Unsurprisingly, there’s Wi-Fi 6 too. The Acer Nitro 5, which we tested with GTX 1650 graphics, and the Asus ROG Strix G, which isn’t available with our recommended specs, were the only other laptops in this test group to keep their WASD keys cool enough. The RTX 2070 Super and RTX 2080 Super both deliver a significant boost when compared to their predecessors, which means better gaming performance for longer.

How do you define what makes for a "real" gaming laptop? In terms of gaming performance, the storage subsystem affects game load times and in-game level changes.

HP's Pavilion Gaming 15 is a respectable contender in the ultra-competitive arena for budget 1080p gaming laptops, but it falls in the quarterfinal or semifinal round instead of reaching the championship. This brand-new notebook is one of the first to emerge with an AMD Ryzen 4000 processor, which is very fast indeed – easily able to handle gaming, and with a monster sixteen cores for handling creative work.

We don’t recommend paying several hundred dollars more than the Nitro 5 for a laptop that offers only marginally better performance. © 1996-2020 Ziff Davis, LLC. So the scarcity of higher-than-HD screens in budget gaming machines is no accident. WIRED. Our pick has VR-ready Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics, and our budget pick has a GTX 1650 GPU. If you have a little more cash, the GTX 1650 Ti will boost you more comfortably over 30fps (and maybe to 60fps depending on the game), while the GTX 1660 Ti is a genuine 60fps performer. The keyboard is consistent and satisfying, but you’ll want to use a USB mouse for a better gaming experience. Playing Fortnite, CS: GO, PUBG, Minecraft and Apex Legends won't be a problem for these. AMD CPU delivers superior multimedia performance, Slightly cramped storage capacity for modern games. when you’re finished, too.) Read our HP Pavilion Gaming 15 review. Neither components are ground-breaking, but they’re excellent – there’s a reason why they’re found in hundreds of different laptops. We didn’t notice any egregious color tints or dull colors on the Helios 300’s screen. Acer also managed to squeeze in a full-size number pad. This aptly named machine pairs its understated design with an Intel Core i7-1065G7 CPU, and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q graphics card, and boosted 16GB of RAM — great specs for a do-it-all laptop — and its 13.3-inch 1080p 120Hz display, while smaller than most gaming laptops, puts it at the perfect size for taking on the go. In such games, where the laptop can maintain a high frame rate, everything looks smoother and sharper. Pros: Huge performance levels; high-quality 300Hz screen; great connectivity and designCons: Getting on ruinously expensive; still relatively heavy, The best gaming machine for 4K gaming and work, Weight: 2.5kg | Size: 21.4mm | Screen: 17.3in 4K 60Hz IPS | RAM: 32GB | Storage: 1TB SSD | CPU: 2.4GHz Intel Core i9-10980HK | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super | OS: Windows 10 Home. Upgrade your lifestyleDigital Trends helps readers keep tabs on the fast-paced world of tech with all the latest news, fun product reviews, insightful editorials, and one-of-a-kind sneak peeks.Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. You're going to be stuck with the screen, the graphics chip, and the processor you buy now, so evaluate these parts wisely. The keys are lightly cupped and responsive, the Nitro 5 has a full number pad, and the WASD, arrow, and Nitro keys all have a bold red outline. You’ll need to consider the screen: a 1080p panel won’t be as sharp as a 4K display, but it’ll be easier to run games at the former resolution. Possibly the worst unnecessary software on the Helios 300 and our budget pick, the Nitro 5, is Waves MaxxAudio, an app that tries to make your audio sound better—in our testing, it made music and shows sound terrible and, even worse, it automatically turned on the laptop’s webcam every time we played music to track our head movements and rebalance the audio.

Nice assortment of ports including Ethernet, The Best For Serious Gamers Seeking the Best Value, The Best For Bang-for-Your-Buck Gamers Going All-AMD, The Best For Budget Buyers Seeking Storage Expandability, The Best For GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Power, Dual Drive Support, The Best For Entry-Level Shoppers Who Prefer a Metal Build, The Best For Eight-Core Power, and a High-Refresh Panel, The Best For an Emphasis on Chassis Quality. The move to a 14in screen does mean that Asus can keep this machine down to just 1.6kg in weight, which is tiny for a gaming laptop. The Nitro 5 had temperatures similar to those of the Helios 300 in our tests, which makes it one of the few other laptops we tested to keep cool enough during games.

After spending more than 60 hours researching and testing nine cheap gaming laptops, we found that the Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-52-78VL is an excellent value, and it keeps cool enough during long gaming sessions.

There are loads of specification options available for the Aero 17 – the most affordable models start at £1,599, and the priciest options rise all the way up to £4,499. This means gaming at high settings (or even maximum, depending on the game) on an entry-level laptop is more attainable than ever. We encourage you to read our updated PRIVACY POLICY and COOKIE POLICY. It’s thin and light, it fits comfortably in a laptop bag, and it can play games. Prime Day 2020 is in full swing, and although it’s late this year (less than two months before Black Friday), that just means that shoppers have even more opportunities to save big as we head into the holiday season. The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any affiliation or the endorsement of PCMag. Also check out our picks for the best gaming mice and top gaming headsets, as well as our picks for the best gaming laptops overall, price aside. On the right side, the Nitro 5 has an audio jack, a USB-A 2.0 port, and a power jack. Be sure to check that they are still in effect before making a purchase. With its 17.3-inch 1080p display, this laptop sits squarely in the “desktop replacement” category, while its six-core i7-9750H CPU and Nvidia RTX 2060 GPU will easily outperform most desktop PCs out there. You’ll also find cheaper laptops with last year’s Nvidia chips – ideal for e-sports and modest 1080p games.

