Headed off to college? The Dell back-to-school sale is live and I've rounded up the 7 best laptop deals from just $249

Processor: AMD Ryzen 3-7320U
RAM: 8GB DDR5
Storage: 512GB SSD

If you're looking for a cheap machine to handle the basics, then this Dell 15 laptop is almost unbelievably affordable thanks to the Dell Back to School sale this week. Although it's only got a combination of a Ryzen 3 chipset and 8GB of RAM, these should suffice if you're just looking to do simple tasks like browsing, answering emails, or streaming content.

Processor: Intel Core i7-1355U
RAM: 16GB DDR4
Storage: 1TB SSD

Here's another great deal on a Dell 15 laptop courtesy of the Dell Back to School sale. This time, it's on a much higher-end configuration, with a decent Core i7 chipset and 16GB of RAM - meaning, you've got plenty of power under the hood right now. This is a very, very sensible all-rounder if you're looking for a machine that can handle relatively intensive tasks like big spreadsheets or a large amount of browser tabs.

Processor: Intel Core 7-150U
RAM: 16GB DDR5
Storage: 1TB SSD

If you want a relatively small laptop on a budget, the Dell Inspiron 14 is a fantastic choice. While it's a little pricier than some options, the combination of an Intel Core 7 chipset, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD makes this one great for even relatively demanding applications. At 14-inches, it's also much more portable than some 16-inch and bigger options.

Processor: Snapdragon X Elite
RAM: 16GB DDR5
Storage: 512GB SSD

Dell's XPS 13 laptops are always worth keeping an eye out for during official sales for deals just like this fantastic clearance deal on the entry-level Snapdragon model. At just $749, this one is an absolute steal considering you get great performance, a 512GB SSD, and almost unbeatable battery life out of this model. Note, however, it does lack the Thunderbolt 4 ports that are exclusive to Intel versions.

Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7-258V
RAM: 32GB DDR5
Storage: 1TB SSD

The Dell 14 Plus is one of our favorite mid-range Windows laptops thanks to its excellent design and competitive specs. This particular configuration is a bit on the pricey end, but you do get an Ultra 7 chipset, 32GB of RAM, and a 2.5K display, meaning it's absolutely stacked with features. If I were looking for a decent everyday laptop for everything from work to demanding productivity applications, then I'd be very tempted by this deal.

Processor: Snapdragon X Elite
RAM: 32GB DDR5
Storage: 1TB SSD

And, if you're looking for more storage on your drive, you can also find a great discount on this slightly specced-out XPS 13 in the Dell back-to-school sale. You'll get the same excellent Snapdragon chipset as the basic configuration above but a significantly bigger 1TB SSD and 32GB of RAM for more multi-tasking headroom.

Graphics card: RTX 5070
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9-275HX
RAM: 32GB DDR5
Storage: 2TB SSD

And lastly, but certainly not least, check out this discounted Alienware 16X Aurora in the Dell Back to School sale. Admittedly, it's not the cheapest listing available at Dell this week, but it is the best gaming laptop deal, in my opinion. With an RTX 5070 graphics card, Ultra 9 chipset, and a whopping 32GB of RAM, this one is all set for excellent performance right out the box.