Buying a gaming laptop usually comes with the severe financial strain of spending $2,000 and up. But it really doesn’t have to be that way. There are plenty of good and affordable portable gaming machines out there. And these cheap gaming laptops aren’t the poorly built and anemic GTX 1650-powered notebooks of yesteryear. You can find a quality machine equipped with even mid-range to high-end CPUs and graphics cards to play all of the latest and best PC games releases.
Now weeding out the bad cheap gaming laptops to find some genuine gems of value is a tall task. Thankfully, though, we’ve done all the comprehensive testing and research for you. We've narrowed down our picks so you can be sure these are the best budget gaming laptops.
TL; DR – These are the Best Budget Gaming Laptops:
- Asus TUF Dash 15
- Dell G16 Gaming Laptop
- Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
- Acer Predator Triton 300 SE
- Legion Slim 7 Gen 7
Asus TUF Dash 15
Best Budget Gaming Laptop
The Asus TUF Dash 15 is a remarkable gaming laptop not only for its affordable $1,069 price but also for how well equipped it is. This machine surprises you with an Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics when you might have expected bottom-tier components. Asus hasn’t skimped on the memory as you get 16GB of DDR5 memory. Plus this machine packs a few extras including a MUX switch, which reduces latency between the GPU and display, and a ThunderBolt 4 port. The only thing truly lacking here is the measly 512GB of SSD storage space that runs at PCIe 3.0 speeds.
And with a name like TUF, you’ll be glad to hear this gaming laptop is built tough too. No chintzy and creaky plastic here. The Asus TUF Dash 15 is built to a better standard with a sheet of aluminum covering the screen lid that helps elevate and simplify its design. This device is also a bit thinner and lighter than your average gaming laptop too.
Dell G16 Gaming Laptop
Best Gaming Laptop Under $1500
The Dell G16 Gaming Laptop stretches the limits of what we’d consider a budget gaming laptop at $1,500, but it’s incredibly well-equipped for the price. First off, it features a larger 16-inch screen running at a QHD resolution and a 16:10 aspect ratio, so you get a few more pixels of screen real estate. An Intel Core i5 and Nvidia RTX 3060 power that bigger-than-average screen and with 16GB of fast DDR5 memory, you’ll get great performance out of this machine. Once again, though, storage has been left to the wayside so you’re left with a 512GB SSD.
The Dell G16 Gaming Laptop also doesn’t look anything like a budget gaming laptop either. The wedge-shaped design of the laptop’s chassis and hinge forward design definitely echo the look of Dell’s higher-end Alienware models and that’s a good thing.
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
Best Gaming Laptop Under $1,000
You might think it’s impossible to find a quality gaming laptop under $1,000, but the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 does just that for even a couple hundred less. With it, you get a 15.6-inch IPS panel toting a Full HD resolution for a clear field of view to see your enemies lurking, though the 250-nit brightness means you won’t want to play in super bright spaces. Aiding that picture quality further is a 120Hz refresh rate with FreeSync for some silky smooth frames playing your favorite titles.
Powering this screen is an AMD Ryzen 5 6600H processor with six cores capable of hitting decently high speeds. That pairs nicely with an Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics card for enough power to get into competitive online play with games like Apex Legend and Overwatch 2. It’s even packing 16GB of DDR5 memory, so you can live stream the action with little worry, while the 512GB storage ensures some quick boots.
Acer Predator Triton 300 SE
Best Budget Everyday Gaming Laptop
If you’ve been enamored by sleek yet powerful gaming laptops like the Asus Zephyrus G14 and Razer 14 but couldn’t see yourself spending $2,000 or more, the Acer Predator Triton 300 SE is an amazing budget alternative. For $1,399, this machine comes in a clean and almost professional-looking 14-inch chassis just like its more expensive contemporaries.
Don’t let its plain looks fool you though, this one packs some serious gaming power between its Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia RTX 3060. 16GB of DDR5 memory also ensures your games run well and you have enough memory to multitask like a boss. You may want to upgrade the limited 512GB of storage sooner rather than later though.
Legion Slim 7 Gen 7
Best Budget 1080p Gaming Laptop
When you’re ready to take full advantage of speedy frame rates in Full HD, grab the Legion Slim 7 Gen 7—though you technically get slightly more vertical resolution than 1080p with its 16:10 aspect ratio. Your games will cruise at 165Hz while FreeSync support ensures your screen and graphics card are on the same team eliminating distracting screen tearing and stuttering. And though that GPU, the Radeon RX 6600S, isn’t necessarily a hair-raiser, it’ll work seamlessly with the Ryzen 7 processor.
For further improvements to your gaming experience, various cooling solutions are baked into the Legion Slim 7 Gen 7’s surprisingly thin chassis, preventing interruptions in action from overheating. It even includes a feature often lost in budget laptop models: a flashy RGB keyboard. And if you’re concerned about connections for your extra peripherals like a gaming headset or controller, this rig is packed to the brim with ports, including an HDMI 2.1, USB-C, and SD card reader.
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. Don't see the laptops below? Click here.
What to Look for in a Cheap Gaming Laptop
Below I've sketched out which graphics card and what other specs you need in a cheap gaming laptop. I also go over the main features to consider when shopping for a cheap gaming notebook.
For screen resolution, a 1080p display hits 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 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 my 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 the best gaming chairs to sit in with your new laptop.
Kevin Lee is IGN's SEO Updates Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam.