Includes per-key RGB configurable keyboard and AMD FreeSync display. If you need to keep costs down, the company's IdeaPad Gaming 3 laptop starts down around $700. We do not recommend playing games with the Helios 300—or any gaming laptop—on your lap.

Ray tracing is an advanced lighting technique that only GPUs with the RTX moniker carry the hardware to pull off. We tested eight gaming laptops and recommend the Acer Predator Triton 500. Around the outside you get loads of USB ports and Thunderbolt 3, and there’s a crisp, comfortable RGB LED keyboard with a volume roller and a trackpad mounted on the right-hand side to mimic desktop operation. You’d also be wise to invest in a USB mouse, as no laptop trackpads are really cut out for gaming. Right now, this Prime Day gaming laptop deal can be yours for $1,000 ($200 off) from Dell. We recommend the AN515-54-51M5 model with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics processor with 4 GB of dedicated memory, an Intel Core i5-9300H processor, 8 GB of RAM, a 128 GB solid-state drive, a 1 TB hard drive, and a 15-inch 1920×1080 60 Hz display. Matthew Buzzi is a Hardware Analyst at PCMag, focusing on laptops and desktops with a specialty in gaming systems and games. Build quality is excellent, and the specification is rounded out by punchy speakers and a comfortable, fast keyboard with per-key RGB LED backlighting included on the Advanced model.
TN panels can offer slightly faster response times.

We found that the GL531GU model’s Core i5 processor bottlenecked its GTX 1660Ti graphics: In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the Predator Helios 300 with a GTX 1660 Ti GPU and a Core i7 processor averaged 67 fps and the Nitro 5 with a GTX 1650 and a Core i5 averaged 42 fps, whereas the ROG Strix G with a GTX 1660 Ti and a Core i5 averaged just 49 fps in the same test.

The next step up is lighting programmable by zone, with three or four blocks of the keyboard independently customizable in different colors, but this is not common in budget machines.
The screen is certainly a big part of its appeal, though: Most sub-$1,000 gaming laptops have 15.6-inch displays, and the Acer's larger screen lets you sink in and get lost in whatever world you're playing in.

These vary quite a bit from model to model, with more elaborate backlighting going hand-in-hand with higher prices and a higher general level of other components.

To open up the laptop, you first remove 10 Phillips screws on the underside and then pop off the bottom of the chassis. Some manufacturers offer lots of differently weighted versions of the same laptop (say, more storage in one config, a better GPU in another).

WIRED. Budget-priced gaming laptops are now an established category, not outliers, and have been embraced by the major players. The Acer Nitro 7 has a nicer build quality thanks to its metal chassis, but that model got warmer in our tests, and we don’t recommend paying more for it.

Photo: Michael Murtaugh. The Predator Helios 300 kept its CPU cooler than most of the other laptops we tested, reaching 203 °F (95 °C), and it kept its GPU cool enough, at 178 °F (81 °C), after 30 minutes of Overwatch. The smaller SSD would be home to the operating system and a few favorite games, and the larger, more economical hard drive would host the rest of your games and other programs that don't need quick loading times. Because we set each laptop to the same brightness, the results were directly comparable. It's short on storage, but the latest edition of Acer's Nitro 5 economy gaming laptop is otherwise the best yet, delivering lively 1080p gameplay for less than $700.

There has never been a better time to buy a budget gaming laptop. The Aspire 7 isn't a "gaming" laptop but is a great option if you're looking for a home office laptop that's also good for gaming.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i is a solidly built, fully featured budget gaming laptop, but its price is a bit too high for its graphics performance. It usually costs around $830, while most laptops with similar specs cost at least $900. Some gamers are content with cheaper twisted nematic (TN) panels, which make you settle for narrower viewing angles—but then, you're probably seated directly in front of the screen, so that's not an issue.

And, because this is technically a laptop for work, it’s got a fast, capable 10th Gen Core i9 CPU, a mammoth 32GB of memory and a 1TB SSD.

to speed up boot time, sew up potential security holes, and eliminate annoying notifications. A $1,200 desktop is much more powerful than a laptop at the same price, and you can more easily upgrade it in the future. The Blade does offer better battery life than most gaming notebooks, but it’s still not great in this regard – almost no gaming notebooks really are. Being able to pull this off on budget laptops at all is an impressive feat, and shows how this category is healthier than ever, even if RTX isn't quite yet a budget staple. Aside from being downright creepy, the audio-balancing effect also nauseated me since I tend to dance at my computer. It's worth noting that, unlike prior generations, the Pascal and Turing mobile GPUs are much closer to their desktop counterparts. Unusually, this new Asus is a smaller laptop with a 14in screen. Metal chassis is strong but has some sharp corners, Base model is a better value than our tester.