June 13, 20229 Best Gaming Laptop Under $1500 [Year 2023]

Years before, having a laptop with tremendous processing power, top-notch specifications, great features and amazing graphics had once been considered a pipe dream. Even after gaming laptops were developed, the vast majority of them were marketed at ridiculously high prices. However, this has since changed. 

Many gaming brands are now producing gaming laptops with a range of prices to cater to a wide range of customers. You no longer need to spend a fortune on a gaming laptop because many of the best gaming laptop are under $1500.

These gaming brands made it possible for everyone to buy a gaming laptop that has amazing specs and features at reasonable prices. Today, you can play even the most high-end games with just under $1500.

Here, we listed a few of our favorite and best gaming laptops under $1500 that you can choose from. 

Let’s get into it!

What is the Best Gaming Laptop Under $1500?

Below, I listed my top picks for the best gaming laptops under $1500.

Overview

The Acer Nitro 5 — although a bit underrated — has one of the most powerful components and top-notch gaming hardware considering its price. Its impressive specs offer what most gamers look for in gaming laptops. This gaming laptop allows you to game on a budget.

This powerful gaming laptop is packed with top-notch features that more expensive gaming laptops have. The Acer Nitro 5 is a Windows 10 device that is powered by the latest Intel Core 5-10300H processor with the latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 GPU with 4GB of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM. With this combination of CPU and GPU, the Nitro 5 is packed with a phenomenal power to run even the most demanding and latest games. 

PC gaming has also never been better with the Nitro’s 5 excellent display. The Nitro 5 uses full HD detail on the 15.6″ widescreen LED-backlit IPS display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, and 80% screen-to-body with a 16:9 aspect ratio. This display is not only great for gamers on a budget, but also for those content creators who edit photos and videos. 

This gaming machine also features a backlit keyboard. In addition to the RGB lighting of the keyboard, both the arrow keys and the WASD keys are outlined with a white border, which is the perfect touch for a gaming laptop.

You also won’t have to worry about overheating since the Acer Nitro 5 is built with the Acer CoolBoost technology, which increases fan speed by 10%. The CPU and the GPU cooling are also increased by 9%, which, in total, increases the thermal performance.

A feature that we really liked was the NitroSense UI, which can be called up with the dedicated keyboard button, so you can instantly visualize your PC’s component temperature, fan speed, loading performance, power plan, and more. Lastly, the Nitro 5 also has a decent battery life, which can last up to nearly 6 hours when used for playing games. 

If you’re looking for the perfect gaming laptop on a budget, the Acer Nitro 5 is a great choice. Although like most budget gaming laptops, the Acer Nitro 5 may have a few drawbacks, if you don’t mind them, then this mid-range gaming laptop is for you.

Overview

The Lenovo Legion 5 is your typical gaming laptop. Although Lenovo isn’t as well known for their gaming laptops, this Lenovo laptop is great for budget gamers that want to play games.

It features the octa-core AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor, which has 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and 512GB NVMe SSD storage. This Lenovo laptop also comes with an entry-level GPU, the  NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti. 

This gaming laptop also comes with 16GB of RAM. However, if you’re not satisfied with the 16GB of RAM, don’t worry, the Legion 5 is a 2x8GB which you can upgrade if you want more RAM. But with its current RAM, even competitive gamers can multitask and have lag-free gaming. 

In terms of data storage, the Legion has ample storage space with its standard 512GB SSD storage. As a general guideline, it’s best to install demanding games on the SSD along with the Windows 10 Home edition OS, to improve loading times.

Just like the Nitro 5, the Legion 5 comes with a 15.6″ full HD, 1920 x 1080 IPS display. This is great for both gamers and graphic designers alike. It also comes with the TrueStrike keyboard with a 4-zone RGB backlight for enhanced nighttime gaming sessions.

It’s also quite portable, weighing a mere 5.28 pounds. Additionally, it comes with a 60Wh battery, with an average battery life of 6 hours. This is one of the highest-quality gaming laptops under $1500 that offers excellent gaming performance at a decent price. 

Overview

The MSI Stealth 15M is one of the several promising entry-level gaming laptops under $1500.

