10 Best Budget Gaming Laptops

The Lenovo Flex 5 14 is a 2-in-1 convertible that can be used as both a laptop and a tablet, making it versatile for various tasks. It's priced in the lower midrange and offers a fair balance of performance and features. With an AMD Ryzen 7 processor and 16 GB of RAM, it's a good choice for general use and capable of handling some engineering and 3D tasks, though not optimized for intensive gaming. It has a 14-inch IPS touchscreen display, a decent battery life, and is lightweight for portability. It also features a decent spread of ports including USB-C, and it charges via USB-C as well, but it lacks a dedicated number pad, yet it includes a backlit keyboard and fingerprint reader for convenience and security.

The HP Victus 15 is a reasonably priced laptop with 512 GB of storage, 16 GB of RAM, and is powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 processor paired with an Nvidia RTX 2050 for graphics. Its 15.6-inch IPS display offers a resolution of 1920 x 1080, with a high refresh rate but without touch capabilities. The battery capacity is decent, aiding in fair portability despite its somewhat heavy build. It excels in heat management, has a good-quality keyboard, and is targeted toward gaming with features like a backlit keyboard and hardware ray tracing. However, its color space coverage is on the lower end, which may not be ideal for color-intensive tasks. It runs Windows 11 Home and is endorsed as particularly suitable for gaming. With a combination of USB-C, HDMI, and Ethernet ports, it offers a variety of connectivity options. Released in May 2023, it's a good fit for general use and gaming but may fall short for professionals in engineering and 3D/machine learning due to moderate performance scores in those areas.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is a budget-friendly gaming laptop that comes with a decent storage capacity and moderate RAM. It's equipped with an AMD Ryzen processor and an Nvidia RTX GPU, which makes it suitable for gaming and other intensive tasks. The battery capacity provides a reasonable amount of usage time, and it sports a 15.6-inch display with a high refresh rate, suitable for fast-paced games, but it's an IPS panel which may not be the brightest. It's relatively heavy, affecting its portability, has a number pad, and features backlit keys, hardware ray tracing, and DLSS. Suitable for gaming needs, it may not be the top choice for very high-end gaming or professional engineering software but can handle general use and moderate 3D tasks well.

The Dell Inspiron 14 5425 is a budget-friendly option with decent computing power, courtesy of the AMD Ryzen 7 processor, making it suitable for everyday tasks and some more demanding applications. It offers a satisfactory amount of storage and memory, with options for expansion. The integrated Vega 8 graphics can handle light gaming and graphical tasks, but may not be ideal for intensive gaming or high-end graphic design. With a weight that balances portability and build, it's a good fit for on-the-go use while maintaining a 14-inch display, which has a resolution favouring productivity and content consumption. Battery life is adequate for a day's work, and the laptop has a backlit keyboard, which is helpful in low-light conditions. Keep in mind, though, that while it's versatile enough for general use, professionals needing advanced computational or graphical capabilities may find it limited.

The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED might appeal to you if you want a laptop with a vivid display and good performance for everyday tasks. With an OLED touchscreen and high resolution, it offers vibrant colors and detailed visuals, which are great for photo editing or watching videos. An Intel i5 processor and integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics can handle general use and some light creative tasks, but might not be sufficient for more demanding 3D work, engineering applications, or intensive gaming. It's equipped with a moderate battery life and given its weight, it offers decent portability. The laptop also features a backlit keyboard and fingerprint reader, enhancing both comfort and security. It's positioned at a lower midrange price, indicating it's competitively priced with good overall value for its features.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is designed for gaming enthusiasts on a lower-midrange budget. It pairs an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H processor with an Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti graphics card, delivering solid performance for gaming and other demanding tasks. The device sports a 15.6-inch IPS display with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, a refresh rate that suits fast-paced games, and is not touchscreen. Expect a decent color output but not top-of-the-line, with moderate screen brightness and color space coverage. Storage and memory are on the lower end, but with available slots for upgrades. The laptop comes with a numeric keypad, a backlit keyboard, and supports hardware ray tracing as well as DLSS, enhancing gaming visuals. It doesn't excel in portability due to its nearly 5-pound weight and average battery life, but it includes a good array of ports, including Ethernet and USB-C. With Windows 11 Home installed, it's a capable machine for gaming and engineering applications, but its weight and battery life make it less ideal for on-the-go use.

The ASUS Vivobook 16X offers a balance between performance and price, being in the lower midrange category. It features a large 16-inch IPS screen with a 16:10 aspect ratio, suitable for productivity tasks but with a standard 60Hz refresh rate that's adequate for general use rather than fast-paced gaming. Powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 5800HS with integrated Vega 8 graphics, the laptop is capable of handling daily tasks and lighter creative workloads, though it's not designed for intensive gaming or high-end 3D rendering. Its battery life is suitable for several hours of typical usage, making it moderately portable at a bit over 4 pounds. The Vivobook 16X is equipped with 512GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, enhancing multitasking abilities. It also has a decent selection of ports including USB-C, HDMI, and an Ethernet port, plus a backlit keyboard with a number pad, enhancing utility for work and study. Overall, the Vivobook 16X is good for general use, fair for 3D/machine learning applications, and fair for engineering tasks.

The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is a budget-friendly laptop designed for general use. It's equipped with an Intel i3 processor, UHD graphics, and has 8GB of RAM along with 256GB of storage. The 15.6-inch IPS display has a full HD resolution and offers good color representation, although it's not touch-enabled. It offers a fair battery life and is fairly portable, albeit not the lightest at 3.65 pounds. This laptop includes a number pad, a backlit keyboard, and comes preinstalled with Windows 11 Home. It suits everyday tasks and can handle some engineering applications, but it's not ideal for intensive gaming or demanding 3D/machine learning tasks. Its construction and performance are adequate for its price point, and it manages heat well.