Gaming laptops are normally fairly expensive, but if you’re on a limited budget and don’t mind making some compromises in certain areas, there are some excellent possibilities. The best affordable gaming laptops are reviewed and ranked here.
There are a variety of reasons why many gaming laptops are exorbitantly priced, but they don’t have to be. You may be paying for a brand name or things like a wafer-thin portable design in addition to high-end components like the processor and graphics card.
But don’t be concerned. These budget versions may not be the most attractive or lightest, but sacrifices must be made. They’ll provide you the performance you need to enjoy gaming while yet leaving you with enough cash to acquire some new games.
We’ve established a price cap of £1,000/US$1,000 here, but some items will be offered for much less. Under £500/US$500 is desirable, but unlikely due to the high cost of crucial components such as a decent graphics card. We may also consider the occasional laptop that exceeds the limit by a small margin.
If you’re on a budget and want the finest gaming laptop around £500/US$500, look at our cheap laptop chart, which covers that precise price range, and seek devices with a discrete graphics card, such as an Nvidia MX. They’ll be able to manage some games that aren’t as demanding.
All of the laptops on this list have been thoroughly assessed by our team and put through a series of rigorous benchmarks, as well as being used as if they were our own to gain real-world experience. Learn more about how we evaluate laptops.
We’ve reviewed and ranked the best affordable gaming laptops below. If you need more information, look below for thorough purchase tips.
Contents
2022’s best low-cost gaming laptops
Best Overall: Asus TUF Gaming A15
- Pros
- The refresh rate of 144Hz
- Excellent CPU/GPU performance
- Cons: Colorful design
- Memory problems
- Color is missing from the display.
- Starting at $849
For a long time, the Asus TUF laptops have been a great go-to for affordable gaming, and the A15 is no exception.
It may not have the best overall score due to the screen’s color, but this is typical with budget gaming laptops. It’s Full HD and 144Hz, and it’s backed up by superb components for a reasonable price.
For £699, you can purchase an AMD Ryzen 5 and Nvidia GTX 1650, which is excellent value, with a Ti variant not much more. Unless you’re in the United States, you’ll have to make do with rather minimal requirements elsewhere.
In its blue color, it also has more design flair than competitors.
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Best Battery Life on the Dell G5 15 Gaming
- Pros Long-lasting battery
- The refresh rate of 144Hz
- Excellent CPU/GPU performance
- Cons
- Design with a lot of bulk
- Color is missing from the display.
- Inadequate keyboard and trackpad
From $879 | £1,347 for the model reviewed
Alienware laptops are too pricey to be included in this list, but the remainder of Dell’s lineup includes inexpensive gaming laptops.
The G5 isn’t perfect, but it’s the most cost-effective option. We tested a Core i7 model with an RTX 2060, but for a much lower price, you can buy an AMD Ryzen 5 with a Radeon RX 5600M.
The screen, like others, is a little faded out, but it has a 144Hz refresh rate, and the rest of the components are in good shape. Plus, for once, the battery life is acceptable.
Although the bulky appearance is acceptable, we would love a nicer keyboard and trackpad.
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Best Performance Acer Nitro 5 (AN515)
- Pros 1080p gaming is great.
- Solid keyboard with a refresh rate of 144Hz
- Cons
- Battery life is average.
- Color is missing from the display.
- From $749 To $1,329 for the model reviewed
The Acer Nitro 5 is one of the most economical gaming laptops on the market, and it comes with excellent components.
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 is a fantastic standard graphics card that can handle everything at 1080p, while the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H is fantastic multitasking and work CPU. The laptop is cool and quiet, and the keyboard is pleasant.
Of course, the low cost necessitates compromise in other areas. The screen is washed out and the battery life is terrible, despite the fact that it runs at 144Hz. You also don’t get a lot of other features. However, if you’re looking for a low-cost gaming laptop with strong core performance, this is a good option.
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Best Keyboard for Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i
- Advantages Attractive design
Excellent keyboard. - The refresh rate is 120Hz.
- Cons
- Ports are limited.
- SSD with a small footprint
- Color is missing from the display.
- Starting at $719
The IdeaPad has gone gaming, and Lenovo’s cheapest model is the best, with a GTX 1650 graphics card and a Core i5 processor that’s good enough for everyday use.
It’s also impressive how lovely the 3i looks, plus it’s quiet and has a good keyboard.
There’s a lot to appreciate here, including a 120Hz refresh rate, but there are some concessions, including a pale display, single-channel RAM, and a tiny SSD.
These are generally tolerable drawbacks, so if you can’t afford anything more expensive, the IdeaPad Gaming 3i is a good pick.
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Best Processor: HP Omen 15
- Advantages Full-fat GPU
- Dual-channel memory on a large SSD
- Cons
- Color is missing from the display.
- A keyboard that is soft
- Battery life is average.
- Starting at $999
It’s a tad over our price cap but only just and well worth considering if your budget will stretch.
Apart from its new design, the HP Omen 15 is very powerful with a brilliant AMD Ryzen 7 processor and Nvidia’s GTX 1660 Ti graphics card that is not even a cut-down Max-Q version.
That’s a lot of performance for your money and, furthermore, you get dual-channel RAM, a huge 1TB SSD, and other specs like Wi-Fi 6.
We’d like a better screen as it’s a little bit washed out but does offer a 144Hz refresh rate so the Omen 15 is still a solid choice at this price point.
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