The 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 | 86 % | 04/2022 | ![]() | HP Omen 16-c0077ng AMD Ryzen 7 5800H AMD Radeon RX 6600M 16 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | 26 mm | 2.3 kg | 16.10" | 2560x1440 | matte |
2 | 84.9 % | 08/2022 | ![]() | Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZC Intel Core i7-12650H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 20.7 mm | 1.9 kg | 15.60" | 2560x1440 | matte |
3 | 83.9 % | 08/2022 | ![]() | Acer Nitro 5 AN517-55-738R Intel Core i7-12700H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 28.6 mm | 3.1 kg | 17.30" | 1920x1080 | |
4 | 82.8 % | 10/2022 New! | ![]() | Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IAH7 Intel Core i5-12500H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 26 mm | 2.4 kg | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | matte |
5 | 82.7 % | 09/2022 | ![]() | HP Pavilion Gaming 17-cd2146ng Intel Core i5-11300H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 25 mm | 2.8 kg | 17.30" | 1920x1080 | matte |
6 | 82.6 % | 05/2022 | ![]() | Lenovo Legion 5 15ACH6A-82NW0010GE AMD Ryzen 5 5600H AMD Radeon RX 6600M 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 25.75 mm | 2.5 kg | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
7 | 82.6 % | 01/2022 | ![]() | MSI Alpha 15 B5EEK-008 AMD Ryzen 7 5800H AMD Radeon RX 6600M 16 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | 23.95 mm | 2.4 kg | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | matte |
8 | 82.3 % | 09/2022 | ![]() | Gigabyte A5 K1 AMD Ryzen 5 5600H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 34 mm | 2.2 kg | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | matte |
9 | 82.3 % | 05/2022 | ![]() | HP Victus 16-e0145ng AMD Ryzen 5 5600H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU 16 GB Memory, 512 GB NVMe | 23.5 mm | 2.4 kg | 16.10" | 1920x1080 | matte |
10 | 81 % | 06/2022 New! | ![]() | Dell G15 5510 Intel Core i5-10500H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 23 mm | 2.5 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
Two new gaming devices make their way into our budget list this month, the new Lenovo Legion 5 15 with CPU and GPU from AMD and the HP Victus 16.
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Details here
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
Top 10 Laptops
Multimedia, Budget Multimedia, Gaming, Budget Gaming, Lightweight Gaming, Business, Budget Office, Workstation, Subnotebooks, Ultrabooks, Chromebooks
under 300 USD/Euros, under 500 USD/Euros, 1,000 USD/Euros, for University Students, Best Displays
Top 10 Smartphones
Smartphones, Phablets, ≤6-inch, Camera Smartphones
2nd – Asus TUF Dash F15 (i7-12650H, RTX 3050)
For an entry-level gaming laptop, the Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZC is nevertheless a pretty good device that makes no concessions in terms of display, RAM module or CPU - something that cannot be said about many other gaming laptops in this price range. The 1,440p panel fully covers the P3 colour space, offers fast response times, supports Adaptive Sync and has 165 Hz - a rarity among budget models.
The Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZC is equipped with a better 1,440p 165 Hz IPS display than is usual for this price category. However, the power consumption, fan noise and battery life are hardly better than in more powerful configurations.
The Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517 series is available online now. However, the tested configuration with RTX 3050 is currently still rare to find. A model with RTX 3060, for example, is available on Amazon US.
Pricecompare
3rd – Acer Nitro 5 (Intel Core i7-12700H, RTX 3060)
The Nitro 5 series from Acer is known as an affordable gaming machine. With the latest Alder Lake CPU and a fast GeForce RTX 3060, the gaming behemoth should have legs.
The Acer Nitro 5 AN517 is a modern gaming notebook with a fast CPU and GPU configuration. However, the emission values could be the device's undoing.
The Acer Nitro 5 AN517-55 (i7-12700H, RTX 3050 Ti, FHD 144Hz IPS, 16GB DDR4, 1TB SSD) is currently available on Amazon US for $1,199.99.
Pricecompare
4th – Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IAH7
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 stands out from the mass of inexpensive gaming notebooks in two aspects in particular: The graphics card's TGP is relatively high and the picture quality turns out surprisingly good. The 15.6-inch IPS screen is capable of 165 Hz, which promises good response times, and resolves with 1,920 x 1,080 pixels.
If you expect a good display but do not want to spend too much money on a gaming laptop, you should take a closer look at the IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IAH7.
Currently, the IdeaPad Gaming 3i Gen 7 (i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD) is available for $819.99 from Lenovo.
Pricecompare
5th – HP Pavilion Gaming 17 (i5-11300H, RTX 3050 Ti laptop GPU)
Unlike most competitors, HP Pavilion Gaming 17 offers a surprisingly good screen that lacks neither contrast nor color gamut. Brightness and response time are also comparatively good.
HP sells a successful budget notebook for gaming with the Pavilion Gaming 17-cd2146ng.
