Should you buy a gaming laptop before Black Friday?

Anyone on the hunt for a new rig this season knows that Black Friday gaming laptop deals can offer up some stunning prices. However, if you're wondering whether to buy a gaming laptop before the big day, there's plenty of data and context you need to know about before you dive into the early sales.

From the configuration you're looking for, to the brand and price point, there are plenty of factors that go into your decision to buy before November 28 rolls around. I'm helping you navigate these early sales to make sure you're getting the best value for money on the best gaming laptops no matter when you get your wallet out.

To help you navigate these early sales, and know when to wait for the main event, we're showing you what factors need to go into your decision to buy a gaming laptop before Black Friday. If you're really playing it risky, we're also getting you prepped for this year's Cyber Monday gaming laptop deals as well.

Should you buy a gaming laptop before Black Friday? 

The case for waiting until Black Friday is one built upon the spread of available offers. There will likely be more discounts hitting a wider range of gaming laptops on the big day itself. However, that's not to say you can't already find yourself a worthwhile saving.

Retailers like Dell and Best Buy tend to rotate through these offers in the weeks leading up to the main event. I've seen the same pattern emerging for years at a time now, one week gaming laptop A will be discounted, the next week gaming laptop B gets its time in the sun. Both offers are pretty much replicated on Black Friday itself, they're just both available at the same time.

If you have found an early gaming laptop deal you're looking to jump on, there are a few ground rules you can check to make sure you're getting a good deal.

If you're after an RTX 4050 machine, make sure you're spending no more than $600 on a baseline spec. That means an i5 processor, 16GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD. Meanwhile, those on the hunt for an RTX 4060 laptop should hold off until they spot an i7 / 16GB RAM / 1TB SSD configuration at around $800 or $900. This is the sweet spot for buying a gaming laptop before Black Friday - there's some excellent value on the shelves right now.

RTX 5050 gaming laptop deals should be under $1,000 before being considered, and particularly budget-friendly RTX 5060 rigs could be knocking on that door as well (though will still likely stay at four-figures in 2025). RTX 5070 machines are starting to creep into the low $1,000s, often capping at around $1,300 - this is a fantastic starting point if you're hunting down early discounts that are actually worth it.

Then the jump up to an RTX 5080 machine is pretty high; even the move to an RTX 5070 Ti can add some significant cash to your cart. If you're looking at these high-end RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 machines, I'd recommend waiting until closer to the big day. With larger MSRPs come more room to fall.

Gaming laptops are great on the go, but you can maximize their power potential on the big screen for less with Black Friday gaming monitor deals. Or, if you're after something more permanent, check out the Black Friday gaming PC deals we're expecting to see in November.