1. The list in brief
2. Best overall
3. Best alt overall
4. Best handheld gaming
5. How to find the right laptop
6. How we test
7. Why trust Laptop Mag
Budget gaming laptops must hit that sweet spot where affordability meets playability. As we kick off 2024, finding the best cheap gaming laptop can be a quest, but fear not, warriors! There are budget beasts out there waiting to unleash your inner gamer. Don't let the price tag fool you – these machines can handle VR worlds and AAA titles with surprising smoothness. So ditch the wallet-crushing specs and embrace the budget brawl. Your next gaming adventure awaits!
And while the newest laptops with the more powerful components may be out of your budget, that doesn't mean you can't get a gaming laptop with last-gen specs, which are still plenty powerful (for a reasonable price). But if you are looking for something with a bigger budget, the best gaming laptops will do you a service. And if you don't need a full PC, then some of the best handheld gaming devices are a worthy alternative to consider in this price range too.
We've compiled a list of the best cheap gaming laptops because we know gaming is an expensive hobby. With all the games and peripherals to consider, it can get pricey really fast. We should also see several sub $1,000 gaming laptops come out mid-year thanks to the launch of Intel Core Ultra CPUs, new AI-infused chipsets from AMD, and the much anticipated Qualcomm Elite X.
Over the course of a year, we review over 100 laptops, covering every price point and use case. When it comes to cheap gaming laptops, we evaluate a number of criteria, including gaming and overall performance, display, battery life, and, of course, value.
Whether you're looking for a gift for the gamer in your life or want an affordable way to frag on the go, here are the best cheap gaming laptops under $1,000.
Rami loves a great cheap gaming laptop. You shouldn't have to sacrifice everything outside of power just to be able to afford to game with your friends. Rami has spent a huge chunk of time reviewing the best cheap gaming laptops, and he can spot a cheap one from a well priced one. Extensive testing and hands-on experience has taught Rami how to ensure that you will get the most for what you're paying for.
The Quick List
Best overall
The Acer Predator Triton 300 SE is proof that you don’t have to choose between performance and affordability. The laptop delivers strong gaming and overall performance in a sleek 14-inch chassis.
Best alt overall
With potent, perky specs, elegant design cues, and a solid FHD display. The HP Victus 16 is an excellent entry-level gaming laptop that won’t deplete your bank account.
Read more below
Best handheld gaming
The Asus ROG Ally is our favorite handheld gaming device, as its AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, a comfortable ergonomic grip and convenient Armoury Crate app make it feel snappy and powerful all at once.
The best cheap gaming laptops you can buy today
Why you can trust Laptop Mag Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
It's rough out here for cheap gaming laptops. Gaming laptops that cross over into the sub-$1,000 territory aren't always the best, and those that are can be a bit older than new models. You might notice that our list isn't long, but each cheap gaming laptop on this list belongs. These are the best cheap gaming laptops based on our extensive testing and hands-on experience.
Best overall
The Acer Predator Triton 300 SE debuted over $1,000, but now it's crossed over into the best cheap gaming laptops range. It was one of my favorite affordable gaming laptops when it initially launched. Now it's a steal that its current price. This Predator is a 14-inch gaming laptop sporting a bright 1080p screen with a 144Hz refresh rate.
Yes, the Triton's RTX 3060 GPU is a slightly older model, but it consistently beat the average mainstream gaming laptops on AAA titles such as Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. During the Far Cry New Dawn benchmark, the Triton nailed 73 fps, which matched or beat the competition.
For a gaming laptop, the Predator Triton 300 SE offers decent battery life as well. It ran for 6 hours and 41 minutes on a single charge. It's not enough to get through a workday, but it'll last for at least two Avengers: Endgame rewatches.
See our full Acer Predator Triton 300 SE review.
Best alt overall
Awkward -- we reviewed last year's version of the HP Victus 16, but this year's model offers a better deal and comes in a very similar package. This HP Victus 16 offers an AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD.
We loved last year's HP Victus 16 for its office-like design and its colorful 16-inch display, which this Victus seems to share if the specs are any indication. It also impressed us with its performance benchmarks, averaging 66 frames per second on the Borderlands 3 (Badass, 1080p) test.
We can advocate for the HP Victus 16 we reviewed, and it's likely that the latest model will land in the same place. However, we cannot guarantee that. What I can say is that it's a good deal.
See our full HP Victus 16 review.
Best handheld gaming
You're probably thinking, "this isn't a gaming laptop." Well, I'm here to tell you that's it's arguably better. Not only are handheld gaming devices cheaper than your average gaming laptop, but they also have quite a bit of power backed behind them.
The Asus ROG Ally is a classy entry into the handheld gaming scene post Steam Deck. One of the biggest advantages you have with the ROG Ally is the display. Yes, it's smaller than a gaming laptop, but it looks way better. The 7-inch, 1920 x 1080p AMD FreeSync touch panel sports a 7-millisecond response rate with a 120Hz refresh rate. It averaged 465 nits of brightness, which is brighter than some premium gaming laptops.
As far as performance goes, you're not going to playing games on high settings, so put that out of your mind. But considering the size, the Ally pushed hard on our testing. For example, with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the ROG Ally scored 29 fps at 1080p on High. Turn that to low and you'll likely get over 60 fps. The Asus ROG Ally may not be what you're looking for, but between the price and what you get, you should consider it.
See our full Asus ROG Ally review.
