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Article updated on February 23, 2024 at 9:35 AM PST

Best Cheap Gaming Laptop of 2024

A quality gaming setup doesn’t have to leave you broke. Check out our best budget-friendly gaming laptops of 2024.

Our Experts

Written by 
Matt Elliott
Joshua Goldman
Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement
Matt Elliott Senior Editor
Matt Elliott is a senior editor at CNET with a focus on laptops and streaming services. Matt has more than 20 years of experience testing and reviewing laptops. He has worked for CNET in New York and San Francisco and now lives in New Hampshire. When he's not writing about laptops, Matt likes to play and watch sports. He loves to play tennis and hates the number of streaming services he has to subscribe to in order to watch the various sports he wants to watch.
Expertise Laptops, desktops, all-in-one PCs, streaming devices, streaming platforms
Joshua Goldman Managing Editor / Advice
Managing Editor Josh Goldman is a laptop expert and has been writing about and reviewing them since built-in Wi-Fi was an optional feature. He also covers almost anything connected to a PC, including keyboards, mice, USB-C docks and PC gaming accessories. In addition, he writes about cameras, including action cams and drones. And while he doesn't consider himself a gamer, he spends entirely too much time playing them.
Expertise Laptops, desktops and computer and PC gaming accessories including keyboards, mice and controllers, cameras, action cameras and drones Credentials
  • More than two decades experience writing about PCs and accessories, and 15 years writing about cameras of all kinds.
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What to consider

Price

Budget gaming laptops start at well below $1,000, but the cheapest models have older Nvidia GeForce GTX GPUs that limit your 3D gaming capabilities. The sweet spot is between $800 and $1,000 for a model with at least RTX 4050 graphics.

Operating system

While MacBooks running Apple's MacOS are popular for home, work and school use, Microsoft Windows is the choice for gaming laptops, especially budget gaming laptops.

Screen

Most gaming laptops feature large displays between 15 and 18 inches with budget models usually offering a 15.6-inch or 16-inch screen.

Processor

The processor, also known as the CPU, is the brains of a laptop. Intel and AMD are the main CPU makers for Windows laptops. Generally speaking, the faster the processor speed and the more cores it has, the better the performance will be.

Graphics

All gaming laptops will feature a dedicated GPU from either Nvidia or AMD. Nvidia is the more popular of the two. For budget gaming laptops, you'll see many models with the entry-level RTX 4050 GPU or step-up RTX 4060 GPU as well as older models with previous-generation RTX 3050 or 3060 GPUs.

Memory

For memory, we highly recommend 16GB of RAM, with 8GB being the absolute bare minimum.

Storage

For a gaming laptop, we don't recommend going with less than a 512GB SSD unless you really like uninstalling games every time you want to play a new game. 

Our Picks

$830 at Best Buy
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 at an angle against a gray wall
Best cheap gaming laptop for less than $1,000
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16
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$900 at Newegg
Acer Nitro 16 budget gaming laptop at an angle
Next best cheap gaming laptop for less than $1,000
Acer Nitro 16
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$700 at HP
HP Victus 15 gaming laptop with keyboard backlighting
Best cheap gaming laptop for first timers
HP Victus 15
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$1,000 at Asus
The ROG Strix G15 open and angled to your right, with the RGB illumination on the keyboard and underglow, default ROG wallpaper on a white marbled surface against an orange background
Cheap gaming laptop with best design
Asus ROG Strix G15
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$952 at Lenovo
Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 budget gaming laptop on a white background
Best cheap gaming laptop with big, bright and fast display
Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 8
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$699 at Lenovo
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 laptop open, facing forward and sitting on a gray microfiber-covered chair.
Cheapest laptop with RTX 4050 graphics
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
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What's the best cheap gaming laptop overall?

The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 is our pick for the best cheap gaming laptop. Among budget gaming models we’ve tested based on RTX 4050 graphics, it’s the fastest. And it also supplies a big and bright 16-inch, 16:10 display and adds a bit of aluminum to what is usually an all-plastic design at its price. And about the price: It’s a good deal at its full $1,200 price but becomes a steal with it goes on sale at Best Buy where we’ve seen it as low as $830.

Acer also takes the runner-up spot for the best budget gaming laptop with the Nitro 16. The two models are very similar, and the Nitro 16 can often be found for just $900 at Newegg where it provides great bang for your budget gaming buck.

Read more: How to Buy a Gaming Laptop

Our recommendations are based on our reviews and testing. We aim to help you get your ideal gaming experience on a cheap laptop. We'll update this list of the best cheap gaming laptop options as we review new products. Also, if you need help deciphering what specs to look for on a good, cheap gaming laptop, we've got some advice below.

