Introduction
Hey everyone, Today, we’re diving into the world of the best budget gaming laptops for 2024. If you’re a gamer on a budget, you know how crucial it is to find a computer that won’t just empty your wallet but still delivers impressive performance. One major hurdle is the overwhelming number of options available. Top 5 best video editing laptops of 2024.
With so many brands and models, it can be challenging to determine which one offers the best value for your hard-earned money. Additionally, many budget laptops come with compromises, such as lower-quality displays or inadequate cooling systems, which can significantly impact your gaming experience.
1: Dell G15 Gaming Laptop
Specification & Configuration
At number one, our top choice is the Dell G15 Gaming Laptop. The Dell G15 is an all-AMD system that delivers high frame rates in demanding games for a smooth and responsive experience. The base configuration includes a Ryzen 5 6600H CPU, an AMD Radeon RX 6650M GPU, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. Best Laptops for Students in 2024
Display & Ports
The display is a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. The build quality is good, with a solid plastic chassis that feels durable, though it’s a bit bulky and heavy, weighing nearly 6 pounds.
The keyboard is backlit, with good travel and well-spaced keys. The trackpad is responsive and accurate, though it’s slightly off-center, which can be annoying if you’re used to a more symmetrical layout. The port selection is decent, with two USB-A ports, one USB-C port, HDMI 2.1, an Ethernet jack, and a headphone jack.
Battery Life
The battery life is average, lasting around five hours of light use or about an hour of gaming, so you’ll want to keep the charger handy. The Dell G15 is an excellent budget gaming laptop with solid performance and good build quality, making it an excellent choice for gamers on a budget.
2: HP Pavilion Gaming 15
Display
At number two, we have the HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop, which balances performance and price with its Ryzen 5 CPU and GTX 1650 GPU. The HP Pavilion Gaming is an entry-level gaming laptop with an AMD Ryzen 5 CPU and dedicated NVIDIA GPU. It’s entirely made of plastic, yet it feels well-built and solid.
The internals are easily accessible if you need to upgrade the RAM or add a 2.5-inch hard drive. Overall, the user experience is decent, with well-spaced keys, a good amount of travel,l and a numpad for those who frequently work with spreadsheets.
Touchpad
The touchpad tracks movements well, though it struggles with multi-touch gestures. Unfortunately, the screen looks washed out due to its narrow colour gamut, and it doesn’t get bright enough for use outdoors or in bright rooms.
Battery life
The battery life is poor, not lasting through an entire workday, and the laptop gets noticeably hot and loud under load. You’ll likely need a dedicated microphone for video conferences, as the built-in mic records muffled, nasally audio.
Storage & Configuration
The Pavilion Gaming Laptop has an HD 60Hz display, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. The Ryzen 5 CPU is more than enough for general productivity tasks and light gaming, though the GPU’s performance is limited due to its narrow bandwidth,
So, you’ll need to turn down the settings in demanding games. This laptop offers few configuration options, but its low price makes it a decent budget gaming option.
3: ASUS TUF Dash F15
Specifications
At number three, we have the ASUS TUF Dash Gaming F15, another contender with a robust design, impressive battery life, and a powerful RTX 3050 GPU. The ASUS TUF Dash F15 is a 15.6-inch budget gaming laptop with an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 CPU and various NVIDIA RTX 30 series GPUs, ranging from the RTX 3050 to the RTX 3070.
Configuration & Display
You can configure it with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Display options include Full HD with a 144Hz or 300Hz refresh rate and Quad HD with a 165Hz panel. It features a full-size keyboard with a numpad on the right, Wi-Fi 6, and a 76Wh battery.
The ASUS TUF Dash F15 is excellent for gaming, with Intel’s 12th-gen processors and NVIDIA discrete graphics providing a smooth gaming experience in demanding titles. It gets hot and loud under load, but its performance remains consistent, with no noticeable drop in frame rates during extended gaming sessions.
Other Options
The build quality is excellent, with a mix of metal and plastic construction that feels very sturdy. The display exhibits only a small amount of flex and none in the keyboard deck. The entire device feels hefty, with evenly distributed weight, and the finish doesn’t scratch easily, though it does attract fingerprints. The feet are strong and adhere firmly to the bottom.
4: Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
Specifications
Moving on to number four, we have the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3. This model features either an AMD Ryzen 5 or a Ryzen 7 CPU and graphics options ranging from the GeForce GTX 1650 to the RTX 3060, making it a solid choice for those seeking reliable gaming performance at a budget price. Memory and storage max out at 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, respectively; both are user-upgradable.
Display & Ports
There are three 15.6-inch Full HD display options with 60Hz, 120Hz, and 165Hz refresh rates. Ports include two USB-A ports, one USB-C, HDMI, Ethernet, and a headphone jack, though the USB-C doesn’t support charging or video output.
