It's no secret that it's hard to find a decent deal on a gaming laptop these days. The spiralling price of components has really hit all machines — not just laptops.
I think I've just spotted a rare listing at Walmart, however, that almost reminds me of a pre-RAM crisis deal. It's this Gigabyte A16 with an RTX 5070 for $1,249 (was $1,849).
While it's not exactly cheap, this Gigabyte's combination of an RTX 5070 graphics card and 32GB of RAM has caught my eye. Such a pairing is rare these days at $1,500, let alone for under $1,300. With such components, you should get a decent level of performance with most modern titles.
There are a few caveats, of course. The 13th-gen Core i7 chipset in this Gigabyte laptop isn't exactly the latest on the market. The A16 is also one of the more budget-oriented machines from the brand, so I wouldn't expect a particularly lightweight design or a very high-end display. This machine is definitely more about the sheer bang for the buck, rather than any fancy bells and whistles.
RTX 5070 gaming laptop deal at Walmart
I could see this laptop being a good option for prospective students headed off to college later this year. In terms of power, it's definitely enough to play most of the latest titles at relatively high graphical settings. It's perfect for a dorm room gaming setup away from home if you still want to play all your favorite games.
It's worth noting, however, that this isn't a super portable machine. It's just over 8lbs, so relatively heavy, and I would assume the 13th-gen i7 chipset won't have the best battery life. You'll almost certainly have to carry a power brick with you with this laptop, which can obviously add a lot of additional weight.
