Buying a gaming laptop in 2026 can be a bit of a nightmare, thanks to the global memory shortage that has sent prices sky-high. Gaming laptops have been hit particularly hard, and that's made trying to find one for a sensible price that still offers enough power to play modern games increasingly difficult... but not impossible.
While super-high-end gaming laptops featuring flagship GPUs like the Nvidia RTX 5090 have become extremely expensive, and therefore out of reach for most people, gaming laptops with Nvidia's budget RTX 5050 GPU have remained far more affordable, especially around events like Labor Day, which can bring some decent price cuts.
In fact, if you're looking for a gaming laptop for under $1,000, it'll very likely come with an RTX 5050. However, before you buy, there are some important considerations you need to be aware of.
The pros and cons of buying an RTX 5050 gaming laptop
The most important thing to do when buying a gaming laptop with a GPU like the RTX 5050 is to keep your expectations in check.
The Nvidia RTX 5050 laptop GPU comes with 8GB of GDDR7 memory and a 128-bit memory bus. This is the absolute minimum I'd recommend in 2026, and it does mean you'll need to make some compromises when gaming.
Because of the limited amount of memory, ultra-high definition resolutions of 4K (3840 x 2160) and even 1440p (2560 x 1440) will be too taxing, but Full HD/1080p (1920 x 1080) will be the sweet spot. So, there's little point in getting an RTX 5050-equipped gaming laptop with a screen with a higher resolution than 1080p, as more often than not, you'd be paying extra for a resolution you can't take advantage of when gaming (non-gaming tasks, such as browsing the web and creating documents will benefit from the higher resolution, of course).
The good news is that this shouldn't be much of an issue, as it'll be rare to find an RTX 5050 gaming laptop with a screen that's higher resolution than 1080p, as it's a good way for laptop makers to keep costs down.
Still, even at 1080p, you're likely going to need to lower certain graphical settings, and stuff like ray tracing will be completely out of the question, due to how intensive the realistic lighting tech is.
This might sound all very negative, and if you're looking for a laptop to play graphically-demanding games at 4K at 60fps frame rates or higher, an RTX 5050 laptop is not going to be right for you.
However, one of the best things about PC gaming is its scalability, and if you don't mind tweaking certain settings, you'll be able to eke out some decent performance from the laptop. That might be as simple as setting all graphics settings to 'medium', lowering the resolution or capping framerates at 30fps. With a bit of patience, you should find a good balance where the game runs well, and doesn't look bad either.
For games that aren't graphically intensive, such as indie games, retro titles or esports games, this is less of an issue, and most people should be pretty happy with an RTX 5050.
In benchmark and real-world tests, the RTX 5050 offers a similar level of performance as the older RTX 4060 GPU. This is noteworthy, as for a long time the RTX 4060 was one of, if not the, most popular GPUs on the Steam Hardware survey, and for good reason: it allowed gamers who couldn't afford high-end hardware to be still able to play modern games, and the RTX 5050 continues that.
As the RTX 5050 is part of Nvidia's current 'Blackwell' series of GPUs, it also means that, despite its budget origins, it can make use of Nvidia's latest tech, such as DLSS 4, which uses AI to upscale games, which can bring big performance benefits, especially for entry-level GPUs like the RTX 5050.
On paper, it should also be able to support Multi Frame Generation (MFG), which uses AI generate and insert frames inbetween frames rendered by the GPU, potentially increasing frame rates and making games feel smoother and more responsive to play. However, the 8GB memory limit of the RTX 5050 means MFG (which is memory-intensive) can struggle.
Still, you have plenty of tools to make any RTX 5050 gaming laptop punch above its weight, and as long as you keep your expectations in check and don't mind a bit of playing around with graphical settings, you should be pretty happy with your purchase.
That's especially true this Labor Day, as I've found several RTX 5050 gaming laptop deals that offer excellent value for money for any PC gamer who can't, or won't, pay the hugely inflated prices that have plagued 2026 so far. I've highlighted the best ones below.
Today's best Nvidia RTX 5050 gaming laptop deals
Shop more of today's best Labor Day sales
- Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
- Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $99
- Appliances: up to $1,200 at Samsung
- Best Buy: 60% off appliances, TVs, laptops & more
- Casper: up to 30% off mattresses
- Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
- DreamCloud: up to 60% off mattresses, 66% off bundles
- Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
- Lowe's: $1,000 off appliances, patio & tools
- Nectar: up to 50% off mattresses, deals from $349
- Saatva: up to $625 off luxury mattresses
- Samsung: up to $2,000 off 4K, QLED & OLED TVs
- Target: 45% off clothing, tech & furniture
- Walmart: 58% off back-to-school, furniture, & clothing
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