Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
EDITORS’ NOTE
February 13, 2026: With this update, we removed the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2025) and its Best Gaming Chromebook category. In its place, we added the Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 10 as the Best Discounted Gaming Laptop. We also added the Acer Nitro V 15 (ANV15-41-R2Y3) as our new Best Budget Gaming Laptop for Extreme Savings. Finally, we added the Acer Nitro V 16 AI as our new Best Big-Screen Budget Gaming Laptop. All of our remaining picks have been vetted for currency and availability. Since our last update, we have tested and evaluated more than a dozen new laptops for potential inclusion in this roundup and our other laptop roundups. We’re currently testing more than a dozen laptops in PC Labs, including models from Acer, Asus, Dell, Lenovo, and more.
- Capable everyday productivity performance
- RTX 5050 stands up to demanding games with DLSS 4
- Comfortable keyboard with RGB lighting
- Varied connectivity
- Just 512GB storage is tight for modern gaming
- Dim display
- Chunky for a 15-inch laptop
Staying as close to the $1,000 mark as possible is a badge of honor for budget gaming laptops in this increasingly expensive market, and the Katana earns that award admirably. Its Intel Core i7-14650HX processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 reach new heights in gaming performance for this type of laptop, and DLSS 4 image enhancement tools will take you the rest of the way in demanding games that support it. It’s not a blazing-fast enthusiast machine, by any means, but it can more than comfortably power mainstream 60fps-plus gaming experiences across a range of titles.
Mainstream gamers: The MSI Katana 15 HX is the ideal affordable gaming laptop for most buyers. If you just want to load up some of the most popular games available and get playing, the Katana is a fine fit. Just find a graphics preset that runs smoothly to get into modern PC gaming for as little as possible.
Gamers in college: This Katana budget laptop is also a good fit for college students who play PC games. It can run any new PC games smoothly with the help of DLSS, powering your PC gaming hobby, and it’s fast enough to handle the processing required for schoolwork and multitasking, making it up to the rigors of a college workload.
Class
Gaming
Processor
Intel Core i7-14650HX
RAM (as Tested)
16 GB
Boot Drive Type
SSD
Boot Drive Capacity (as Tested)
512 GB
Screen Size
15.6 inches
Native Display Resolution
1920 by 1080
Panel Technology
IPS
Variable Refresh Support
None
Screen Refresh Rate
144 Hz
Graphics Processor
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 Laptop GPU
Graphics Memory
8 GB
Wireless Networking
Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth
Dimensions (HWD)
1 by 14.1 by 10.3 inches
Weight
5.29 lbs
Operating System
Windows 11 Home
Tested Battery Life (Hours:Minutes)
8:11
Learn More
MSI Katana 15 HX Review
- Well-priced entry-level models
- Effective gaming performance for the money
- Vivid OLED screen
- Multi-zone RGB keyboard
- Wi-Fi 7 and Thunderbolt 4
- Merely average battery life
- Underwhelming speakers
Midrange pricing is increasingly running away from entry-level models, with starting configurations often coming in at $1,500 or more. You’ll find no better way to attain a midrange gaming laptop for less cash than waiting for a sale to strike, and the Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 10 takes full advantage of such a scenario. It’s a laptop who’s pricing is worth watching.
While prices will fluctuate, we’ve consistently seen this laptop for hundreds of dollars less than its list price, especially our Walmart-specific test model. Look to snag this Intel Core i7-14700HX and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop GPU for as close to $1,000 as possible, rather than the $1,500 range. The laptop delivers better gaming performance than you’ll find in most similarly priced systems, and it even features a 1600p OLED screen.
Hard-core gamers on a budget: This is the best gaming laptop for people who care about fast frame rates and visual fidelity but can’t go all-out on a PC. Finding the Legion 5i on sale is likely a phenomenal deal. The RTX 5060 is a plenty-capable GPU, and you’ll enjoy some extra additions, like keyboard RGB, OLED, and Wi-Fi 7.
