Ranking: The best affordable (sub-$1,500) gaming laptops
November 2024 update.
Notebooks that deliver high enough performance at reasonable price points do exist. While finding a decent model on a budget is no easy task, we might just have the right purchase recommendation for you depending on your needs and how much cash you're prepared to spend.Christian Hintze (translated by DeepL / Ninh Duy) Published 🇩🇪 🇹🇷 ...
To make the list, a product must basically fulfill two criteria. As this is a ranking of inexpensive devices, the price must not exceed the 1,500 dollar/euro mark; we're talking about regular prices as of the day this list was last updated here. Please keep in mind that prices are and always will be subject to changes. Secondly, the laptop should have at least a mid-range graphics card, otherwise it won't be able to smoothly display most games from recent years at Full HD 1080p on high quality settings (or perhaps just a bit lower than that).
ASUS TUF Gaming A17: Robust, durable, powerful
ASUS offers a powerful, durable and robust gaming notebook at an affordable price with the TUF Gaming A17 FA707NV. The AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU together with 16 GB of fast DDR5 RAM and a 1 TB SSD ensure rapid performance in games and multitasking. Two Arc-Flow fans, four air outlets and up to five dedicated heatpipes provide powerful cooling at a noise level of less than 40 dB.
The sharp 17-inch Full HD display in 16:9 format, which resolves at 144 Hz, makes games, spreadsheets and pretty much evertyhing else look their best. A MUX switch and the Advanced Optimus tech not only guarantee high FPS, but also deliver longer battery life. The 90 Wh battery also has a say in this.
Dolby Atmos speakers provide thrilling sound, as the HD webcam allows for high-quality calls and Wi-Fi 6 delivers fast data transfer. All of this is housed in an extremely robust casing with various ports including USB 4 and HDMI 2.1.
Depending on the SKU, many of the laptops we test are too expensive for this list. We may include SKUs with a different graphics card or set or features instead as alternative suggestions (not as one of the main 10 options). Please also note that all of our purchase recommendations are products that our editors have fully reviewed.
The best affordable gaming notebooks (new v8 rating system)
Image | Model / Review | Price | Weight | Height | Display | Screen |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5 16IMH G9 RTX 4050 Intel Core Ultra 9 185H ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU ⎘ 32 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | Amazon: 1. $919.98 Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i 16″ ... 2. $949.00 Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15AR... 3. $1,299.00 Lenovo Legion 5 Gaming Lapto... List Price: 1500 USD | 2 kg | 18.95 mm | 16.00" 2048x1280 151 PPI OLED | glossy | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7640 Intel Core Ultra 7 155H ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | Amazon: $1,693.99 List Price: 1300 USD | 2.2 kg | 19.9 mm | 16.00" 2560x1600 189 PPI IPS | matte | |
Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IRX9 G9 Intel Core i7-14700HX ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU ⎘ 32 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | Amazon: 1. $1,599.00 Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 AM... 2. $115.99 330W Slim Charger for Lenovo... 3. $1,800.00 Lenovo Legion 16" QHD+ i9 RT... List Price: 1.432 Euro | 2.5 kg | 26.55 mm | 16.00" 2560x1600 189 PPI IPS | matte | |
Acer Nitro 14 AN14-41-R3MX AMD Ryzen 5 8645HS ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | Amazon: $1,249.99 List Price: 1450 Euro | 2 kg | 22.84 mm | 14.50" 2560x1600 208 PPI IPS | matte | |
Asus TUF Gaming A14 FA401WV-WB94 AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | Amazon: $1,509.00 List Price: 1500 USD | 1.5 kg | 19.9 mm | 14.00" 2560x1600 216 PPI IPS | matte | |
Asus TUF Gaming A15 FA507UV AMD Ryzen 9 8945H ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | Amazon: 1. $64.99 A-Tech 16GB RAM for ASUS TUF... 2. $54.99 Factory Original 8GB (1x8GB)... 3. $129.99 WARWOLFTEAM New Screen Compa... List Price: 1199 Euro | 2.1 kg | 22.4 mm | 15.60" 1920x1080 141 PPI IPS | matte | |
Lenovo LOQ 15IRX9 Intel Core i5-13450HX ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | Amazon: $1,269.00 List Price: 1149 Euro | 2.4 kg | 23.9 mm | 15.60" 1920x1080 141 PPI IPS | matte | |
Gigabyte G5 KF5 2024 Intel Core i7-13620H ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | Amazon: 1. $35.99 180W AC Charger for Gigabyte... 2. $35.99 180W AC Charger Fit for GIGA... 3. $45.99 180W Gigabyte Charger for Or... List Price: 899 Euro | 2 kg | 22.7 mm | 15.60" 1920x1080 141 PPI IPS | matte |
Note: The switch to a new rating system took place in June 2024. In the new v8 rating, existing criteria were adapted to current hardware developments, new criteria were added and individual measurement methods were changed. As a result, the v8 ratings are slightly lower than under v7. The new v8 rating is not directly comparable with previous versions. For this reason, we are listing two tables with the best devices according to v7 and v8 rating here for the time being. Further information on the new v8 rating can be found here.
