10 Best Budget Gaming Laptops

Wally Nowinski
editor

Our experts used the PerfectRec decision engine to comb through our laptop database and find the best budget gaming laptops available in 2024. Here are our top picks.

Our criteria for the best budget gaming laptops:

  • Operating System: We limited the search to Windows laptops since there are more games available than on Mac.
  • Usage: We focused on gaming laptops.
  • Budget: We chose a medium budget of $500-750, which should cover an entry level, budget gaming laptop.
To consider others factors, try the PerfectRec decision engine to get your personalized laptop recommendation
Get your personalized recommendations

10 Best Budget Gaming Laptops

1
Razer 18”

Blade 18

BEST RATING
Engineering & Design:
4.8
Gaming/AI: A-
Size: 18"
Overall Performance: Very Good
Portability: Thick, very heavy
Battery: Fair




Pros
  • Large 18-inch high refresh screen
  • Powerful Intel i9 processor
  • High-end Nvidia RTX graphics
  • Excellent keyboard quality
  • Robust build construction
Cons
  • Limited battery life
  • Heavy, affects portability
  • Loud fan noise under load
  • No touchscreen functionality
2
HP 15.6”

Victus 15

BEST RATING
General Use:
4.2
Gaming/AI: B
Size: 15.6"
Overall Performance: Fair
Portability: Thick, heavy
Battery: Fair




Expert Summary
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.
Pros
  • Good general performance
  • Decent gaming, ray tracing support
  • Backlit keyboard with number pad
  • Multiple ports including Ethernet, USB-C
  • Fairly good screen refresh rate
Cons
  • Average battery life
  • Fair portability due to weight
  • Limited color coverage on screen
  • Fair performance for 3D/machine learning
3
Lenovo 15.6”

IdeaPad Gaming 3

BEST RATING
Keyboard Quality:
4.4
Gaming/AI: B
Size: 15.6"
Overall Performance: Fair
Portability: Thick, heavy
Battery: Good




Expert Summary
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.
Pros
  • AMD Ryzen 7 processor
  • Nvidia RTX 2050 GPU
  • Backlit keyboard with numpad
  • Supports Ethernet connection
  • Available storage and RAM slots
Cons
  • Moderate battery life
  • No Thunderbolt or USB4
  • No touchscreen capability
  • Not very lightweight
4
Acer 14”

Swift Go 14

BEST RATING
Portability:
4.7
Gaming/AI: B
Size: 14"
Overall Performance: Fair
Portability: Thin, very light
Battery: Good




Expert Summary
The Acer Swift Go 14 is a laptop with a lower midrange price and comes equipped with 512GB storage and 16GB RAM, which should be sufficient for daily tasks and moderate multitasking. It features an Intel i5-1335U processor paired with Intel Iris Xe graphics, suitable for general use and light photo editing or casual gaming, but not for heavy 3D rendering or intensive gaming. The battery is fairly standard, ensuring around 8 hours of typical use. It has a 14-inch IPS display with good resolution and a 16:10 aspect ratio, enhancing productivity with more vertical screen space. The laptop doesn't have a touchscreen, but it offers good color accuracy and contrast ideal for web browsing, document editing, and movie watching. It's quite portable at under 3 pounds and just 0.59 inches thick, making it easy to carry around. It offers a good selection of ports, including USB-C with charging support, but lacks Ethernet and dedicated gaming features. The Acer Swift Go 14 also includes a backlit keyboard and a fingerprint reader for added convenience and security.
Pros
  • Lightweight and portable design
  • Good battery life for typical use
  • High-quality keyboard and webcam
  • Backlit keyboard with a fingerprint reader
  • Solid performance for general use
Cons
  • Limited high performance for 3D and engineering
  • Mediocre speaker quality
  • Display not ideal for fast motion
  • Graphics not suited for ray tracing
5
Dell 15.6”

Inspiron 15 3520

BEST RATING
Portability:
4.3
Gaming/AI: B
Size: 15.6"
Overall Performance: Poor
Portability: Med. thick, light
Battery: Good




