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MagyarThe Best Budget Gaming Notebooks
To make this list, a notebook must meet two requirements first and foremost. First, given that this is a list of affordable notebooks its price shall not exceed 1,500 Euros. Keep in mind that the prices listed in the table below are updated daily and can thus differ from day to day. And second, these laptops must be equipped with a mid-range gaming-capable GPU, such as a GTX 1650 or an RX 5500M, capable of running most recent games in FHD (1920 x 1080) in medium to high details smoothly. More powerful GPUs, such as the GTX 1660 Ti or the RX 5600M, should thus be capable of running most current games smoothly in 1080p and maximum settings. Other gaming top lists:
- The Best Gaming Notebooks (particularly powerful gaming notebooks)
- The Best Thin & Light Gaming Notebooks (lightweight and thin gaming notebooks)
The Best Budget Gaming Laptops
Position | Total Rating | Date | Image | Model | Height | Weight | Size | Resolution | Screen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 85.9 % | 06/2021 |  | Asus TUF Gaming F15 FX506HM Intel Core i7-11800H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU 16 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | 24.9 mm | 2.3 kg | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | matte |
| 2 | 85 % | 07/2021 |  | Asus TUF Gaming A15 FA506QR-AZ061T AMD Ryzen 7 5800H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU 16 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | 24 mm | 2.3 kg | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | matte |
| 3 | 84.3 % | 09/2021 |  | HP Victus 16-e0179ng AMD Ryzen 7 5800H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU 16 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | 23.5 mm | 2.5 kg | 16.10" | 1920x1080 | matte |
| 4 | 83.7 % | 10/2020 |  | Aorus 5 KB Intel Core i7-10750H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 28 mm | 2.1 kg | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | matte |
| 5 | 83.4 % | 09/2021 |  | Lenovo Legion 5 15ACH-82JU00C6GE-FL AMD Ryzen 7 5800H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 26 mm | 2.5 kg | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | matte |
| 6 | 83.3 % | 02/2021 |  | MSI Alpha 17 A4DEK AMD Ryzen 7 4800H AMD Radeon RX 5600M 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 28 mm | 2.6 kg | 17.30" | 1920x1080 | matte |
| 7 | 83.2 % | 09/2021 |  | Schenker XMG Focus 15 Intel Core i7-11800H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU 32 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | 22 mm | 1.9 kg | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | matte |
| 8 | 82.9 % | 11/2020 |  | Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-53-77N5 Intel Core i7-10750H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 22.9 mm | 2.5 kg | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | matte |
| 9 | 82.8 % | 01/2021 |  | HP Omen 15-en0375ng AMD Ryzen 7 4800H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 23 mm | 2.2 kg | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | matte |
| 10 | 82.7 % | 10/2021 |  | Dell G15 5515 AMD Ryzen 7 5800H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 24.9 mm | 2.4 kg | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | matte |
The table above contains an overview over the best budget gaming laptops for less than 1,500 Euros reviewed by Notebookcheck over the course of the past 12 months as well as still relevant and available older products. In cases of identical score the more recent device is listed first. All prices in above table and price comparisons are updated daily and can thus differ.
Link: all devices in this class reviewed
Editors' Comments
Finally, after many months of waiting we have two new entries to our list of affordable gaming notebooks. The HP Omen 16 starts at under $1,400 yet scored an incredible 86 % in our review. Not on this list yet worth a closer look is the Asus TUF Gaming F15, which is currently not yet available in North America. It might perform even better than the Omen 16. We will also have the MSI Katana in review shortly, and the MSI Pulse GL66 missed our list with a rating of just 81 % and a price that was too high to qualify.
1st – HP Omen 16
The HP Omen 16 features an AMD Ryzen processor yet overall very efficient components. Its Ryzen 7 and RX 6600M perform very well and are very well capable of running current games in high or even maximum details smoothly.
Solid gaming performance, good battery life, and a QHD display for less than $1,400 are good reasons why the HP Omen 16 deserves our endorsement. However, you will need a good set of headphones.
The device is available on Amazon with prices starting at just shy of $1,400.
Pricecompare
2nd – Asus TUF Gaming F15 FX506HM
The TUF Gaming F15 has almost no bells and whistles but offers a good performance at a low price. Equipped with an Intel Core i7-11800H and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU the TUF FX506HM offers a good price-performance ratio.
High CPU and GPU performance allow the FX506HM to stand out of the mid-range crowd.
The TUF FX506 series is currently not yet available in North America.
Pricecompare
3rd – Asus TUF Gaming A15 FA506QR
Admittedly the TUF Gaming A15 is slightly too expensive for this list but only marginally so. In return, you get a full-fledged RTX 3070. At a price of 1,529 Euros you get a great and powerful gaming laptop at an affordable price point.
