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The Best Budget Gaming Notebooks

November 2020 update. These notebooks offer the best bang for the buck: maximum performance at a low price. They are thus ideally suited for beginners. Find your next gaming notebook that will balance your expectations with your budget below.
Florian Glaser, 👁 Douglas Black (translated by Finn D. Boerne), 🇩🇪 🇹🇷 ...
Gaming Laptop Windows Charts

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 Budget Gaming Laptops

Pos.
Rating
Date
Image
Modell/Testbericht
Height
Weight
Size
Resolution
Screen
Best Price
184 %
10/2020
Aorus 5 KBAorus 5 KB
Intel Core i7-10750H
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD		28 mm2.1 kg15.60"1920x1080matte
284 %
06/2020
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89FDell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F
AMD Ryzen 7 4800H
AMD Radeon RX 5600M
16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD		21.6 mm2.4 kg15.60"1920x1080matte
383 %
07/2020
Lenovo Legion 5 15IMH05HLenovo Legion 5 15IMH05H
Intel Core i5-10300H
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD		26.1 mm2.5 kg15.60"1920x1080matte
483 %
11/2020
neu!
Acer Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-53-77N5Acer Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-53-77N5
Intel Core i7-10750H
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD		22.9 mm2.5 kg15.60"1920x1080matte
583 %
05/2020
Asus TUF A17 FA706IU-AS76Asus TUF A17 FA706IU-AS76
AMD Ryzen 7 4800H
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
16 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD		26 mm2.6 kg17.30"1920x1080matte
683 %
06/2020
Asus TUF A15 FA506IV-HN172Asus TUF A15 FA506IV-HN172
AMD Ryzen 7 4800H
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
8 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD		24.9 mm2.2 kg15.60"1920x1080matte
782 %
09/2020
Schenker XMG Core 15 GK5NR0OSchenker XMG Core 15 GK5NR0O
AMD Ryzen 7 4800H
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
16 GB Memory, 500 GB SSD		19.9 mm2 kg15.60"1920x1080matte
882 %
09/2020
HP Omen 15-ek0456ngHP Omen 15-ek0456ng
Intel Core i5-10300H
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD		32 mm2.1 kg15.60"1920x1080matte
982 %
10/2020
Lenovo Legion 5 17IMH05Lenovo Legion 5 17IMH05
Intel Core i5-10300H
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
8 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD		26.2 mm2.9 kg17.30"1920x1080matte
1082 %
10/2020
Aorus 7 KBAorus 7 KB
Intel Core i7-10750H
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD		29 mm2.5 kg17.30"1920x1080matte

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.

1st – Aorus 5 KB

Aorus 5 KB
Aorus 5 KB

Gigabyte’s Aorus 5 KB is based on barebone made by gaming expert Clevo. Our review unit’s compact 15-inch chassis encompassed a Core i7-10750H paired with a GeForce RTX 2060, 16 GB of RAM, a 512 GB large SSD, and a 144 Hz panel.

We liked the device’s maintenance options but were not particularly fond of its noise emissions under load, which turned out to be very high.

Pricecompare

2nd – Dell G5 15 SE

Dell G5 15 SE
Dell G5 15 SE

After years of stagnation AMD is finally back in the mobile gaming segment. One of the best examples is the Dell G5 15 special edition. While its Radeon RX 5600M performs roughly on the same level as a GTX 1660 Ti the Ryzen 7 4800H is faster than almost every single one of its Intel competitors.

Unfortunately, the G5 15 suffers from high temperatures and noise emissions under load, which at least in part can be blamed on its poor cooler. In return, battery life was more than adequate.

3rd – Lenovo Legion 5

Lenovo Legion 5
Lenovo Legion 5

Thanks to its GeForce RTX 2060 the Lenovo Legion 5 15IMH is one of the most powerful gaming laptops in this budget top 10 list. The rest of its internal hardware is fairly impressive as well. Our review unit, priced at around 1,200 Euros at the time of writing, featured 16 GB of RAM, a 512 GB large PCIe SSD, and a 120 Hz panel. As a bonus, the 15-inch laptop offered decent battery life.

A better rating could have been achieved by improving connectivity (no Thunderbolt, no card reader).

Pricecompare

4th – Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315

Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315
Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315

At a price of right around 1,500 Euros our Acer Predator Helios 300 review unit almost did not make this budget gaming notebook list.

For your money, you get a powerful gaming combination consisting of a Core i7-10750H paired with a GeForce RTX 2060, 16 GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 512 GB large SSD. In our review, we particularly liked its 144 Hz display, its backlit keyboard, and its fast Wi-Fi. Downsides include the lack of Thunderbolt 3.

