The Best Budget Gaming Laptops Right Now - Hl Gaming Official

The Best Budget Gaming Laptops Right Now

It's easy to look at the best gaming laptops and think you'll never be able to afford them. After all, some top-end specs (like a 4K display) can easily cost upwards of $4,000 these days. However, you can get a solid portable PC gaming system without needing to shell out thousands of dollars; you just need to know what to look for. While there are so many sub-$1,000 laptops out there that are labeled as 'gaming' laptops, it's a minefield of shoddy manufacturing, old specs, and used gaming laptops.

TL; DR – These Are the Best Budget Gaming Laptops:

I picked out gaming laptops that can actually play games, starting at $2,000 and working my way down, focusing on devices that are more affordable than top-end laptops, but still deliver a premium PC gaming experience. Just keep in mind there are a few things you're probably not going to be able to find in a budget gaming laptop.

Premium display technologies like OLED and Mini-LED are probably the first thing to go out the window with a lower price tag. In fact, when you buy a gaming laptop from a manufacturer's website, downgrading to a 1080p display is the fastest way to shave some cash off the price of entry. And let's be real here: You really don't need a 4K display on a gaming laptop, even if you're shelling out for an RTX 4090. Opting for 1440p will save you money without sacrificing much noticeable detail at all.

Speaking of, keep in mind that just because a budget gaming laptop has a GPU with the same name as a desktop graphics card, you're not going to get the same level of performance. Mobile GPUs consume a lot less power, just by virtue of needing to operate on battery power, and thus typically deliver much less performance. So, while an RTX 4060 can deliver solid 1440p gaming performance in a gaming PC, you're going to want to limit yourself to 1080p gaming with the laptop version – trust me.

1. Gigabyte Aorus 15

Best Budget Gaming Laptop

The Gigabyte Aorus 15 is a solid choice if you’re looking for a high-performance gaming laptop on a budget. While it may be at the top end of the best budget gaming laptops, you do get a lot for your money here, including a 13th-Gen Intel processor, Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU, and an impressive QHD display.

But, even with all the gear, this budget gaming laptop doesn’t compromise on important features. It boasts a 165Hz refresh rate, a must-have for gaming, comes equipped with Windows 11 Home pre-installed, and two 2W speakers. While audio is far from the main focus, the built-in microphone is a useful addition, especially if you aren’t ready to part with more money on a gaming headset.

Playing online games is a breeze thanks to Wi-Fi 6E and support for Bluetooth 5.2 means you can connect most of the latest wireless peripherals. You also have a wealth of connectivity options, including a Thunderbolt 4 port, HDMI 2.1, Mini DP 1.4, and a series of USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports. Everything you need for gaming on a budget is packaged nicely into this lightweight laptop.

2. XPG Xenia 15G

Best Gaming Laptop Under $1,500

Under $1,500 it doesn't get much better than the XPG Xenia 15G. This laptop offers a killer combination of processor, RTX graphics, and fast memory to ensure your games always run smoothly, even with the graphics dialed up. Factoring in its other features, it offers an impressive value that over delivers for its asking price – which can sometimes drop as low as $1,000!

Despite its affordability, it doesn't make many sacrifices in performance. You're getting 14th-gen Core i7 processor that's more than up to the task of running any modern game at high graphics. The real star of the show, however, is the GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile graphics card. This GPU is able to drive 1440p displays with ease, so the 1080p display in the 15G is no challenge. You'll be able to turn the graphics up and still enjoy high frame rates that can push even higher with the help of advanced features like DLSS and Frame Generation.

This system is also surprisingly upgradable. It features a whopping three SSD slots to expand its built-in storage. The memory can also be upgraded to 64GB with its easily accessible slots. It’s one of the most upgradeable laptops I’ve come across this year and makes it an even better investment in my book.

The biggest downsides are its weight and battery life. At 4.96lbs, it's not the heaviest gaming laptop out there, but it's far from the lightest. Add in its AC adapter, and you will definitely feel it in your bag or backpack. You'll need to carry it, too, because it's 53.35 WHr battery isn’t large enough to last the whole day without severely limiting your brightness.

3. MSI Thin GF63

Best Gaming Laptop Under $1,000

Priced under $1,000, the MSI Thin GF63 is a budget gaming laptop with a lot to give. While you will need to give up the 13th-Gen CPU on this model, you still have a very decent GPU, plenty of RAM (albeit a little slower), and NVMe storage. The laptop is also relatively lightweight, so you can use it for your studies, work, and gaming.

