Best Budget Gaming Laptop 2023: Cheap Gaming Laptops Listed

There are plenty of affordable gaming laptops awaiting you. And surprisingly, the best budget gaming laptops these days are powerful and pretty much capable of taking you through all your gaming smoothly. You really don’t need to break the bank for buying a gaming laptop, unless, of course, you’ve got good cash on you and want to own the ultimate thing.

We’ve gathered all the best cheap gaming laptops of 2023 in the list below. These gaming beasts come with good power, gaming looks, and they fulfill most of your gaming concerns. You’ll find gaming laptops ranging from around $1000 to $500. In fact, there are some laptops in the market available below $500, but then those are old and not so powerful. So, to get a good gaming laptop and at the same time not spend a fortune, it is better to keep your budget anywhere from $700 to $1000.

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Editor’s Top 3 Picks

Acer Helios 300 (2021)

CPU: Intel i7-11800H
GPU: RTX 3060
Display: 15.6 FHD

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HP Pavilion 15

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
GPU: GTX 1650
Display: 15.6 FHD

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ASUS Tuf 2019

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 R7-3750H
GPU: RTX 2060
Display: 15.6 FHD

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Buying the Best Affordable Gaming Laptop

Things were not so straight a few years back because gaming laptops used to be pretty expensive. This was because they were new to the market, and the technology was not advanced the way it is today. But nowadays, you can very quickly own a powerful gaming laptop at a lower price. In the past few years, a large number of powerful CPUs and GPUs have been released. Every time the predecessor became cheap, the cost of overall laptops came down.

In simple words, a gaming laptop with an RTX 3080 these days is expensive, but going down to RTX 3060 and RTX 20 series makes a budget laptop. And a good thing that happens to gamers here is that RTX 3080 might be the most powerful thing in laptops so far, but an RTX 3060 and below cards still give you enough power for all your gaming needs. Now that you know that buying a low-cost gaming laptop will cut off enormous power and ultimate high-end specs, let’s have a look at what you will actually get.

Graphics Card – The Heart of Gaming Laptops

You might be wondering, and you should wonder, what graphics card will you get in a cheap gaming laptop. This mostly depends on the price you are willing to pay. If you go for a gaming laptop that costs 1200 dollars or slightly higher, you definitely get a nice RTX 3060 and sometimes even an RTX 3070. But if your budget is below $1200, then the graphics card you get will probably belong to the RTX 20 series or the lower cards in RTX 30 series like RTX 3050. Furthermore, for a budget below $800, you will get an even low-power GPU. But put your mind at ease because we have sorted out the best gaming laptops, even if your budget is pretty low.

Now, you can opt for either of the two approaches. The first is to count the cash you have on you and, based on that, choose what you can afford at the highest level. Or the other way is to get to know your gaming needs and then select your gaming laptop. If you play games like PUBG or DOTA 2, you won’t need to go for an ultimate thing. Anything ranging from $600 to $800 will do just fine. However, if your list contains Fortnite, Fr Cry and Warhammer II, etc., then you will have to spend a thousand dollars or more. An RTX 3080 will do good for the latter mentioned games, but since we are tied to a budget here, this is where you comprise and choose an RTX 3070 or RTX 2070 instead. These cards can play all these mentioned games, just that the fps will be lower, which is a comprise you will have to make for a low budget.

CPU – The Brain

We all know that graphics card matters a lot for gaming. But a powerful graphics card will be of no use unless the processor of your laptops is swift. Now cutting the cost and buying a budget gaming laptop will obviously affect the processor as well. The fastest CPU you will see in this list will be an 11th Gen core-i7 which is undoubtedly one of the most powerful ones out there. But this will be the case with only a few budget gaming laptops. As you decrease your budget, so will the power of the CPU.

RAM – The Unsung Hero

Everything that happens temporarily in your system is loaded onto the RAM of your gaming laptop. The game you play is actually loaded into the RAM to speed up things because an HDD or SSD can not provide your game’s speed. So, in reality, RAM really matters and is sort of a bridge between all the components of your laptop. For this reason, the higher the RAM better will be your gaming experience. High-end gaming laptops come with 32 or even 64GB of RAM. But since we are talking about budget gaming laptops here, you won’t go beyond 16GB RAM. Most laptops in this you will see will have 16 Gigs of RAM. This is more than enough for all your budget gaming needs.