Value shoppers: This laptop is arguably one of the highest-value systems around for PC gaming. Between the components, screen, and supporting features, this performance and feature set often costs closer to $2,000, making this a sharp deal at list price and a fantastic one on sale.
Class
Gaming
Processor
Intel Core i7-14700HX
RAM (as Tested)
32 GB
Boot Drive Type
SSD
Boot Drive Capacity (as Tested)
1 TB
Screen Size
15.1 inches
Native Display Resolution
2,560 by 1,600
Panel Technology
OLED
Variable Refresh Support
None
Screen Refresh Rate
165 Hz
Graphics Processor
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop GPU
Graphics Memory
8 GB
Wireless Networking
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Dimensions (HWD)
0.85 by 13.58 by 10.05 inches
Weight
4.19 lbs
Operating System
Windows 11 Home
Tested Battery Life (Hours:Minutes)
5:22
Learn More
Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 10 Review
- Aggressive price for the components
- Plays AAA games at high settings
- Bright 180Hz screen
- Comfortable keyboard
- Long battery life
- Screen color coverage is mediocre
- 512GB SSD fills up fast
- Touchpad surface could be smoother
Acer has lorded over the land of budget gaming laptops for a long time, and now the affordable Acer empire expands to 16 inches with its latest Nitro V system. This laptop delivers steady, smooth 1200p gaming performance for as low as $750 on sale, making it the most affordable big-screen gamer we’ve tested recently. The Nitro earns its spot on this list thanks to a speedy-refresh panel that its entry-grade GPU can keep pace with, supported by impressive battery life and a keyboard you can truly play on.
Budget gamers who want a big screen: This is the best gaming laptop right now for people who want a larger display for as little cash as possible. If you can’t muster more than $900 for a roomy 16-inch screen, and you would love to spend even less, then the Nitro V is the gaming laptop to pick.
First-time PC gamers: This laptop is a fine choice for shoppers just getting into PC gaming or as a child’s first gaming laptop. The Nitro’s bargain-basement price lets you lay down minimal cash while providing a steady, reliable basic PC gaming experience.
Class
Gaming
Processor
AMD Ryzen 5 240
RAM (as Tested)
16 GB
Boot Drive Type
SSD
Boot Drive Capacity (as Tested)
512 GB
Screen Size
16 inches
Native Display Resolution
1920 by 1200
Panel Technology
IPS
Variable Refresh Support
None
Screen Refresh Rate
180 Hz
Graphics Processor
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 Laptop GPU
Wireless Networking
Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3
Dimensions (HWD)
0.96 by 14.2 by 10.9 inches
Weight
5.38 lbs
Operating System
Windows 11 Home
Tested Battery Life (Hours:Minutes)
12:07
Learn More
Acer Nitro V 16 AI Review
- Affordable entry-level gaming
- Decent screen
- Impressive build quality
- Comfortable keyboard
- Excellent battery life
- Quiet fans
- Average gaming performance
- Some configurations leave budget territory
The HP Victus 15 is a great gaming laptop that starts well below $1,000, but we like that you can choose your own adventure with a wide range of configurations. It’s an excellent choice if you want to keep the price low or add-on extra features for an additional cost. Our test model was modestly upgraded to an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor, 16GB of memory, a 1TB SSD, and an RTX 4050 GPU, resulting in a reasonably capable entry-level gaming system. It presents long battery life and high build quality for the price.
Money-strapped gamers: The HP Victus 15 is the best cheap gaming laptop for PC gamers on the tightest budgets. Gaming is an expensive hobby in general, so the Victus allows you to spend as little as possible on a gaming laptop without resorting to a Chromebook. The low starting price is key, as it gets you through the door with a gaming-ready system that’s cheaper than any other we’ve reviewed recently.
