Thousand dollars is a lot of money, and while it can get you a premium notebook for everyday work, it is still considered a starting price range for “gaming laptops.” But, that does not necessarily mean that the best gaming laptops under $1000 are slouching performers.
We’ve found some excellent gaming laptops costing between $800 and $1000 that offer high-end Intel and AMD processors and powerful Nvidia RTX GPUs, which will let you play even the most demanding games of 2023 smoothly. Moreover, they also come with high refresh rate screens, RGB keyboards, lots of ports, and many other features to provide the best gaming experience to gamers on a budget.
In this guide, we have listed the top 10 best budget gaming laptops available right now that offer the most value in terms of overall performance and features to have the best gaming experience possible by staying under $1000.
However, before we proceed with the list, let’s discuss whether the laptops under $1000 are really good enough for gaming, or you’ll have to spend more, or conversely, you’ll be okay buying an even cheaper gaming laptop for yourself, costing far less than $1000?
Keep reading to get detailed insight and make an informed purchase of your budget gaming notebook.
Note – This guide focuses on the best laptops for “gaming” under $1000. If you are looking for a work-centric notebook or 2-in-1 under $1000, then check out our guide to buy the best laptops under $1000, which includes our top picks of best all-around performing laptops under the $1000 price tag.
Are budget gaming laptops under $1000 good enough?
Yes, the best gaming laptops under $1000 come with a powerful Intel Core i7 and AMD Ryzen 7 processor paired with Nvidia’s latest RTX 3050 Ti GPU, which can run all the latest games at decent frame rates. But for the most graphics-intensive titles, you might have to scale down a setting or two to achieve the smooth framerates.
Will you be okay buying an even cheaper gaming laptop? When do you need to spend more than $1000?
As we all know, the GPU (responsible for graphics processing in computers) is the most important hardware for gaming.
“The more powerful GPU you have in your laptop, the more frame rates you’ll get in your favorite games.”
If you look at the gaming laptops market, you will find that the cheapest gaming laptops with an entry-level GTX 1650 or RTX 3050 graphics chips will cost you somewhere between $600 to $800. These cheap gaming laptops can also run all the latest games smoothly but at low or medium settings. However, slightly older titles like CS:GO, Minecraft and WOW are no problem for these laptops and will run smoothly at even high graphics settings. If you are just a casual gamer, you’ll be more than happy buying a cheaper sub-$800 gaming laptop.
At around the $1000 mark, you start seeing budget gaming laptops with mid-end graphics chips like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti and RTX 3060. These chips provide decent enough performance to quench the thirst of most gamers and can handle even heavy gaming at 1080p. While you’ll have to tweak down a few settings to achieve around 100FPS in the very graphics-intensive titles, you’ll be able to enjoy most games at default settings on the best gaming laptops in the $1000 price range.
If you want to live stream your gameplay on Twitch or YouTube while playing it at the highest settings, you’ll need a high-end gaming laptop with RTX 3070 or 3070 Ti GPU, which generally start from around $1500, and the most powerful RTX 3080 and 3080 Ti gaming laptops cost about $3000 and can go well beyond $4000!
But, most of us don’t need such powerful (and expensive) laptops for gaming. The gaming laptops under $1000 are good enough.
Best Gaming Laptops Under $1000 – Top Picks
- Lenovo Legion 5 15 – The Best Gaming Laptop under $1000
- Gigabyte G5 15-inch Gaming Laptop – Most Powerful Option!
- ASUS TUF Dash F15 – Best Thin & Light Gaming Laptop
- Dell G15 Gaming Laptop – With Newest 12th Gen Intel CPU
- Asus TUF F17 17-inch Gaming Laptop
- HP Victus 16 – With Newest AMD Ryzen 6000 CPU
- Asus ROG Strix G15 – With Crazy RGBs!
- Acer Swift X – Most Ultraportable
- Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Gaming – Best Cheap Gaming Laptop
- MSI GF65 15-inch Gaming Laptop – Old but gold
1. Lenovo Legion 5 15 – The Best Gaming Laptop under $1000
Key Features:
- 165Hz high refresh rate gaming display
- Powerful and perfectly-balanced specs for the price
- Customizable 4-zone RGB keyboard
- Good amount of ports
- Powerful cooling system
The Lenovo Legion 5 15 is our most recommended gaming laptop under $1000 right now because it is the most well-rounded machine for the price. It offers decent performing specs, excellent display, premium build quality, and features that are not usually available on budget gaming laptops.
It is powered by AMD’s 5000-series Ryzen 7 processor, which has 8 cores, and it can turbo boost up to 4.4 GHz. The CPU offers remarkable performance and efficiency, making it a better choice than its Intel counterpart. To handle gaming, the CPU is accompanied by a dedicated Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU, which offers 4GB of graphics memory. The 3050 Ti is Nvidia’s entry-level Ray Tracing GPU, but it can deliver pretty decent frame rates in most modern games at high settings with the help of DLSS. Apart from that, the Legion 5 15 also offers 16GB of RAM and 512GB of solid state drive for storage, which is adequate for gaming, and if you want more, both the RAM and storage drive (also the WiFi card) are upgradable.
What’s even better, though, is you get the ultra smooth 15.6-inch full HD display with a 165Hz refresh rate on this laptop, and it supports Nvidia G-sync and AMD FreeSync both! That makes the motion in the fast-paced games flow fluidly smooth. Apart from that, it is a Dolby Vision certified panel with 100% sRGB color accuracy, which makes this laptop also a good choice for professional photo and video editing apart from gaming.
With a full-size RGB keyboard, all the required ports & slots, and loud and clear speakers, the Lenovo Legion 5 15 does not make any compromises. That’s why it is our top pick among all the other options available.