Display – What you See is What Actually Matters

Display matters a lot for gaming laptops. The better it is, the better you play your games. These days, almost all gaming laptops prefer to stick with 1080p because the resolution is good, and the hardware can bear all the load. You will see certain 4k gaming laptops, but those are expensive, and the 4k evolution for gaming is still under process. Unless you spend a fortune on a gaming setup, 4k won’t be fun. All budget gaming laptops will have 1080p resolution; however, the difference exists in brightness, color accuracy, and refresh rate. We have mentioned the brightness level and color accuracy standards with almost all laptops below. And as far as the refresh rate is considered, you will get an average range under $1000 which will be 60Hz or maybe 120Hz. But for a 144Hz or more refresh rate, you will have to spend a bit more than 1000 dollars.

Battery – Not a Piece of Cake

Gaming Laptops are power-hungry. All the components inside a gaming laptop are designed to reach their highest possible level and give you insane gaming power. And for the very same reason, they suck the battery very fast. In any case, you should not be expecting a higher battery life from a gaming laptop. The best battery life you will get will be 5 or hardly 6 hours, but this is rare. Usually, most gaming laptops give you a backup of 3 to 3 hours. So, you should not be worried about the lower battery backup of a gaming laptop. A sane mind would ask for more battery life for the money you have spent, but this is not what happens to a gaming laptop.

Other Gaming Concerns

Battery and specs alone are not enough for a gaming laptop to be considered best. Other things like good configuration of I/O connections, RGB keyboard, and a good cooling system is what matters too. Before deciding on buying a gaming laptop, you have to make sure that the laptop has all the ports you will be using, an RGB keyboard, and no heating issues. But when things are fastened by a specific budget, then not all laptops will give you everything. For getting the best value gaming laptop, certain comprises need to be made.

Best Cheap Gaming Laptops 2023

1. Acer Predator Helios 300 (2021)

Similar Looks, More Power

While the older Predator Helios 300 made waves, the new model is here with more juice. For a budget gaming laptop, there isn’t a better option in our purview right now. It is powered by an 11th Gen Intel CPU along with 16 gigs of RAM. For the graphics faculty, an RTX series 3060 graphics card has taken the role. This configuration alone should speak for what games it can play and how professionally it can handle them. And then comes a mesmerizing 15 inches FHD display. It marches with a 144Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time. The bezels, however, are chubby and definitely is one of the things keeping the gaming laptop within budget. Design-wise, the 0.9-inches height is similar to what it was last time, though the weight has gone up and is now 5.5 pounds. Similarly, the battery backup is lower than it was before. Its short battery life combined with its bulky nature indeed sounds like a lot of sacrifices. But this is what happens when we speak of budget, power and features within the same gaming laptop.

2. HP Pavilion 15.6 2021

Budget laptop for entry-level gaming

Previously an older HP Pavilion gaming laptop had this spot. But things grow old and we have to say goodbye to them. Say Hello to the all new HP Pavilion Gaming laptop with a 15 inches bright display, enough power for the price it is offered and next level geeky looks. It is not the kind of laptop which you can use for daily chores as well, because of its lower battery performance. However for entry-level gaming, it is a beast. The gaming laptop remains cool and quiet as you play all your games. Speaking of games, for some of them like Metro Exodus it’s a hard NO because you won’t get good fps on high settings. But for other games, this laptop takes all its power and throws an exceptional performance in all dimensions. Anyway, the ports here are not totally satisfactory, you will miss a Thunderbolt port and would love to have an additional USB-C port unless you are OK using a docking station.

3. ASUS Tuf 2019

AMD powered Budget laptop

High-end gaming, mid-range or entry-level, Asus has a gaming laptop for all tiers. The Zephyrus S GX701 is one of the best gaming laptops but is quite expensive. But Asus does not leave out those with a tight budget. They got the TUF FX505DV which is a powerful beast but comes at a lower price than has been made possible by cutting certain attractive additional features. For instance, the 15.6 inches FHD display of this gaming laptop is good for gaming and comes with a 120Hz refresh rate but is not quite bright, rather dim. Similarly, the weight of this laptop (4.8 pounds) is not too much, but its height is 1 inch, which is higher than other gaming laptops in its competition.

As for the performance, Asus TUF packs an AMD Ryzen 7 R7-3750H CPU backed by 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD. For graphical power, an RTX 2060 is in the works. Still, the truth beholds that the combination of RTX 2060 with Intel CPU pumps more power and a better gaming experience. However, that AMD is not bad either. It is good enough for your gaming in general. Plus, an Intel CPU with this configuration would raise the price, which is why an AMD is in place. Battery life again happens to all gaming laptops in general. It gives you a backup of around 3 hours or so. Another drawback comes with its ports. You get everything but a Type-C or Thunderbolt-3, which allows you easily connect multiple monitors or other devices. Now it comes up as one of the best affordable gaming laptops because it pumps out serious gaming power when all gaming concerns are put together.

