Gaming laptops tend to carry hefty price tags. After all, stuffing premium technology into a portable chassis is no easy task. But thanks to Best Buy’s early Black Friday deals, you can snag a reasonably powerful HP Victus for just $480, down from $800. It's nearly impossible to find a good gaming laptop in the sub-$500 range, so this is definitely worth a closer look if you're shopping for a reliable laptop on a budget.

HP Victus 15.6-Inch Gaming Laptop (GTX 1650)

$480 (was $800)

This version of the HP Victus comes with a blistering fast 144Hz refresh rate and crisp 1920x1080 IPS display. Inside you’ll find a 12th Gen Intel Core i5-12450H, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD, and a GeForce GTX 1650 GPU. It might not be one of the shiny new RTX 30 cards, but the GTX 1650 is still powerful enough to run Fortnite, PUBG, GTA V, and other hit games without breaking a sweat.

See at Best Buy

All of that tech is pulled together with a sleek, understated design that features a mica silver color scheme--a nice change of pace from the hyper-aggressive “gamer” branding on some of the competition.

The GTX 1650 isn’t exactly futureproof, but it should serve you well if you don’t mind running games at lower settings. And because of its sophisticated design, 720p webcam, and ability to charge to 50% in just 30 minutes, it's a great work (or school) companion when you’re not gaming.