The Asus TUF Gaming A15 offers good gaming performance and long battery life.
The TUF Gaming A15 is currently not yet available in North America.
Pricecompare
4th – HP Victus 16
The HP Victus 16 is a good-looking gaming notebook with 16-inch display and powerful internal hardware, decent input devices, and a good 144 Hz display. Inside, we find a Ryzen 7 5800H paired with a GeForce RTX 3060.
Apart from its extreme noise emissions and its comparatively high temperatures during 3D load the HP Victus 16-e1079ng is a well-made and well-balanced gaming notebook.
Our review unit is currently not available in North America, and availability is rather limited in general. Amazon has a single lesser-equipped SKU listed for sale at slightly under $1,000.
Pricecompare
5th – Lenovo Legion 5 15 G6 AMD
No bells and whistles (such as backlit keys) but pure and raw gaming performance in return, thanks to a GeForce RTX 3060 paired with a brand-new AMD Ryzen 5600-series processor and a fast 165 Hz display.
The Legion 5 15 Gen 6 focuses on the most important core abilities of any gaming laptop: high performance and a fast display.
Our review unit is currently not available in North America, and availability is rather limited in general. Amazon has a single lesser-equipped SKU listed for sale at slightly over $1,000.
Pricecompare
6th – XMG Focus 15 (Clevo NP50HK)
In our review, the catchphrase was “RTX 3050 Ti at its limit”. Schenker clearly targets this device at gamesr on a budget. Case, input devices, and 144 Hz display worked well, and despite a few minor flaws this RTX 3050 Ti-based laptop wiped the floor with similarly equipped competitors.
The RTX 3050’s high TGP is both a pro and con at the same time. However, considering its price we would have expected an RTX 3060 instead.
Schenker devices are not sold in North America.
Pricecompare
7th – Dell G15 5515
A Ryzen 7 APU paired with GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU ensure smooth gameplay of practically all modern games on the Dell’s matte FHD display. The laptop can be equipped with two NVMe SSDs and offers excellent battery life. The display, in return, was a bit of a disappointment.
At slightly over 1,000 Euros the Dell G15 5515 is a well-equipped entry-level budget gamer.
A slightly better equipped SKU (Ryzen 7 5800H, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, RTX 3060) is available on Amazon for $1,400.
Pricecompare
10th – Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15
The IdeaPad Gaming 3 15 is Lenovo’s 6th generation of affordable gaming notebooks. Our review unit came with an Intel Tiger Lake H35 processor as well as a 90 W GeForce RTX 3050 Ti – an ideal combination for FHD gaming.
The IdeaPad Gaming 3 15 is a good budget gaming notebook with an RTX 3050 Ti that should offer more than enough performance for its native 1080p display. If you can afford it we would strongly suggest investing in the optional 165 Hz display.
The Intel SKU of Lenovo’s IdeaPad Gaming 3 15 is currently not available in North America.
Pricecompare
Top 10 in Comparison
Test Results
| HP Omen 16-c0077ng | Asus TUF Gaming F15 FX506HM | Asus TUF Gaming A15 FA506QR-AZ061T | HP Victus 16-e0179ng | Lenovo Legion 5 15ACH-82JU00C6GE-FL | Schenker XMG Focus 15 | Dell G15 5515 | MSI Alpha 15 B5EEK-008 | Medion Erazer Deputy P25 | Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3 15IHU-82K1002RGE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | ||||||||||
| Display P3 Coverage | 68.8 | 41.9 | 72.6 | 65.4 | 64.6 | 39.1 | 65.9 | 39.7 | 39.7 | |
