10 Best Gaming Laptops Under 500

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 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.

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 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 Flex 5 16 is a versatile 2-in-1 laptop, meaning it functions as both a laptop and a tablet. It's priced in the lower midrange, and offers a balanced suite of features suitable for general use. With an Intel i7 processor and 16GB of RAM, it's capable for most tasks. The integrated Iris Xe graphics can handle casual gaming and light graphic duties. The 512GB of storage should be enough for everyday use, while its 16-inch IPS touchscreen display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 offers a clear and vivid viewing experience. Its 11.5-hour battery life is decent, and at only 4.63 pounds, it's fairly portable. The Flex 5 16 supports USB-C charging but doesn't have Thunderbolt capability. This device shines with its flexibility and touch capabilities, but if you're seeking high performance for intensive gaming or engineering, you may want something with a dedicated GPU.

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 Acer Swift 3 comes at a lower midrange price with a solid balance of features for general consumers. Its Intel i5 processor and integrated Iris Xe graphics offer good performance for everyday tasks and some light gaming or creative work but aren't optimized for more demanding 3D, machine learning, or engineering software. Equipped with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, it should handle multitasking and ample data. The 14-inch IPS display provides decent color accuracy and viewing angles, though it's not the best choice for color-critical work. The laptop is quite portable, weighing under 3 pounds, and has a good battery life that can support typical usage for around 12 hours. Additionally, build quality and heat management are rated good, making it suitable for mobility and use in different environments. With a variety of ports including USB-C and Thunderbolt, connectivity is versatile, but the absence of an Ethernet port might be a drawback for some. A backlit keyboard and fingerprint reader enhance usability, although if you're looking for a laptop with a higher refresh rate, better speakers, or dedicated gaming features, other models may be more fitting.

The HP Victus 15 is a gaming laptop with a lower midrange price. It has a fairly ample storage space, a decent amount of RAM, and is powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 processor accompanied by an Nvidia RTX 2050 graphics card, which makes it suited for gaming and productivity tasks. The laptop includes a 15.6-inch IPS display with a refresh rate that supports smoother visuals. Despite its battery being sufficient, it might not offer all-day usage. Portability is moderate given its weight and thickness. Additionally, it comes with a backlit keyboard that includes a number pad and supports hardware ray tracing for better graphical rendering. It runs Windows 11 Home and is capable of handling general use, engineering software, and 3D rendering. However, due to its gaming laptop appearance, it may not be the first choice for a premium business setting. Overall, it's a good choice for those who need a laptop capable of handling demanding tasks without going to the highest end of the price spectrum.