PC gamers who love options: With a variety of Victus 15 systems to pick from, this HP laptop is a top pick if you’re looking for an affordable, customizable gaming laptop. HP’s website sells a variety of Victus 15 systems, including a few models tailored for configuration fiends. You can select from a variety of processors and other specifications to create a model that suits your needs and budget, ideal if you require more power than the base model provides.
Class
Gaming
Processor
AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS
RAM (as Tested)
16 GB
Boot Drive Type
SSD
Boot Drive Capacity (as Tested)
1 TB
Screen Size
15.6 inches
Native Display Resolution
1920 by 1080
Panel Technology
IPS
Variable Refresh Support
None
Screen Refresh Rate
144 Hz
Graphics Processor
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU
Graphics Memory
6 GB
Wireless Networking
Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Dimensions (HWD)
0.93 by 14.1 by 10 inches
Weight
5.06 lbs
Operating System
Windows 11 Home
Tested Battery Life (Hours:Minutes)
12:13
Learn More
HP Victus 15 (2025) Review
- Sub-$1,000 price
- Sufficient for mainstream 1080p gaming
- Long battery life
- Decent array of ports
- Middling processing speeds
- Performance mode gets extraordinarily loud while gaming
- Restrictive 512GB SSD
This Acer Nitro V 15 loadout is no market dominator but rather the cheapest 1080p gaming laptop we could find while supplies still last. If you’re looking to spend as little as possible on a gaming laptop, this is the one to grab before they run out. The rig comes with lots of ports, a long-lasting battery for a laptop of its class, and still potent enough components to game at 1080p with mid-level detail settings. It also has just enough SSD space for a rotating library of large PC games or lots of smaller retro or casual games. However, laptops with this generation of hardware inside are no longer being newly manufactured, so grab one soon if you want a chance at the savings.
PC gamers focused only on price: This is the gaming laptop to buy if all you care about is saving as much money as possible. It’s available for just a little cheaper than our other tight-budget pick from third-party sellers for a limited time. Before the memory and storage shortage really sends gaming laptop prices soaring, grabbing something like this Acer Nitro V 15…well…right about now-ish might be a smart idea.
Class
Gaming, Budget
Processor
AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS
RAM (as Tested)
16 GB
Boot Drive Type
Hard Drive
Boot Drive Capacity (as Tested)
512 GB
Screen Size
15.6 inches
Native Display Resolution
1920 by 1080
Panel Technology
IPS
Variable Refresh Support
None
Screen Refresh Rate
144 Hz
Graphics Processor
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU
Graphics Memory
6 GB
Wireless Networking
802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6)
Dimensions (HWD)
1.08 by 14.28 by 9.45 inches
Weight
4.6 lbs
Operating System
Windows 11 Home
Tested Battery Life (Hours:Minutes)
9:48
Learn More
Acer Nitro V 15 (ANV15-41-R2Y3) Review
- Superb OLED display
- Potent GPU speeds for its price class
- Frequent sales below the list price
- Punchy keyboard and impactful audio
- One-step-behind CPU performance
- Short battery life in our video rundown test
- So-so webcam
For those who can stretch their budget a little further, this Lenovo laptop starts at a reasonable price within the midrange, and sometimes sees discounts that tip it into the budget-gamer zone. The 16-inch Legion Pro 5 Gen 10 is configurable upward, as our test model features an AMD Ryzen 7 8745HX CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 GPU, catering to your gaming needs.
This laptop is expensive for a “budget” system, so it’s not for those with a hard price ceiling, but you’ll find clear performance and feature advantages if you can spend the extra cash. Lenovo often runs laptop deals on its web store, so keep an eye out for hundreds of dollars off this machine.
Gamers on a midrange budget: This is the best affordable gaming laptop for those with a little more cash to spare. It’s more expensive than the other options on this list, but it presents a compelling value for those who can spend a little more without going overboard. Its RTX 5060 GPU is moderately powerful, and its DLSS 4 support ensures smooth frame rates in more demanding games.
