Playing video games on a gaming laptop is still one of the best ways to have a good gaming experience. Not only do they have almost similar specs to gaming PCs, but they’re also mobile and they allow you to play almost anywhere you want.
However, there is one major problem with gaming laptops. Like gaming PCs, they are also a bit expensive to buy. Though they’re not as expensive as high-end gaming PCs, their price tags are still steep. This is because they’re also using top-of-the-line components to be able to run some of the most demanding PC games available right now. This puts the price of a typical gaming laptop at $1,000 or more.
The 4 Best Affordable Gaming Laptops You Can Use
Fortunately, there are some gaming laptops that you can buy at less than $1,000. You might even find laptops that you can use for gaming that will cost around $700 or even less than that. In this article, we’ll discuss the best affordable gaming laptops you can buy in 2020.
1. Dell G5 15
When it comes to the best affordable gaming laptop, the Dell G5 15 would have to be one of the top choices, if not the top. It features the AMD Ryzen 5 4600H (an Intel version is also available) and the AMD Radeon RX 5600M graphics, with a price tag that starts at $840. The CPU and GPU combination allows this laptop to play even the most demanding AAA game titles without too much issue, making it the top budget gaming laptop under $1,000.
Aside from great gaming performance, it also comes with 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD hard drive, and a 15.6-inch display size with 1920×1080 resolution. It also has a decent battery life at 7 hours, which is not the best in the market, but it’s right around the average. The one thing that goes against this budget gaming laptop is its clunky design and sharp speakers. But other than that, it’s a great gaming laptop that can play most games and you can buy at less than $1,000.
Specifications
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
- GPU: AMD RX 5600M
- RAM: Up to 8GB
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Display Size: 15.6-inch
- Screen Resolution: 1920×1080
- Battery Life: 7-hours
- Price: Starts at around $840
2. Acer Nitro 5
The Acer Nitro 5 is another great affordable gaming laptop that you can check out. It’s an entry-level gaming laptop that will cost around $700 – $800 (some stores might even sell this laptop for below $700). What’s great about this gaming laptop is that it has 11 hours of battery life, which is currently one of the best battery life in a gaming laptop. But this laptop doesn’t just provide a great battery life, it also provides great specs for its price.
With the Nitro 5, you get an AMD Ryzen 5 4600H processor, as well as the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics. Although the GTX 1650 is not the most powerful GPU, it’s decent enough to play almost any game. You just need to tweak and lower the settings a bit if you plan on playing a very demanding game.
To top it all off, you will also get a comfortable keyboard and a 15.6-inch / 1920×1080 screen (there’s also a 17.3-inch version available at less than $1,000). It’s not the most powerful budget gaming laptop, but at that price, you get a laptop with decent power and exceptional battery life.
Specifications
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650
- RAM: Up to 8GB
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Display Size: 15.6-inch
- Screen Resolution: 1920×1080
- Battery Life: 11-hours
- Price: Around $700 – $800
3. Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3i
Another great affordable gaming laptop that you can buy for less than $900 is the Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3i. It features a Core i5-10300H (the Core i7-10750H is available at $989.99) processor and the Nvidia GTX 1650 graphics. It’s a decent enough power that will allow you to play many games on this laptop. If you want to play the most demanding games, you just need to lower its settings a bit to function properly on this laptop.
Aside from decent power and graphics, the Ideapad Gaming 3i also features 8GB of memory, 256GB SSD hard drive, a decent battery life, and 15.6-inch display size. This laptop also has a comfortable keyboard and various ports, which provides great flexibility. Though it is pricier compared to the Acer Nitro 5, it’s still a good budget gaming laptop that you can get for less than $1,000.
You can also check out the Lenovo Legion 51, which has almost similar features. It starts at $999 and is VR ready.
Specifications
- CPU: Intel Core i5-10300H
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650
- RAM: Up to 8GB
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Display Size: 15.6-inch
- Screen Resolution: 1920×1080
- Battery Life: 7-hours and 30 minutes
- Price: Begins at around $839
4. HP Pavilion Gaming 15
Another good gaming laptop that costs less than $1,000 is the HP Pavilion Gaming 15. It features an Intel Core i7-10750H processor and the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics, with a price tag of $929 (a cheaper Core i5 with GTX 1050 is available at only $759). It’s a powerful laptop with a very decent graphics card, allowing you to play almost any AAA game title. You just need to tweak the game’s settings a bit to allow the laptop to play it without issue. But for the price tag that it offers, it’s a great bargain.
Aside from a powerful CPU and decent GPU, you also get 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD hard drive, and a 15.6-inch FHD display size. It’s the typical specs you would expect from a gaming laptop at this price range. The great thing about this laptop is that its specs, particularly its powerful processor, also makes it a great all-around laptop, and not just for gaming. It does fall short in the battery life aspect as it only lasts at about 6 hours and 20 minutes. Nevertheless, it’s still a great budget laptop for gaming.
Specifications
- CPU: Intel Core i7-10750H
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650
- RAM: Up to 8GB
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Display Size: 15.6-inch
- Screen Resolution: 1920×1080
- Battery Life: 6-hours and 22 minutes
- Price: $929
There are many more great gaming laptops that you can buy at an affordable price. But the ones mentioned above are just the best that you can get for less than $1,000. It is important to note that you should not expect these laptops to easily play the most demanding PC games available. You will need the premium gaming laptops for that. But if you’re on a tight budget, the ones above are good enough to allow you to play almost any PC games without issues.