Pricecompare

5th – Asus TUF A17

Asus TUF A17
Asus TUF A17

Like many other notebooks in this top 10 list the Asus TUF A17 features an AMD Ryzen 7 4800H. Combined with a GeForce GTX 1660 Ti the laptop has no issues playing modern games smoothly. The 17-inch budget notebook also features a fast 120 Hz display and a large battery.

Downsides include among others the device’s very high noise emissions under 3D load and its poor color space coverage.

Pricecompare

6th – Asus TUF A15

Asus TUF A15
Asus TUF A15

The smaller 15-inch sibling to the TUF A17 is called – surprise, surprise – TUF A15, and its pros and cons are almost identical. Unlike the A17’s GTX 1660 Ti the A15’s similarly powerful GeForce RTX 2060 comes with support for Raytracing, although that might not be relevant for all gamers.

Similar to the A17 we liked the A15’s high-contrast 144 Hz display and its good battery life, and disliked its poor color space coverage and connectivity (no card reader, no Thunderbolt 3).

Pricecompare

7th – Schenker XMG Core 15

Schenker XMG Core 15
Schenker XMG Core 15

RGB keyboard backlight aside the Schenker Technologies XMG Core 15 is a fairly discreet overall. The visually subtle case doesn’t give any indication at the gaming prowess contained within.

At around $1,500 you get a Ryzen 7 4800H combined with a GeForce RTX 2060. Thanks to its comparatively low weight and its small footprint (narrow bezels) the 15-inch device is fairly comfortable to carry around. We also liked its fast 144 Hz display. In return, connectivity and sound quality are definitely in need of improvement.

Pricecompare

8th – HP Omen 15

HP Omen 15
HP Omen 15

The HP Omen 15 has been a hot contender for our budget top 10 for many years. This time, the SKU equipped with a Core i5-10300H, a GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, and a 144 Hz panel made our list. Among other things this compact and conveniently lightweight 15-inch notebook offers a backlight keyboard, a Thunderbolt 3 port, and a relative large battery ensuring a decent battery life.

On the flip side we did not like its high temperatures and noise emissions under load nor did we care for its somewhat cheap looking case.

Pricecompare

9th – Lenovo Legion 5 17

Lenovo Legion 5 17
Lenovo Legion 5 17

While most gaming laptops get very hot when subjected to 3D load the 17-inch Lenovo Legion 5 remained comparatively cool overall.

At a price of around $1,000 you get a Core i5-10300H paired with a GeForce GTX 1650. Battery life was pretty good overall, and the device lasted for more than 10 hours in both, our Wi-Fi and battery test. We also liked the notebook’s sleek and chic design, although we should note that the case is made almost entirely out of plastic. Its major downside was its poor connectivity (no Thunderbolt 3).

Pricecompare

10th – Aorus 7 KB

Aorus 7 KB
Aorus 7 KB

Gamers on a budget will find the Aorus 7 KB to be a decent all-rounder. Its Core i7-10750H hexa-core CPU is paired with a fitting GeForce RTX 2060 high-end GPU, which is slightly faster than a GTX 1660 Ti that lacks the former’s ray tracing capabilities.

The chassis was relative lightweight and compact for a 17-inch device. However, its small size resulted in very high noise emissions when subjected to 3D load. In addition, the display turned out to be fairly dim and its connectivity was comparatively poor.

Pricecompare

Top 10 in Comparison

Size Comparison

❌
399 mm / 15.7 inch 269 mm / 10.6 inch 26 mm / 1.024 inch 2.6 kg5.73 lbs398.6 mm / 15.7 inch 290 mm / 11.4 inch 26.2 mm / 1.031 inch 2.9 kg6.42 lbs395 mm / 15.6 inch 260 mm / 10.2 inch 29 mm / 1.142 inch 2.5 kg5.43 lbs358 mm / 14.1 inch 240 mm / 9.45 inch 32 mm / 1.26 inch 2.1 kg4.71 lbs363.1 mm / 14.3 inch 259.6 mm / 10.2 inch 26.1 mm / 1.028 inch 2.5 kg5.42 lbs361 mm / 14.2 inch 258 mm / 10.2 inch 28 mm / 1.102 inch 2.1 kg4.68 lbs365.5 mm / 14.4 inch 254 mm / 10 inch 21.6 mm / 0.85 inch 2.4 kg5.35 lbs363.4 mm / 14.3 inch 255 mm / 10 inch 22.9 mm / 0.902 inch 2.5 kg5.51 lbs359 mm / 14.1 inch 256 mm / 10.1 inch 24.9 mm / 0.98 inch 2.2 kg4.8 lbs359.8 mm / 14.2 inch 245.8 mm / 9.68 inch 19.9 mm / 0.783 inch 2 kg4.41 lbs

