Ranking: The best affordable (sub-$1,500) gaming laptops

With the introduction of the Omen Max, HP's Omen 16 (2025) now serves as a more affordable alternative. Its refined design, good input devices and, above all, very good processor and gaming performance make its budget positioning far from obvious, at least at first glance. It is still a budget gaming laptop, but it avoids some of the usual compromises.

HP's latest Omen 16 enters the budget gaming segment this year, but its build quality, input devices and performance are better than its price suggests.

The Omen is available from Notebooksbilliger.de for just 1,199 euros in Germany.

With the TUF Gaming A18 FA808, Asus offers a reasonably priced, large-screen laptop that is well suited to both watching movies and gaming. We tested a configuration featuring a Ryzen 7 260 and a GeForce RTX 5060 laptop GPU.

The RTX 5060 version of the TUF Gaming A18 proved to be a well-designed 18-inch laptop at a reasonable price.

The Asus TUF Gaming A18 FA808UM-S8060W we tested is available for around 1,300 euros at various online stores in Germany (e.g., Galaxus.de).

While most laptops come in understated colors—usually gray or black—the bright Surge Green version of the Lenovo LOQ 15AHP11 is impossible to miss. This makes the new LOQ 15 a real eye-catcher.

LOQ laptops offer solid build quality, good input devices, a decent selection of ports and adequate displays.

The LOQ 15AHP11 is available in gray starting at around 1,500 euros at various online stores in Germany (e.g., Galaxus.de).

The Nitro V 17 ANV17-41-R4CJ is aimed at buyers looking for a large gaming laptop at the lowest possible price. Like the Omen 16 and the LOQ 17, it is one of the most affordable gaming laptops equipped with Nvidia's RTX 5070.

The Acer Nitro V 17 should appeal to price-conscious gamers who prioritize quiet operation and low power consumption over maximum frame rates.

The tested configuration, which does not include a Windows license, costs 1,300 euros at our partner store Notebooksbilliger.

The LOQ 17IRX10 is relatively affordable for a laptop equipped with an RTX 5070, yet Lenovo has delivered a capable machine. Graphics performance is a particular strength: thanks to built-in GPU overclocking, the RTX 5070 laptop GPU delivers above-average performance.

The LOQ 17IRX10 is an affordable RTX 5070 gaming laptop with particularly strong 3D performance thanks to built-in GPU overclocking.

Lenovo's LOQ 17IRX10 with a Core i7-14700HX and a GeForce RTX 5070 is available for around 1,800 euros at retailers such as Galaxus.de.

As one of Lenovo's most affordable gaming laptops, the LOQ Essential 15 forgoes features such as RGB lighting, an OLED display, G-Sync and Advanced Optimus, but still includes a GeForce RTX graphics card.

The affordable Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 impresses with both its performance and its design.

Lenovo offers the LOQ Essential for €1,719.

While some RTX 5060-powered systems, such as the recently tested MSI Cyborg 15, are held back by low graphics power limits (TGP), the Blackwell GPU can deliver its full performance in the Erazer Deputy 15 P1. The laptop's well-built chassis resists pressure and twisting, while good input devices and a decent selection of ports add to its appeal.

With solid build quality, good input devices and strong performance, Medion's Erazer Deputy 15 P1 deserves a place among the budget gaming laptops worth considering.

The Erazer Deputy 15 P1 MD62761 configuration with a Core 7 250H and a GeForce RTX 5060 is available for just under 1,300 euros from various online stores in Germany (e.g., Coolblue).

The Nitro V14 AI stands out with its all-white finish and compact size. This eye-catching gaming laptop also offers replaceable, upgradable RAM and storage, with two SO-DIMM slots and two M.2 slots.

The 14-inch model's greatest strength is its long battery life: it lasted almost 13 hours in our Wi-Fi web browsing test.

The Acer Nitro V14 AI ANV14-62-R9LT configuration we reviewed is available from various online stores in Germany (e.g., notebooksbilliger.de) starting at around €1,200.

If you are looking for a current-generation gaming laptop in the 1,000-euro price range, the T6 V3.5 is worth considering. This 16-inch machine pairs a capable mid-range graphics card, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 laptop GPU, with a fast Core i7-14700HX processor.

Tulpar's T6 V3.5 holds its own against systems from better-known brands and is well worth a look.

Depending on the configuration, the Tulpar T6 V3.5 is available for around €1,150 from the brand's website.

If you are looking for a reasonably priced laptop with a modern graphics card, Acer's Nitro V 16 AI is worth considering. For around €1,100, it offers 16 GB of DDR5 RAM (2 x 8 GB), a 1 TB SSD, a Ryzen 5 240 processor and a GeForce RTX 5050 with 8 GB of GDDR7 VRAM. Although its chassis contains very little metal, the laptop has a stylish design and a good selection of ports, including USB4. Good input devices and very good battery life further add to its appeal.

The Acer Nitro V 16 AI combines an affordable price with a stylish design, good connectivity and good battery life.

The Nitro V 16 AI ANV16-42-R860 is available online starting at around 1,150 euros (e.g., at Galaxus.de).