Technologies
Best Gaming Laptop Deals: Asus Model with RTX 3080 Graphics on Sale for $1,500
Here are the best deals at Amazon, Best Buy and Newegg on gaming laptops with GPUs from Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3000 series.

Nvidia recently announced its next-gen GeForce RTX 4000-series desktop graphics cards, highlighted by the flagship RTX 4090. These next-gen graphics cards have started to roll out, and laptops with the mobile versions of these new GPUs are just starting to become available.
You won’t find any deals on these new laptops just hitting store shelves now, but big savings are available on previous models with RTX 3000-series GPUs. Amazon, Best Buy and Newegg have a host of laptops on sale right now — from entry-level models with RTX 3050 graphics to high-end mobile gaming rigs with RTX 3080 and RTX 3080 Ti GPUs — so there’s likely a gaming laptop out there that fits your budget.
Read more: Best Gaming Laptop to Buy in 2023
Don’t miss the deals below, and check back here often. I’ll keep this list updated as sales expire and new deals emerge.
Dan Ackerman/CNET
This budget gamer is based on Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3050 graphics and an AMD Ryzen 5 6600H CPU and 8GB of RAM. The 15.6-inch display features Full HD resolution and a speedy 120Hz refresh rate. It borrows the Alienware Command Center from Dell’s high-end Alienware line that lets you customize game and system settings. Two items keep it square in the budget category other than the entry-level RTX 3050 graphics: only 8GB of RAM and a display rated for only 250 nits of brightness, which makes the G15 a better fit for a dark den or basement than sundrenched room. Still, it’s one of the most affordable laptops available with RTX graphics with its current $200 discount at Best Buy. It’s sold in either black or silver; this sale model features the silver chassis.
HP
At $849, this 15-inch HP laptop is one of the most affordable RTX 3050 Ti-based gaming laptops you’ll find. In addition to the RTX 3050 Ti GPU, it supplies an octa-core AMD Ryzen 7 5800H CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB solid-state drive. The 15.6-inch display features a full HD resolution and a speedy 144Hz refresh rate.
MSI
With its $350 discount at Best Buy, this MSI Sword model is the rare example of an RTX 3060-based laptop that costs less than $1,000. It also features a Core i7-12650H, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. The 15.6-inch display has a full HD resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate.
Gigabyte
This Acer Predator model is based on a high-resolution 15.6-inch display and RTX 3070 graphics. The display offers a QHD resolution for a finer picture than that of a FHD display. You may not play games above 1080p, but you’ll appreciate the high-res display in between gaming sessions. The display also offers a blazing 240Hz refresh rate for smooth gameplay. Paired with the RTX 3070 Ti GPU is a powerful Core i7-12700H CPU. It’s a hefty $700 off at Best Buy right now.
MSI
You can save $500 at Best Buy on this 15.6-inch Asus model that boasts GeForce RTX 3080 graphics and a powerful AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX CPU. It’s an incredible deal at its sale price of $1,500, when you consider that nearly every other RTX 3080-based laptop costs $2,000 and up.
MSI
This MSI model is $600 off at Newegg to make it one of the least expensive gaming laptops with RTX 3080 Ti graphics. The rest of the component lineup is equally strong with a Core i9-12900H CPU, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. The 15.6-inch display offers a full HD resolution and a 165Hz refresh rate. The keyboard is from Steelseries and features pre-key RGB lighting.
More recommendations for gamers
Technologies
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, June 28
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for June 28.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s Saturday, so it’s extra-long, and might take you a while. Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.
The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword
Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.
Mini across clues and answers
1A clue: Detachable parts of a dress form
Answer: ARMS
5A clue: Catering container containing caffeine
Answer: TEARUN
8A clue: Climbing structure offered in pet stores
Answer: CATTREE
9A clue: Gets into town
Answer: ARRIVES
10A clue: Frédéric Chopin or Ray Charles, notably
Answer: PIANIST
11A clue: They don’t hold water
Answer: SIEVES
12A clue: ___-jerk reaction
Answer: KNEE
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: With some chance of failure
Answer: ATARISK
2D clue: Prepare for a new job, maybe
Answer: RETRAIN
3D clue: Midday Broadway showing
Answer: MATINEE
4D clue: Goal of a noted reality show set on an island
Answer: SURVIVE
6D clue: Witherspoon who portrayed June Carter in «Walk the Line»
Answer: REESE
7D clue: Lodgings for larks
Answer: NESTS
8D clue: Souvenir from a baseball game
Answer: CAP
Technologies
Facing Billions in DMA Fines, Apple Lets EU iPhone Users Install Apps Outside the App Store
A last-minute rule change lets European iPhone owners download apps from rival stores and developer websites, while introducing new fees that Apple hopes will satisfy regulators in Brussels.

