Best budget gaming laptops in 2025 – the top cheap picks
Reviewed By: Kevin Pocock
Table of Contents
Gaming laptops are expensive as compressing all the hardware into a small package takes time, effort, and resources. On top of that, they also need a robust battery to power the components, but that doesn't mean you have to spend thousands of dollars on a new gaming laptop.
Budget gaming laptops are easily available and feature decent processors and GPUs. While the budget GPUs for the RTX 50-series haven't been released, there are plenty of laptops sporting an RTX 4060 and 4050. A Ryzen processor would be preferred for the best combination as they have excellent performance without compromising efficiency, which is important for a gaming laptop.
In addition, an ideal budget gaming laptop should have enough RAM and ample storage to handle modern games. Generally, 8GB or 16 RAM and 256GB or 512 SSD are minimum requirements for a budget gaming laptop. Here at PC Guide, we've tested plenty of gaming laptops and selected one that offers the best performance at the right price point. This should enable you to enjoy gaming on the go; so, without further ado, let's get right to it, shall we?
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Best budget gaming laptop
Acer Predator Triton Neo 16
- CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 155H
- GPU: RTX 4060
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 2TB M.2 NVMe
- Max Refresh Rate: 240Hz
- Resolution: 2560 x 1600
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Best runner-up budget gaming laptopGIGABYTE – G6X (2024) Gaming Laptop
- CPU: Intel Core i7-13650HX
- GPU: RTX 4060
- RAM: 16GB DDR5
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Max Refresh Rate: 165Hz
- Resolution: 1920 x 1200
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Best low-budget gaming laptopAcer Nitro V Gaming Laptop
- CPU: Intel Core i5-13420H
- GPU: RTX 4050
- RAM: 8GB DDR5
- Storage: 512GB Gen 4 SSD
- Max Refresh Rate: 144Hz
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080
How we picked
To produce our guide on the best budget gaming laptops, we took a close look at the best the market offers in this category. We looked at their specifications, value for money, and other unique features that make these gaming laptops stand out for a lower price point relative to other more expensive options.
However, we go a step further and conduct hands-on testing with the laptops so that we can showcase their real-world performance so you can gauge whether it is worth investing in.
Our top picks
- Panel Type: LCD
- More affordable pricing
- Strong and sturdy whilst being light and compact
- A good screen with high resolution and refresh rate
- Nice features with IO and fingerprint reader
- Good sized touchpad and keyboard although it omits numpad for media keys
- Lots of pre-installed apps and bloatware
- Not a great webcam and lacks Windows Hello support
- Lack of upgradeability with soldered RAM and filled-in NVMe slots
- Even with strong IO, no ethernet port
- GPU lacks power for the mighty display
Gaming laptops can be expensive; however, if you're operating on a budget and still want to play games on the move, we recommend checking out the Acer Predator Triton Neo 16. This budget gaming laptop features decent hardware for the price point. In our Acer Predator Triton Neo 16 review, it also showcased pretty good gaming and synthetic performance, earning it a 4/5 rating.
This gaming laptop features an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor and the RTX 4060. The combination of a mid-range CPU and budget GPU is great as, at most, you can play games at 1440p with this laptop, which the RTX 4060 can manage, and it won't be too much for the processor to keep churning out instructions for the GPU, avoiding a CPU bottleneck.
That being said, adding a 16-inch, 2560 x 1600 display also makes sense as it is 1440p but with extra pixels, giving it a 16:10 aspect ratio rather than 16:9. This makes the screen more spacious and more elements can be displayed without the desktop looking cluttered or cramped.
The Acer Predator Triton Neo 16 is a strong-budget studio laptop. Although it might not boast the top-end hardware, it still has decent-enough features to make up for it.
PC Guide
The panel type is LCD, which is okay because we can't expect an OLED panel in a budget gaming laptop. The IPS LCD panel also has advantages like better viewing angles, color accuracy, and uniformity, making it a great option for creatives. The display also has a 240Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time.
This should result in a smooth gaming and working experience, but with an RTX 4060, you might be able to hit the 240Hz cap other than a select few titles, like CS2 and Rainbow Six Siege, that aren't as graphically demanding at 1080p and 1440p. Single-player games have high graphical fidelity, so we can't expect the same figures.
That being said, when we ran Cyberpunk 2077, it delivered 32 FPS on ultra-pure rasterization settings, but with DLSS and Frame Generation enabled, it jumped up to 70 FPS, which is pretty decent and resulted in smooth gameplay. Besides that, it also had good performance in 3DMark and Cinebench 2024.
In 3DMark, it scored 5,194 points in Fire Strike Ultra and 4,299 points in Time Spy Extreme. Both of these tests gauge the GPU's ability to render 4K frames, and this score is somewhat close to that of the desktop RTX 4060 we reviewed, as it delivered 5,725 and 5,655.
What this means is that this laptop did well to push the CPU and GPU to perform their best, and overall, this is a solid option with 16GB RAM, a nice sleek design, a huge touchpad, a good keyboard, and just enough RGB to keep it interesting.
- CPU: Intel Core i7-13650HX
- GPU: RTX 4060
- RAM: 16GB DDR5
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Max Refresh Rate: 165Hz
- Resolution: 1920 x 1200
- Excellent for 1080p gaming
- The storage can be upgraded
- 16:10 aspect ratio makes the screen look spacious
- RTX 4060 isn't the best for high-resolution gaming
- The battery life isn't the bed
If you want to explore more options before settling on one, we recommend you check out the Gigabyte G6X gaming laptop. This budget gaming laptop features an Intel Core i7-13650HX paired with an RTX 4060.