It is powered bu the 11th gen. Intel Core i7-11375H processor delivers high-quality performance and can take on most games with ease. In combination with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics processor, the Stealth 15M offers you decent gaming graphics.

In terms of design, the Stealth 15M stays true to its name “Stealth.” The Stealth 15M has a stealthy design, meaning, you wouldn’t have thought that the 15M was a gamers laptop at first glance. Aside from that, this is one of the lightest and thinnest gaming notebooks available on the market. Weighing at only 3.73 lbs, the Stealth 15M is by far one of the most portable gaming machines so you can game on the go. 

This MSI gaming laptop also has a considerable amount of ports to allow you to connect your gaming peripherals.

The Stealth 15M also comes with a 15.6” 144hz display that delivers true-to-life images with a high refresh rate. Take note that the display is not the best on the market, however, it does a pretty decent job. Not to mention that it’s glare-free, which is great if you like gaming or working outdoors. 

Although the Stealth 15M has MSI’s exclusive Cooler Boost Technology, it doesn’t quite do its job of getting the airflow you need for gaming. The Stealth 15M tends to overheat if you overwork it, which is understandable due to the fact that it has a very thin chassis.

Lastly, the MSI Stealth 15M also doesn’t have the best battery life. But if you’re not a very heavy gamer and don’t game for long periods, this gaming laptop is a decent option.

Overview

The HP Pavilion 15 isn’t your average gaming laptop. The Pavilion Gaming 15’s technology allows all of the latest and most popular videogames to operate smoothly on the matte 15.6-inch screen.

This HP laptop runs on AMD processors with its AMD Ryzen 5 4600H CPU. It can easily handle the latest games and most demanding apps. Its 4GHz clock speed makes it ideal for not only gaming but also heavy-duty applications like 3D modeling and film or photo editing. It does, however, use an NVIDIA GTX 1650 entry-level unit. Regardless, it performs admirably, even during hardcore gaming.

A WLED-backlit display with a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels is featured on the Pavilion 15. HP’s anti-glare technology ensures that you will be able to play for long periods of time without straining your eyes. Moreover, the IPS display features a 60Hz refresh rate by default, which is beneficial for better gaming performance.

It also has a simple design with a lighted keyboard, making it ideal for late-night gaming.

This HP laptop is incredibly versatile, with applications you can use that range from web browsing to 3D modeling. It is an excellent gaming laptop because it can be used for both work and gaming.

Product Description

Another great gaming laptop from MSI is the new gaming laptop, the MSI GF65 10UE. It is a great budget gaming laptop that is a definite pleaser for most gamers who are looking for mid-range gaming laptops.

It is powered by the 10th gen. Intel Core i7-10750H processor, delivering optimal efficiency in both gameplay and work productivity. It also uses the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics processor. The overclockable RTX 3060 is a powerful card, and the addition of ray tracing effects to supported titles enhances your gaming experience. And with DLSS support, you can expect enhanced graphics and very realistic ray-traced graphics with amazing AI features that other gaming laptops don’t feature.

The MSI GF65 uses a 15.6-inch, 1080p, 144Hz display. The images are sharp and crisp. But it’s not as bright, which can be hard when the game has darker scenes. On the other hand, it does have a 6-Hz refresh rate and IPS technology, which is great for modern games.  

This gaming laptop also features the latest CoolerBoost 5 cooling system and enlarged internal diameter thermal pipes for more efficient cooling in a compact chassis. This can become quite handy when you’re having long gaming sessions.

The MSI GF65 thin is an impressive gaming laptop that delivers the best gaming experience. It does a great job and meets most of our expectations for a good gaming laptop. Although it may have a few drawbacks, it still performs quite well considering its price.

Overview

One of the most popular gaming laptops under $1500 is the Acer Predator Helios 300. The Acer Predator Helios 300 is one of the greatest laptops on the market in terms of value for money.

It comes with a 10th gen. Intel Core i7-10750h 8-core processor, 16GB RAM, and a 512 GB SSD, and is one of the most powerful laptops on the market, capable of running even the most recent games thanks to its rapid single-core clock speed of 5GHz.

