have been to leave a voicemail or file an online support ticket. In either case, you can end up waiting days before help is available—support hours are only Monday through Friday, 8am to 6pm Pacific Time, with some additional closures on major holidays.

That said, even after listening to hold music for an hour, I appreciated that phone support was available. Wading through internet forums can be intimidating, especially if the answers involve information you're completely unfamiliar with. NZXT tells us that its technical support team makes use of video calls during troubleshooting, too—which was good to hear, because being able to have common visual references speeds up the process.

Alaina Yee / IDG

Ultimately, what solved the boot issue was a relatively simple step: clearing the CMOS. I knew to try this from experience, so I didn't follow up with NZXT's customer support, and instead went solo.

I unplugged the system from the wall, removed the GPU for access to the CMOS battery, pulled it out from the motherboard, waited about 10 minutes, and then put everything back. (For the record, the CMOS could've been cleared in half that time, but I got distracted with work email.) Upon powering on the system, I got the same POST error message as during first boot, and this time I entered the BIOS/UEFI settings to verify everything was set correctly.

And yet the saga didn't end there. The Windows 10 boot issues still remained—I ran into recovery issues a couple of times before the initial setup screen finally appeared. (Because of the initial error code, I suspect we could have accidentally gotten a drive that was cloned for an Intel CPU configuration.)

Because of these Windows 10 issues, I strongly believe NZXT should mention how to create a Windows 10 USB drive (or far better, include one with the kit). I came close to needing to wipe the drive and start over with a fresh installation, and I had no usable installation media on hand. And actually, I would still do a fresh wipe and install anyway just to play it safe, if this were my PC. Easier to do it at this stage, rather than assuming everything's fine and then having to deal with issues after you've settled into the system and have your apps and files to manage as well.

Alaina Yee / IDG

I also think it's an oversight to not include troubleshooting advice about issues with booting into Windows 10 upon first startup. Dealing with an operating system is just as much part of the DIY build experience as the assembly.

When I reached out to NZXT to ask how the technicians handle more complicated problems, and how RMAs worked, I was told that support guides customers through troubleshooting tips. If over the course of that process, it becomes apparent that a part is actually bad, NZXT creates a shipping label for it to be sent back. The company then tests and replaces the part in two days or less, and then ships it back via an expedited service. If you have to send in parts, expect them to take three to five days to arrive at NZXT, and then another one to three days for the replacement to reach you.

Final thoughts

Even with our experience going as it did, NZXT's idea is a very good one. A novice builder gets clear guidance and instructions, and can speak with an actual human when seeking help. That assistance may not be as ideal as personally knowing an expert to consult with, but not everyone has a friend or family member they can lean on in that way. You don't have to dig online to figure out problems as you would when going solo with a DIY build, either. So while I think NZXT can still improve some on the support front, this initial launch definitely gets the building part right. I don't expect most people to run into the kind of trouble I did either.

The upcharge you pay for these kits, as compared to going completely DIY, is also reasonable. You'll shell out a couple to a few hundred dollars more for a BLD Kit, but obtaining a graphics card right now can cost much more than that. (Thanks for nothing, scalpers.)

The primary drawback to these BLD Kits is the limited choice of parts available. For example, you can have whatever case you want, as long as it's the NZXT H510. (The H510 Flow isn't even an option.) It would be fun to see what kind of building kits system integrators like CyberPowerPC or iBuyPower could offer, as they have a broader selection of parts for their prebuilt PCs.

But overall, this is a solid option for new builders to consider, be they adults, young enthusiasts, or as a family project.

Now that wireless mice can keep up with their wired counterparts in performance and features, there's really no trade-off in cutting the cord and freeing your trusty rodent from its tether. You still need to be discerning when choosing a particular wireless mouse, of course. That's especially true of a gaming mouse, where issues of feel and heft, dots per inch (dpi), and the charging system can make or break your gaming enjoyment.

Our expert reviewers have put these mice through their paces, testing them across a range of scenarios, and over extended periods of time. Below are the results of that effort: Our picks of the best wireless gaming mice. (For more about our evaluation process, see how we test gaming mice.)