Best cheap gaming laptops of 2024

$830 at Best Buy

Best cheap gaming laptop for less than $1,000

Acer Predator Helios Neo 16

Like other gaming laptop makers, Acer has two lines: a budget-friendly Nitro series and midrange and premium models that carry the Predator label. Oddly enough, it's under the latter you'll find our budget gaming pick: the Helios Neo 16. It's strikingly similar to the Acer Nitro 16 but with slightly better build quality and graphics performance. The only place it faltered was its speakers, which put out disappointingly flat audio with nonexistent bass.

The Predator Helios Neo 16 we reviewed with RTX 4050 costs $1,200. That is high for a budget gaming laptop. The trick is to be patient and wait for a sale -- these happen regularly, and the price drops to $830.

$900 at Newegg

Next best cheap gaming laptop for less than $1,000

Acer Nitro 16

Acer's own Predator Helios Neo 16 may offer better 3D performance for the same price while also adding a bit of aluminum to the design along with a better webcam, but the Nitro 16 also delivers the goods for gamers on tight budgets. It's a well-rounded budget gaming laptop with strong performance from its full-power RTX 4050 GPU, a solid if all-plastic chassis and a big and bright display. The Nitro 16 and Predator Helios Neo 16 models we tested each cost $1,200 but are regularly discounted online. The Nitro 16 is a good buy for those times when you can find it but not the Predator Helios Neo 16 on sale for less than $1,000.

$700 at HP

Best cheap gaming laptop for first timers

HP Victus 15

We recently reviewed an HP Victus 15 with an outdated Core i5 CPU and GTX 1650 graphics that we liked at its sale price of $580. We like the updated Victus 15 lineup even more; it starts at $700 with a $300 discount for a config with a modern, 13th-gen Core i5 CPU and previous-gen RTX 3050 graphics. That's a great price for any variety of RTX graphics, and HP offers a few upgrades for reasonable price increases that let you bump up to a Core i7 and RTX 4060 graphics. We also recommend doubling the baseline 8GB of RAM to 16GB for $80 and the GPU to RTX 4050 for $70 -- that's money well spent. 

The all-plastic, all-black body is a bit flimsy but not too bulky. The 15.6-inch display is rated for a dim 250 nits, but you can upgrade to a 300-nit panel for a brighter picture. There's also an upgrade that increases the refresh rate from the standard 60Hz to 144Hz for smoother motion in games, but unfortunately, you are forced to choose between a 144Hz, 250-nit display or a 60Hz, 300-nit display.

$1,000 at Asus

Cheap gaming laptop with best design

Asus ROG Strix G15

Despite having a lot of plastic, the Asus ROG Strix G15 feels pretty well constructed and also offers per-key RGB keyboard backlighting and an underglow strip of LEDs along the front edge, which lets you customize the look of this 15.6-inch budget gamer more than other models that offer multizone RGB lighting at most. And the Strix G15 isn't all flash, delivering a previous-gen but powerful-enough Ryzen 7 6800HS CPU and RTX 3050 GPU for $1,000. We also like getting 16GB of RAM instead of the meager 8GB that you sometimes find at this price.

$952 at Lenovo

Best cheap gaming laptop with big, bright and fast display

Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 8

The 16-inch Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 is an updated version of the 15-inch Legion 5i Pro we reviewed and like last year for its strong performance for the price and bright, fast display. The latest 16-inch version supplies a high-res 2,560x1,600-pixel, 165Hz display, and you can upgrade to an even faster 240Hz panel. The latest 13th-gen Intel processors are on offer along the latest RTX 4050, 4060 and 4070 GPUs. Lenovo constantly rotates discounts, so pricing is always a moving target. But right now, the Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 costs just $952 for a Core i5/RTX 4050 config.

$699 at Lenovo

Cheapest laptop with RTX 4050 graphics

Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3

The IdeaPad Gaming 3 has neither the most exciting design nor the brightest, fastest display, but this 15.6-inch budget gaming laptop starts less than $700 and offers reasonable upgrades. It's a great pick if you are looking for your first gaming laptop and don't have a lot to spend. The baseline model is discounted to $635 right now at Lenovo, and the upgraded model at $699 is an even better deal. It supplies an AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS, 16GB of RAM and RTX 4050 graphics. That mix of components costs $1,000 or more nearly everywhere else. The tradeoff for getting such a low price is putting up with a dull, 250-nit display and low-res 720p webcam.

Other cheap gaming laptops we've tested

MSI Cyborg 15 Review: It's one of the lowest-cost RTX 4050 laptops, but the Cyborg 15's GPU is restricted from running at full power, which puts a cap on 3D performance. And its display disappoints, too.

Dell XPS 17 9730: Dell's 17-inch content-creation laptop delivers a huge display and strong performance, but at its price an OLED display should be included.

LG Gram 17: The Gram is amazing for its size and weight, but its dGPU is a generation behind, and the price is high.