The HP Pavilion Gaming 17 is currently not available in North America.
Pricecompare
6th – Lenovo Legion 5 15 (Ryzen 5 5600H, Radeon RX 6600M)
Lenovo relies on pure AMD power for its current Legion 5 15. The device is currently on the shelves for just under $1,000, which is a really good argument for buying it.
The Lenovo Legion 5 15 is a well-rounded gaming notebook without a lot of frills and offers solid gaming performance with a current AMD Ryzen CPU paired with an AMD Radeon GPU.
Our review unit is currently not available in North America, and availability is rather limited in general. Amazon has RTX equipped models at more than $1,000.
Pricecompare
7th – MSI Alpha 15
The MSI Alpha 15 is one of the few AMD Advantage gaming laptops currently available. With the Ryzen 7 5800H and the Radeon RX 6600M, the Alpha 15 promises Fps values of over 100 even at high graphics settings in current titles. This makes it a competitor for laptops with Core i7-11800H and RTX 3060.
The MSI Alpha 15 is a great flagship for AMD's Advantage program and the Radeon RX 6600 and only has to make small compromises. It's definitely worth taking a look at the Alpha 15 if you're looking for a performance Intel/Nvidia alternative for competitive 1080p gaming.
The MSI Alpha 15 is currently not yet available in North America.
Pricecompare
8th – Gigabyte A5 K1 (Ryzen 5 5600H, RTX 3060)
The Gigabyte A5 K1 presents itself as a classic gaming laptop that doesn't attach importance to a thin and particularly light case. The focus is rather on a good price-performance ratio, because you get a six-core CPU from AMD and a GeForce RTX 3060 with high TGP for under $1,000.
However, those who primarily pay attention to the price-performance ratio will get a pretty good offer with the A5 K1.
The reviewed Gigabyte A5 K1 with Ryzen 5 5600H, GeForce RTX 3060, 16 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD is available for around $1,250 at various online stores (e.g. Amazon US).
Pricecompare
9th – HP Victus 16 (Ryzen 5 5600H, RTX 3050 Ti)
HP combines a Ryzen 5 5600H with a GeForce RTX 3050 Ti in the low-priced variant of the Victus 16, which promises decent performance for the 144 Hz FHD display. Besides the more expensive variant with a Ryzen 7 5800H and GeForce RTX 3060 (see above), this offer makes an even smaller dent in the wallet without having to sacrifice a lot of performance.
Gamers who have an eye on the budget and do not have high demands on the picture quality might like the tested Victus 16-e0145ng.
A slightly weaker equipped SKU (Ryzen 5 5600H, RTX 3050, 8GB RAM) is available on Amazon for $843.
Pricecompare
10th – Dell G15 5510 (i5-10500H, RTX 3050)
Dell has targeted price-conscious gamers with the Dell G15 5510. The 15-inch laptop offers a well-balanced combination of a six-core processor and a 4 GB graphics card in the tested version.
Dell has put together a balanced overall package here.
Currently, the Dell G15 5510 version with i7-10870H and RTX 3060 is currently available for $1,458.99 at Amazon US.
Pricecompare
Top 10 in Comparison
Test Results
HP Omen 16-c0077ng | Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZC | Acer Nitro 5 AN517-55-738R | Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IAH7 | HP Pavilion Gaming 17-cd2146ng | Lenovo Legion 5 15ACH6A-82NW0010GE | MSI Alpha 15 B5EEK-008 | Gigabyte A5 K1 | HP Victus 16-e0145ng | Dell G15 5510 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | ||||||||||
Display P3 Coverage | 68.8 | 95.8 | 58.9 | 69.1 | 64.8 | 71.1 | 65.9 | 64.4 | 41.6 | 41.6 |
sRGB Coverage | 96.9 | 99.9 | 86.4 | 99.2 | 96.8 | 99.1 | 91.6 | 92.5 | 61.9 | 62.2 |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 71.1 | 85.1 | 60.5 | 69.9 | 66.5 | 72.3 | 67 | 66.1 | 43 | 43 |
Response Times | ||||||||||
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 13 ? | 8.4 ? | 6 ? | 13 ? | 12.7 ? | 15 ? | 5.06 ? | 14.5 ? | 29.6 ? | 33.3 ? |