For a gaming laptop, the screen is a little dull, and the storage isn’t as generous as you’ll probably require for installing a lot of games, but most of the laptop’s other features do lend themselves well to gaming on medium to high settings. Though depending on your preference, you might find the keyboard is a little too flat when it comes to typing.

In-game, you’ll experience a smooth display, fast refresh rate, and MSI’s Cooler Boost 5, which uses two fans and six heat pipes to keep things cool while you’re gaming. Windows 11 Home is pre-installed, so you can charge up the laptop with the 120W adapter and game happily all day.

4. Steam Deck

Best Gaming Laptop Under $500

Let's start by addressing the elephant in the room: The Steam Deck is technically not a gaming laptop. But you’re not going to find a decent gaming laptop under $500 in the traditional ‘laptop’ form factor, and this is a portable device that will play most of your PC games.

While the Steam Deck’s 7.4" screen is smaller than other gaming laptops, it looks incredible, even with its 800p resolution The small display also allows for a much more portable chassis, able to fit into pretty much any bag. Carrying around the Steam Deck in a backpack means that you’re never without Steam games, even when a bulkier laptop would be untenable.

When you’re at home, you can use a Steam Deck dock to hook the handheld gaming PC up to your TV or monitor. It won’t be powerful enough to run most games at 4K, but if you just want to put an indie game like Hades 2 on the big screen, the Steam Deck does a great job with it.

5. Gigabyte G6X

Best Gaming Laptop with 32GB of RAM

If you're looking for lots of memory and storage on a budget, look no further than the Gigabyte G6X. When I reviewed this laptop, I remarked that it wasn't the thinnest or lightest but that it offered plenty of RAM and storage space and pretty great gaming performance at a reasonable cost. If you don't mind that bit of extra weight, this is a portable gaming PC that won't force you to upgrade because you’re multitasking too much, too hard or downloading too many games.

With 32GB of system memory, it offers more than most gaming laptops around this price. You'll be able to play games with the browser open in the background or stream without the system becoming sluggish in the process. A 2TB SSD means that you can download twice as many games before you need to pick and choose compared to most of the competition in this budget range. It also comes with a slightly larger 16" screen that runs at 165Hz for smooth gameplay with less motion blur.

All of those features do come at a cost, however. It's not exactly ligh,t coming in at 5.64lbs, and is on the thicker side at 1.13" toward the hinge. Screen brightness also leaves something to be desired, topping out at 250 nits, which makes gaming in direct sunlight out of the question. For indoor use, its combination of specs is hard to beat without paying substantially more, which makes it a solid recommendation.

Where to Get the Best Cheap Gaming Laptops in the UK

It is definitely possible to game on a budget, and these magnificent laptops will certainly help you get there. Thankfully, the vast majority of laptops on this list are also available to purchase in the UK, with just the one exception. Otherwise, take your pick, as there are plenty of great options to choose from.

Budget Gaming Laptop FAQ

What makes a great budget gaming laptop?

A great budget gaming laptop has to offer the right components at the right price. If you’re searching for an affordable gaming laptop, chances are you’re not going to be getting a machine with the latest CPU and graphics card. However, you might find something close enough that means you can play the latest games without breaking the bank.

Many people tend to opt for gaming laptops over gaming PCs because laptops generally take up less space, are more portable, and can be more affordable. For this reason, it’s important to take into account the weight and size of the laptop you’re prepared to lug around.

Ultimately, however, it’s about finding the balance. Spend a little more and you could quite easily move from playing games on medium settings to max settings by stretching your budget just tad. If you’re not interested in the latest AAA titles, then you can save well-earned dollars and choose a laptop with DDR4 RAM instead of DDR5 RAM, for example.

Are entry-level gaming laptops worth it?

It depends on what you want to use your budget gaming laptop for. If you want to play games on the go and use a laptop for productivity, then you can easily pick up an entry-level gaming laptop that will play some casual games.

For more demanding titles, you’ll need to spend a bit more. The difference between an entry-level gaming laptop and a great gaming laptop could be a generation jump in CPU, faster and better RAM, and of course, a dedicated GPU that can handle what you throw at it.

Should you buy a PC handheld instead?

Now, that’s really a personal preference, but when comparing the Steam Deck to a gaming laptop, quality gaming laptops still edge out the best PC handhelds in overall performance.

If you’re looking for ultimate portability and convenience, a PC handheld, like the Steam Deck OLED or the Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme, is much lighter, compact, and easier to use than a laptop. PC handhelds can also be cheaper, but gaming laptops offer better value thanks to their versatility – you can do a whole lot more than just game. Plus, they support a wider gaming library, have more included features, and are just more powerful overall.