| sRGB Coverage | 96.9 | 62.9 | 100 | 96.3 | 95.3 | 56.9 | 91.6 | 59.7 | 59.6 | |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 71.1 | 43.3 | 73.5 | 67.5 | 66.5 | 40.4 | 67 | 41.1 | 41.1 | |
| Response Times | ||||||||||
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 13 ? | 28.4 ? | 12 ? | 9.6 ? | 13.6 ? | 18 ? | 25.2 ? | 5.06 ? | 40.4 ? | 46.4 ? |
| Response Time Black / White * | 10 ? | 21.6 ? | 8 ? | 14.4 ? | 9.2 ? | 8.8 ? | 16.8 ? | 7.44 ? | 30.4 ? | 35.2 ? |
| PWM Frequency | 1250 ? | 200 ? | ||||||||
| Screen | ||||||||||
| Brightness middle | 297 | 268.3 | 297 | 361 | 350 | 418 | 278 | 311 | 283 | 307 |
| Brightness | 283 | 257 | 268 | 341 | 350 | 376 | 262 | 325 | 266 | 292 |
| Brightness Distribution | 91 | 84 | 84 | 88 | 96 | 83 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 88 |
| Black Level * | 0.22 | 0.34 | 0.22 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.41 | 0.36 | 0.22 | 0.2 | 0.21 |
| Contrast | 1350 | 789 | 1350 | 1203 | 1167 | 1020 | 772 | 1414 | 1415 | 1462 |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.25 | 5.05 | 1.36 | 2.44 | 3.9 | 1.67 | 5.74 | 5.06 | 5.32 | 5.9 |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 6.33 | 15.43 | 3.82 | 6.37 | 8.2 | 3.88 | 19.63 | 8.37 | 17.68 | 21.6 |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 1.11 | 3.21 | 1.26 | 1.6 | 0.98 | 4.7 | 2.62 | 3.94 | 4.8 | |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 6.97 | 5.5 | 1.88 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 4.8 | 2.9 | 4.9 |
| Gamma | 2.3 96% | 2.35 94% | 2.48 89% | 2.268 97% | 2.15 102% | 2.26 97% | 2.011 109% | 2.12 104% | 2.062 107% | 2.26 97% |
| CCT | 6050 107% | 7392 88% | 6768 96% | 6609 98% | 7414 88% | 6209 105% | 6207 105% | 8002 81% | 7167 91% | 6504 100% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 63 | |||||||||
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 99 | |||||||||
| Noise | ||||||||||
| off / environment * | 25 | 24.8 | 26 | 24 | 24.2 | 24 | 24 | 25.49 | 25 | 23.9 |
| Idle Minimum * | 25 | 24.6 | 26 | 24 | 29 | 25 | 25 | 29.57 | 27 | 23.9 |
| Idle Average * | 31.2 | 24.9 | 26 | 25 | 29 | 30 | 26 | 29.57 | 29 | 26.8 |
| Idle Maximum * | 33.8 | 24.9 | 27.4 | 34 | 29 | 43 | 30 | 29.57 | 31 | 26.8 |
| Load Average * | 55.4 | 27.1 | 46.6 | 44 | 53.5 | 56 | 44 | 48.61 | 57 | 43.5 |
| Load Maximum * | 56 | 49 | 49.3 | 52 | 53.5 | 58 | 48 | 57.66 | 58 | 53.1 |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 46.4 | 50 | 53.5 | 56 | 44 | 59 | 56 | 43.5 | ||
| Heat | ||||||||||
| Maximum Upper Side * | 40.6 | 46.4 | 46.7 | 51 | 42.6 | 43 | 50 | 44.4 | 37 | 43.2 |
| Maximum Bottom * | 36 | 45.4 | 55.9 | 52 | 52.2 | 46 | 49 | 48.6 | 40 | 47.9 |
| Idle Upper Side * | 31.3 | 26 | 37.1 | 46 | 24.9 | 39 | 26 | 31.2 | 27 | 24.9 |
| Idle Bottom * | 36 | 27.4 | 38.1 | 41 | 25.3 | 40 | 26 | 32.2 | 29 | 27 |
| Battery Runtime | ||||||||||
| Reader / Idle | 660 | 1043 | 511 | 387 | 807 | 740 | 628 | |||
| H.264 | 419 | 259 | 529 | 587 | 460 | |||||
| WiFi v1.3 | 363 | 473 | 685 | 354 | 290 | 235 | 478 | 524 | 404 | 397 |
| Witcher 3 ultra | 83 | 115 | ||||||||
| Load | 119 | 145 | 76 | 105 | 54 | 91 | 90 | 64 | 64 | |
| Power Consumption | ||||||||||
| Idle Minimum * | 12 | 9.5 | 10.2 | 5 | 7.3 | 23 | 5 | 9.1 | 8 | 4.9 |
| Idle Average * | 12.8 | 12.1 | 12.8 | 10 | 10.5 | 25 | 9 | 14.61 | 11 | 8.3 |
| Idle Maximum * | 18.5 | 22.5 | 15 | 20 | 15.7 | 29 | 20 | 15.05 | 16 | 8.9 |
| Load Average * | 190 | 99.5 | 130 | 108 | 108 | 106 | 94 | 77.8 | 109 | 81 |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 194 | 157 | 137 | 145 | 175 | 128 | 123 | 131 | 183 | 119 |
| Load Maximum * | 200 | 173.5 | 184 | 189 | 228 | 156 | 172 | 114.42 | 211 | 172 |
* ... smaller is better