Response Time Black / White * | 10 ? | 10.4 ? | 8 ? | 8.4 ? | 8.7 ? | 6 ? | 7.44 ? | 9.5 ? | 19.4 ? | 20.7 ? |
PWM Frequency | ||||||||||
Screen | ||||||||||
Brightness middle | 297 | 354.2 | 286 | 338 | 328 | 371 | 311 | 295 | 257 | 288 |
Brightness | 283 | 330 | 278 | 329 | 317 | 328 | 325 | 281 | 239 | 264 |
Brightness Distribution | 91 | 88 | 89 | 92 | 94 | 85 | 84 | 83 | 88 | 88 |
Black Level * | 0.22 | 0.32 | 0.32 | 0.27 | 0.23 | 0.32 | 0.22 | 0.29 | 0.25 | 0.24 |
Contrast | 1350 | 1107 | 894 | 1252 | 1426 | 1159 | 1414 | 1017 | 1028 | 1200 |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.25 | 4.06 | 3.05 | 2.88 | 3.83 | 3.25 | 5.06 | 4.36 | 6.91 | 3.67 |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 6.33 | 8.81 | 5.83 | 9.35 | 8.51 | 6.33 | 8.37 | 6.92 | 22.27 | 18.12 |
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 1.11 | 3.13 | 1.22 | 0.83 | 1.11 | 2.62 | 1.2 | 3.61 | 3.22 | |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 6.97 | 6.7 | 3.17 | 5 | 4.9 | 4.94 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 7.5 | 2.6 |
Gamma | 2.3 96% | 2.12 104% | 2.29 96% | 2.162 102% | 2.177 101% | 2.45 90% | 2.12 104% | 2.106 104% | 2.125 104% | 2.187 101% |
CCT | 6050 107% | 6731 97% | 6916 94% | 7497 87% | 7881 82% | 6064 107% | 8002 81% | 7300 89% | 6025 108% | 6971 93% |
Noise | ||||||||||
off / environment * | 25 | 23.9 | 25.5 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25.49 | 26 | 26 | 26 |
Idle Minimum * | 25 | 24 | 25.5 | 29 | 27 | 25 | 29.57 | 26 | 26 | 26 |
Idle Average * | 31.2 | 24 | 25.5 | 30 | 28 | 25 | 29.57 | 29 | 28 | 27 |
Idle Maximum * | 33.8 | 32.3 | 27 | 32 | 30 | 34.5 | 29.57 | 32 | 34 | 33 |
Load Average * | 55.4 | 43.7 | 52.6 | 42 | 39 | 51.1 | 48.61 | 57 | 44 | 45 |
Load Maximum * | 56 | 53.6 | 68.2 | 54 | 46 | 51.3 | 57.66 | 58 | 53 | 47 |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 53.4 | 46 | 44 | 59 | 56 | 48 | 45 | |||
Heat | ||||||||||
Maximum Upper Side * | 40.6 | 43.4 | 48.3 | 47 | 44 | 39.9 | 44.4 | 50 | 54 | 52 |
Maximum Bottom * | 36 | 44.4 | 52 | 52 | 48 | 43.8 | 48.6 | 51 | 47 | 49 |
Idle Upper Side * | 31.3 | 21.2 | 34.5 | 25 | 27 | 34.1 | 31.2 | 30 | 41 | 26 |
Idle Bottom * | 36 | 24 | 35.8 | 24 | 27 | 31.7 | 32.2 | 33 | 31 | 26 |
Battery Runtime | ||||||||||
H.264 | 419 | 317 | 587 | |||||||
WiFi v1.3 | 363 | 241 | 387 | 352 | 298 | 552 | 524 | 414 | 424 | 362 |
Witcher 3 ultra | 83 | 115 | ||||||||
Reader / Idle | 701 | 770 | 740 | 680 | ||||||
Load | 111 | 118 | 90 | 57 | ||||||
Power Consumption | ||||||||||
Idle Minimum * | 12 | 9.2 | 9.7 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 9.1 | 10 | 7 | 3 |
Idle Average * | 12.8 | 15.9 | 14.6 | 10 | 8 | 13.2 | 14.61 | 12 | 9 | 8 |
Idle Maximum * | 18.5 | 29.5 | 16.7 | 16 | 28 | 15.6 | 15.05 | 17 | 15 | 13 |
Load Average * | 190 | 124.8 | 166 | 99 | 88 | 178 | 77.8 | 113 | 93 | 103 |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 194 | 129.2 | 144.6 | 98.2 | 181 | 131 | 181.4 | 134.5 | 139.5 | |
Load Maximum * | 200 | 178.4 | 235 | 168 | 152 | 180 | 114.42 | 245 | 185 | 204 |
* ... smaller is better
Benchmarks
The Witcher 3 | |
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) (sort by value) | |
HP Omen 16-c0077ng | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZC | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN517-55-738R | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IAH7 | |
HP Pavilion Gaming 17-cd2146ng | |
Lenovo Legion 5 15ACH6A-82NW0010GE | |
MSI Alpha 15 B5EEK-008 | |
Gigabyte A5 K1 | |
HP Victus 16-e0145ng | |
Dell G15 5510 | |
1920x1080 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off) (sort by value) | |
HP Omen 16-c0077ng | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZC | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN517-55-738R | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IAH7 | |
HP Pavilion Gaming 17-cd2146ng | |
Lenovo Legion 5 15ACH6A-82NW0010GE | |
MSI Alpha 15 B5EEK-008 | |
Gigabyte A5 K1 | |
HP Victus 16-e0145ng | |
Dell G15 5510 |