RTX 30 series gaming laptops are a real next-generation upgrade to graphical performance — offering gorgeous ray tracing and capably handling even the most intense games at buttery smooth frame rates (like Cyberpunk on ultra settings).
But if there’s one thing we’re not a fan of, it’s the sky-high pre-order pricing. So, when we stumbled upon these two RTX 3060-armed portable powerhouses from Asus and Gigabyte over at Box for under a grand, you can colour us impressed.
- More: Best gaming laptops
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 series mobile GPUs: A beginner's guide
Asus TUF Dash F15: just £999.97 @ Box.co.uk
The Asus option of the two comes with an 11th gen Intel Core i7-11370H quad-core CPU, RTX 3060 GPU with 6GB GDDR6, 8GB RAM and a 512GB NVMe SSD. Alongside these specs, you’ve got a 15.6-inch display with a 144Hz refresh rate and DTS:X high fidelity audio-capable speakers for an immersive gaming experience.View Deal
Gigabyte G5 KC: just £997.97 @ Box.co.uk
For the Gigabyte variant, you take a step down on the processor front to a 10th gen Intel Core i5-10500H and in return, you double the RAM to 16GB of DDR4. Beyond that, everything else remains the same on the GPU and SSD front. Plus, you get a free copy of Marvel’s Avengers game with this one.View Deal
This is a far more affordable price than the eye-watering expensive costs that we’re seeing elsewhere, making for a serious value for money proposition across both of these.
Of course, to hit these price points, the manufacturers made a couple of compromises as you can read in our Asus TUF Dash F15 review and Gigabyte Aorus 15G review. There is no webcam on Asus’ model, battery life is short on Gigabyte’s G5, and both pack a slightly dim display.
But when thinking about the use cases (most probably plugging them into a desk setup or using them around the house at the moment), these will be more than good enough for you.
If you’re looking for RTX 30 series power on the cheap, these are the best offers. Got a little more money for a beefier graphics card? Check out our best gaming laptops hub.