1. G502 Lightspeed

MSRP: $149.99

Best Prices Today: $49.99 at Logitech G | $49.99 at Logitech Gaming | $99.99 at B & H Photo

We already loved the G502 even before it went wireless. But now that this mighty mouse is paired with an innovative inductive wireless charging system, ensuring the trickle-charged mouse is never without power, we love the G502 Lightspeed even more. (Read more about Logitech's Powerplay Wireless Charging System.)

Read our full G502 Lightspeed review

2. Logitech G903

MSRP: $149.99

Best Prices Today: $79.99 at Amazon | $99.99 at Best Buy | $99.99 at Logitech G

Like the G502, the G903 is supported by Logitech's Powerplay Wireless Charging system. It features many of the same features as the G502, with the addition of having a more ambidextrous shape. It can usually be found for around the same price as the G502, too.

Read our full Logitech G903 review

3. Razer Mamba Hyperflux and Firefly Hyperflux

MSRP: $249.00

Best Prices Today: Not Available at Amazon

Using a similar concept to Logitech's Powerplay, the Mamba Hyperflux and Firefly Hyperflux combo provides constant and reliable inductive charging, but with the Razer name and aesthetic styling. Razer's solution is also more expensive.

Read our full Razer Mamba Hyperflux and Firefly Hyperflux review

4. SteelSeries Rival 650

MSRP: $119.99

Best Prices Today: $100.38 at Amazon | $119.99 at SteelSeries

Okay, so you're not really looking at adopting a whole wireless “system”—a la Logitech and Razer's solutions above. You want a traditional rechargeable wireless mouse. We like the SteelSeries Rival 650 for its nice looks, smart button placement, responsive performance, and speedy re-charging capabilities. We're talking 10 hours of charge in 15 minutes. Plus the price is right!

Read our full SteelSeries Rival 650 review

5. Logitech G603

MSRP: $69.99

Best Prices Today: $53.39 at Amazon | $59.99 at B & H Photo | $59.99 at Logitech G

If you don't want to deal with recharging, especially in a gaming mouse that meants to take on the road, Logitech's G603 is a respectable battery-powered option that makes it well suited for travel. Two AA batteries will net you hundreds of hours of gameplay. Make no mistake, the G603 feels substantial, like a proper gaming mouse. And it performs like a proper gaming mouse, as well.

Read our full Logitech G603 review

At this point, nearly every DIY builder knows the O11 Dynamic. Scores of people love using it too, even when there's not a single tube of custom water-cooling inside. The case is a showpiece, and if Lian Li's many size variations of it are any indication, it's a formula not to be messed with. Other companies have produced uncannily similar creations, to boot.

Not Hyte. This relatively new offshoot of system integrator iBuyPower launched last year with the Revolt 3, a case that resembled the NZXT H1 and SSUPD Meshlicious, and yet held its own with distinct details that set it apart. In 2022, the company's doing it again with the Hyte Y60, a case on the opposite end of the scale—think the size of the just-launched O11D Evo.

Design

Hyte

At 456 x 285 x 462mm, the Hyte Y60 shares similar dimensions with the O11D Evo—Hyte even says its case is almost “dead-on” in size compared to the Evo. The Y60 is far more striking, though. Instead of having a standard cube frame, the left front edge has been replaced by an angled piece of tempered glass, making for an uninterrupted view of the interior.

Initially that “panoramic view,” as Hyte describes it, can take a moment to absorb. It's a unique look that requires a little growth of imagination, but picturing a system decked out with RGB fans, custom fan grills, and even figurines or a plush toy (yes, that is a trend), and you can see it like a display case.

And indeed, Hyte sees the Y60 as being designed for photography—you can capture your build in all its glory with a single shot, rather than having to use multiple perspectives. (It remains to be seen how cooperative that glass is in terms of reflectiveness, though.) 

