A Comprehensive Review of Gaming Laptop Under $500
Gaming is everyone’s favorite indoor activity, but an exclusive gaming laptop that can handle the latest high-end games can be out of budget for many consumers; that’s when people start looking for a gaming laptop under $500.
However, do these cheaper options actually work? The answer to this question is yes and no. Some budget gaming laptops are equipped with good features and can run casual gaming, while others are a total waste of money. Therefore, in this article, I’ve listed some popular and affordable options so you can walk through their pros and cons before choosing one.
1. Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook: For Cloud Gaming
Tech Specs
- CPU: Intel Core i3-1215U
- GPU: Intel UHD
- RAM: 8 GB
- Display: 16 inch
- Storage: 128 GB
- Dimension: 0.78*14.04*9.96 inches
- Weights: 4.01 kg
Pros
- Great gaming
- Excellent day-to-day task handling
- Many ports
- High refresh rate
Cons
- Low storage
Design
This Lenovo gaming laptop is premium looking for its price. It has a plastic and aluminum shade design that is quite pretty. I took it to meetings because it does give off that sophisticated vibe. This size is suitable for any laptop back, but it is a little heavy, so don’t expect ultraportability.
Display
The 16-inch display IP display has a 2560*1600 resolution and better-than-average brightness. You will experience sharp visuals even in lit rooms. The best thing about this cheap laptop is it has a 120 refresh rate, which makes gaming sessions incredibly fun.
Gaming Performance
If you want to enjoy premium gaming with 4k resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate, Nvidia’s subscription is a must. This laptop allows you to have a pleasing online cloud gaming experience without any stutter. However, if you don’t want to spend on cloud gaming, then you can only go for casual low-demand games on this laptop.
Battery Life
Battery life is where this laptop shines. Its runtime is around 15 hours, which is more than you get on most budget devices. Overall, this laptop is pretty nifty in managing daily productivity tasks and is the best affordable gaming laptop for cloud gaming.
2. MSI GF63 Thin: For Casual Gaming
Tech Specs
- CPU: Intel Core i7-11800H
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti
- RAM: 8 GB
- Display: 15.6 inch
- Storage: 512 GB
- Dimension: 2.2*35.9*25.4 cm
- Weights: 1.86 kg
Pros
- Good gaming at a low price
- Decent build quality
- Plenty of ports
Cons
- Battery life is just ok
- Screen feels dull
Design
With a thick chassis and plastic build, MSI is not a bad-looking laptop, but it is not premium either. However, it gives plenty of ports to connect accessories. You will get a USB-A 3.2 (Gen 1), a power port, a battery indicator on the left side, and another USBA-A Gen 1, USB-C 3.2 Gen 1, Gigabit Ethernet, etc, on the right side of the laptop. However, you will not find any Thunderbolt on this cheap gaming laptop.
Display
MSI is equipped with a 15.6-inch display with 1920*1080 resolution and a 60z refresh rate. It isn’t the brightest and crispest display, but it is not so bad either. It works better in a dimly lit room. Moreover, a 60 fps refresh rate is not suitable for intense gaming because you will see a noticeable lag in quick action, as I noticed while playing Fortnite.
Gaming Performance
If you want to buy this gaming laptop for under $500, don’t expect anything exceptional. In practical work, the Intel Core i7-11800H processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti are only good for casual gaming. I have played some games with 30 fps, and it handled it well enough. If you want to play at 60 fps, you will have to drop your graphic settings.
Battery Life
MSI’s battery life is also sub-par. I tested it to be around 5 hours. I got this number after watching a few YouTube videos, web surfing, and light gaming. This gaming laptop under $500 is still a great option for day-to-day tasks, multimedia, and light gaming, but nothing more than that.
3. Acer Nitro 5: Affordable Gaming
Tech Specs
- CPU: Intel Core i5-12500H
- GPU: Nvidia RTX 3060
- RAM: 16 GB
- Display: 15.6 inch
- Storage: 512 GB
- Dimension: 14.2*10.7*1.06 inches
- Weights: 5.5 pound
Pros
- Excellent gaming
- Fantastic sound
- Plenty of ports
Cons
- Battery life is not good
- Dull design
Design
The Acer Nitro 5 has a plastic build with a metal finish. It is heavy and thick, so sleek and portable is not the game here. However, you will get a backlit keyboard that gives a gaming vibe.
Also, there are adequate ports for multiple connections so you can expand your workstation. There is a USB-C/Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.0, USB-A 3.1, USB-A 2.0, and audio jack.
Display
The 15.6-inch display of the Nitro 5 model has a 1080p screen and 144 Hz fresh rate, which is pretty good for an affordable gaming laptop. The display looks great and has fantastic sharpness and color accuracy.
Gaming Performance
Nitro can handle mid-range gaming well. It’s not an exclusive high-end device that costs thousands of dollars, so expect a little less. Still, it provides a good gaming experience if you keep the settings to medium.
I played Cyberpunk and stayed at 30 fps, but for Far Cry 6 and Borderlands 3, it managed 50 fps. You will get different fps for most titles, so be ready for surprises. However, it is still a good option to play more than average games at an affordable price tag.
Battery Life
Like most gaming laptops, you will get 5 hours of battery life with Nitro. Also, the most annoying con of this device is it gets very hot so might require some sort of cooling pad to get through gaming sessions. Nitro 5 is one of the best affordable gaming laptops you can get in 2024.
Yes, it will cost more than $500, but that’s how the market is for gaming laptops. However, if you can double your budget for more high-end gaming, Asus gaming laptops are remarkable machines to fulfill your competitive gaming sessions.
Bottom Line
Gaming laptops come with high-end internal components because they are supposed to handle demanding graphics. Therefore, if you are looking for discrete graphics and a competitive gaming set, you might have to expand your budget unless you can find second-hand gaming laptops or handheld gaming devices.
However, if you still can’t spare more than $500, the devices I’ve listed above are the best cheap gaming laptops, but you will only get casual gaming and daily productivity.
FAQs
1. Which laptop brand is best for gaming?
When it comes to competitive gaming, Razer Blade 18 is one of the latest and high-end laptops that you can get. Going down the range, you can try Dell Alienware and ASUS TUF for a budget gaming experience.
2. What is the best gaming laptop 2024?
The Razer Blade 18 is the latest and one of the incredible gaming laptops if you don’t have a tight budget. It has excellent specs and powerful internats to manage most modern games.
3. Can cheap gaming laptops run games?
Yes, cheap gaming laptops can handle games, but it depends on the types of games you want to play. If you play puzzle-like simple games, you will not need a more powerful processor. However, if you want casual gaming, you will get plenty of options between $500-$1000.
