The best gaming laptops keep improving with more advanced features, better designs, stronger internals, and even improved battery lives. And, right alongside those premium gaming laptops, cheap gaming laptops are reaping the benefits. You can now find budget gaming laptops that easily handle the latest PC games thanks to Nvidia's GTX 16-Series graphics and AMD's Ryzen 4000-series mobile CPUs. Even some higher-end Nvidia RTX GPUs have made their way into cheap gaming laptops for a portable ray tracing experience.
So, whether you're just looking for an affordable machine to help you PC game on the go, we've picked out the best machines for you and click here to find them in the UK. If you want even more discount options, check out these certified refurbished laptops on eBay.
TL; DR These are the Best Cheap Gaming Laptops:
- HP Omen 15
- MSI GF65 Thin
- Dell G15
- Lenovo Legion 5 Gen 6
- Gigabyte G5
- Asus TUF Dash F15
- Acer Predator Triton 300 SE
1. HP Omen 15
Best Cheap Gaming Laptop
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Display: 15.6 FHD [1,920 x 1,080] IPS 144Hz CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600H GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 [6GB GDDR6 VRAM] RAM: 16GB DDR4 [3,200MHz] Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD Weight: 5.43 pounds Size: 14.09" x 9.44" x 0.91"
The HP Omen 15 is a beefy gaming laptop, and that beef is all the more attractive at its $1200 price point. Inside, its offering up-to-date specs with the latest from AMD on the CPU side and from Nvidia on the GPU side. Its a potent pairing of a six-core Ryzen 5 5600H alongside the 1080p champ, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060. HP keeps it all fueled with a 70.9Wh battery that can run for up to 9 hours and recharge from empty to 50% in 45 minutes.
That power will be put to good use with the HP Omen 15s 1080p, 144Hz IPS display. And, thanks to a 300-nit peak brightness and anti-glare finish, youll have easy visibility in most settings. HP has set up the keyboard with 26-key rollover to ensure your inputs are all registered while youre gaming, and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity can keep you online without needing to depend on Ethernet. Just plug in your favorite gaming mouse and headset, and youre ready to go.
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2. MSI GF65 Thin
Best Ultra Cheap Gaming Laptop
Display: 15.6 FHD [1,920 x 1,080] LCD 144Hz CPU: Intel Core i5-10200H GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 [6GB GDDR6 VRAM] RAM: 8GB DDR4 [3,200MHz] Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD Weight: 4.1 pounds Size: 14.13" x 9.99" x 0.85"
If you look in the right place, $1,000 can get you some really solid gaming gear. And this happens to be the right place, because the MSI GF65 Thin delivers a well-balanced package that shouldnt leave you itching for more.
This gaming laptop comes kitted out with a modest Intel Core i5-10200H processor that should chug along well enough, and that savings makes room for an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics processor. The combination will deliver some solid horsepower for AAA and esports games alike. So, its a good thing the MSI GF65 Thin includes a 144Hz 1080p monitor, letting you do your fast-paced gaming wherever you go. And, at just over four pounds and measuring less than an inch thick, the MSI GF65 Thin will make it easy to go places while toting it around. The laptop even supports Wi-Fi 6 for a robust wireless connection you can game on.
3. Dell G15
Best Cheap AMD-Powered Gaming Laptop
Display: 15.6 FHD [1,920 x 1,200] IPS 120Hz CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600H GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 [4GB GDDR6 VRAM] RAM: 8GB DDR4 Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD Weight: 5.39 pounds Size: 14.1" x 10.4" x 0.98"
AMD has gotten a lot of love for its Ryzen processors and the Ryzen 5000 Series does some great things in notebooks. The Dell G15 is an affordable gaming laptop that comes packing the AMD Ryzen 5 5600H, letting you enjoy the power and efficiency of that chip alongside its bumped up core count over the quad-core processors youd usually find in this price range.
That processors performance will readily keep up with most of the gaming you throw at it while you play on the laptops built-in 1080p display. Youll also get to cruise along at a tidy 120Hz on the display, landing you smooth visuals for a competitive edge. Keeping your framerate topped out is none other than the budget-friendly RTX 3050 graphics processor. Dell puts that all into a stylish design reminiscent of its Alienware brand.
4. Lenovo Legion 5 Gen 6
Best Cheap 17-inch Gaming Laptop
Display: 17.3" FHD [1,920 x 1,080] IPS 60Hz 300-nit CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600H GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 [4GB GDDR6 VRAM] RAM: 8GB DDR4 [3,200MHz] Storage: 256GB NVMe SSD Weight: 5.5 pounds Size: 15.7" x 11.41" x 1.03"
You can still get a bigger laptop screen while sticking to a budget. The Lenovo Legion 5 Gen 6 comes in a 17-inch variant thatll let you get a better view of your games. The 17.3-inch Full HD display provides plenty of space for your games, letting you spot smaller details more easily. The display also boasts a 300-nit peak brightness, making it easier to see in bright environments. If you need a competitive edge, Lenovo also has a fair-priced customization option to switch from the default 60Hz display panel to a 144Hz panel.
The system comes running on an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H and RTX 3050, giving it more than enough muscle to handle a large number of games at Full HD. The 256GB of storage wont provide much room for a large game library though, so you may want to seek out additional storage or upgrade before checkout.
5. Gigabyte G5
Best Cheap 15-inch Gaming Laptop
Display: 15.6 FHD [1,920 x 1,080] IPS-level 144Hz CPU: Intel Core i5-11400H GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti [4GB GDDR6 VRAM] RAM: 16GB DDR4 Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD Weight: 4.8 pounds Size: 14.21" x 10.15" x 1.09"
A good ol 15-inch laptop is a dependable ally when you want to game on the go. The display isnt so large that it hinders portability but its not so compact that it becomes hard to see what youre actually doing. The Gigabyte G5 packs in a handy 15.6-inch display and gives it the gaming upgrade you want with a 144Hz refresh rate.