The glass panels aren't the only features that makes it photo-worthy. Not only does Y60 focus exclusively on vertical GPU mounting, which puts your hard-won graphics card on full display, but it tucks away the bottom fans in a shallow, vented shroud to keep the focus on the star of the show. And the included custom-length PCIe 4.0 riser cable for the vertical GPU mounting comes with its own little shroud to cover it, too.

Hardware support

Mixed with these aesthetic touches are sensible, pragmatic elements as well. That vented shroud supports up to two 140mm fans to ensure maximum airflow for your GPU, for example, and included with the case are two 120mm fans. Accessing the bottom fans is as simple as opening a panel on the Y60's underside.

Airflow in the rest of the case should be easy to manage as well, with a top mounting spot that supports both 120mm fans (up to three) and 140mm fans (up to two) as well as 280mm and 360mm radiators. The side mounting spot can take up to two 120mm or 140mm fans and up to a 280mm radiator, with a noteworthy amount of clearance allowed for rad setups—you can go up to 130mm thick before needing to worry about running into the GPU. Hyte says push/pull rad configurations are easily accommodated. Rounding out the mounting points is a single spot at the rear, which can take up to a single 120mm fan or rad.

The Y60 also supports ATX power supplies and up to two 3.5-inch or four 2.5-inch drives (or some combination in between), which all install behind the motherboard. Speaking of motherboards, you can drop in ATX, micro-ATX, mini-ITX, and EATX boards up to 10.6-inches in width. Hyte says it designed this case with ATX builds in mind, though. In fact, the Y60 supports half-height PCIe cards behind the GPU, so that you can still get some use out of all the PCIe slots on ATX mobos.

Price, availability, and colors

Hyte

The Hyte Y60 will launch with an MSRP of $200 USD and a target of mid-March for release in North America. Other territories will follow after. For comparison, the O11D Evo has an MSRP of $170 USD, with the vertical GPU mounting kit an optional purchase and no fans included.

Colors available will be white, black, and a red/black combination. When asked, the company says the removable top and right-side panels can be sold separately upon request, so if you want to roll a different color combo (say, white and red), it's possible.

Time will tell how deeply the Hyte Y60 will lessen PC builders' current love affair with Lian Li, but from the look we had at it, it seems poised to enter the field as a strong rival. That's not the only area of PC building and PC gaming that Hyte is looking to shake up, either—also announced were the SR65, a highly customizable premium mechanical keyboard in the $350 to $400 range, and the Eclipse HG10, a minimalist wireless headset that'll sell for $100.

Whether you're buying a new laptop for school or trying to find a high-end gaming laptop, it's possible to find good laptop deals no matter the season. We're scouring the web daily to find the laptop deals you don't want to miss.

Mind you, not all advertised laptop deals are actually deals, so we've only included the ones we consider actual bargains—and we've explained why. We'll add new laptop deals as we see them daily and remove any expired sales. Right now, we're seeing strong discounts on gaming laptops, Microsoft Surface devices, and more. If you're looking for Chromebooks we've got those deals in here too!

We've provided a handy list of laptop-specific shopping tips at the end of this post, and immediately below are the deals themselves.

The best laptop deals in 2022

Microsoft Surface Pro 7+

From: Walmart

Was: $999.99

Now: $599 ($400.99 off)

If you're looking for a well designed Windows tablet, there's no beating Microsoft's Surface line and this Walmart's sale offers an excellent bargain. This version of the Surface Pro 7+ comes with a Core i3 processor, 128GB of onboard storage, 8GB of RAM, and a black Type Cover. We reviewed the Surface Pro 7+ nearly a year ago, giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars and an Editors' Choice Award. We called it “the most potent upgrade Microsoft's Surface Pro line has offered in years.”

See the Surface Pro 7+ at Walmart

Lenovo Legion 5

From: Walmart

Was: $909.99

Now: $649 ($360.99 off the list price)

If you're looking for a solid 1080p gaming laptop, the Lenovo Legion 5 is a great option. It comes equipped with a GeForce GTX 1650, which was the most popular GPU during the 2021 holiday season. While it's not the most exciting graphics processor, the 1650 is still a good performer at 1080p with medium settings. The rest of the laptop features a 17.3-inch 1080p display, a Ryzen 5 5600H CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of onboard NVMe storage. It's a respectable performer at a good price, that's for sure.