The best affordable gaming notebooks (v7 rating system)
Image | Model / Review | Price | Weight | Height | Display | Screen |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tulpar T7 V20.6 Intel Core i7-13700H ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | Amazon: 1. $44.99 Broonel Black Fine Point Dig... 2. $44.99 Broonel Silver Fine Point Di... 3. $39.99 Broonel Black Leather Folio ... List Price: 1699 Euro | 2.6 kg | 30.05 mm | 17.30" 1920x1080 127 PPI IPS | matte | |
Asus TUF Gaming A17 FA707XI-NS94 AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | Amazon: $1,983.68 List Price: 1400 USD | 2.5 kg | 25.4 mm | 17.30" 1920x1080 127 PPI IPS | matte | |
Dell G16, i7-13650HX, RTX 4060 Intel Core i7-13650HX ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | Amazon: $1,685.99 List Price: 1.599 Euro | 2.8 kg | 25.65 mm | 16.00" 2560x1600 189 PPI IPS | matte |
The table above shows an overview of the best gaming notebooks under 1,500 dollars/euros tested by Notebookcheck in the last 12 months and relevant devices that are still available. More recent tests are ranked first with the same rating. The cheapest street price at the time this article was last edited applies for inclusion in this list. The sales prices shown in the table and in the price comparison for the individual articles are automatically updated daily and may therefore differ!
Link: all tested devices in this class
Editorial comment
No new additions to the affordable gaming laptops in November. There are also no suitable contenders for multimedia laptops with dedicated graphics cards this month.
Interesting models that we have tested in their expensive configurations - slower SKUs would have probably made the list:
- Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (86.9 %, 06/2023)
- XMG Focus 15 from Schenker (85,1 %, 07/2023)
Former Top-10 products:
- Schenker XMG Apex 15 (86 %, 10/23)
- Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8 (86 %, 10/23)
- Lenovo LOQ 16 (87 %, 09/23)
- Captiva Advanced Gaming (86 %, 09/23)
- Acer Nitro 16 AN16-41-R7YE (87 %, 08/23)
- Legion Pro 5i (89 %, 07/23)
- Asus TUF A15 FA507 (86 %, 06/23)
- Acer Nitro 5 (86 %, 06/23)
- Medion Erazer Crawler E40 (85 %, 11/23)
- Dell G15 5530 (85 %, 01/24)
- Gigabyte G7 KE (83 %, 001/23)
- Medion Erazer Scout E20 (83%, 05/23)
- MSI Cyborg 15 (82 %, 04/23)
- Gigabyte G5 KE (81.8 %, 04/23)
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1st place - Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5 (Ultra 9 185H, RTX 4050)
The IdeaPad Pro 5 16 G9 is an all-rounder. Equipped with high-end components, including the Meteor Lake Core Ultra 9 185H, it is available in stores for around 1,400 euros. Particularly noteworthy is the powerful 90-watt GeForce RTX 4050, which almost rivals an RTX 4060.
The IdeaPad Pro 5 16 G9 is faster than it looks at first glance, especially when equipped with the powerful 90 W GeForce RTX 4050 GPU.
Only Costco is now offering the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i 16 with the Core Ultra 9 185H configuration and the RTX 4050 for 1,500 US dollars (1,400 euros).
2nd place - Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7640 (Ultra 7 155H, RTX 4060)
The newer model supports up to two SSDs, offers faster black/white and gray/gray response times, longer battery life and AI acceleration. These under-the-hood changes are important for enthusiasts who value memory expansion, fast gaming, travel and AI-powered programs like Co-Pilot.
The Inspiron 16 Plus 7640 addresses some of the drawbacks of its predecessor, making it an even better multimedia machine than before. However, the single-thread CPU performance and gaming performance take a small step backwards.