Not only is the CPU excellent, but so is the GeForce RTX 2060 GPU, which has 6 GB of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM and allows you to play other high-end games.

For gamers who demand a great visual experience, this 15.6″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS LED-backlit display with a 16:9 aspect ratio features an incredibly fast 144Hz refresh rate and 3ms Overdrive response time, while the 72% NTSC color gamut ensures that the 15.6-inch FHD display is color accurate.

The Acer Predator Helios 300 runs at 60 frames per second and has a response time of 3 ms. This makes it the ideal gaming laptop for multiplayer games played online. This gaming laptop also comes with an excellent RGB backlit keyboard.

A 5th Generation AeroBlade Fan with 89 blades is included with the Helios 300 to maximize air intake and keep your system at a comfortable temperature. Additionally, it helps decrease the CPU and GPU throttling for better-sustained performance, which allows you to maximize your performance. The Helios 300’s major flaw is that, even with the AeroBlade fan, it can overheat when used for long periods.

Overview

The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is one of the cheapest gaming laptops on this list, yet it still offers high-quality performance and does not sacrifice its quality.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is a gaming laptop with the latest AMD Ryzen 5 5600H processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card. The award-winning NVIDIA Turing architecture powers the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 GPU, delivering unrivaled graphics performance. This laptop’s CPU and GPU combo will guarantee that you have a fantastic gaming experience. It also comes with 8 GB of DDR4 RAM and a 256GB PCIe SSD.

Gamers can game at pro-level speeds and graphics thanks to its high-quality display. With a 120Hz FHD (1920×1080) IPS panel and smooth, tear-free frame rates, enjoy AAA PC game titles at their highest resolution settings. 

It has a gorgeous design and Nahimic Audio, which includes immersive 7.1-channel surround sound that functions as a radar to identify your targets.

Moreover, unlike other gaming laptops, the IdeaPad Gaming 3 operates quicker and cooler than the prior generations, thanks to a higher thermal ceiling that absorbs 41% more heat (120W). Featuring twice as many air outlets and up to four heat pipes, its cutting-edge thermals more than double the airflow.

Play games on the go and with style with the affordable Lenovo IdeaPad 3 gaming laptop. 

Overview

With the Asus TUF Dash F15, you can have one of the best gaming experiences on a laptop that has fantastic features and an awesome appeal.

It has a Core i7-11370H CPU that can boost its clock speed to roughly 4.8GHz, which is more than enough for certain games. The RTX 3050 graphics card is also used. Therefore, you’ll have a lag-free gaming experience while playing games or even performance issues. With that being said, with its cutting-edge GeForce RTX GPU with Dynamic Boost 2.0 that reliably provides high frame rates, graphics are fast and powerful. 

It comes with 8GB of RAM that can be expanded. However, in order to access the RAM and upgrade it to 32GB of DDR4 memory, you’ll have to dismantle the entire bottom of the laptop.

The 15.6-inch FHD display with a 240Hz refresh rate is used in this gaming laptop. It sports a 144Hz IPS-level panel that is extremely quick and also features Adaptive-Sync synchronization of the display’s refresh rate with the GPU’s frame rate to reduce delay, reduce slurring, and remove graphic tearing for ultra-smooth and highly interactive gameplay, making it ideal for gaming.

This gaming laptop is light and compact, measuring only 0.8 inches thick and weighing only 4.5 pounds. The keyboard deck and lid of the laptop are both made of a gorgeous gray metal, assuring that it maintains its firmness while remaining portable.

The Dash F15 is also extremely sturdy, having passed MIL-STD-810H testing. To verify its reliability, this gaming laptop was subjected to drops, vibration, humidity, and high temperatures. This makes the Dash 15 more than capable of withstanding minor bumps and knocks while on the road.

It also has a robust cooling system that ensures long-term system dependability and increases the Dash F15’s lifespan. 

Overall, this ASUS TUF Dash 15 is definitely a very durable gaming laptop that can handle bumps and knocks. It’s also a great gaming laptop option and will surely not disappoint.

Overview

The ASUS ROG Strix G15 is a great versatile gaming laptop that is specially built for gamers. 