See the Lenovo Legion 5 at Walmart

Inspiron 15 3000

From: Dell.com

Was: $479.99

Now: $431.99 ($48 off)

The Dell Inspiron 15 3000 is a great laptop for getting day-to-day work done. It has a Core i5-1035G1 CPU, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of NVMe storage, Wi-Fi 6, and a 15.6-inch 1080p display. It's also light enough to tote around with ease, as it weighs just 3.82 pounds. This deal is only available until Monday, January 10th at 7AM central time. Make sure you enter the coupon code SAVE10 at checkout.

See the Inspiron 15 3000 at Dell.com

HP 17-by4061nr

From: Walmart

Was: $679

Now: $499.00 ($180 off)

This HP laptop has a lot going for it. The CPU is an Intel “Tiger Lake” Core i5-1135G7 with four cores, eight threads and a boost to 4.2GHz. The processor is packing Iris Xe graphics, which will provide surprising performance for an integrated GPU. It also has 8GB of RAM, a 512GB NVMe SSD, and a 1080p display. If need a new laptop to kick off 2022, then this is a nice choice.

See the HP 17-by4061nr at Walmart

Asus L510

From: Walmart

Was: $279

Now: $219 ($60 off)

This deal puts us in an odd position. We're not huge fans of laptops with just 128GB of onboard storage (especially this one's onboard eMMC storage) and generally don't recommend Windows PCs running Celeron processors. For a price around $200, however, we're willing to overlook these shortcomings but with some big caveats.

First, you'll get exactly what you pay for with this clamshell, but that just might be a good thing given the price. It's running Windows 10 Home in S Mode and we would not recommend upgrading this laptop to regular Windows 10. Instead, use this laptop like a Chromebook, so focus on using it for web apps like Google Docs or Office Online. Then, if you absolutely need a desktop program download, run whatever you need from the selection in the Windows Store. We wouldn't try editing a photo on this since it has just 4GB of RAM and deathly slow flash storage. Still, the Intel Celeron N4020 will get the job done for basic uses and a 15.6-inch 1080p display offers a bigger display than what you'd get from a Chromebook around the same price.

See the Asus L510 at Walmart

Lenovo Yoga 6

Lenovo

From: Best Buy

Was: $949.99

Now: $849.99 ($100 off)

The Lenovo Yoga 6 has an eight-core, sixteen thread Ryzen 7 5700U processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. The screen is 13.3 inches with 1080p resolution and is touch based. As with other Yoga laptops, it can sit around as a regular clamshell or bend over backwards to go into tent mode. It's also rocking Wi-Fi 6 and it's fairly lightweight at just under three pounds.

See the Lenovo Yoga 6 at Best Buy

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Gaming

Lenovo

From: Walmart

Was: $849.99

Now: $749 ($100.99 off)

Lenovo probably isn't the first name you think of when it comes to gaming machines, but they do make nice laptops, and this one has some very nice specs. The IdeaPad 3 Gaming has a 15.6-inch display with 1080p resolution and a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz. The CPU is a Zen 3-based AMD Ryzen 5 5600H, which has 6 cores and 12 threads, and a max boost clock to 4.2GHz. It also has 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, with graphics are handled by the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050–a 1080p laptop GPU that brings DLSS and real-time ray tracing to laptops in an affordable package. This is a solid laptop, a great price for a 1080p gaming machine.

See the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Gaming at Walmart

HP Laptop 15-ef2126wm

HP

From: Walmart

Was: $549

Now: $429 ($120 off)

This HP laptop is very capable given the specs (though we'd hesitate to call it a workhorse). The processor is a Zen 2 Ryzen 5 5500U with six cores, twelve threads and a boost to 4GHz. It has a 15.6-inch 1080p display, 8GB or RAM, and a 256GB SSD. HP says you can expect around 9.5 hours of battery life with mixed usage. This would be an excellent laptop for students, home use, or even for taking on the road for business trips.