Our test configuration of Core Ultra 7, RTX 4060 and 1,600p can currently be had directly from Dell for $1,300. The cheaper SKU with Core i7 with UHD Graphics starts at just 900 US dollars.
3rd place - Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IRX9 (i7-14700HX, RTX 4060)
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IRX9 draws attention in the test primarily due to its strong CPU and gaming performance. Both the already powerful i7-14700HX and the RTX 4060 calculate faster than average and even come close to the configuration with i9-14900HX and RTX 4070 in terms of performance. The Legion Pro is also interesting for content creators thanks to the potentially very true-color display.
If you are looking for a very powerful gaming laptop, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is the right choice. Content creators could also be happy, but there is still potential for optimization in some details.
At our partner Campuspoint, the special model currently costs 1,549 euros. In other stores, prices start at around 1,600 euros, for example at Jacob or mediarado. Directly from Lenovo, a model with RTX 4060 but with an i9-14900HX and our display variant costs €2,249, which is quite a high price for an RTX 4060 laptop. However, the Pro 5i was at one point available with RTX 4070 and a 500-nit display for just €1,455 (Mydealz)! Comparing prices and waiting for possible offers can therefore be worthwhile.
4th place - Acer Nitro 14 (R5 8645HS, RTX 4060)
Ryzen 5 8645HS, GeForce RTX 4060, 16 GB RAM provide mid-range gaming power and long battery life. A 14.5-inch panel (2.5k, sRGB, 120 Hz, G-Sync) in 16:10 format and a USB 4 port complete the well-rounded hardware base. The complete package is available for 1,449 euros.
With the Nitro 14, Acer delivers a coherent mid-range gaming notebook in a compact format.
The Acer Nitro 14 AN14-41-R3MX is available from Notebooksbilliger.de at a price of 1,449 euros.
5th place - Tulpar T7 (i7-13700H, RTX 4060)
In addition to the currently attractive price, we particularly like the Tulpar T7's keyboard, the fast WLAN and, of course, the lifelong, annual and free maintenance. The T7 also stays cool even under stress.
The Tulpar T7 is an inexpensive gaming laptop with the generous promise of a lifetime of free annual maintenance. However, you should make sure to get a configuration with dual-channel RAM, otherwise the performance will fall behind the competition.
Those interested are in luck, as the Tulpar T7 is already available starting from 996 euros on Amazon.de without Windows. The normal price would be 1,299 euros, the manufacturer's RRP is 1,699 euros.
6th place - Asus TUF Gaming A14 (Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, RTX 4060)
The TUF series from Asus is growing. Its smallest member is powered by the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 and is one of the fastest 14-inch gaming notebooks on the market. It comes with a 2,560 x 1,600 165 Hz IPS display and the package costs around 1,500 euros.
The TUF Gaming A14 has almost identical features to the ROG Zephyrus G14, but it is significantly cheaper. It offers a good balance between productivity and gaming for its size, but you should expect loud fans and high temperatures during intensive use.
The Asus TUF Gaming A14 FA401WV is currently sold by Asus Germany for 1,500 euros.
7th place - Asus TUF Gaming A15 FA507UV (R9 8945H, RTX 4060)
The A15 FA507UV has a few delicacies to offer that you wouldn't necessarily expect from a gaming laptop in the lower price range: Ryzen 9 (Zen 4), GeForce RTX 4060, USB 4 and excellent battery life. The computer would be available from around 1,100 euros - without Windows.
With the TUF Gaming A15 FA507UV, Asus delivers a well-rounded FHD gaming notebook with impressive battery life.
The Asus TUF Gaming A15 FA507UV is currently (as of 17.07.24) available at a reduced price of €1,169 from our partner playox.de.
8th place - Asus TUF Gaming A17 (R9 7940HS, RTX 4070)
The design may look unassuming, unlike the more vibrant ROG series, but the focus on speed and simplicity is exactly what gamers on a tighter budget are looking for. The TUF Gaming A17 FA707 is one of the most affordable 17.3-inch gaming laptops with GeForce RTX 4070. What's particularly impressive is that it's powered by the Zen 4 Ryzen 9 CPU, so users don't have to compromise on processing power despite the low price. The powerful combination of CPU and GPU make this model an easy recommendation for all gamers who want to maximize their performance-per-euro ratio.
The Asus TUF Gaming A17 is able to balance price, performance and from factor well, as long as you find the right configuration. SKUs with a 1,080p panel have significantly weaker colors than the 1,440p options.