This gaming laptop is powered by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4GB GDDR6 graphics processor with ROG Boost. This allows you to have really smooth gameplay. And in combination with the latest AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor, the Strix G15 can handle even AAA game titles without having to worry about lags. It features a 144Hz refresh rate, which ensures that fast-paced action looks impeccably smooth and minimizes motion blur. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPU maintains smooth frame rates while the AMD Ryzen CPU handles heavy lifting and multitasking.

The Strix G15 is built with a stunning 300Hz 15.6” Full HD 1920×1080 IPS-type display. It’s stunning because it’s 100% sRGB. Although the display is great, it isn’t the brightest on the market. However, there’s no reason to be concerned if you’re not using the Strix G15 to play games outside.

With its trademark on the exterior of the laptop, the Strix G15 is designed to promote its brand. It’s also clearly designed for gamers, as it features excellent RGB lighting.

It includes an RGB keyboard, which lights up your gaming laptop—perfect for nighttime gaming sessions. Despite the chassis being constructed with plastic, the plastic materials used are of great quality and do not creak or squeak, so there is no need to worry about accidental bumps.

Lastly, this gaming laptop also offers an ROG Intelligent Cooling thermal system with Thermal Grizzly Liquid Metal Thermal Compound. To offer the optimal experience, ROG’s Intelligent Cooling concept combines the necessary features and system settings. Cutting-edge features like liquid metal compound on the CPU and a well-ventilated exterior maintain noise levels lower than the previous generation, boosting performance.

Overall, the ROG Strix G15 is one of the best gaming laptop under $1500 and is a solid choice among gamers.

Factors to Consider Before Buying a Gaming Laptop Under $1500

When it comes to choosing the best gaming laptop under $1500, it really just comes down to personal preference and where you’re planning to use it. Are you going to use it for light gaming or will you play demanding games that require a more powerful system? Will you also use the gaming laptop for work? 

We’re not gonna lie, $1500 is not exactly a “budget-friendly” price, but when you look at it, it’s much more affordable compared to those gaming laptops that reach $2000+. You can get a reliable and outstandingly performing gaming laptop for just under a grand. But to get the best mid-range gaming laptop, there are factors to consider, which we’ll talk about below. 

Performance

The very first aspect you should think about when buying a gaming laptop is its gaming performance and general performance when used for other tasks. The CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage are the major factors to take into consideration regarding performance.

These elements will be determined by how flexible or limited your budget is. The larger the budget, the better the components are, and vice versa. Gaming laptops on the more expensive end of the spectrum will undoubtedly have a better operating system, hence their price. And with a better operating system, you’re able to play more demanding games and do more tasks. So, when you’re already investing a large sum on a gaming laptop, it’s best that you know you’re getting what you paid for. 

CPU

A good CPU is essential since it improves your gaming experience. Your CPU is the component that gives your laptop instructions and the processing power it requires to operate quickly and efficiently. It processes everything and provides signals to operate the other components of your gaming laptop, such as the GPU. The CPU is your laptop’s brain, and without it, your laptop would be useless.

The clock speed and core count of a CPU can help determine a CPU’s gaming quality performance. As a result, the faster your processor is upgraded, the faster your laptop can complete its tasks. It also significantly improves your gaming experience. Your gaming laptop will be more powerful if your CPU is also powerful along with your GPU.

GPU

GPU is vital in the same way as the CPU is important in a laptop, especially for gaming. When playing games that require higher resolution, you’ll want to make sure you have the finest graphics processor, or at the very least a decent one.

When it comes to gaming, the visual interface has a significant impact on your gaming experience. Having  a greater resolution and frame rate makes your game look substantially better. As a result, the stronger the GPU, the better the graphics in your games will be.

When running demanding programs and games on higher-resolution screens like a 4k monitor, not only will the graphics appear substantially better, but your gaming performance will also improve.

You can choose between a dedicated graphics card and an integrated graphics card. But between the two, we highly recommend a dedicated graphics card, since A dedicated graphics card has its own source memory, which eliminates the need for your system’s RAM.   Meanwhile, an integrated graphics card uses your system’s RAM rather than its own. This can cause your system to slow down, which isn’t good when you’re gaming.