Test Results

Aorus 5 KB
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F
Lenovo Legion 5 15IMH05H
Acer Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-53-77N5
Asus TUF A17 FA706IU-AS76
Asus TUF A15 FA506IV-HN172
Schenker XMG Core 15 GK5NR0O
HP Omen 15-ek0456ng
Lenovo Legion 5 17IMH05
Aorus 7 KB
Response Times
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
14.4 (7.6, 6.8)
20.4 (10.8, 9.6)
26 (12, 14)
17 (9, 8)
22.4 (11.6, 10.8)
34 (16, 18)
9.6 (5.2, 4.4)
17 (9, 8)
38.4 (19.6, 18.8)
13.6 (6.8, 6.8)
Response Time Black / White *
11.2 (6.8, 4.4)
10.8 (6.4, 4.4)
17 (8, 9)
11 (6, 5)
19.2 (9.6, 9.6)
24 (13, 11)
9.6 (4.4, 5.2)
11 (7, 4)
28 (15.6, 12.4)
9.6 (5.2, 4.4)
PWM Frequency
198.4 (99)
Screen
Brightness middle
318
292
301
319
264.8
280
312
314
326
303
Brightness
298
290
277
294
253
254
290
293
304
278
Brightness Distribution
87
77
77
83
90
88
87
87
89
87
Black Level *
0.3
0.27
0.26
0.22
0.31
0.15
0.2
0.22
0.25
0.31
Contrast
1060
1081
1158
1450
854
1867
1560
1427
1304
977
Colorchecker DeltaE2000 *
2.49
3.99
5.12
4.42
4.73
5.89
4.84
2.51
4.42
2.13
Colorchecker DeltaE2000 max. *
5.06
6.11
8.86
8.54
18.89
19
13.85
4.42
9.44
7.51
Colorchecker DeltaE2000 calibrated *
1.53
3.02
4.88
4.64
4.79
1.77
1.71
1.53
0.7
Greyscale DeltaE2000 *
1.6
3.3
3.47
4.84
1.4
4.08
9
3.26
5.8
3.4
Gamma
2.211 100%
2.25 98%
2.37 93%
2.39 92%
2.16 102%
2.33 94%
2.105 105%
2.42 91%
2.261 97%
2.156 102%
CCT
6714 97%
7047 92%
7062 92%
6850 95%
6641 98%
7303 89%
8099 80%
6150 106%
6822 95%
6850 95%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
65
58.1
37
60
38.4
37
68
71
66
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
89
89.7
57
92
59.3
58
92
93
90
Noise
off / environment *
25
28
30.7
25.2
28.7
30.2
25
27
24
25
Idle Minimum *
26
28
30.7
25.2
28.7
30.2
26
32.4
24
31
Idle Average *
30
28
30.7
25.2
30.5
30.2
30
32.4
25
33
Idle Maximum *
34
28
30.7
25.2
32.5
30.2
32
32.4
29
48
Load Average *
53
28
36.6
43.5
42.5
40
46
32.5
43
57
Witcher 3 ultra *
51
50.6
47
53.1
50.1
49
48
47.2
46
55
Load Maximum *
56
50.6
50.9
56
53.4
49
48
51.9
51
57
Heat
Maximum Upper Side *
50
53
46.3
44.1
47.6
42.9
51
40.2
47
48
Maximum Bottom *
49
57.6
44.4
48
50.8
49.9
64
48.4
44
52
Idle Upper Side *
35
27.4
28.1
25.2
33
27.8
29
25.6
35
37
Idle Bottom *
31
31
29.4
25.7
29
27
32
26.7
30
38
Battery Runtime
Reader / Idle
538
671
848
624
543
587
469
703
1399
513
WiFi v1.3
285
372
433
280
512
370
354
391
683
284
Load
58
87
84
108
196
116
87
101
104
70
H.264
554
338
322
371
383
860
333
Power Consumption
Idle Minimum *
8
6.5
3.2
2.9
7.4
5.4
12
9.2
2
15
Idle Average *
12
10.6
8.3
13.2
10.5
10
14
14.6
8
17
Idle Maximum *
21
11
8.7
19.8
17
10.5
20
18.1
16
22
Load Average *
128
84.1
82
105
103.7
135
103
84
58
137
Witcher 3 ultra *
138
152.9
151
127
128.1
144
125
142
89
161
Load Maximum *
217
180.4
195
177
183.2
147
193
194
169
225