How to Choose One of the Best Cheap Gaming Laptops
When shopping for a gaming laptop, there's a lot to consider. To help you choose a system, here are five key points to keep in mind when choosing a system.
Budget: What you get for the money
You can find good inexpensive gaming laptops for under $1,000. However, more powerful mainstream gaming laptops are often priced between $1,500 and $2,000. Premium systems typically cost more than $2,000 and come stacked with a host of high-powered goodies such as high-powered specs and tricked-out software.
Screen Size: 15 inches is the go-to
It's very rare that you'll find a 13 or 14-inch gaming laptops nowadays as smaller bezels and lighter frames have paved the way for seriously thin-and-light gaming laptops. That means the days of chunky 15.6-inch laptops putting a strain on your back are over (almost).
From there, you have the 17.3-inch desktop replacements that like their smaller counterparts are becoming super svelte. But there are still the big behemoths that don't skimp on the specs. However, weighing upwards of 8 pounds, those big boys are made for your home gaming station.
Screen Resolution: 1080p for high refresh rates, 4K for detail
When it comes to gaming laptops displays, you want to strike a balance between frame rates and aesthetics. And in case you're planning to get a truly mobile system battery life is also deserves consideration. We recommend checking out a system with a 1080p resolution. Panel makers are now serving up screens with high refresh rate, topping out at 360Hz with a 3 millisecond response rate. But don't count out 4K screens yet as we're starting to see laptops with 4K displays with 120Hz. Keep in mind that laptops with lower resolutions tend to have longer battery life overall.
Refresh rate: 120Hz is the sweet spot
Depending what kind of games you're playing, particularly first person shooters and MOBA, you'll take anything that will enhance accuracy. Surprisingly, the higher a display's refresh rate is, the more accurate your shot become. It's a phenomenon that we've experienced first hand during many demos. And while 60Hz is passable, right now we recommend investing in a panel with at least a 120Hz refresh rate.
Intel or AMD?
A couple of years ago, the answer to this question would have been undoubtedly Intel. But AMD has made a furious comeback with its new Ryzen CPUs, which are delivering great overall performance. Thanks to the architecture in the new Ryzen chips, they're super power efficient without sacrificing productivity. The Ryzen 5000 series CPUs have consistently impressed with its performance versus battery life.
Not to be outdone, Intel's 11th Gen chips are nothing to sneeze at. Laptop manufacturers have started rolling out systems with the Intel's 11th Gen H-series Tiger Lake chips. The 10-nanometer chips are extremely powerful, but still at the low-end of the spectrum with the overclockable HK-series CPU, due to launch soon. Why do you want to invest in an overclockable processor, because with the touch of a button, you can squeeze even more power out of the system. It comes in handy when you're multitasking or playing a really demanding game.
Battery Life: At least 4.5 hours
Unless it's plugged in, gaming laptop battery life tends to be very short, especially when gaming. However, gaming laptop battery life has gotten increasing longer over the years. So much so, that anything under 4.5 hours is considered below average. But we've just reviewed our first gaming laptop that's lasted into the double digits. With results like that, we expect gaming laptops will match their non-gaming counterparts sooner than later. Our most power-efficient gaming laptop ran over 11 hours and sits on our longest-lasting laptops page.
Specs: 1080p / Core i5 / 16GB Are Best Bets
You can spend a lot of time delving into specs, but here are the key components to think about. If you just want really good mainstream performance, go for a Core i5 CPU, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 1080p screen.
How We Test the Best Cheap Gaming Laptops
We put each laptop through extensive benchmark testing — both synthetic and real-world — before they end up in the hands of our reviewers. We evaluate each aspect of the laptop, including its performance, battery life, display, speakers and heat management.
In our benchmark testing, we use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the brightness and sRGB color gamut of the laptop's display. For performance testing, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 4.3 and 5.0 and 3DMark professional graphics tests.
To determine real-world performance, we task the laptop to convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution and to duplicate a 4.97GB multimedia file. Our real-world graphics test is the Dirt 3 benchmark with medium settings at 1080p resolution.
We also run heat tests by playing a 15-minute full-screen video and measuring temperatures in different areas of the laptop. Last but not least, our battery test consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. For MacBooks and premium Windows 10 laptops, a runtime of over 9 hours is considered a good result whereas gaming laptops and workstations that can stay powered for longer than 5 hours deserve praise.
These tests are complemented with extensive hands-on testing from our reviewers who critique everything from the laptop's materials to the feel of its touchpad.
Why Trust Laptop Mag
Laptop Mag reviews over one hundred different laptops every year, from paperweight ultralights to everyday workhorses to lumbering gaming notebooks that scorch the frame rates of even the hottest AAA games. We're not just experts in the laptop field, as we go one step further by meticulously testing smartphones, tablets, headphones, PC accessories, software, and even the latest in gaming.
We are 100% independent and have decades of experience to help you buy with confidence. In fact, Laptop Mag has been testing and reviewing products for three decades, and we continue to deliver trustworthy reviews you can rely on.
Our experienced team of writers and editors scour the available information about the laptop and put it through its paces to determine which is best for you. But before they start, the testing team subjects each system to a rigorous regimen of synthetic and real-world tests to see how a system handles the type of work and games you’re most likely to throw at it.
Our editorial trustworthiness is enforced by one of the world's largest technology publishers, Future Publishing. As a company, we have unrivaled experience across every tech sector — and we're the group's specialist for all things mobile tech.
