The best budget gaming laptops you can buy in 2024

You begin your quest for the best gaming laptop only to be met with a harsh reality: Gaming laptops come with hefty price tags. Even midrange options can soar past $2,000, while flagship models may demand a wallet-draining $3,000 or more. Who can afford these astronomical prices?

Fear not, for we've compiled a list of the top budget gaming laptops, allowing you to indulge in your favorite games without breaking the bank. In this guide, our focus is on laptops priced at or below $1,000, specifically highlighting gaming notebooks that offer exceptional value for your hard-earned cash.

Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Gen 8

The best budget gaming laptop

Lenovo is expected to phase out its Legion ‘Slim’ series this year, but the existing models offer excellent value for your money. Specifically, if we talk about the 16-inch Slim 5 Gen 8, it is currently selling at a price that you should not miss.

The base configuration comes with an AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS CPU and an Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU, along with 512GB of storage and 16GB of DDR5 memory. This is priced at $960 on Lenovo’s online store. However, you can grab the same laptop with an RTX 4060, which is a more powerful GPU, for $900 on Best Buy. This configuration originally sells for $1,350, essentially saving you $450!

The notebook isn't made for ground breaking performance, but you should get plenty of juice for productivity and gaming. If you can go beyond the $1,000 price, the Slim 5 is available with a sharper 2560 x 1600 resolution IPS panel with a 165Hz refresh as opposed to the standard 1200p 144Hz.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2023)

The best compact budget gaming laptop

Asus' popular ROG Zephyrus G14 is too expensive for this list. However, you can find last year's model for very cheap, and if you can pick one up on sale, it's easily the best deal on a gaming laptop you can find.

We're talking about the 2023 model, which is powered by the Ryzen 9 7940HS processor and Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card. It retails for $1,600, but it is currently selling at $1,000, and it offers performance that easily beats the other options on this list.

The ROG Zephyrus G14 earns its stripes as the best 14-inch gaming notebook due to premium features. Not only does it look great, but you're getting a gorgeous quad-HD 165Hz display and features like USB-C charging that are normally seen on high-end machines like the Razer Blade 14.

Acer Chromebook 516 GE

The best budget gaming Chromebook

Chromebook gaming is still a long way away, but the Acer Chromebook 516 GE provides a hint of the future. It's a high-end Chromebook, offering great battery life and a fantastic screen, but it doesn't offer peak performance.

That's because you're not supposed to run games on the Chromebook 516 GE. Its Intel Core i5-1240P processor can handle light games you find through the Google Play Store, but you're meant to use the device primarily with cloud gaming services like GeForce Now and Xbox Game Pass.

Thanks to the Wi-Fi 6E module, you can easily run even the most demanding games through the laptop without much latency. Don't ignore the display, either. Even the cheapest Chromebooks are capable of cloud gaming, but the exceptional 2,560 x 1,600 screen makes them look far better on the Chromebook 516 GE. You can even drive the full 120Hz of the display with apps like GeForce Now.

Of course, your experience with the Acer Chromebook 516 GE is entirely dependent on your internet connection. The machine sets you up for success with its wireless connectivity, though, and if you're experiencing stutters, you can tether it directly to your router with the Gigabit Ethernet jack.

Dell G15 Advantage Edition

The best budget gaming laptop under $800

If you're on a strict budget and need a new gaming laptop, the Dell G15 is tough to beat. For only $800, it offers the 8-core AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS, along with an Nvidia RTX 4050, 16GB of DDR5 memory, and a 512GB SSD. It's not a top performer, but it's a great option for 1080p gaming with very little compromise.

Similar to the Lenovo machine we recommended, this one blows past the competition with great build quality. It's mostly plastic, but Dell makes the most of the material to make the G15 feel robust. It also comes with a decent cooling solution, so it's not too loud or hot when pushed.

The keyboard is much better than what you normally find at this price, too. It's not the best keyboard we've seen on a gaming laptop, but it doesn't come with the mushy feeling and sticky keys you find on most laptops around $700.

Dell also offers other configurations where you can buy the G15 with an AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS, GPU options of Nvidia's RTX 3050, 4050 or 4060 and faster a 1080p display with a 165Hz refresh rate and support for Nvidia G-Sync.

Asus ROG Ally

The best handheld gaming laptop

OK, hear me out. No, the Asus ROG Ally isn't technically a laptop. But it also kind of is a laptop. It doesn't come with a keyboard and trackpad, and the screen is small, but the ROG Ally is basically a laptop with a controller strapped on.

It's not great for taking around and browsing the internet, but it works wonders for gaming on the go. And when you're back at your desk, you can use a USB-C hub to connect a keyboard and mouse, monitor, and any other peripherals you have.

The best use is to hook it up to the XG Mobile for a full desktop experience. It's an expensive accessory for the ROG Ally, so it doesn't quite fit the budget mold, but it's a good place to aspire to.

The hardware inside the ROG Ally is basically an efficient gaming laptop chip. The Ryzen Z1 Extreme comes with eight Zen 4 cores, along with AMD's Radeon 780M graphics. Together, they can run most games at 1080p above 60 frames per second (fps), though it's worth noting that the ROG Ally isn't as powerful as some of the proper laptops on this list.

Asus TUF A16 Advantage Edition

The best all-AMD budget gaming laptop

The Asus TUF A16 Advantage Edition laptop is a powerful midrange gaming laptop that offers great performance and durability. Powered by AMD Ryzen 7000 processors and Radeon RX 7000 graphics, this laptop offers impressive processing power and graphics capabilities, making it ideal for gaming, content creation, and multitasking.

One of the key advantages of the TUF A16 is its rugged design, which is said to withstand the rigors of gaming on the go. It features a MIL-STD-810H military-grade construction, ensuring durability and reliability even in challenging environments.

Additionally, the laptop boasts a 165Hz high-refresh-rate full-HD+ display with Adaptive-Sync technology, delivering smooth and tear-free gaming visuals. The keyboard is designed for long gaming sessions, with customizable RGB lighting options, although it isn't the best when it comes to comfort as the keys feel soft and mushy.

You can purchase the Asus TUF A16 powered by the AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS processor with Radeon RX7600S 8GB graphics, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and 512GB PCIe SSD for about $950. The combination of AMD's Ryzen CPU and Radeon GPU ensures a perfect balance of performance and efficiency and you can expect good battery life from the laptop as well.

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