Having the best budget gaming laptop is important, especially if you play video games on a regular basis. You don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on a laptop that is not powerful enough to meet your gaming needs. In fact, there are some excellent options on the market today.
Acer Nitro 5
During the last two years, Acer’s Nitro lineup has lost a lot of its competitive edge. It is no longer a technical showcase and the company has gone with a much more subtle design. Acer has also changed its branding. Its logo is now black with a white outline and its keyboard keys have flat, wide keystrokes that glide easily.
Acer has also made improvements to its cooling system. The Nitro 5 has twin cooling fans that draw waste heat away from delicate components. It is designed to run at optimal temperatures for a long time.
The Nitro 5 is also a fairly portable gaming laptop. It weighs around three pounds. This makes it a good choice for gamers who travel a lot.
Acer also has a variety of configurations for the Nitro 5. Some models are equipped with an Intel 12th Gen Core i7-12700H processor, while others feature an AMD Ryzen 5000-series CPU.
Acer Nitro 5 is available in the US, UK, and Australia. It starts at $699 and maxes out at $2000. The Acer Nitro 5 is a decent laptop for gamers who don’t want to spend a ton of money on their new machine.
Depending on the model, the Nitro 5 can be configured with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or an NVIDIA RTX 3050 Ti graphics chip. It also supports the latest Intel Core H35-series processors. Acer’s NitroSense software lets users customize the backlighting, cooling, and other system settings. The Nitro 5 also has a 720p webcam.
Acer Nitro 5 has a full-scale keyboard with a number pad. The keys have a flat, wide shape and a numlock pad on the right side.
MSI GF63
Compared to the Asus TUF A15, the MSI GF63 Thin is a better value. It offers a good balance between high performance and a price tag that won’t break the bank. It’s also an ideal device for new PC gamers who want to get into the world of gaming. However, it doesn’t have the graphical prowess to compete with mainstream gaming laptops.
This 15.6″ gaming laptop from MSI uses the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card. This graphics card features Tensor Cores for powerful AI processing. It’s also equipped with ray-traced graphics. Those features allow it to deliver physically accurate lighting and shadows.
In our test, the GF63 was able to run Rise of the Tomb Raider at a smooth 27 frames per second. It took less than a minute to load a 4K video to 1080p. It was also able to duplicate 4.97GB of mixed-media files in 16 seconds.
It’s also worth mentioning that the GF63 has a long battery life, averaging more than six hours of solid use. It’s also light, weighing only 4.1 pounds. It’s also comfortable to use on a flat surface or on your lap.
The GF63 is also built with an IPS display. The screen tilts to 160 degrees, which helps prevent jiggling. It also has a 120 Hz refresh rate. The bezel is made of aluminium, and is thin. It has a maximum brightness of 246 nits.
The keyboard is island-style. It includes 3 USB ports, HDMI and a USB-C port. It also comes with a stylish red lining.
Its cooling system includes three heat pipes and a fan, which provides a good level of cooling. The system also works at a low noise level, so it’s acceptable for gaming. The laptop is also dust-resistant, and it can be cleaned easily.
Lenovo Legion Y545
Designed as an affordable alternative to the Legion Y540, the Lenovo Legion Y545 delivers great performance in an attractive, all-purpose design. In addition to its dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics card, the laptop also features a nineth-generation Intel Core i7 processor. Its cooling system uses Cold Front technology, which cools the CPU and GPU simultaneously.
The Legion Y545 is available in two configurations. One option features a 2TB M.2 2280 SSD, while the other offers a 1TB SATA HDD. The Legion Y545 also has two memory slots. These are capable of supporting up to 32GB of RAM.
The Legion Y545’s display is an FHD non-touch panel, with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. The panel’s resolution allows for crisp picture quality, while its 60 MHz refresh rate ensures a sharp display.
The keyboard is wide and has plenty of travel, with a balanced spacebar. The three-stage white backlight also lets you customize the screen’s lighting, and the trackpad is sensitive and smooth.
The back of the laptop has a lock slot, along with two USB Type-A 3.1 ports, a display port, a USB 3.1 Type-C port, and a DC-in port. The Y545’s ports are well-arranged and easy to use.
The Legion Y545’s battery isn’t as good as some other gaming laptops, but it’s still a decent performer. It can last around 9 hours when playing video games. It also has a battery life of about four hours when using the computer for other tasks.
The Legion Y545 comes standard with Lenovo Vantage software, which provides users with access to the system’s components and system-optimization tools. The Nvidia control panel is also included, which lets you tweak the graphics performance.
Dell G3
Whether you’re looking for a new gaming laptop, or you want to upgrade your current machine, the Dell G3 is a great choice. It offers a great balance of power, performance, and price.
The most expensive version of the G3 15 features the Core i7-8750H processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 1TB HDD. These components are good for heavy multi-thread software. However, they won’t have the power to play the latest titles at high resolutions.
The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is a solid option for gamers on a budget. It’s not the fastest GPU in the world, but it does a great job of handling benchmarks. It’s also snappy, so you won’t feel like you’re holding your breath as you run through a game.
The G3 also offers a wide range of gamer-centric technologies, including Dolby Audio Premium sound and a dual-fan cooling system. It’s also compatible with Dell Mobile Connect, which allows users to connect their smartphones to their laptop directly.
The G3’s 15.6-inch display is a decent, though dull, 1920 x 1080 panel. Unfortunately, it’s not very colorful, and it doesn’t do much to enhance the gaming experience. You should look for a 144 Hz IPS panel if you’re a serious gamer.
The Dell G3’s island-style backlit touchpad is also worth mentioning. While it doesn’t support fancy multi-touch gestures, it’s easy to navigate with a single finger.
The G3 has a surprisingly large amount of power for the price. It’s fast, and the battery life is great. Its lack of USB-C port means it’s less futureproof. Fortunately, it’s also easy to change the battery’s settings, so you can have the right amount of power to suit your needs.
Helios 300
Whether you’re an entry-level gamer or a professional, the Helios 300 offers a solid combination of performance and value for gamers on a budget. However, it also has some weaknesses. For example, the fans can be noisy when you’re gaming, and it doesn’t last very long on a single charge.
The Helios 300 is also a bit bulky. The all-metal AeroBlade 3D fans offer good airflow and advanced aerodynamics. The laptop also features a slew of USB ports, including three USB 3.2 Type-A, two USB 2.0, and one Mini-DisplayPort 1.4.
The Helios 300’s CPU is powered by an Intel Core i7-8750H 2.2GHz processor, providing six cores with hyper-threading. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 laptop GPU is built on the award-winning Ampere architecture. It’s also equipped with deep learning super sampling. It can handle games with up to 100 GB of RAM.
The Helios 300 has plenty of connectivity options, with a USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C port, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and a dedicated charging port on the left side. The right side has two USB 2.0 ports.
The Helios 300 can run many games at more than 100 frames per second, but it doesn’t perform well in benchmarks. It fell behind the Razer Blade 15 and the Dell XPS 15. The Helios 300 isn’t a portable laptop, so you’ll need to carry a keyboard or a power pack.
The Helios 300 has excellent game performance and great connectivity. It also offers a superior in-game experience, making it a perfect choice for budget gamers. You can get a Helios 300 for less than $1,000, but you should be sure that the model you choose meets your needs.