Inside, the Gigabyte G5 comes running a modest Intel Core i5-11400H and an Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti, which will help it spit out high frame rates at 1080p. Gigabyte even includes 16GB of memory, so you can keep a few background tasks running while you game without running into serious issues.
6. Asus TUF Dash F15
Best Cheap Everyday Gaming Laptop
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Display: 15.6 FHD [1,920 x 1,080] IPS-level 144Hz CPU: Intel Core i7-11370H GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 [6GB GDDR6 VRAM] RAM: 16GB DDR4 Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD Weight: 4.41 pounds Size: 14.1" x 9.9" x 0.8"
If your gaming laptop is also your everyday laptop, you might want something thats a little thinner, a little lighter, and a little less in your face with loud design language. The Asus TUF Dash F15 [read our review] brings plenty to love for gaming but manages to do it in a chassis thats just 0.8 inches thick and weighs only 4.41 pounds.
Despite its portability, the Asus TUF Dash F15 comes running on an Intel Core i7-11370H processor to eke out plenty of performance for gaming, and thats paired with an RTX 3060 graphics processor thatll make short work of games at 1080p. So, naturally, the laptop boasts a 1080p display thatll let you cruise at 144Hz.
7. Acer Predator Triton 300 SE
Best Cheap 144Hz Gaming Laptop
Display: 14 FHD [1,920 x 1,080] IPS 144Hz CPU: Intel Core i7-11375H GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 [8GB GDDR6 VRAM] RAM: 16GB DDR4 Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD Weight: 3.75 pounds Size: 12.7" x 9" x 0.70"
Acers Predator Triton 300 SE will get you up to speed. This affordable gaming laptop provides a 144Hz display panel for extra fluid gaming visuals. And, you can take those gaming visuals with you wherever you go. The Predator Triton 300 SE is as portable as it is powerful, coming in at just 3.75 pounds and measuring only 0.7 inches thick. Its design is also understated, giving it more in common with a MacBook Pro than with your usual gaming laptop.
The Acer Predator Triton 300 SE comes running on an Intel Core i7-11375H processor paired with an RTX 3060 graphics processor, making it a potent performer for 1080p gaming. And, with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, youll be able to keep a couple of your favorite games on the system and run them alongside background apps without much fuss.
Where to Get the Best Cheap Gaming Laptops in the UK
It is definitely possible to game on a budget, and these magnificent laptops will certainly help you get there. Thankfully the vast majority of laptops on this list are also available to purchase in the UK, with just the one exception. Otherwise, take your pick, as there are plenty of great options to choose from. Don't see the laptops below? Click here.
What's next?
The field of budget and high-end gaming laptops is going to continue changing, especially as all the major players behind core components have new hardware on the way. AMD's Ryzen 4000-series mobile processors are starting to show up in laptops, and they aren't going unanswered.
Intel and Nvidia have both recently announced the latest hardware they have coming to power laptops. Nvidia is upping the power of its mobile graphics processors by bringing the Super variants of its GeForce RTX 2070 and 2080 to mobile devices. These new mobile GPUs will also be Max-Q parts, so they won't be as power hungry as the desktop variants. Nvidia's Dynamic Boost technology will also come into play, shifting power delivery between the CPU and GPU to improve performance.
Intel is also bringing more power to laptops with new, 10th Generation Intel Core H-Series processors. Intel has seen AMD bumping up its core counts, and it's coming to the table with an eight-core, 16-thread processor. It's also offering at least 5.0GHz single-core boost clocks on all Core i7 and Core i9 models, while Core i5's will get at least 4.5GHz on a single core.
These new parts are definitely going to show up more in high-end, and therefore expensive, gaming laptops, but there's a strong likelihood that the lower-end products will see their prices fall as a result.
What to Look for in a Cheap Gaming Laptop
Below I've sketched out which graphics card and what other specs you need in a cheap gaming laptop. I also go over the main features to consider when shopping for a cheap gaming notebook.
For screen resolution, a 1080p display hits the sweet spot between price and required GPU beefiness. It is really the only option for a value-oriented gaming laptop. Even if you could score a cheap laptop with a high-resolution 4K panel, the GPU inside won't be able to run games at that resolution, so prepare yourself for 1080p gaming.
When it comes to storage, try to steer clear of laptops with a lone solid-state drive. Heck, even a model with a 256GB SSD offers barely enough space to keep multiple games installed and at the ready, so you might be stuck getting a system with a slower, yet much more spacious, spinning hard drive.
You can also get a sweet deal by going with something older sporting previous generation processors, as they are usually available at fire-sale prices and there's not a huge difference in performance between 8th Gen Coffee Lake and 9th Gen Coffee Lake Refresh for gaming. You won't be quite as future-proof down the line, but you'll still enjoy several years of solid 1080p gaming at a low price.
One more thing: just because it's a laptop doesn't mean you need to take its name literally. The best experience with a laptop usually isn't on your lap but a desk. Do yourself a favor and check out my guide to the best computer desks to find one to suit your needsand perhaps a laptop cooling pad to boost your performanceand don't forget to check out the best gaming chairs to sit in with your new laptop.
Jason Cipriani has covered technology full-time for the past 8 years. During that time he has freelanced for the likes of CNET, Fortune, Time, ZDNet, Macworld, Wired, and TechRadar.
Mark Knapp is a regular contributor to IGN and an irregular Tweeter on Twitter @Techn0Mark
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