Acer Swift X 14: The 14-inch Swift X delivered excellent performance and an OLED display in a small package and with plenty of ports to boot. Its design, keyboard, touchpad and speakers didn't match the rest of the package.

Lenovo Slim Pro 7: Much like the Acer Swift X, the Slim Pro 7 gets you good performance in a small body, but the other parts aren't quite as nice.

Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra: The sleek and speedy 16-inch Ultra laptop is a no-brainer for devoted Samsung Galaxy fans. There's much to like here for everyone else, too.

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How we test laptops

The review process for laptops consists of two parts: performance testing under controlled conditions in the CNET Labs and extensive hands-on use by our reviewers. This includes evaluating a device's aesthetics, ergonomics and features with respect to price. A final review verdict is a combination of both objective and subjective judgments. 

We test all laptops with a core set of benchmarks, including Primate Labs Geekbench 6Cinebench R23PCMark 10, a variety of 3DMark benchmarks (whichever can run on the laptop), UL Procyon Photo and Video (where supported), and our own battery life test. If a laptop is intended for gaming, we'll also run benchmarks from Guardians of the GalaxyThe Rift Breaker (CPU and GPU) and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

For the hands-on, the reviewer uses it for their work during the review period, evaluating how well the design, features (such as the screen, camera and speakers) and manufacturer-supplied software operate as a cohesive whole. We also place importance on how well they work given their cost and where the manufacturer has potentially made upgrades or tradeoffs for its price.

The list of benchmarking software and comparison criteria we use changes over time as the devices we test evolve. You can find a more detailed description of our test methodology on our page on how we test computers

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Factors to consider when buying a gaming laptop

For gamers on a tight budget, the trick to finding the right gaming laptop is getting enough performance to play 3D games without sacrificing too much in other areas like the display and overall build quality -- while also avoiding older models on sale with outdated or soon-to-be-outdated parts. Here's our expect advice on what to consider to get the most gaming laptop for your money.

Price

The search for an affordable gaming laptop for most people starts with price. The good news is you can find a perfectly serviceable gaming laptop with modern components capable of playing today's games for roughly $1,000. And sometimes less than that if you find a model on sale. Dell, HP, Lenovo and other manufacturers are constantly rotating discounts, so you can lock in a great deal if you time it right. 

If your budget allows you to spend more than $1,000, you'll find models with more powerful components and brighter and faster displays along other bonuses like per-key RGB lighting and thinner designs.

Operating system

While MacBooks running Apple's MacOS are popular for home, work and school use, Microsoft Windows is the choice for gaming laptops, especially budget gaming laptops. You can run some games on higher-end MacBook Pros, but they are very expensive compared with cheap, Windows-based gaming laptops. 

If you are on a tight budget, you could consider a Chromebook. ChromeOS is a different experience than Windows -- more streamlined and easier to use. But limited in that basically everything runs through the Chrome browser. Still, there are some Chromebooks for gamers.

Screen

Most gaming laptops feature either a 15-inch or 16-inch screen, although you'll see some smaller 14-inch models as well as a few 17- and even 18-inch behemoths. Newer 16-inch models with taller 16:10 aspect ratios are starting to replace 15.6-inch with a more traditional 16:9 widescreen ratio, and we generally favor the boxier 16-inch models. You'll likely do most of your gaming at a 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution, which has a 16:9 ratio, but the more vertical space afforded with a 16:10 display makes the laptop more useful outside of gaming when you are scrolling through web pages and long documents. 

Another important display spec for gamers is refresh rate -- the number time times per second a display refreshes its image. Most gaming laptops, even cheap ones, have displays with variable refresh rates that can sync to the frames per second of a game to prevent artifacts like tearing (where it looks like parts of different screens are mixed together) and stutter (where the screen updates at perceptibly irregular intervals).

All the major companies have bumped their flagship 1080p configurations to 360Hz, but for many gamers, they're not essential: 240Hz max should be fine for those few times you can get frame rates above 240fps. On cheaper gaming laptops, you'll generally see 120Hz, 144Hz and 165Hz refresh rates, which should suffice if you have a lower-end GPU that won't push frames rates past 165 fps.

Even if you don't plan on playing games at resolutions higher than 1080p, we suggest getting the highest resolution you can afford. Because on a larger 15 or 16-inch laptop display, text and the edges of images can look fuzzy on a 1080p -- or a 1,920x1,200-pixel resolution on laptops with a 16:10 aspect ratio. A Quad HD (QHD) resolution of 2,560×1,440 pixels (2,560×1,600 on a 16:10 display) will result in crisper text and images, and you can always choose to play games at a resolution lower than the maximum.