RAM and Storage

Another thing to think about is your gaming laptop’s RAM and storage. One of the parts that determines how effectively your gaming laptop runs is the RAM. RAM is vital because it helps your system access data from your main storage disk more quickly. All of your game’s data is stored on your hard disk or solid-state drive (SDD), but you don’t need to access it all of the time.

However, when choosing between a hard disk and a solid-state drive, we prefer SSDs since they are ready when you are and provide faster load speeds due to the lack of rotating parts. Hard disks, on the other hand, have slower load speeds.

Display and Screen Resolution

A powerful GPU is useless without a good display, because you won’t be able to fully appreciate the stunning graphics. 

One of the factors that influences your gaming experience is your viewing experience. You will not have a pleasant experience if the display is of poor quality and dull.

With higher frame rates, the game’s motion appears smoother, responds faster, and looks so much better altogether. As a result, higher refresh rate displays are favored. 

A 144Hz display may create more than twice as many frames as a 60Hz panel with the correct graphics technology. If your gaming laptop can run a game at 100 frames per second, playing it on a monitor that can refresh at that rate may provide the best viewing experience.

Build

Build quality is also a factor you should always consider when looking for the best gaming laptop. You’re investing quite a sum of money, so you should ensure that the laptop lasts for quite a while. This is also especially important for those who travel with their laptops.

Always check if the material used to build the laptop is of high-quality and will take a long time to deteriorate. 

Also, the build of the gaming laptop isn’t only about the exterior and chassis of the laptop, but also its components. Ensure that all of them are good quality.

Don’t forget to also check its available ports.

Design and Aesthetic

Although, design and aesthetic are not as important as the previous factors I’ve mentioned. However, I would like to add this in because of how a lot of gamers want to fit their gaming laptops into their gaming setups’ aesthetic. 

Before the term “aesthetic” was even integrated into our vocabulary, a lot of gamers tended to reach out for gaming peripherals that were all alike in terms of design or color in order to stick to an “aesthetic.”  

Now that having an aesthetically pleasing gaming setup is a trend, more and more gamers (and even non-gamers) are looking into buying gaming peripherals to match their aesthetic. Having a stunning gaming setup helps set the mood, which in turn, also boosts your gaming performance. 

If you want to amp up your gaming setup and make it more aesthetic, you can add other gaming peripherals to your setup, such as a pink gaming keyboard if you have a girly aesthetic or even a white gaming headset.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are gaming laptops good for everyday use?

Gaming laptops, in general, are made for gaming, but that does not mean you can’t use it for everyday use. Naturally, gaming laptops are much more powerful than your standard laptops. This means that your gaming laptops can handle a lot more stress and workload than your average laptop. 

With gaming laptops, you’re able to do much more work, multi-task, and use demanding applications without having to worry too much about it slowing down or lagging. 

So, if you’re someone who does 3D designing, video editing, or something close to that  nature, a gaming laptop can be beneficial for you in the long run.

Why are gaming laptops so expensive?

As mentioned, gaming laptops are built to handle even the most hardcore games and applications. And for these laptops to handle that much work, they would need to have powerful hardware that can withstand a heavy workload. 

You’ll notice that with standard laptops, when you play intense games or run demanding applications, they get slower and overheat faster. But with gaming laptops that are built more durably, they would still run smoothly and would not overheat as fast. 

This is why these kinds of laptops are much more expensive because they use higher grade materials, better processors and graphics processors, and more.

How much RAM do I need for gaming?

Having 8GB of RAM is the minimum for many gaming laptops. 

8GB is enough for most games to run smoothly and without any problems. However, there are some games that might not run at the highest quality. These kinds of games require a larger amount of GB to run smoothly. 

So, you can get a new gaming laptop that has at least 8GB of RAM if you’re only planning to play more casual games. But if you’re looking to play more hard-core games, then you should get a laptop with either a higher RAM or an upgradable RAM for you to have excellent gaming performance. 

Final Thoughts

Since there are a ton of great gaming laptops available on the market, it can be quite confusing. So, we hope this article about the best gaming laptop under $1500 was able to help you choose your new gaming laptop! 

If you want to learn more about gaming recommendations and reviews, check us out here!

Happy gaming, everyone!