4. MSI GF63 Thin

Thin Bezels, Excellent Display

Not all low-cost gaming laptops are thick and bulky; you can always find a portable one. The MSI GF63 is one of the best portable gaming laptops. It bears a 4.1 pound weight and has a thickness of 0.85 inches. This might not be super thin like ultrabooks, but for a gaming laptop carrying GTX 1650 with a price of under 1000, it definitely is a good weight and thickness. MSI laptops are always good for gaming power. They might not be the toppers in the industry because ASUS is seriously taking over these days. However, many would still go for MSI because of its excellent history. Another fantastic thing about the design of the laptop is that a 15.6 inches display has been placed inside a 14 inches frame, leaving the left and right bezels very thin.

MSI GF63 comes with a simple crimson-red backlit keyboard which is one nice view when it is dark. The gaming looks are enhanced; in fact, it helps you win all your rounds easily. That said, the comfort experience of both the keypad and touchpad is at max. Now, as concerned with power, the GF63 is home to Intel Core i7-9750H CPU which is supported by 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD. More, you get a GTX 1650 for graphical power, which is so far one of the best graphics cards for entry-level and mid-level gaming. This configuration puts you on top of the budget tier of gaming laptops. But here comes the best part of all, the MSI GF63 can give you a battery backup of over 5 hours which literally makes purchasing it one of the best gaming laptop deals.

5. Asus TUF Gaming A15

A perfect budget laptop

Asus TUF A15 is geared for real-world durability and serious gaming. It is an affordable and versatile gaming laptop that manages to strike the right balance between performance and value, leading you to a victory. Asus A15’s performance is backed by AMD Ryzen 7 4800H with eight cores and 16 threads, bringing a level of power you would expect to witness in much more expensive laptops. This, paired with an Nvidia RTX 2060 GPU, makes it an excellent choice for this kind of gaming laptop, claiming to be one of Nvidia’s most affordable GPUs.

The chunky design of the Asus TUF A15 gaming laptop allows it to pack more ports. The decent input/output connectivities of A15 holds an Ethernet port, an HDMI port, two standard USB ports, and a USB-C port on the left-hand side of the laptop, along with a plug-in port for the power supply. The right-hand side contains another standard USB port. This large and advanced selection of ports will win a lot of fans, especially amongst competitive esports players. Asus A15 features a sizeable 90Wh battery for long-lasting battery life. The Efficient self-cleaning cooling combines with Tuf’s signature military-grade durability to make this battle-tested road warrior a reliable ally for gamers on the go.

6. Acer Nitro 7

Thin budget gaming laptop

Acer has come up with a lovely-looking laptop that is powerful yet affordable. In a look, you will find it cool and would like to own it because of the elegant edges and bright red accents. It might be an entry-level gaming laptop, but it seems like Acer has put a lot of thought into it. Each and every component appears as if it deserved to be there, and thus the overall laptop makes a perfect budget laptop for gaming. The weight of it might be something which won’t be on the good side, it weighs 5.95 pounds which is higher than its competition. But when compared in height, it is a thin one at 0.78 inches only.

Speaking of the specs, Acer Nitro 7 is home to a 9th Gen Intel i7-9750H CPU, 16GB RAM, and has 512GB SSD room. Adding further power to this configuration is a GTX 1650 with 4GB GDDR5 VRAM. This combination is fantastic for the budget this laptop is offered. It definitely is a value gaming laptop if you are willing to spend 1000 bucks or slightly higher. For I/O. You will find 3 USB-A ports, a USB-C, an HDMI, and an Ethernet connection. Now being a gaming laptop for 1000 dollars, this is a pretty considerate setting of ports. And then the battery backup of it is still amazing for the given price and performance. Almost 5 hours of backup is excellent for a low-cost gaming laptop.

7. ASUS TUF FX505DD

A powerful sub $1000 gaming laptop

Asus is literally taking over the e-gaming and PC gaming space. You will see their PC gaming components and gaming laptops at each and every level. Starting from high-end gaming laptops right to the cheapest gaming laptops, Asus has a presence everywhere. ASUS TUF FX505DD is one of the cheapest gaming laptops offered at around $600. And a look at the overall build and specs surprises us because the price is much lower than the gaming experience it provides. About the build, it is a tad higher than an inch in height and weighs around 4.8 lbs. This is what you will see in most gaming laptops, but for FX505DD it is surprising given the low price.

