【Nathan Cajucom Archives】

SAVE $200: As of May 30,Nathan Cajucom Archives the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (Intel Core 5 120U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) is back down to $449, down from $649, at Best Buy. That's a 31% discount, matching its best price ever.

---

Opens in a new window Credit: Acer Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (Intel Core 5 120U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $449 at Best Buy
$649 Save $200

While regular laptops are certainly "better" on paper for PC gaming, Chromebooks are making big strides. Mashable's Alex Perry, a seasoned gamer who prefers consoles, gave the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (the "GE" stands for "gaming edition") a spin and was pleasantly surprised. He dubbed it "an incredible value" at only $649, adding that it's "much better for playing video games than a Chromebook ought to be."

As if $649 isn't already impressively cheap for a gaming laptop, Best Buy has it on sale for only $449 as of May 30. That's a 31% or $200 discount and matches its best price ever, which it reached just once before earlier this month.

SEE ALSO: The PlayStation 5 Pro just went on sale for its lowest price since launch

Let's talk specs. The Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE packs an Intel Core 5 120U processor, 8GB of memory, and 256GB of storage. Gamers may turn their noses up to those on instinct, but hear us out. You won't be using it like a traditional laptop and local gaming device that you install games on. Instead, it's designed for streaming games through cloud services like Xbox Game Pass and Nvidia GeForce Now. And for that, it's pretty impressive.

Though Perry said he probably wouldn't be swapping it for his gaming consoles or Steam Deck, he called it "an excellent game-streaming laptop," commending its long battery life, ample ports, comfortable RGB keyboard, powerful 120Hz refresh rate, and one of the best Chromebook screens he's seen. "If you want to cheat your way into sort of having a high-end gaming laptop, this is a way to do it," he wrote.

---

Related Stories

---

• The best cheap laptops: 6 models under $1,000 that we tested and approved
• The best laptops for 2025: Tested for performance, battery life, design, and value
• I played AAA games on a 'gaming Chromebook' with GeForce Now and Xbox Game Pass — which one is better?

Mashable Deals Want more hand-picked deals from our shopping experts? Sign up for the Mashable Deals newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Is it a little clunky? Sure. We didn't say it's perfect, but it is one of our favorite budget laptops in 2025. Considering Chromebooks are usually known for their minimalism and are typically the go-to gadget for students and casual scrollers, the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE is somewhat of an anomaly. At a mere $449, we'll even go as far as to say it's a better value than a typical gaming laptop, as long as you don't mind game streaming.

The best laptop and tablet deals to shop this week

• Amazon Fire Max 11 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet (2023 Model) — $229.99

• Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ Android Tablet — $239.99(List Price $269.99)

• Apple 2025 MacBook Air 13-inch Laptop with M4 chip — $849.00(List Price $999.00)

• Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (2025, M4) — $1,049.00(List Price $1199.00)

• Microsoft Surface Laptop (2024), Windows 11 Copilot+ PC, 13.8-inch — $1,149.99(List Price $1599.99)

• Apple 2024 MacBook Pro Laptop with M4 chip — $1,449.00(List Price $1599.00)

Topics Gaming

• Life
• Science
• Tech
• Social Good
• Deals
• Entertainment
• Digital Culture
• Games

• Trump signs AI education order to train K
• Apple unveils Beats Solo Pro with noise cancellation and 22 hours of battery
• The 'Friends' cast finally reunited for a sweet selfie: Photo
• The 15 best films of the 2010s
• NYT Strands hints, answers for May 2
• Google Pixel 4 hands
• Stop everything and look at this Instagrammer's incredibly surreal ocean snaps
• Uber announces plans to deliver groceries with Cornershop
• Best roborock deal: Save $400 on Q5 Pro+ Robot Vacuum and Mop
• Amazingly, Donald Trump still doesn't know how to shake a hand

• Music publisher Wixen slaps Spotify with a $1.6 billon lawsuit
• improve your online dating profile
• Twitter: Donald Trump's nuclear button tweets don't violate the rules
• What Chrome users should do following Spectre vulnerability
• Microsoft and Johnson Controls announce Cortana thermostat for CES
• Ethereum crosses historic $1,000 milestone
• Even weather experts are in awe of the 'bomb cyclone'
• Google's new "Fuchsia" OS now available for Pixelbook and Chromebooks
• Amazon shipped more than 5 billion packages via Prime in 2017
• It's snowing in the South and people are losing their damn minds

• Eufy L60 robot vacuum: Get it for $279.95 at Amazon
• The 15 best films of the 2010s
• Ouijazilla, the world's largest Ouija board, makes spooky debut
• Uber announces plans to deliver groceries with Cornershop
• Alienware M16 Gaming Laptop deal: Save $560
• The internet bands together to help Chrissy Teigen get Fun Dip off her hands
• States that made the switch to Indigenous Peoples' Day this year
• Burberry is being dragged for this very awkward Twitter mix
• Get the official Atari 7800+ Console for 50% off
• Stephen Fry shuts down Donald Trump with the most British insult ever

• Best rope light deal: Save 25% on Lepro N1 AI Smart RGB LED Strip Lights
• Uber announces plans to deliver groceries with Cornershop
• Tinder's in
• 9 photos that show Typhoon Hagibis' destruction
• Alienware M16 Gaming Laptop deal: Save $560
• Google unveils new high
• Gifts for people whose favorite TV show ended this year
• Irish man hilariously pranks his family at his own funeral
• Best JBL deal: Save $80 on JBL Xtreme 4 portable speaker
• Disney's back catalog is coming to Disney+. Here are all the titles.