Processor

The processor, aka the CPU, is the brains of a laptop. Intel and AMD are the main CPU makers for Windows laptops. Both offer a staggering selection of mobile processors. Making things trickier, both manufacturers have chips designed for different laptop styles, like power-saving chips for ultraportables or faster processors for gaming laptops. Their naming conventions will let you know what type is used. You can head to Intel's or AMD's sites for explanations so you get the performance you want. Generally speaking, though, the faster the processor speed and the more cores it has, the better the performance will be.

Graphics

The graphics processor, or GPU, handles all the work of driving the screen and generating what gets displayed, as well as speeding up a lot of graphics-related (and increasingly, AI-related) operations. For Windows laptops, there are two types of GPUs: integrated (iGPU) or discrete (dGPU). As the names imply, an iGPU is part of the CPU package, while a dGPU is a separate chip with dedicated memory (VRAM) that it communicates with directly, making it faster than sharing memory with the CPU. All gaming laptops will feature a dGPU from either Nvidia or AMD. Nvidia is the more popular of the two. For budget gaming laptops, you'll see many models with the entry-level RTX 4050 GPU or step-up RTX 4060 GPU as well as older models with previous-generation RTX 3050 or 3060 GPUs.

Memory

For memory, we highly recommend 16GB of RAM, with 8GB being the absolute bare minimum. RAM is where the operating system stores all the data for currently running applications, and it can fill up fast. After that, it starts swapping between RAM and SSD, which is slower. Also, many laptops now have the memory soldered onto the motherboard. Most manufacturers disclose this, but if the RAM type is LPDDR, assume it's soldered and can't be upgraded. 

Some PC makers will solder memory on, however, and also leave an empty internal slot for adding a stick of RAM. You may need to contact the laptop manufacturer or find the laptop's full specs online to confirm. And check the web for user experiences, because the slot may still be hard to get to, it may require nonstandard or hard-to-get memory or other pitfalls, including voiding the warranty.

Storage

You'll still find cheaper hard drives in budget laptops and larger hard drives in gaming laptops, but faster solid-state drives have all but replaced hard drives in laptops. They can make a big difference in performance. For a gaming laptop, we don't recommend going with less than a 512GB SSD unless you really like uninstalling games every time you want to play a new game. 

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Budget Gaming Laptops FAQs

Are budget gaming laptops worth it?

You can find a good cheap gaming laptop, but they certainly have performance limitations compared to more expensive laptops. The components necessary for an enjoyable PC gaming experience are expensive, which means even entry-level gaming laptops are still typically between $700 to $1,000. Also, because these models use lower-end components, the gaming performance they'll have on today's demanding AAA games might not hold up for future titles. 

Cheap gaming laptops are worth considering if you typically play older games or games that aren't graphically demanding or you're OK playing at reduced graphics quality to maintain fast frame rates. They're also a suitable option if you're looking for a laptop for work or school, but with enough graphics power for casual gaming during your downtime.

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What should I look for in a cheap gaming laptop?

For the best gaming experience with a budget gaming laptop, you want to make sure you get the most graphics power you can afford from the start since this can't be upgraded later, unlike memory or storage. 

A cheap gaming laptop with a previous-generation, entry-level Nvidia RTX 3050 normally starts around $700. That chip gives you enough graphics performance to play the newest demanding games at medium settings. Spending between $800 and $1,000 (or perhaps a little more) will get you a laptop with a newer RTX 4050 or 4060 GPU for a better gaming experience.

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What other components should I look for in a cheap gaming laptop?

With the CPU, memory and storage, your choices are a little more flexible for a budget gaming laptop, especially the latter two. Because many games such as first-person shooters rely more on the graphics chip than the CPU, you don't necessarily need the fastest available. Going with a more midrange CPU like an Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 is a safe bet.

Also, gaming laptops, especially cheaper ones, let you easily expand or upgrade your memory and storage. If you're going to skimp, this is the best place to do it with the expectation you'll upgrade eventually and put your cash into the GPU and CPU instead.

Beyond the graphics chip, look for: 

  • A 12th- or 13th-gen Intel Core i5 or i7, or AMD Ryzen 6000 or 7000 series processor.
  • At least 8GB of memory (aka RAM) and the capability to add more post-purchase.
  • At least a 512GB solid-state drive or a combo of 256GB SSD storage and a larger hard drive.
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Do budget gaming laptops have good displays?

Most of your money is going toward components, so the other parts -- the display, keyboard and trackpad and build quality -- are going to be OK, but not fantastic. This is why we lean toward models like the Dell G15, which has its power input and other ports on the rear for a cleaner setup when connected to external peripherals. It also has a decent battery life, which is something that typically falls by the wayside on cheap gaming laptops.

That said, display quality has improved on entry-level gaming laptops in the past couple of years, particularly when it comes to refresh rates. It's now common to find 120Hz or 144Hz displays offered, which will make fast movement in your games look smoother and give you a more responsive experience. It's not worth paying extra for, though, unless the GPU is capable of faster frame rates for your games, too. 

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