Internally, ASUS has changed the route and has figured a combination that will see a lot in the coming new gaming laptops. A look at the specs will tell you that an AMD processor has been used besides Nvidia Graphics cards. This actually is the new thing happening and will be happening a lot in the months to come. But Asus realized this beforehand and has taken advantage out of it. So an AMD Ryzen 5 working in parallel to Nvidia GTX 1050 is quite a nice combination for all your gaming needs. As for the battery life, it might not be the best choice. This affordable gaming laptop hits a 3 hours mark at most, not beyond that. Besides, the laptop lacks a touch of good ports like Thunderbolt-3 or even a USB-C.

8. Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i

For playing games when not working

For the market, the price of this laptop is a bit higher compared to the less powerful graphics it has. But viewing the laptop from another angle, everything else of the laptop is top-notch. Look at it this way, for under $1000 you get a laptop which has GTX 1650Ti graphics card so you can play most games at good settings. And then there is a ton of other things like good battery backup, port selection and a snappy CPU which makes it a day-to-day laptop. You get both uses inside the same laptop and if you are a student or anyone else who loves to play games when there is time then look no further. The design of the gaming laptop is pretty decent which makes it suitable for using it anywhere. For those who can not afford to own two separate laptops, one for gaming and other for work, this is where you spend what you’ve got and save.

9. ASUS TUF FX705GM

Large Screen, affordable gaming laptop

With its fourth contender on the list for best budget gaming laptops, Asus radiates the brand’s legacy towards gaming laptops. ASUS TUF FX705GM is a good budget gaming laptop to offer you enough power and efficiency for professional gaming. The TUF FX705GM ensures a compact, good-looking design with a large display screen and great internal like processor, graphics card, ports, etc. ASUS TUF FX705GM has 17.3 inches display with FHD resolution that perfectly delivers glossy colors with great details bringing a realistic gaming experience. The display screen is surrounded by thick matte black bezels with an ASUS logo on the bottom center.

ASUS TUF FX705GM, apart from having a great durable design, is equipped with powerful internals that never disappoints and brings a lag-free smooth gaming experience. It is equipped with an 8th generation Intel Core i7-8750H processor, 16GB of RAM to ensure smooth multitasking. It comes with 512GB of SSD (Solid-state drive) that helps the processor deal with intensive processing with ease. The powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 brings realistic lag-free graphics that greatly enhance the overall gaming experience. ASUS TUF FX705GM holds a USB 2.0 port, two USB 3.0 ports, and a headphone jack. It provides a battery backup of almost 4 hours on a single recharge. ASUS TUF FX705GM is a worthy contender that you must give consider before selecting another.

10. ASUS Rog Strix Scar II

RTX powered affordable laptop

Asus ROG Strix Scar II is a top-rated contender for the best budget gaming laptop. The display provides 144-hertz refresh rates, and the 8th generation processor can handle intensive workloads with ease and comfort. The ROG Strix was manufactured especially for professional gamers. It also holds a demanding graphics card to make graphics smooth and immersive. The laptop comes with a 15.6 inches FHD (Full high definition) display resolution that depicts amazing vibrant colors.

The Asus ROG Strix Scar II packs a decent and catchy design with an anodized gunmetal finish. The deep black heat sink mimic radiates an overall professional look. The laptop weighs almost 5.29 pounds which is acceptable for gaming and pro tools laptops as they are equipped with demanding internals. Here, the Asus Rog Strix Scar II is configured with an 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8750H processor and 16GB massive RAM that ensure smooth performance no matter how intensive the multitasking a system confronts. Moreover, you are getting a 512GB of SSD (Solid-state drive) for file storing and fast processing speed. Pro tools users are not just bound to these programs. They might wonder about playing video games in their free time. For a purpose, the Asus Rog Strix is equipped with a sturdy Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 graphics card. The laptop holds a useful plethora of ports for productivity. I/O ports include two USB Type-A USB 3.1 ports, a USB Type-A 3.1 Gen2, USB Type-C 3.1 Gen2, an HDMI port, a microSD card slot, and a headphone jack.

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Conclusion

Now that you have witnessed some powerful gaming laptops available at low prices, you must not wait any longer. All the gaming components which make any laptop worthy of gaming are rapidly evolving every year. However, this does not mean that an older model isn’t any good. So, if a laptop is a couple of years old, do not hesitate to buy one if your gaming needs are satisfied.