Gamers replacing a desktop: This gaming laptop makes for a welcome desktop replacement for gamers. The Legion Pro 5 Gen 10 has a 165Hz 16-inch 1600p display, making it excellent for this, serving as a quality primary or secondary panel. You can also get real work done on this sharp, roomy screen. Note: Its battery life was short in our testing, so it makes more sense for shoppers who tend to keep their systems in one place.
Class
Gaming
Processor
AMD Ryzen 7 8745HX
RAM (as Tested)
32 GB
Boot Drive Type
SSD
Boot Drive Capacity (as Tested)
1 TB
Screen Size
16 inches
Native Display Resolution
2,560 by 1,600
Panel Technology
OLED
Variable Refresh Support
G-Sync
Screen Refresh Rate
165 Hz
Graphics Processor
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop GPU
Wireless Networking
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Dimensions (HWD)
1.02 by 14.4 by 10.6 inches
Weight
5.07 pounds
Operating System
Windows 11 Home
Tested Battery Life (Hours:Minutes)
2:48
Learn More
Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 10 Review
Get Our Best Stories!
All the Latest Tech, Tested by Our Experts
By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy
Policy.
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
The Best Cheap Gaming Laptops for 2026
Compare Specs
Buying Guide: The Best Cheap Gaming Laptops for 2026
Even on a budget, we assume you want to do more than play games at low settings—you have a Steam account, and you ache to play some of the latest AAA games in all their glory. That’s where a dedicated graphics processor (GPU) comes in. It’s the starting point for getting serious about gaming on a notebook.
If you’re truly serious and insist on playing all your games at very high detail settings and the highest possible screen resolution (for most entry-level laptops, that’s 1,920 by 1,080 pixels, assuming you’re playing on the laptop’s screen and not an external display), you’re just going to have to shell out some bucks, especially if you want that laptop to stay game-viable at those settings for more than a couple of years.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
High-end future-proofing like that demands top-end graphics silicon: Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 40 series defined most gaming laptops for the last few years, and the RTX 50 series (which launched in 2025) has taken over. Getting one of the top-end RTX GPUs (like the RTX 4080, 5080, or 5090) still means big spending, though. At current prices, they are well outside the budget range, with most models containing them selling for much closer to $2,000 than $1,000.
Take comfort, though, that times have changed. You don’t necessarily need one of the top-line GPUs for steady gaming performance. With scarce compromise, you can enjoy steady gaming at 1080p in machines a notch or two down from the GeForce RTX elite.
Lower-end RTX 40-series GPUs, like the GeForce RTX 4050 and 4060, were the most common budget GPUs over the last few years. You may still see these in the least expensive systems (or older laptops with stock remaining, but they have largely been supplanted by the RTX 50 series.
The lower-end RTX 50-series GPUs (such as the RTX 5070, RTX 5060, and RTX 5050) were released after their high-end siblings; the RTX 5050 and 5060 are the most commonly sold GPUs in new budget systems. Pricing fluctuates, but the cheapest of these machines are available for just less than $1,000, while others approach $1,600 (depending on the retailer and any sales). We consider entry-level pricing to top out around $1,300, so some of those systems fall outside the scope of our cheap gaming laptop picks. A $1,600 laptop with an RTX 5060 may differ from a $1,300 RTX 5060 laptop because it also includes a fancy screen, a ton of storage, or other extras.
Budget-priced gaming laptops are now a well-established category, not outliers, and have been adopted by the major players. We’ve tested models from Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, MSI, and a few others. And we’re always testing new ones.
Here’s how to make sense of their components—and get the most for your money.
Cheap Gaming Laptops: What to Look For, Component by Component
Our first bit of advice? If gaming’s your primary focus and your budget does dead-stop at $1,000, get the best GPU you can for the money, and let everything else follow from there. That may be at the expense of another spec or two—a little less storage or a Core i5 processor instead of a Core i7.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Remember, most notebooks aren’t upgradable except for their primary system memory (RAM, not to be confused with graphics memory) and, in some cases, storage. You will be stuck with the screen, graphics chip, and processor you buy now, so evaluate these components wisely. Stretching your budget for the next tier up can pay dividends in usable laptop lifespan.
