MSI's $1729 RTX 4080 gaming laptop is the cheapest you can get this Black Friday.

$2,099 Newegg: $1,729 (Save $370)This is the cheapest RTX-4080 laptop we have seen this Black Friday. The best part is that it has a full-spec 4080 implementation at 175W for maximum framerates, as well as a decent Intel processor. The bad? The screen is only 144Hz at 1,920 x 1,200 pixels. If you're not purchasing this portable to play esports then that's probably fine." data-widget-type="deal" data-render-type="editorial">

It's now a universal truth that Nvidia mobile GPUs with higher specifications are not cheap. If you want a laptop that has, say, an RTX chip at a reasonable cost, you will have to compromise. In return, you'll get stellar in-game frame rates.

Newegg offers the MSI Vector GP68HX 13V for $1,729, with the Nvidia silicon mentioned above. This is over $250 cheaper than our next most affordable 4080 mobile in our current Black Friday roundup.

You're probably wondering if this is a wattage-starved, hideously gimped implementation of the 4080. MSI rates the chip as 175 W which is slightly higher than the 150W top specification Nvidia publishes.

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The CPU is also not too bad. OK, it's a last-gen chip. The Intel Core i7-13700H is a very capable gaming processor. The 16 GB RAM is also adequate, but the 1 TB SSD may be less so. It won't be difficult to fill up that much space with modern games.

It's the screen that makes this otherwise very pleasing portable a little disappointing. It has a 16-inch screen, which is great. It has a resolution of 1,900 by 1200, which is a 16:10 aspect ratio, and a low resolution by today’s standards. It runs at 144Hz.

You decide how much of a concern this figure is. I don't mind it. I'm no esports fanatic and even with a 4k80, you won't be able to hit more than 144 fps in most games at high detail settings.

You also get a Thunderbolt 4 socket, another pair USB-C sockets, and a 90Whr battery. This is a generous package at this price and bodes well for use away from the mains.

This is not a slim portable. It is nearly 3 cm thick, and weighs 2.67 kg. I suspect that the 330 W power source is also a brick and makes a lot of noise when it's fully loaded. The proposition is clear. The wattage spec of the RTX 4080 is enough to show that you will get the full Nvidia high-end experience in terms frame rates.

This also means you're investing in a laptop with a reasonable lifespan, at least for laptops. As we've discovered before, the RTX 4090 laptop graphics card is often not much faster than the 4080. You're now getting close to the peak performance of a portable gaming PC at a price that even mortals can afford.

It's not the most stylish laptop. It's not the best laptop. By current standards, you get a lot for your money. It's a Black Friday highlight.

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