The laptop also has a full-size keyboard with a numpad, Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, and a 45W or 60W battery, depending on the model. The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is also suitable for school use. Though it’s a bit bulky and heavy, its battery only lasts around five hours of light use.
Other Features
However, it offers a good user experience with a decently sharp screen, a comfortable keyboard, and a responsive touchpad. It also has enough processing power to handle demanding workloads, making it ideal for students in technical fields like graphic design and 3D animation and gamers.
Though entirely plastic, the build quality is good, with only slight flex in the display and almost none in the keyboard deck. The plastic doesn’t feel premium, and while the finish doesn’t scratch easily, it picks up oils from handling, especially on smoother surfaces. 5 Best Laptops for Students under $500 in 2024
5: Acer Chromebook 516 GE
Specifications
Next up at number five, we have the Acer Chromebook 516 GE, the best gaming Chromebook. Unlike Windows gaming laptops, this device runs Chrome OS and is specifically designed for cloud gaming services like NVIDIA GeForce NOW. Cloud gaming means that all the processing takes place on NVIDIA’s servers or those of whichever company provides the service,
And the images are streamed to your device, much like any video streaming service. The laptop comes with a three-month trial of GeForce NOW, and you can also play games from the Google Play Store, though some lack keyboard, mouse, and controller support. The laptop feels well-built, and while it’s on the bulkier side, it isn’t too heavy.
Display & Ports
It features a 16-inch Quad HD display with a 120Hz refresh rate, which gets bright enough for most indoor settings and has good response times, resulting in clear images during fast-moving scenes. The keyboard feels spacious, doesn’t get hot under load, and has RGB backlighting (though it only has a single lighting zone).
You get Wi-Fi 6E and an Ethernet port, which is excellent because cloud gaming performance heavily depends on your internet connection. However, battery life is shorter than other picks, with around six hours of light use or just an hour of gaming, so keep the charger handy.
Storage
It’s available with an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 CPU, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of storage, with an HD webcam included. Ports include one USB-A, two USB-C, a headphone jack, HDMI, and Ethernet. The USB-C ports support video output and charging but not Thunderbolt 4.
6: ASUS TUF Gaming A16
Specifications & Configuration
At number six, we have the ASUS TUF Gaming A16, the best budget gaming laptop. This 16-inch all-AMD system delivers high frame rates in demanding games, providing a smooth and immersive gaming experience.
The base configuration costs around $1,000 and includes a Ryzen 7 CPU, a Radeon RX 7600S GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. Faster configurations are available if you’re willing to spend more.
Display & Storage
It comes with a 165Hz Full HD display, and the more expensive 240Hz Quad HD panel also supports variable refresh rates to reduce screen tearing. This laptop feels sturdy, with easy access to the internals for repairs and upgrades.
There are two storage drive slots, which will likely be necessary since 512GB isn’t much these days. You can also replace the wireless adapter, as the existing module only supports Wi-Fi 6. Ports include four USB-A ports, two USB-C ports, a proper HDMI port, a headphone jack, and an Ethernet port.
Battery Life
While thermal throttling isn’t an issue, the laptop does get hot and loud. Unfortunately, it’s a bit bulky, making it less ideal for on-the-go use, and the battery only lasts a little over an hour when gaming.
The ASUS A16’s build quality is excellent, with an aluminum top and a sturdy plastic bottom. However, it picks up fingerprints, especially on the lid and touchpad.
7: Lenovo LOQ 15
Specifications
At number seven, the Lenovo LOQ 15. Our top pick for the best cheap gaming laptop, this 15.6-inch model, is available with up to an AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 GPU.
Every configuration delivers a smooth gaming experience at full HD, though you may need to tweak the settings on the RTX 3050 models to achieve over 60 frames per second. The RTX 4050 and 4060 models can handle Ultra HD gaming with ease. We recommend the latter, as the RTX 4050 model with just 6GB of VRAM is quite limiting at Quad HD resolution.
Display & Ports
Display options include two Full HD panels with 60Hz and 144Hz refresh rates and a 165Hz Quad HD panel. We suggest opting for one of the higher refresh rate options for gaming, as they provide better responsiveness and support variable refresh rates to reduce screen tearing.
However, the 144Hz panel has a slower response time, which may cause ghosting in fast-moving scenes. ASUS VivoBook S15 Review
Ports Selection
Despite its plastic build, the laptop feels relatively sturdy, and the keys offer decent travel without requiring much force to actuate, though they lack tactility. Port selection is excellent, with three USB-A ports, one USB-C port, HDMI 2.1, and an Ethernet port.
The RAM and storage are user-upgradable, though there’s no fingerprint sensor or facial recognition camera, which is expected at this price point. Asus ProArt PX13 Review
Conclusion
And that wraps up our list of the best budget gaming laptops for 2024. What do you think of our picks? Did we miss any of your favourites? Let us know in the comments below.