In a scramble to sidestep penalties that could soar into the billions, and with Brussels regulators watching closely, Apple has agreed to let Europeans download iPhone apps from outside its own App Store.
With just hours left before an EU compliance deadline, the company said residents of the 27-nation bloc will soon be able to grab apps from rival marketplaces or straight off a developer’s website. The change rolls out later this year with iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6, and also lets users set a different browser engine and choose a third-party wallet at checkout.
For everyday EU iPhone owners, that means the download button could pop up in more places than just Apple’s storefront. After you select the new setting, iOS shows a one-time permission sheet confirming you’re leaving Apple’s marketplace. The app then passes a quick notarization scan meant to weed out malware. Apple notes that off-store downloads work only inside the EU, and disappear if you stay outside the bloc for more than 30 days.
Cost to developers
Developers do gain fresh distribution freedom, but there’s a price tag. A new two-tier Store Services fee asks for 5% of outside sales in exchange for basic services like app reviews and support in what’s called Tier 1, or 13% for the full bundle of perks, including automatic updates and App Store promotions in Tier 2.
Apple will take a 5% «Core Technology Commission» on any purchase made outside its own payment system. That new cut will phase out the current €0.50-per-download fee and become the sole charge across the EU when a unified pricing model arrives on Jan. 1, 2026.
Apple insists «more than 99%» of devs will pay the same or less under the revamped math.
Why now?
In April, the European Commission fined Apple €500 million ($585 million) for blocking developers from steering users to cheaper payment options, and warned that daily penalties of up to 5% of global revenue could follow if it failed to comply.
Throughout the back-and-forth, Apple has accused the commission of «moving the goalposts» on what counts as compliance, with a spokesperson saying the company has invested «hundreds of thousands of hours» to meet the EU’s evolving demands.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney blasted the 5% tier as a «malicious compliance scheme» that «makes a mockery of fair competition.»
If regulators decide Apple still hasn’t gone far enough, the iPhone maker could face steeper sanctions, or even be forced to separate its App Store business.
Technologies
Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for June 27, #1469
Here are hints — and the answer — for today’s Wordle No. 1,469 for June 27. Some players need a new starter word now.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.
Today’s Wordle puzzle isn’t too tough, but somehow, it has a starting letter I never seem to guess. Some posters on Reddit say it was one of their starter words, so now they’re in the market for a new way to begin the game. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.
Today’s Wordle hints
Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.
Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats
Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.
Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels
There are two vowels in today’s Wordle answer.
Wordle hint No. 3: First letter
Today’s Wordle answer begins with P.
Wordle hint No. 4: Placement
The two vowels are next to each other.
Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning
Today’s Wordle answer can refer to something that is not decorated and is simple.
TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER
Today’s Wordle answer is PLAIN.
Yesterday’s Wordle answer
Yesterday’s Wordle answer, June 26, No. 1468 was OFFER.
Recent Wordle answers
June 22, No. 1464: THRUM
June 23, No. 1465: ODDLY
June 24, No. 1466: ELITE
June 25, No. 1467: COMFY
Will Wordle run out of words?
When Wordle began, creator Josh Wardle used a list of five-letter words he’d shared with his partner, picking only the words they recognized. While that’s more than 2,000 words, more than half of them have already been used.
Wordle editor Tracy Bennett admitted that the game will eventually have to come to grips with the fact that the word list is not eternal.
«One possibility is that we could recycle old words at some point, like when we get close to the end,» Bennett told a Wordle player on TikTok.
She also said the editors might throw all the words back in and reuse them, or allow plurals, or past tense, something that’s not done now.
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