In Germany, the Asus TUF Gaming A17 FA707XI is available in our configuration starting from 1,429 euros, for example at Notebooksbilliger.
9th place - Lenovo LOQ 15 (i5-13450HX, RTX 4060)
Lenovo's 15.6-inch model is designed for FHD gaming at high to maximum settings. The coherent hardware basis consists of a Core i5-13450HX, GeForce RTX 4060, 16 GB RAM and a 1 TB SSD. The price is appealing: the computer is available from just 899 euros - without Windows.
With the LOQ 15IRX9, Lenovo delivers an affordable FHD gaming notebook that has one or two weaknesses.
The Lenovo LOQ 15IRX9 is currently available from Amazon.de at a price of 1,025 euros. If you can do without a Windows operating system, you would have to pay 899 euros at Computeruniverse.net.
10th place - Dell G16 (i7-13650HX, RTX 4060)
The Dell G16 7630 looks somewhat simpler and is cheaper than Dell's Alienware series. The performance is still good, and it is also really good that the gamer remains quieter than many of its competitors when gaming.
The Dell G16 7630 is a fairly large and heavy mid-range gamer with good performance and a quiet appearance. However, Dell could still improve in terms of features and workmanship.
In the Dell Germany store, our configuration variant, but with 32 GB instead of 16 GB RAM, costs 1,399 euros. Caution: On Amazon.de you would have to pay crazy prices of 2,800 to over 5,000 euros.
The best sub-$1,500 gaming laptops: Overview
Measurements
Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5 16IMH G9 RTX 4050 | Tulpar T7 V20.6 | Asus TUF Gaming A17 FA707XI-NS94 | Dell G16, i7-13650HX, RTX 4060 | Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7640 | Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IRX9 G9 | Lenovo LOQ 15IRX9 | Asus TUF Gaming A15 FA507UV | Acer Nitro 14 AN14-41-R3MX | Asus TUF Gaming A14 FA401WV-WB94 | Gigabyte G5 KF5 2024 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, i7-13620H, Gigabyte AG450E1024-SI | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | |||||||||||
Display P3 Coverage | 99.7 | 64.2 | 39.7 | 67.5 | 76 | 99.22 | 73.7 | 70.5 | 72.7 | 65.1 | 67.9 |
sRGB Coverage | 100 | 96.2 | 59.1 | 98.5 | 99.8 | 99.93 | 99.1 | 98.5 | 97.6 | 94 | 98.9 |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 97.8 | 66.1 | 41 | 69.3 | 76.7 | 87.81 | 72.6 | 72.7 | 74.7 | 65.6 | 68.8 |
Response Times | |||||||||||
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 0.58 ? | 14.7 ? | 39 ? | 7.6 ? | 25.6 ? | 4.8 ? | 42.2 ? | 31.7 ? | 22.3 ? | 10.7 ? | 13 ? |
Response Time Black / White * | 1 ? | 11.1 ? | 26.9 ? | 10.4 ? | 17.6 ? | 9.2 ? | 22.6 ? | 22.9 ? | 14.8 ? | 7.1 ? | 8.8 ? |
PWM Frequency | 240 ? | 25000 | |||||||||
Screen | |||||||||||
Brightness middle | 367.6 | 377 | 255.9 | 369 | 314.7 | 518 | 306 | 315 | 415 | 455.8 | 342 |
Brightness | 371 | 353 | 248 | 344 | 291 | 491 | 287 | 303 | 395 | 436 | 308 |
Brightness Distribution | 98 | 83 | 91 | 89 | 89 | 90 | 88 | 90 | 89 | 93 | 87 |
Black Level * | 0.23 | 0.21 | 0.26 | 0.28 | 0.36 | 0.21 | 0.25 | 0.34 | 0.38 | 0.29 | |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.31 | 0.83 | 4.51 | 3.04 | 1.62 | 4.32 | 2.25 | 2.26 | 4.5 | 3.39 | 2.46 |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 6.85 | 1.92 | 20.77 | 5.56 | 2.94 | 6.37 | 4.84 | 7.37 | 10.7 | 7.3 | 4.12 |