Which CPU Should You Get in a Cheap Gaming Laptop?
Some of today’s games, especially in the strategy and simulation categories, tend to hammer the processor. That said, a maxed-out Core i7 or Core i9 CPU is less crucial for gaming than for processor-intensive tasks, such as video editing and media file production work. This is because you’ll get plenty of gaming pep even from Core i5 CPUs. Intel’s 13th Gen chips were launched in 2023, and as expected, they increased both power and efficiency. The 14th Gen followed shortly after. While 14th Gen’s quick HX processors are often found in higher-end machines, the occasional entry-level system, such as the MSI Katana 15 HX, also runs these chips.
Adding to the complexity, Intel also sells chips under its newer brand, Core Ultra, with dedicated AI processing core clusters called neural processing units (NPUs). The first two generations of these chips, “Meteor Lake” and “Lunar Lake,” have not been widely available in budget gaming laptops, though their performance is decent. “Arrow Lake” chips (more powerful Core Ultra 200 series processors) launched in 2025 and are a bit more prevalent in gaming systems, since they focus on performance. Most recently, Intel launched its Core Ultra 300 “Panther Lake” processors, which prioritize onboard graphics tiles for superior integrated performance. Gaming systems are less likely to opt for these processors and run a discrete GPU instead, however.
In any recent generation, a Core i7 or Ultra 7 is a highly efficient processor that, while beneficial and offering a marked performance difference, may be overkill for casual gamers on a tight budget. A modern midrange chip will likely serve you just fine in a budget gaming laptop. If you can afford the upper end of entry level, you’ll appreciate the extra speed of 7-tier, including for workloads beyond gaming.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Meanwhile, things are looking up on the AMD side of the fence. Previously, AMD CPUs and GPUs were rarely seen in midrange and high-end laptops, but they were ideal fits for budget laptops (because the components were value plays, to begin with). Even then, there weren’t too many laptops with AMD chips.
Today, you can get “Zen 4” architecture-based Ryzen 7000 and newer Ryzen 8000 models; some have made their way down to the budget tier. AMD also sells its own NPU-bearing Ryzen AI chips (the first series being the Ryzen AI 300, with Ryzen AI 400 expected to be out in 2026), but the adoption story for gaming is inconsistent at best. These are generally found only in more expensive laptops, so Ryzen’s less relevant for cheap gaming systems. We do see more laptops equipped with AMD’s Ryzen 5 or 7 mobile CPUs than ever, but Intel remains the more common choice overall in gaming laptops.
How Much Memory Is Enough for Gaming?
Given an around-$1,000 budget, 8GB is the absolute minimum memory you should settle for. Some sub-$1,000 machines with dedicated graphics won’t have any more than that, but 8GB will suffice for most moderate gaming use. That said, even most budget gaming systems have transitioned to 16GB as a baseline, which used to be the “nice to have” amount of RAM. Given the choice, opt for 16GB over 8GB if the cost difference isn’t much. That said, given the ongoing memory shortage and increased RAM prices, you may have to settle for less than you’d like.
Further facets to investigate include whether the laptop’s RAM is user-upgradable later and what the memory ceiling is. Regardless, even if you can upgrade the memory, the laptop may have memory modules occupying both slots, which would mean replacing them when upgrading later. It’s best to get what you need up front.
How Much Storage Is Enough in a Cheap Gaming Laptop?
