It wasn’t that long ago that most gamers looked down their noses at laptops marketed as gaming machines. However, mobile hardware has come a long, long way over the last decade (and even in the last few years), with today’s best gaming laptops being both surprisingly capable and increasingly affordable.
That should be music to the ears of anybody shopping for a portable gaming PC on a budget, and if you count yourself among that number, you’ve come to the right place because we’ve got all the best cheap gaming laptop deals for you.
How to Choose a Cheap Gaming Laptop
The two main considerations when choosing a good cheap gaming laptop are naturally going to be what you’re willing to spend and which graphics card you want (considering the GPU is what actually makes a laptop a “gaming laptop”). These two are closely linked, as your budget determines what graphical performance tier you can afford.
However, don’t overlook some of the smaller things that you might personally want in a gaming laptop—convenience features such as programmable button macros, customizable RGB keyboard backlighting, and so on—so that you don’t jump on that great deal only to end up with something that doesn’t actually meet your needs. For more detailed hardware analysis, read on.
The ASUS VivoBook E12
Designed to help you be productive all day—even when you’re on the move. KWALICABLE Bundle comes with a 32GB Micro SD Card and Microfibre Cleaning Cloth.
Intel Celeron processor N3350: The Intel Celeron processor delivers performance in a new computer that fits your lifestyle and budget.
11.6″ Display: 1366 x 768 HD resolution: Energy-efficient WLED backlight. Intel HD Graphics 500 On-processor graphics with shared video memory provide everyday image quality for Internet use, basic photo editing, and casual gaming.
4GB system memory for brilliant multitasking and adequate high-bandwidth RAM to smoothly run multiple applications and browser tabs all at once.
Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop
It has an AMD Ryzen 3 3200U Dual-Core Processor (Up to 3.5GHz); 4GB DDR4 Memory; 128GB PCIe NVMe SSD
15.6 inches full HD (1920 x 1080) widescreen LED-backlit IPS display; AMD Radeon Vega 3 Mobile Graphics
1 USB 3.1 Gen 1 port, 2 USB 2.0 ports, and 1 HDMI port with HDCP support
802.11ac Wi-Fi; Backlit Keyboard; Up to 7.5 hours of battery life
Windows 10 in S mode. Maximum power supply wattage: 65 Watts
The CHUWI GemiBook 13
Powered by an Intel Celeron Gemi Lake J4115 platform, a quad-core SoC clocking in at 1.8 GHz or 2.5 GHz on Turbo. The chip is paired with Intel UHD Graphics 600, more competent multitasking power available from this hardware platform, supports 4K hard-decoding, and easily opens multiple tabs on the YouTube page.
In addition, 4K UHD video playback at 60 FPS is smooth and with no dropped frames. 12 GB LPDDR4X RAM and 256 GB SSD: You would be excited by the large 12GB memory (2133 MHz) and the 256 GB M.2 SSD storage. An incredible configuration portfolio focuses on soothing your huge storage needs.
Additionally, the system can support up to two M.2 2280 SSD expansions. Based on the Windows 10 OS, Gemibook’s programs are quick to launch, and multi-tasking between windows is snappy.
Surprisingly screen quality: 13” Full HD display, along with a good resolution degree of 2160 x 1440 pixels. It’s a 2K IPS panel to offers good visuality and sharp data presentation in all circumstances.
It is particularly suitable for those who need a light and thin notebook but with a large. A beautiful display that can be used for work and more. It provides 3:2 aspect ratios, which are extremely fit for office split-screen operation.
The ports included are 1x USB-A 3.0 and 1x USB-C port, which can be used for video signal output (with up to 4k and 60Hz) and can be charged through the PD-2 protocol (20V2A). 1x 3.5 mm headphone jack and a microSD card reader. The Internet is accessed via dual-band AC-WLAN (Intel AC9461). The built-in module comes from Intel and also provides Bluetooth 5.1. If you need Ethernet, you have to buy a Type C or USB-A dongle.
38Wh (7.6V/5000MA): A 38 Wh battery good for 3-7 hours of use. The full metal chassis looks nice and sleek from a distance. The backlit keyboard has large keycaps and an easy-to-read font. The key feedback is firm, always consistent, and uniform. The fan is quiet no matter the load. So it’s essentially unnoticeable in a typical classroom or office environment.
The 2020 HP Laptop 14
Intel Celeron N4000 Turbo Boost (1.6GHz, up to 2.6GHz, 2MB cache, 2 cores) Processor
4GB DDR4 SDRAM + Intel HD Graphics 605 + 64GB eMMC Solid State Drive
802.11b/g/n/ac (2×2) Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 combo, 1x HDMI, 2x USB 3.1, 1x USB 2.0, 1x headphones/microphone Combo Jack, Multi-format SD Media Card Reader, NO Optical Drive
14″ Diagonal HD SVA WLED Anti-glare Display (1366 x 768), Intel HD Graphics, Integrated Webcam
Windows 10 OS, 3-cell Battery Battery Life 14.25 h
What Makes a Good Cheap Gaming Laptop
A good cheap gaming laptop should first and foremost be affordable, but you don’t want to go for the first deal you find that happens to meet your budget.
You can expect to pay at least $600 (usually closer to $700) for a cheap gaming laptop with a dedicated graphics card, although you can find a few that have AMD APUs with built-in Vega graphics for less than that.
Also, bear in mind that Nvidia recently released its new line of 16-series GPUs, which have completely replaced the older 10-series graphics cards as the entry-level and midrange GeForce GPUs.
In 2020, you were better off avoiding older laptop models with these 10-series cards and sticking with the best modern GPU ones, as the price is about the same, and they will generally come with more up-to-date CPUs as well.
You might also like: Acer Chromebook Spin 311 Convertible Laptop.
In the budget-friendly price brackets, the most powerful graphics card you’re likely to find in a cheap gaming laptop right now is arguably the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 or AMD Radeon RX 5600M.
However, you can expect to spend nearly your full budget on a laptop with this kind of graphical horsepower. If you’re going cheaper, though, then you’ll see cards in the GTX 16-series and RX 5000-series, pretty much all of which are still very capable of running modern titles at 1080p/60fps at good to high in-game settings.
For memory, 8GB of RAM should be the bare minimum (unless you’re going really cheap), and 16GB is a better mark to aim for in a modern gaming system.
A higher refresh rate of 144Hz on the laptop display will also ensure a smoother experience when playing at higher framerates, but that’s something that you’ll typically find on gaming laptops sporting nicer GPUs like the GTX 1660 Ti or RTX 2060. Of course, that’s one of the sacrifices you’ll make with a cheap gaming laptop, but if you know what to expect, you shouldn’t end up disappointed.
Cheap Gaming Laptops good for work
A gaming laptop is still a laptop and can do everything that a laptop computer can do—including work. In fact, even a cheap gaming laptop can offer some advantages.
Faster processors and increased RAM will make all of your non-gaming software run noticeably faster, and graphical work such as video editing and rendering will go much more quickly with a dedicated graphics card.
Even if you mostly use your PC for work first and only light gaming, it might be worth it to shell out a little more cash for a cheap gaming laptop for the better hardware you’ll be getting.
We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and we choose what we cover carefully and independently. The prices, details, and availability of the products and deals in this post may be subject to change at any time. Be sure to check that they are still in effect before making a purchase.
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