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 1.11 | 0.83 | 1.82 | 2.35 | 1.08 | 0.75 | 1.45 | 1.03 | 1.8 | 1.67 | 0.82 |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 1.7 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 3.38 | 1.3 | 3.66 | 2.4 | 4 | 7.2 | 3.9 | 3.03 |
Gamma | 2.2 100% | 2.36 93% | 2.08 106% | 2.47 89% | 2.26 97% | 2.19 100% | 2.259 97% | 2.116 104% | 2.15 102% | 2.17 101% | 2.51 88% |
CCT | 6272 104% | 6471 100% | 6054 107% | 6040 108% | 6385 102% | 6841 95% | 6790 96% | 7570 86% | 6541 99% | 7340 89% | 7056 92% |
Contrast | 1639 | 1219 | 1419 | 1124 | 1439 | 1457 | 1260 | 1221 | 1199 | 1179 | |
Noise | |||||||||||
off / environment * | 23 | 23 | 27.9 | 23 | 23.8 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 24.3 | 22.9 | 23 |
Idle Minimum * | 23 | 23 | 28.5 | 23 | 24.2 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 24.3 | 22.9 | 23 |
Idle Average * | 23.3 | 23 | 29.8 | 23 | 24.2 | 23 | 34 | 27 | 24.3 | 28.3 | 23 |
Idle Maximum * | 23.3 | 30.84 | 29.8 | 27.96 | 24.2 | 25 | 36 | 33 | 24.3 | 28.8 | 27.87 |
Load Average * | 45.7 | 40.14 | 34.8 | 27.96 | 28.9 | 45.18 | 48 | 40 | 33.1 | 37.3 | 54.82 |
Cyberpunk 2077 ultra * | 48.4 | 52.69 | 48 | 45 | 57.1 | 50.6 | 54.82 | ||||
Load Maximum * | 48.4 | 50.69 | 57.3 | 47.89 | 51 | 53.13 | 50 | 46 | 57 | 50.6 | 54.82 |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 50.69 | 57.1 | 47.89 | 51 | |||||||
Heat | |||||||||||
Maximum Upper Side * | 48.2 | 38 | 40 | 49 | 43.4 | 50 | 47 | 53 | 43.5 | 49.8 | 50 |
Maximum Bottom * | 59.4 | 44 | 33.6 | 58 | 41.6 | 57 | 58 | 46 | 46.3 | 46 | 66 |
Idle Upper Side * | 34.2 | 32 | 26.6 | 35 | 32.8 | 36 | 32 | 32 | 30.4 | 30.2 | 32 |
Idle Bottom * | 34.8 | 33 | 24.4 | 35 | 32.4 | 39 | 36 | 34 | 31.3 | 29.8 | 37 |
Battery Runtime | |||||||||||
Reader / Idle | 1338 | 1180 | 1081 | 662 | |||||||
WiFi v1.3 | 639 | 209 | 548 | 378 | 799 | 308 | 320 | 702 | 605 | 421 | 435 |
Load | 50 | 90 | 103 | 76 | 105 | 134 | 112 | 65 | |||
H.264 | 222 | 381 | 312 | 837 | 363 | ||||||
Power Consumption | |||||||||||
Idle Minimum * | 5.6 | 12 | 6.2 | 11 | 4.2 | 13.7 | 13 | 7 | 8 | 9.1 | 5.2 |
Idle Average * | 7.3 | 17 | 21.8 | 14.8 | 6.9 | 17.7 | 18 | 12 | 10.9 | 15.3 | 19.6 |
Idle Maximum * | 14.6 | 17.5 | 22 | 16.8 | 15.2 | 18.5 | 24 | 18 | 11.9 | 22.6 | 23 |
Load Average * | 86.3 | 78.5 | 59.2 | 103.7 | 70.4 | 124 | 85 | 70 | 61.8 | 72.1 | 84 |
Cyberpunk 2077 ultra external monitor * | 135.8 | 224 | 150.9 | 146.2 | 147.9 | 141.7 | 144 | ||||
Cyberpunk 2077 ultra * | 136.4 | 229 | 155.7 | 146.8 | 151.3 | 144.7 | 144 | ||||
Load Maximum * | 172 | 209 | 247.8 | 255 | 137.4 | 297 | 232 | 206 | 195.1 | 198 | 165 |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 169 | 189.7 | 185 | 115.9 |
* ... smaller is better
Benchmark results
The Witcher 3 | |
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) (sort by value) | |
Tulpar T7 V20.6 | |
Asus TUF Gaming A17 FA707XI-NS94 | |
Dell G16, i7-13650HX, RTX 4060 | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7640 | |
Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IRX9 G9 | |
1920x1080 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off) (sort by value) | |
Tulpar T7 V20.6 | |
Dell G16, i7-13650HX, RTX 4060 | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7640 | |
Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IRX9 G9 |