Even in the budget tier, laptops now default to solid-state drives (SSDs) rather than hard drives (HDDs). We used to see a combination of a smaller SSD (to serve as a boot drive with Windows and essential programs or games) and a larger traditional HDD (to host the bulk of your library), but we stopped seeing traditional hard drives in systems some years ago. Now, any dual-drive combination is almost certainly twin SSDs. Small and midsize laptops will opt for just one SSD, while a few larger systems may run two or more drives, if you can afford it. (Note that most budget gaming laptops under a grand will be 15.6-inchers or 16-inchers.)
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
You’ll need as much storage as possible, given how large modern game installations have become, often ballooning to more than 100GB. Even more modest titles will run in the 20GB to 30GB range, while the average AAA blockbuster is often 60GB or more. Your small SSD will fill up quickly, so 512GB is the bare minimum you should aim for in a gaming laptop’s boot drive, and 1TB is much better.
The good news about the near-universal switch to SSDs? Your storage subsystem impacts game load times and in-game level changes, and SSDs deliver much faster load times compared with hard drives. Not all SSDs are created equal (some have significantly faster read and write speeds than others), but on average, even budget gaming laptops now have much quicker drives than in the past. That can be particularly important in open-world games, where huge environments load in real time, or in multiplayer games where you’re frequently loading into different lobbies. (See our picks for the fastest SSDs.)
Optical drives are extinct on new gaming laptops across all screen sizes these days. If you have legacy games on disc you just can’t quit, know that you can always use an external USB DVD/CD drive in a pinch, and they cost just $20 or so.
What Kind of Display to Get in a Cheap Gaming Laptop?
Four key specifications should be considered when evaluating a gaming laptop’s display panel: screen size, native resolution, refresh rate, and panel type.
As noted earlier, a screen size of 15.6 or 16 inches is the general rule for most gaming laptops, costing around $1,000. This size is a good compromise in ways that extend beyond cost. Sometimes, gaming on the biggest laptop screen possible—there is a spread of 16-, 17-, and 18-inch machines these days—is the way to go. Models with this screen size aren’t as portable, though (many weigh 5 pounds or more), and the lightest ones tend to be far from the cheapest.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
A 15-inch or 16-inch gamer still won’t be ideal for daily travel, but most are a lot more manageable than their even larger kin. Also, today’s standard gaming rigs are better suited for true mobile use—that is, off an AC power plug—than those of past years. Some devices achieve six or more hours of battery life, albeit in everyday productivity use or playing back video; gaming will significantly reduce that number. (See our picks for the laptops with the best battery life.)
As for the screen’s native resolution, 1,920 by 1,080 pixels (1080p) is the norm in budget-priced and mainstream gaming machines. The more pixels you need to push, the more graphics power required, and a savvy maker of gaming laptops won’t outfit a laptop with a screen whose native resolution the GPU can’t handle effectively. So, the scarcity of higher-than-HD screens in budget gaming machines is no accident. Not only do such screens cost more and drain more battery life, but the graphics chips found in sub-$1,000 gaming rigs also don’t power gameplay very well.
Display Details: Refresh Rate and Panel Type
As with the native resolution, you should note the panel’s refresh rate. If a laptop advertises its refresh rate (measured in hertz, or Hz) as a feature, it’s likely higher than the baseline 60Hz. Most ordinary laptop screens are limited to 60Hz, which means they redraw the on-screen image 60 times per second and display up to 60 frames per second (fps) of in-game performance. (In other words, if your graphics chip can produce 90fps in a game, you’ll see only 60 frames.)
Most new gaming notebook screens can display at 120Hz or higher refresh rates. This feature was initially available only in high-end gaming laptops, but it’s now standard even in budget models. All of our picks offer at least 120Hz, and some go up to 144Hz or beyond. These high refresh rates can be beneficial for some extremely fast-paced games, particularly titles played competitively online, including stalwarts such as CS: GO, Dota 2, Fortnite, Apex Legends, and Marvel Rivals.
