Rising desktop and handheld prices make gaming laptops the best sub-£999 option

Rising component costs have made affordable gaming PCs harder to find. RAM, SSD and graphics card prices continue to increase desktop system costs, while handheld PCs have either become more than 40% more expensive or launched above £1,000.

The author says the entry point for decent, broadly current 1080p gaming remains in the low four figures. New PC buyers must also account for a monitor and peripherals.

A laptop exception under £999

After repeatedly checking the market, the author concludes that, excluding second-hand hardware, a gaming laptop may be the best gaming PC available for £999. That conclusion also challenged the author’s long-standing dislike of gaming laptops.

The article does not identify a specific model or provide its specifications. The conclusion reflects a comparison of available budget options rather than an official ranking or named benchmark test.

Steam Machine is mentioned separately, but the source gives no price, specifications or availability for it. The author is also uncertain whether memory shortages have permanently ended cheap gaming PCs, saying only that they have severely weakened the category.