See the HP laptop 15-ef2126wm at Walmart

Vostro 5301

Dell

From: Dell.com

Was: $1,712.87

Now: $729 ($983.87 off)

The Dell Vostro 5301 is an excellent business laptop. However, you might be able to sneak in a little lightweight gaming on the side during off hours thanks to the onboard GeForce MX350 GPU. This laptop is packing an Intel “Tiger Lake” quad-core, eight thread Core i7-1165G7 with Iris Xe onboard. You're getting 8GB of RAM and 512GB of onboard storage as well. For ports, it has a USB 3.2 Gen 2 type-C port, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 standard ports, and HDMI 1.4b. The display is 13.3 inches at 1080p resolution with a max brightness of 300 nits.

See the Dell Vostro 5301 at Dell.com

Asus VivoBook 15 F513

Asus

From: Office Depot

Was: $749.99

Now: $599.99 ($150 off)

This VivoBook is rocking 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. That's not a ton of storage, but if you have most of your files in the cloud it's manageable. The display is 15.6 inches with 1080p resolution. For ports, it has three USB ports, one HDMI out, and Wi-Fi 6. Normally, we wouldn't recommend this as an everyday laptop. However, as a travel laptop, it's light and easy to carry while still offering good performance.

See the Asus VivoBook 15 F514 at Office Depot

HP Spectre x360 14

HP

From: HP

Was: $1,399.99

Now: $1099.99 ($300 off)

If you're looking for the best thin and light laptop money can buy, you've come to the right place.

This 14-inch HP Spectre convertible strikes a great balance between performance (from Intel's Tiger Lake CPUs) and design, even if it's a little on the heavy side at 3 pounds. Its 1920×1280 IPS display is another highlight, whether you're making use of the 360-degree hinge and touchscreen or not. The deal highlighted here is on the model we reviewed, but all configurations are currently discounted.

See the HP Spectre x360 14 at HP.com

Asus ROG Flow X13

Asus

From: Best Buy

Was: $1,499.99

Now: $1,249.99 ($250 off)

Asus ROG Flow X13 is a nice gaming laptop with good specs and it's $100 cheaper right now than the price we saw during the holidays. It's not a huge laptop, but it does have HDMI out if you want to game on a larger screen. The display, while on the smaller side, is pretty nice with a maximum 120Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 1920-by-1200 with a 16:10 aspect ratio. It has an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU, which will offer high to ultra graphics capabilities, and 16GB of RAM for snappy responsiveness. It also has 512GB of NVMe SSD onboard storage, Windows 11 Home, and Wi-Fi 6 for wireless capability.

See the Asus Rog Flow X13 at Best Buy

HP Victus 16t-d000

HP

From: HP.com

Was: $999.99

Now: $749.99 ($250 off)

HP is offering a very nice gaming laptop at an excellent price.

The HP Victus 16t-d000 features a 16.1-inch 1080p display with a boost to 144Hz and a maximum brightness of 250 nits. Driving that screen is a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, which will provide some nice graphics capabilities with high graphics settings, depending on the game. This RTX GPU also supports DLSS and real-time ray tracing. In addition, It has 8GB of RAM, a 256GB NVMe M.2 SSD, and a six-core, twelve thread Intel “Tiger Lake” Core i5-11400H CPU.

See the HP Victus 16t-d000 at HP.com

Lenovo IdeaPad 3i

Lenovo

From: Walmart

Was: $699

New: $449 ($250 off)

The Lenovo IdeaPad 3i is a nice everyday use laptop. It has 512GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, which is more than enough for web browsing and whatnot. This laptop is running Windows 11 Home and the processor is a quad-core, eight thread Intel “Comet Lake” Core i5-10210U. That's a generation behind, but it's still a capable processor. The screen is also 14-inches with a 1080p resolution.