Still, a fast screen isn’t strictly necessary unless you’re attempting to become a professional gamer or get ranked globally in a particular popular title. Plenty of gamers are still “stuck” with 60Hz displays, after all, if they haven’t bought a new PC in the last few years or are playing on a non-gaming laptop. Still, with high-refresh panels now the norm even in budget gaming machines, the lack of one indicates an older model to avoid.
Another spec to watch for is panel type. If possible, opt for an in-plane switching (IPS) panel, as they generally provide the best off-center viewing angles and color reproduction. Some gamers are content with cheaper twisted nematic (TN) panels, which force you to settle for narrower viewing angles—but then you’re probably seated directly in front of the screen, so that’s not an issue. TN panels can offer slightly faster response times.
A final note about touch input: Despite the undeniable convenience of touch screens for Windows, they are not the norm on gaming machines, and we are not aware of any GeForce- or Radeon RX-based gaming models in the under-$1,000 class with a touch screen. (See our picks for the best touch-screen laptops.)
What Is the Best GPU to Get in a Cheap Gaming Laptop?
The dedicated graphics chip is the backbone of any gaming computer. Even in budget gaming machines, Nvidia’s GeForce RTX line is the king of the castle; you will find these in most new gaming laptops.
In 2023, the laptop versions of the GeForce RTX 40-series desktop GPUs debuted, initially in the high-end market. Even still, some of our picks run RTX 40-series GPUs. However, as mentioned, the RTX 50 series is the go-to line for laptop graphics this year.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
While you may find older (or really cheap) systems with the RTX 4050 GPU or RTX 4060 in stock, new budget gaming laptops are sold with the RTX 5050 and RTX 5060. Depending on the builds and configurations, you can expect laptops with these GPUs to range from $900 (for cheaper RTX 5050 laptops) to $1,600 (for nicer RTX 5060 laptops). Ideally, you’ll pay closer to $1,300 for an RTX 5060 system, and anything above that comes with an RTX 5070 (which straddles the midrange price point below the RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5080, and RTX 5090).
So, what can you expect from these GPUs? The RTX 4050 and RTX 5050 laptops vary from one to the next, but we’ve generally found them to be capable 60fps-plus performers in mainstream and more demanding games, so long as you stay at 1080p (which is what most budget gaming laptops are limited to, anyway, if you rely on their built-in screens). That’s what has made them such a fitting pick for this category. For an RTX 4050, you will very likely have to turn a few visual details off (or lower the presets from maximum to high or medium, depending on the game). The RTX 5050 is better at reliably achieving smooth frame rates, and Nvidia’s DLSS 4 technology (more on that in a moment) can help run more demanding games.
If you can snag a budget laptop based on an RTX 4060 or RTX 5060 in this range, expect a marked step up from the xx50 tier. This GPU class consistently exceeds 60fps in most games and can maintain that level even in demanding AAA titles. Most of the time, it won’t even require you to lower settings, though the most straining titles may need some compromise. If you can find a laptop at the “60” level for a price similar to others, it’s worth making it your priority.
With the new generations of GPUs, we have two more crucial topics to discuss: ray tracing and DLSS. The “R” in “RTX” stands for ray tracing, an advanced lighting technique that only Nvidia GPUs with the RTX moniker (and the very latest AMD Radeon RX mobile GPUs) have the hardware to perform. The GPUs at the top of the hierarchy (chiefly the RTX 4080, RTX 4090, RTX 5080, and RTX 5090) are superior at handling this demanding work, but any RTX machine is technically capable.
The same applies to DLSS, an Nvidia visual feature that helps alleviate the graphics burden at higher resolutions. Having support for it on budget laptops at all is an impressive feat and shows how this category is healthier than ever in terms of performance. With the RTX 50 series GPUs, Nvidia’s main focus was doubling down on DLSS effectiveness and AI efficiency rather than raw power improvements, launching DLSS 4 alongside the new GPUs. Since then, Nvidia updated the technology again with the even more effective DLSS 4.5.
