We independently review everything we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more› By Kimber Streams Kimber Streams is a writer who has been covering laptops and other tech at Wirecutter for more than a decade.

But one way you can lighten the load is to just start with a gaming laptop, which packs in everything you need to get started in PC gaming without all the extra pieces. Of course, gaming laptops can be expensive, too, but plenty of budget options also exist.

If you figured Amazon Prime Day would be a good time of year to upgrade your gaming laptop, then you guessed correctly. Surprisingly however, Amazon isn't necessarily the best retailer with the best Prime Day gaming laptop deals.