Gaming laptops come in different configurations to best suit your needs, be it better graphics, a larger display, or more memory, while PC handhelds are much more limiting. You can also often upgrade components of a laptop down the road to improve performance. That’s not to say PC handhelds are at all bad, just very different from a gaming laptop, so what you choose boils down to your needs.

When is the best time to buy a gaming laptop?

Even some of the cheaper gaming laptops are an expensive purchase, but there are a few times throughout the year where you can find amazing gaming laptop deals. The most obvious times are Prime Day and Black Friday when major gaming laptop brands have the majority of their sales, but the summer is also a great time to find back-to-school sales. Check out our guide to the best times to buy a laptop for more information.

How much should you spend on a budget gaming laptop?

We're in the middle of huge price jumps across the PC market, whether that's gaming laptops, PCs or components. Unfortunately, that's made a huge impact on what a budget gaming laptop even is. Decent gaming laptops with a recent GPU start at around $1,000 and go up from there. There's some wiggle room below that, but then you start entering the territory of non-traditional gaming laptops like the Steam Deck – which isn't technically a gaming laptop, but it's a portable gaming device that'll play your PC games, so it's close enough in my book.

Regardless, when you're spending less than $2,000 for a brand-new gaming laptop in 2024, you're going to need to make compromises, which can be hard to do if you don't know what to look for in a gaming laptop, though. Generally, you should figure out what resolution you want to play games at and how much graphics and CPU horsepower you need to actually drive that resolution.

For screen resolution, a 1080p and some 1440p displays hit the sweet spot between price and required GPU beefiness. It is really the only option for a value-oriented gaming laptop. Even if you could score a cheap laptop with a high-resolution 4K panel, the GPU inside won't be able to run games at that resolution, so prepare yourself for 1080p and some 1440p gaming.

When it comes to storage, try to steer clear of laptops with a lone solid-state drive. Heck, even a model with a 256GB SSD offers barely enough space to keep multiple games installed and at the ready, so you might be stuck getting a system with a slower, yet much more spacious, spinning hard drive.

One more thing: Just because it's a laptop doesn't mean you need to take its name literally. The best experience with a laptop usually isn't on your lap but at a desk. Do yourself a favor and check out our guide to the best gaming desks to find one to suit your needs – and perhaps a laptop cooling pad to boost your performance – and don't forget to check out our favorite gaming chairs to sit in with your new laptop.

• If laptops aren't your speed, check out the best gaming PC deals to save on a tower.

MacBooks vs. Gaming laptops

MacBooks are exceptional laptops that excel in many areas with their powerful Pro models focused on professional and creative use, but when it comes to gaming, Apple isn’t there yet. With that being said, the latest Apple-developed silicon in MacBooks is mighty powerful and graphically capable. Gaming laptops, on the other hand, are meant for gaming first and foremost, so these rigs are equipped with beefy GPUs, CPUs, and RAM ready to tackle all the action. There’s also much more choice in hardware and features when it comes to laptops.

While you can play some games on a Mac, one of the biggest drawbacks to MacBook gaming is MacOS’ lack of support for many of the most popular gaming titles, which often run on the Windows platform. Apple has introduced a porting toolkit to bring more PC games to Mac, and a new “Game Mode” on MacOS Sonoma should be released later this year. It’s clear Apple is making strides in the gaming world, but at the present moment, gaming laptops reign supreme. See our guide to gaming PC vs. Mac for more info.

Gaming laptops vs. Gaming PCs

Of course, gaming laptops are a whole lot more portable than a gaming PC, but there are plenty of more features that differentiate the two. To start, a gaming PC is much easier to upgrade and repair, while you’re often stuck with the internals of your laptop. That means a desktop delivers more bang for your buck and has a longer lifespan before going obsolete. Though laptops and PCs may appear to offer the same CPU and GPU, the hardware is slightly different with PCs coming out ahead in terms of performance. Check out our gaming PCs vs. gaming laptops guide for more info.

Christopher Coke has been a regular contributor to IGN since 2019 and has been covering games and technology since 2013. He has covered tech ranging from gaming controllers to graphics cards, gaming chairs and gaming monitors, headphones, IEMs, and more for sites such as MMORPG.com, Tom’s Hardware, Popular Science, USA Today’s Reviewed, and Popular Mechanics. Find Chris on Twitter @gamebynight.

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