This new DLSS technology is significantly more capable of boosting frame rates, particularly with its Multi-Frame Generation feature, which can insert more artificially generated frames alongside rendered frames than ever, thereby greatly enhancing frame rates. While you may notice some visual downsides, and enthusiasts may look down their noses at “artificial” frames, it’s a boon for budget gamers, who can turn on fancy settings or run games at high frame rates with less powerful hardware. This makes even an entry-level GPU like the RTX 5050 a smooth performer in cutting-edge titles, and it is significantly more capable than the RTX 4050.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Naturally, Nvidia’s full-size RTX desktop graphics cards have such a high performance potential that the mobile versions of the same name can’t hope to keep up, given the space and thermal discrepancies. (See our examination Laptop vs. Desktop GeForce RTX 4090: How Much Do Nvidia’s Top GPUs Differ in Performance?) Additionally, manufacturers can implement a given laptop GPU at different peak wattages to suit a specific laptop’s design and thermal requirements, often resulting in differing real-world performance across models with the same GPU.
This can even apply to the same GPU in two different laptops; one may push the power ceiling because the laptop is larger, while another may limit its performance to fit in a smaller chassis. We’ve found the listed TGP makes a big difference in end performance. If you want to learn more, you can read about these complicated performance nuances. However, reading independent reviews with individual performance testing for laptops is more critical than ever.
As for Nvidia’s competitor, AMD, its dedicated graphics chips are less common in budget gaming laptops (or higher-cost ones, for that matter), even as its Ryzen processors are gaining ground against Intel. Some laptops offer AMD CPUs paired with Nvidia GPUs, and you’ll occasionally find a few among our picks. AMD’s Radeon RX 7000 series was released in early 2023, but it didn’t feature in many models, and no successors have been launched since. Intel has made some modest strides with its discrete Arc GPUs on desktops, but they are not a significant factor in the gaming laptop market. It’s almost entirely Nvidia’s game.
Don’t Forget the Keyboard: Lighting and Layouts
One of the typical features that sets a gaming laptop apart is a colorful, backlit keyboard. These vary significantly from model to model, with more elaborate backlighting often accompanied by higher prices and a higher overall level of other components.
Most budget gaming laptops use single-color backlighting (often red or white) to decrease costs. The next step up is lighting programmable by zone, with three or four blocks of the keyboard independently customizable in different colors, but this is not common in budget machines. Keyboards with per-key, individually programmable lighting are typically reserved for high-end machines only.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Also, look at the key layout. Models with an isolated cluster of arrow keys or well-defined WASD keys get bonus points in our book. Also, because most budget gaming laptops are 15.6-inch or 16-inch models, check for a dedicated number pad to the right of the main key area if you prefer to have one, or not, for that matter. Some machines of this screen size will have one, and some won’t. (A 17-inch laptop almost invariably will, however.)
Ready to Buy the Right Cheap Gaming Laptop for You?
Throughout this article, we’ve outlined the top-rated models to investigate. As mentioned, some configurations sent to us for testing exceeded $1,000; this is virtually unavoidable given today’s market conditions. Some remain under that mark, while others rise above or fall below it depending on availability, deals, and fluctuating costs.
Also, note that most of these models are a single version of a machine in a varied line. So, use the linked reviews as guidelines, not absolutes, when assessing each laptop family. You may not achieve the same level of performance we did if key components are downgraded to keep the price below $1,000. But you should get a solid idea of the various laptops’ screens, build, and input quality from our reviews.
In addition to poring over our reviews and checking out the vendors’ sites, using the price filters at a reseller like Newegg.com can help you see different configurations at different price points. Some manufacturers offer multiple versions of the same laptop with varying specifications (e.g., more storage in one configuration, a better GPU in another). Playing with the filters on these sites can be an illuminating exercise in give-and-take.
Want to round out your PC gaming experience? Check out our picks for the best gaming mice and headsets, as well as our picks for the best gaming laptops overall, price aside.