* ... smaller is better

Benchmarks

3DMark | 3DMark 11 | The Witcher 3
3DMark - 1920x1080 Fire Strike Score (sort by value)
Aorus 5 KB
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-10750H, ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro (ASX8200PNP-512GT)
15034 Points ∼38%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F
Radeon RX 5600M, R7 4800H, Samsung PM991 MZ9LQ512HALU
16652 Points ∼43%
Lenovo Legion 5 15IMH05H
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i5-10300H, Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU
13745 Points ∼35%
Acer Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-53-77N5
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-10750H, WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-512GB
14732 Points ∼38%
Asus TUF A17 FA706IU-AS76
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, R7 4800H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8
14010 Points ∼36%
Asus TUF A15 FA506IV-HN172
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H, Kingston OM8PCP3512F-AB
14757 Points ∼38%
Schenker XMG Core 15 GK5NR0O
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 500GB
14633 Points ∼37%
HP Omen 15-ek0456ng
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i5-10300H, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G
12767 Points ∼33%
Lenovo Legion 5 17IMH05
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-10300H, SK hynix BC511 HFM512GDHTNI-87A0B
8485 Points ∼22%
Aorus 7 KB
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-10750H, ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro (ASX8200PNP-512GT)
14690 Points ∼38%
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance (sort by value)
Aorus 5 KB
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-10750H, ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro (ASX8200PNP-512GT)
18491 Points ∼44%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F
Radeon RX 5600M, R7 4800H, Samsung PM991 MZ9LQ512HALU
21400 Points ∼50%
Lenovo Legion 5 15IMH05H
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i5-10300H, Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU
17255 Points ∼41%
Acer Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-53-77N5
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-10750H, WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-512GB
17684 Points ∼42%
Asus TUF A17 FA706IU-AS76
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, R7 4800H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8
18607 Points ∼44%
Asus TUF A15 FA506IV-HN172
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H, Kingston OM8PCP3512F-AB
17390 Points ∼41%
Schenker XMG Core 15 GK5NR0O
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 500GB
18520 Points ∼44%
HP Omen 15-ek0456ng
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i5-10300H, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G
16523 Points ∼39%
Lenovo Legion 5 17IMH05
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-10300H, SK hynix BC511 HFM512GDHTNI-87A0B
11495 Points ∼27%
Aorus 7 KB
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-10750H, ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro (ASX8200PNP-512GT)
18213 Points ∼43%
The Witcher 3
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) (sort by value)
Aorus 5 KB
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-10750H, ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro (ASX8200PNP-512GT)
57 (47min) fps ∼33%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F
Radeon RX 5600M, R7 4800H, Samsung PM991 MZ9LQ512HALU
66.1 (62min - 70max) fps ∼39%
Lenovo Legion 5 15IMH05H
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i5-10300H, Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU
68.3 fps ∼40%
Acer Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-53-77N5
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-10750H, WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-512GB
64.8 fps ∼38%
Asus TUF A17 FA706IU-AS76
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, R7 4800H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8
55.6 (53min - 60max) fps ∼32%
Asus TUF A15 FA506IV-HN172
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H, Kingston OM8PCP3512F-AB
60.5 (51min - 68max) fps ∼35%
Schenker XMG Core 15 GK5NR0O
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 500GB
58.8 (48min) fps ∼34%
HP Omen 15-ek0456ng
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i5-10300H, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G
54.2 (46min - 63max) fps ∼32%
Lenovo Legion 5 17IMH05
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-10300H, SK hynix BC511 HFM512GDHTNI-87A0B
40.3 (26min) fps ∼23%
Aorus 7 KB
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-10750H, ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro (ASX8200PNP-512GT)
62.8 fps ∼37%
1920x1080 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off) (sort by value)
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F
Radeon RX 5600M, R7 4800H, Samsung PM991 MZ9LQ512HALU
103.6 (92min - 110max) fps ∼31%
Lenovo Legion 5 15IMH05H
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i5-10300H, Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU
124.8 fps ∼37%
Acer Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-53-77N5
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-10750H, WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-512GB
110.7 fps ∼33%
Asus TUF A17 FA706IU-AS76
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, R7 4800H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8
103 (98min - 108max) fps ∼30%
Asus TUF A15 FA506IV-HN172
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H, Kingston OM8PCP3512F-AB
105 (90min - 115max) fps ∼31%
Schenker XMG Core 15 GK5NR0O
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 500GB
105 fps ∼31%
HP Omen 15-ek0456ng
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i5-10300H, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G
104 (92min - 111max) fps ∼31%
Lenovo Legion 5 17IMH05
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-10300H, SK hynix BC511 HFM512GDHTNI-87A0B
69.5 fps ∼21%
Aorus 7 KB
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-10750H, ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro (ASX8200PNP-512GT)
107.1 fps ∼32%
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> Notebook / Laptop Reviews and News > Reviews > The Best Budget Gaming Notebooks
Florian Glaser (Update: 2020-11-30)