In Best Budget Gaming Laptops, the keyboard and touchpad aren’t going to be excellent no matter what. You’re going to be using a mouse or game controller for most gaming anyway. Bright multicolored keyboard backlights can be skipped, but some keyboard lighting is helpful for WASD gaming in the dark.
Graphics chip trumps processor, at least to a point. Try to pair high-end Nvidia GPUs with low/midrange CPUs to keep prices down. Still, Nvidia 1650 GPU is better. You can even go for a mainstream Core i5. It’s not ideal for a years-long investment as a gaming-plus-everything-else computer, but for pure gaming, it’s okay.
Get a standard 1,920×1,080-pixel resolution. Always pay special attention to budget gaming laptop reviews so you’ll know what to expect. Gaming laptops related to a big wallet — along with a strong back to carry them around — but no longer have to be budget-busting behemoths. Numerous manufacturers have designed notebooks for gamers whose price limits are established in the hundreds of dollars, preferably the thousands. However, just because these are affordable gaming laptops, that doesn’t suggest they are total incompetents for performance.
The flip view to the speedy advances made in computing processing and graphics is that the preceding generation of hardware is “outdated” — even though most of it is plenty of years later. Bargain chasers who don’t mind an older Intel Core CPU or Nvidia GPU might find a last-generation system at a discount, which means you can sometimes get a more powerful laptop at a similar price to a newer model.
Dell G15 Gaming Laptop
Dell bought Alienware many years before to get a space into the gaming PC business, but its systems remain pricier than what the average Dell customer will buy. So Dell responded by introducing gaming desktops and laptops under its brand, with starting prices under $1000. One key distinction is in the processor, where the Dell is applying a more modern, faster Core i5-10500H rather than the i5-10300H that the Asus, HP, and MSI rely on. You also notice some Alienware DNA infused into the G15, from its thermal plan to the Alienware Command Center software, optimizing game settings and providing a performance boost with the Game Shift feature.
- Display: 15.6 inches (1920 x 1080 pixel resolution)
- CPU: Intel Core i5-10500H
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 256GB
- Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650
- Weight: 5.4lbs
- Battery Life: Not listed
| Pros | Cons |
| Insignificantly faster Intel Core i5 processor than HP and MSI | On heavier side |
| Alienware-inspired gaming touches | Dell doesn’t list battery life |
Acer Nitro 5
Acer has owned the Nitro line of gaming laptops for years, and while it holds configurations that are well past budget pricing, it also has affordable alternatives. Ryzen 5 5600H outperforms the 10th-generation Core i5 processors. Nitro 5 is furnished with an AMD Ryzen 5 processor instead of an Intel Core i5 chip. In addition, it presents superior battery life — at least for a gaming laptop.
- Display: 15.6 inches (1920 x 1080 pixel resolution)
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600H
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 256GB
- Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650
- Weight: 4.9lbs
- Battery Life: 10 hours
| Pros | Cons |
| AMD Ryzen 5 processor | Other specs are nothing special |
| Solid battery life |
Asus TUF Gaming F17
The HP Pavilion contributes a somewhat bigger screen at 16.1 inches, but for gamers who crave even more screen real estate, the Asus TUF Gaming F17 could be your preference. It presents a 17.3-inch display, which transposes roughly to 20% more screen area than a 15.6-inch display maintains.
- Display: 17.3 inches (1920 x 1080 pixel resolution)
- CPU: Intel Core i5-10300H
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 512GB
- Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti
- Weight: 5.7lbs
- Battery Life: 6 hours
| Pros | Cons |
| 17.3-inch screen | On the heavier side |
| 512GB solid-state drive |
HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop
HP owns a gaming line (Omen) that typically starts at prices over the budget gamer’s threshold. Pavilion appears with the Core i5-10300H that the Asus and MSI laptops on this list use. As a result, you get a slightly bigger screen at 16.1 inches than the typical 15.6-inch display most budget gaming laptops possess. Pavilion still succeeds in weighing some ounces less than the G15, though don’t anticipate much in battery life.
- Display: 16.1 inches (1920 x 1080 pixel resolution)
- CPU: Intel Core i5-10300H
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 256GB
- Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650
- Weight: 4.8lbs
- Battery Life: 5 hours
| Pros | Cons |
| Sub-$700 price tag | Minimum specs for a gaming laptop |
| 16.1-inch display | Low claimed battery life |
Lenovo Legion 5
For the few extra hundred dollars, you’d pay, you get a varied level of specs than cheaper rivals, beginning with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. In addition, it has a higher-tier processor (the Ryzen 7 compares favorably to Intel’s latest Core i7 CPUs) and a graphics card that’s a step-up from the GeForce GTX 1650 seen on other systems here. However, besides its cost, the Legion 5 is on the heftier side for this list, and your battery life expectations should be faint.
- Display: 15.6 inches (1920 x 1080 pixel resolution)
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB
- Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050Ti
- Weight: 5.3lbs
- Battery Life: 6 hours
| Pros | Cons |
| 16GB RAM | At the height of the budget price range |
| Higher-tier processor and graphics card |
Conclusion
Sure, they can’t balance high-end competitors in the top processors, the most advanced innovations in cooling technology, and 4K images. Still, they will manage games that you couldn’t believe about playing on arrangements with limited capacity CPUs and integrated graphics — without significantly costing a lot more than those mainstream portables. In addition, the budget gaming laptops render sufficient frames per second that you’ll require to play the latest games without breaking the casino.