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There is one constant truth when it comes to gaming: today’s ultra-new, ultra-powerful, ultra-expensive technology will end up in tomorrow’s bargain bin.
And that’s what we’re looking for today in our quest for the best budget gaming laptops: a generation behind. There’s nothing wrong with that, because those who are constantly looking for the next big thing also do serious damage to their wallets. In the meantime, we will live happily with their trade-in.
A solid budget laptop will play almost all the latest games, connect to the best peripherals and give you an enjoyable overall gaming experience. Most importantly, it will do it for hundreds and often thousands of dollars less than this week’s must-have new gaming laptop. (And that must-have new gaming laptop will feature prominently in a future roundup of best budget gaming laptops.)
So what are the main things to look for when picking out good budget gaming laptops from cheap junk?
processor – You might not be able to score the Intel Core i7 “Alder Lake” or any of the other ridiculous speed processors, but a very solid AMD Ryzen 5 processor is well within reach, as is a last-gen Intel Core i5.
Graphics Card – The graphics card, or GPU, is probably where the most common upgrades take place. Which means it’s also where you can put one or even two gens behind and find yourself with an excellent GPU at a huge discount. NVIDIA has been making the best GPUs for a long time, meaning their older units are still great.
Memory and storage – This is where you have the most control over your budget laptop purchase, as well as where you can upgrade later for relatively little cost. A good mid-range for your RAM is 8-12 GB; try not to go lower than that. Look for a laptop with a solid-state drive (SSD) with at least 240 GB of space; 1TB is probably the best you can find if you’re on a budget. But again, both can be upgraded.
Check out these six great picks, ranked from least to most expensive:
Lenovo L340 15
Thanks to Walmart
It’s so practical to pick a laptop like the Lenovo L340 15 rather than spend literally three times the price, if not more, to chase the next big thing.
For a modest $655, you get a 9th Gen Intel Core i5 quad-core processor running at a crisp 2.4GHz, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card, and 512GB SSD internal storage. That alone qualifies the Lenovo L340 15 as a solid budget buy, but then you add in two 1.5W speakers with Dolby Atmos sound and nine hours of battery life, and the case only gets stronger. The 15.6-inch screen is solid and has more than enough processing power to handle all your non-gaming PC needs.
If you are a casual gamer and a practical person, grab the Lenovo, appreciate its performance and enjoy the fat pile of bills still living in your wallet.
BUY NOW:
$759.99
Buy it
Acer Nitro 5
Thanks to Amazon
You can max out the Acer Nitro 5 with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD and keep the price below a thousand bucks. But why not start with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB drive and save nearly $250? Again, you can bump the memory and hard drive if you need to. But with a machine like the Acer Nitro 5, that may not be necessary.
The AMD Ryzen 5 processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card are both great for gaming and can handle the latest and greatest titles. The four-zone RGB keyboard looks and plays like a much more expensive machine, and the DTS:X sound far outperforms the price.
The Acer Nitro 5 almost begs to be a gift for a budding young gamer, as it packs a lot of power for a small price, and the build of the 15.6-inch laptop itself is solid and durable. At 5.29 pounds, it’s not a featherweight, but the value for this budget gaming laptop is unbeatable.
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$753.00
Buy it
HP Victus 15.6-inch Gaming Laptop
Thanks to Amazon
Normally, we’d advise budget gaming laptop buyers to ignore the benchmarks, but for an $800 machine, the HP Victus 15.6-inch gaming laptop’s numbers are too good not to appreciate. The Intel 12th Gen Core i5 processor moves up to 4.4GHz, and the 1920 x 1080 display qualifies as Full HD, a rare find at this price.
We’ve always been a big fan of HP laptops in general for their reliability and brand reputation, but they’re not a name normally associated with gaming. The Victus is of course also an excellent machine for everyday tasks, work and school, but also shines as an entry-level gaming laptop.
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$799.99
Buy it
Dell Flagship G15 Ryzen Edition Gaming 15 Laptop
Thanks to Amazon
Just think how much a gaming laptop with a processor that cooks on a base of 3.3GHz and can have a max boost of up to 4.2GHz, would have cost just a few years ago. Then take a deep breath when you realize you can score that kind of speed for under $900 in the form of the Dell Flagship G15 Ryzen Edition Gaming 15 Laptop.
The AMD 6-Core Ryzen 5 5600H processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics team up with a sharp 120Hz display and super-responsive backlit keyboard to create a gaming computer that we honestly can’t believe is still in the price zone. living on less than $1000. An Alienware-inspired thermal cooling system is the icing on the cake, and it will help keep the Dell Flagship G15 Ryzen Edition going for a long time to come.
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$892.00
Buy it
Asus Tuf A15 laptop (19% discount)
Thanks to Amazon
If you want a great budget gaming laptop that won’t freak out at the first bump or drop or drop, ASUS TUF A15 is as rugged as it gets. Military-grade MIL-STD-810H construction is the selling point here, and if you’ve ever had to endure a laptop that just never quite looks the same after a relatively minor accident, you’ll really appreciate this laptop’s ruggedness.
But there is also brains behind this muscle power. The AMD Ryzen 5 4600H processor can run at up to 4 GHz, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB GDDR6 graphics card makes this a serious computer that can’t take a beating on its own. Cool perk: ASUS TUF A15 can be opened at the bottom for easy access in case you want to upgrade your memory or add as many as two SSDs.
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Buy it
Dell G5 5505 High Performance Gaming Laptop
Thanks to Walmart
Dell is another big brand not normally associated with gaming, and yet they’re here with two of our six picks for the best budget gaming laptops. The second entry, the G5 15 5590 Gaming Laptop, is a 2019 model that still holds its own in the budget gaming laptop sector.
Dell designed this laptop specifically for gaming. The interface is intuitive and easy to use, linking all your system settings to a game library for fine-tuning. Wired online gamers will appreciate the Killer E2500 Gigabit Ethernet controller, which eliminates any latency issues you normally experience in a budget laptop. The 9th Gen Intel Core processor and NVIDIA graphics keep things fast and furious, and the 15.6-inch display is Full HD.
BUY NOW:
$1,363.99
Buy it
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