See the Lenovo IdeaPad 3i at Walmart

Acer Chromebook 315

Acer

From: Walmart

Was: $289

Now: $229.99 ($59.01 off)

If you'd like something a little beefier than the Lenovo Chromebook at Best Buy, take a look at this deal at Walmart. The Acer 315 is a 15.6-inch laptop with a 1080p touch display. Again, this is not a convertible laptop so no bending back the keyboard for a tablet-like experience. The processor is the Intel Celeron N4020, which is pretty standard for Chromebooks. It has 4GB of RAM, 64GB of onboard storage, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 5.0.

See the Acer Chromebook 315 at Walmart

Gigabyte G5 MD

Gigabyte

From: Newegg

Was: $1,199.00

Now: $849 ($350 off after $100 rebate)

Gaming laptops are tough to find at a discount right now, and this one is a decidedly mixed bag of pros and cons. Inside is a Core i5-11400H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD behind a 144Hz 1080p screen. The RTX 3050 Ti is usually considered to be a bum deal compared to the RTX 3060…if you can find one? And, whoa—there's a $100 rebate card you need to fill out? If you're willing to jump through these hoops, though, the price and savings aren't bad at all. This offer ends just before midnight Pacific time on Tuesday, November 30.

See the Gigabyte G5 MD at Newegg

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go (Platinum)

Microsoft

From: Microsoft Store

Was: $699.99

Now: $549.99 ($150 off)

We gave the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go, Microsoft's 12.4-inch budget laptop, 3.5 stars out of 5 in our Surface Laptop Go review. We felt it was a little overpriced. Dropping the price by $150 on its midrange version (Core i5/8GB RAM/128GB SSD) certainly helps! Just be aware that the Laptop Go's display is sub-1080p quality—but, in our experience, it didn't really matter.

See the Surface Laptop Go on Microsoft.com

Lenovo IdeaPad Duet

Lenovo

From: Walmart.com

Was: $299.99

Now: $192.95 ($107.04 off)

If you like the concept of a Chrome OS tablet but think that the Chromebook Plus V2 price is too high, consider the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet, which we looked at last year. This tablet ships with 4GB of memory and 64GB of integrated storage.

Support runs through June 2029.

Buy the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook at Walmart

Laptop deal buying tips

If you've shopped online before for laptop deals you're probably aware that there's a vast range of laptop configurations available.

A good place to start is with the processor. Buy laptops with Intel 10-series Core chips or higher, such as the Core i5-10510U, or the Core i7-11800H (for even more details see our Intel 10th-gen mobile CPU buying guide); or go with an AMD Ryzen processor (but not an AMD Athlon or A-series chip). Avoid laptops with Pentium or Celeron processors unless it's a Chromebook (running Chrome OS). You're going to need to pay attention with gaming laptops, too, as some GPUs, like the RTX 3050 Ti, don't offer much boost over their RTX 2xxx-series cousins, and Nvidia has dropped the Max-Q designation on certain low-power options. Our laptop CPU and GPU cheat sheet can help you shop smart.

Display resolution is a gotcha. If you see a laptop labeled as “HD” resolution that means 1366-by-768 and often isn't worth your time for a laptop under 13 inches unless the deal is absolutely standout. What you want is “Full HD” or “FHD,” which means 1080p.

Don't buy laptops with under 4GB of RAM or 128GB of SSD storage—though on a Chromebook, this configuration is acceptable. We have more explanation in our laptops versus Chromebooks buying guide, as well as in our primer on how to buy a budget laptop without getting screwed. Also watch out for eMMC storage, which is something we don't recommend for a Windows laptop but works fine for a Chromebook.

Reviews can be helpful. Even if you can't find a review of a specific configuration, try related models. They'll often give you a good idea of the build quality and performance. Also buy from brands you trust. Amazon's daily laptop deals right now are full of brands we've never tested or talked to (Broage, Teclast, DaySky, Jumper) and it's just a good idea to be wary.

Most older laptops will run Windows 10, and that's fine—there's no rush to upgrade. Windows 10 in S Mode, though annoying, can be switched out of easily if you find it on a budget laptop. If you want to buy a Windows 10 PC with the intent of upgrading it to Windows 11, we recommend you start here with a list of older laptops that are Windows 11-eligible.

Updated on January 7 with additional deals, and to remove expired deals.