This combination of CPU and GPU should provide good efficiency and performance, keeping you on top of your game, whether you're exploring an open world or in an intense firefight at the end of the round. Besides gaming, it should also provide a smooth working experience as it has 14 cores, 20 threads, and a 4.9 GHz boost clock speed.
The G6X features a 16” display with a 1920 x 1200 resolution, which means it displays 1200 pixels vertically, giving it a 16:10 aspect ratio. This means you'll only be able to play at 1080p, but that is where the RTX 4060 will shine. Pushing frames at higher resolutions gets challenging, but a budget GPU is perfect for 1080p gaming.
In addition, it has DLSS and Frame Generation, meaning even with Ray Tracing on, you should be able to get a decent framerate. It also has 16GB DDR5 RAM with a 1TB SSD, which should be more than enough for games and other applications. While 16GB might be low for some, 16GB RAM running at 4,800 MHz should keep various operations flowing smoothly without any lag.
Regarding connectivity, the G6X has WiFi 6E connectivity, meaning it can catch 6GHz signals, which aren't prone to interruption and have a high bandwidth. What this means is that you should be able to game, stream, or work via WiFi, but ensure that you have the best WiFi 6E router to cover every corner of your working or living space.
Overall, this is a decent gaming laptop with good features and hardware. It weighs 7 pounds, which might be a bit much for some, but for short distances, and if you're traveling with a bag, it should not bother you much.
- CPU: Intel Core i5-13420H
- GPU: RTX 4050
- RAM: 8GB DDR5
- Storage: 512GB Gen 4 SSD
- Max Refresh Rate: 144Hz
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080
- Excellent performance for the price point
- Great build quality
- 8GB RAM is the bare minimum
- The battery life isn't great
If you're looking for a gaming laptop under $800, we recommend you check out the Acer Nitro V. This gaming laptop features the RTX 4050 and Intel Core i5-13420H. This processor should be able to easily keep up with the RTX 4050 at 1080p and handle other multi-threaded workflows with ease.
However, this is a budget gaming laptop, and the components might be limited by the amount of power they are getting. That being said, the GPU gets a maximum of 75W, and the processor should also get plenty of power.
This laptop has a 57Wh battery, and Acer claims that it can last up to 8 hours. However, that always depends on the workload, and a 57Wh battery might not last the complete 8 hours. Besides that, it has 8GB of DDR5 RAM and a Gen 4 512SSD. These specifications aren't ideal for a gaming laptop, but seeing that it is a budget laptop and the rest of the components align with it, I think it should be fine.
You can upgrade the RAM, but you'll need to swap the storage for a higher-capacity drive, as games nowadays can easily reach 50GB or 100 GB. With the operating system and other applications, there isn't enough space for more than one or two games of that size.
The display of this gaming laptop is 15.6”, with a 1920 x 1080 resolution and 144Hz refresh rate. This means that it has a 16:9 aspect ratio, but 1080p is fine as the RTX 4050 shouldn't be able to push good frames at 2K, and 1080p is more suited for that.
Overall, this is a solid gaming PC that doesn't cost a lot but gets the job done as long as you know what it is capable of. It has good features like NitroSense that allows you to monitor and control the CPU and GPU temperature and fan speed.
What users say
According to Amazon reviews, this gaming laptop has excellent value for money, display quality, and gaming performance. One reviewer said: “The hardware specs on this are truly outstanding for the price. The screen looks great, keyboard and trackpad feel are nice, and it has enough ports and cooling to do everything well.”
How to pick the best budget gaming laptop for you
Buying any type of laptop is a big deal for most people, especially those who may not live and breathe technology. So, let's go over what we feel are the four key areas to focus on when considering a new budget gaming laptop. This way, you can make the best decision possible.
GPU
In order to play the latest games on your budget gaming laptop, you will need a powerful graphics card. Certain laptops will use onboard graphics built into the processor, which is fine if you are not a gamer, but dedicated game enthusiasts will have higher demands.
You should look for an affordable gaming laptop that includes an RTX 3000 or 4000 series graphics card. Unsurprisingly, more powerful graphics cards will cost more.
CPU
For a budget gaming laptop to stand up to the latest games, it is essential to have a high-powered CPU. Look for a 13th-generation Intel processor or AMD Ryzen 7, ideally, but the Ryzen 5 models can offer fantastic value for money as well. Ryzen processors tend to be more efficient, meaning they consume less power, which is crucial for a laptop as battery life is the most important aspect.
Screen
When it comes to gaming, a higher refresh rate screen is very beneficial. Look for laptops that have a rate of 120hz or higher, preferably over 144hz. This will give you the best bang for your buck, and the smoothest experience possible.
Also, higher resolution screens are preferable, as they will help your gaming experience look the best it can. Arguably, you want to look for budget gaming laptops that can handle 2K resolutions. However, remember that the panel type will also impact battery consumption, and the high-resolution panels require more power.
Weight
If you'll be carrying your laptop around a lot, then you should certainly pay attention to the weight of your future purchase. While some portable computers can weigh as little as 4 lbs, some of the higher-spec machines can be quite weighty – upwards of 6 lbs.
Therefore, you could opt for a lighter model if you are on the go, but you can opt for a heavier model if you will mostly be staying at home. That being said, laptops with lighter weight generally cost more, but if portability is super important to you, we suggest checking out our picks for the best lightweight laptops.
Frequently asked questions
When it comes to finding the best budget gaming laptop, a few extra questions always come up, and it's best to be as informed as possible before buying your new laptop. Let's try and answer these in order to help you in your search.
Are budget gaming laptops worth it?
Budget gaming laptops are definitely worth it for many people, and you can find plenty of options to balance great performance with high affordability. You don't necessarily have to be tied down to a larger desktop setup in order to have fun playing games. Gaming laptops, in general, are a focal point for many manufacturers, and you can find a number of suitable models to fit your budget.
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