Expert Summary
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.
Pros
  • Solid battery life for typical use
  • Large 15.6-inch screen
  • Good general use performance
  • Has a number pad on keyboard
  • Lightweight for its screen size
Cons
  • Not backlit keyboard
  • Limited high-performance capabilities
  • Lower color accuracy for professional work
  • Mediocre speaker and build quality
6
BEST RATING
Battery Life:
4.7
Gaming/AI: B
Size: 14"
Overall Performance: Fair
Portability: Med. thick, light
Battery: Very Good




Expert Summary
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.
Pros
  • Affordable midrange price
  • Decent performance with Ryzen 7
  • Good display resolution
  • Solid battery life
  • Compact and lightweight
Cons
  • No dedicated graphics
  • Limited port selection
  • Build quality is average
  • Average speaker quality
7
ASUS 14”

Zenbook 14

BEST RATING
Portability:
4.6
Gaming/AI: B
Size: 14"
Overall Performance: Fair
Portability: Thin, very light
Battery: Good




Pros
  • High-resolution OLED screen
  • Lightweight and portable
  • Multiple USB-C ports
  • Good keyboard and trackpad
  • All-day battery life
Cons
  • Average speaker quality
  • Limited thermal management
  • Fair webcam quality
  • Moderate fan noise under load
8
HP 15.6”

Envy x360 15"

BEST RATING
Operating Noise:
4.6
Gaming/AI: B
Size: 15.6"
Overall Performance: Fair
Portability: Med. thick, med. heavy
Battery: Very Good




Expert Summary
The HP Envy x360 15" is a midrange 2-in-1 convertible laptop, offering versatility as it can be used as both a laptop and a tablet. With a 512 GB storage capacity and 16 GB of RAM, it's equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 processor and Vega 8 graphics that are suitable for general use and some demanding applications, but may not be optimal for intensive gaming, 3D rendering or machine learning tasks. The battery capacity is solid, and at 15.6 inches the IPS touchscreen display provides good color coverage, but it's not the top choice for color-critical work. Weighing around 4.43 pounds and around 0.72 inches thick, it balances portability with performance, and with a variety of USB-C ports including charging capability, it offers good connectivity. The keyboard is backlit and has a number pad, enhancing productivity, and the build quality is rated as very good. This laptop's release date was in April 2023, and it runs on Windows 11 Home.
Pros
  • Touchscreen with pen support
  • Convertible, laptop and tablet mode
  • Lightweight and portable design
  • Backlit keyboard included
  • Good for general use performance
Cons
  • Average screen color performance
  • Fair 3D/machine learning performance
  • Moderate battery life
  • No hardware ray tracing support
9
BEST RATING
General Use Screen Quality:
4.7
Gaming/AI: B
Size: 14"
Overall Performance: Fair
Portability: Thin, light
Battery: Good




Expert Summary
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.
Pros
  • OLED touchscreen with high resolution
  • Lightweight and highly portable
  • Good build and keyboard quality
  • Multiple USB-C ports, Thunderbolt 4
  • High screen refresh rate
Cons
  • Moderate battery life
  • Limited performance for gaming or engineering
  • No hardware ray tracing or DLSS
  • No available RAM or storage slots
10
Lenovo 15.6”

IdeaPad Gaming 3

BEST RATING
Keyboard Quality:
4.4
Gaming/AI: B
Size: 15.6"
Overall Performance: Fair
Portability: Thick, heavy
Battery: Good




Expert Summary
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is a laptop that offers good general use and gaming capabilities at a lower midrange price. It has a decent processor and graphics card suitable for playing games and handling everyday tasks. The screen is a 15.6-inch IPS panel providing clear images with a high refresh rate, enhancing gaming and video experiences. It is not very light but should be portable enough for occasional transport. Battery life is moderate, suggesting you may need to stay close to a power outlet during long sessions. The laptop has a full-size backlit keyboard with a number pad and a good port selection including Ethernet and HDMI, but no Thunderbolt support. It's designed with a gaming appearance and released in late 2021, indicating relatively recent hardware. Its sound and webcam quality is good, while the build and heat management are fair. If gaming and general use are your priorities and you're okay with the weight and average battery life, this laptop could be a suitable choice.
Pros
  • Affordable gaming laptop
  • Decent performance for general use
  • High refresh rate screen
  • Good portability for a gaming device
  • Backlit keyboard with number pad
Cons
  • Basic build quality
  • Mediocre battery life
  • Limited RAM and storage
  • Modest screen color performance