While its price keeps fluctuating around $1000, we recommend getting it even at its MSRP of $1,049 because it’s still a great value at that price.
Read our full Lenovo Legion 5 15 (AMD) review
Hardware Specifications of Lenovo Legion 5 15 Gaming Laptop:
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H Octa-Core Processor (Turbo up to 4.4 GHz) |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 3200MHz Memory |
| Storage | 512GB NVMe SSD |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU with 4GB DDR6 Graphics Memory |
| Display | 15.6 Inch Full HD 165Hz refresh rate with Nvidia G-Sync & AMD FreeSync Support (300-nits, 100% sRGB) |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Home |
| Battery Life | Up to 6 hours |
| Weight | 5.29 lbs |
2. Gigabyte G5 15-inch Gaming Laptop – Most Powerful Option!
Key Features:
- RTX 3060 with 6GB Graphics
- Quick 144Hz display
- Suitable for both work & play (not too flashy looking design)
- RGB keyboard
- Lot of ports
- Display lacks vibrancy
You cannot get the most powerful specs in a gaming laptop under $1000 without skimping on other areas. But, this gaming laptop makes a few wise compromises to accommodate the most powerful GPU you can get in a gaming laptop in this price range.
That said, the Gigabyte G5 15″ is the most powerful gaming laptop you can buy for the price because it comes with an RTX 3060 GPU!
The RTX 3060 is a mid-tier Nvidia GPU, and it comes with 6GB of graphics memory compared to 4GB on the RTX 3050 and 3050 Ti. That gives this gaming laptop a considerable advantage when playing demanding games, VR, or doing other graphics-intensive tasks. The powerful GPU is paired with a six-core Intel Core i5 processor, and it comes with 16GB RAM and offers a 512GB SSD for storage. So, it provides pretty powerful specs, and therefore, the performance you can expect from this laptop is nothing short of impressive.
Apart from powerful performance, the 15.6-inch FHD display is also excellent for gaming with a 144Hz refresh rate. However, it’s not as vibrant as the Legion 5 15 (our top pick). The laptop also features an RGB keyboard, but there are no zone or per key customizations. Keyboard just cycles through 15 different colors of LED backlighting.
Moreover, it also features all the ports and slots, and its design is also relatively muted and non-gaming laptop-like, so you’ll be able to use this gaming laptop in the office or lecture hall at college without looking awkward. Though its 5.8 pounds of weight (including power brick) mean, this won’t be a comfortable laptop for daily commute.
Overall, the Gigabyte G5 is a terrific value for the price. It provides exceptional performance with RTX 3060 GPU under the hood, and it also does not miss out on any other prerequisites for gaming.
If you don’t mind its bulky design and slightly loud fans, it is another excellent gaming laptop under $1000 to consider.
Hardware Specifications of Gigabyte G5 KD 15-inch Gaming Laptop:
| Processor | 11th Gen Intel Core i5-11400H Hexa-Core Processor (Turbo up to 4.5 GHz) |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 3200MHz RAM (Upgradeable) |
| Storage | 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 6GB DDR6 VRAM |
| Display | 15.6 Inch Full HD IPS-level 144Hz Anti-Glare Screen (250-nits, 64% sRGB) |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Home |
| Battery Life | Up to 6 hours |
| Weight | 4.7 lbs |
DEAL ALERT: Gigabyte A5 K1 w/ Ryzen 7 5800H & RTX 3060 GPU for $1399 Price not available from Amazon
While this Gigabyte A5 K1 has the same RTX 3060 GPU as the above-mentioned Gigabyte G5, it has a more capable AMD Ryzen 7 5800H 8-core CPU, which defeats the hexa-core Intel i5 processor in the G5 in both single and multi-core workloads.
Also, it offers double the storage with a 1TB SSD, and it also has a 240Hz refresh rate 15-inch display, which is much smoother and better in terms of color fidelity than the 144Hz 1080p panel of the G5.
If you don’t mind going to the extreme of your $1000 budget, then for $999, this Gigabyte A5 K1 is a fantastic deal, offering the most powerful hardware you can get in a gaming laptop in the $1000 price range.
3. ASUS TUF Dash F15 – Best Thin & Light Gaming Laptop
Key Features:
- Sleek & slim design
- Excellent keyboard for typing & gaming
- Quiet fans
- Decent amount of ports (including fastest Thunderbolt 4)
- Great sounding speakers
- Long battery life
- No webcam
If you are looking for a thin and light budget gaming laptop, then Asus TUF Dash F15 is the best option right now under $1000.
Thin and light gaming laptops in budget price ranges are pretty rare, and the ones that are available cut many corners to achieve their slim profile at an affordable price tag, but the Asus TUF Dash F15 checks many right boxes and is a near-perfect gaming machine.
It is powered by an 11th Gen quad-core Intel i7 processor, which is less powerful than the 8-core AMD CPU on Lenovo Legion 5 15 (our top pick) and also a 6-core Intel CPU on the Gigabyte G5 15 (our runner-up pick). But, the gaming performance that it delivers is right in line with them since it has an RTX 3050 Ti GPU inside.
Remember GPU is the most important hardware for a gaming laptop?
However, it’s not all dependent on GPU, and a less powerful CPU does affect the FPS in games that are more CPU dependent than GPU.
But, you are trading that little bit of performance for the extra portability. And the Asus TUF Dash F15 is one of the lightest gaming laptops you can buy under $1000, weighing just 4.4 pounds. Its chassis is also MIL-STD-810H certified, so you don’t have to worry about minor bumps when you are traveling with it.
What’s even better, though, is its battery lasts for around 8 hours when doing normal work on a single charge! So, apart from playing games, you can even use this gaming laptop for work or studies if you are a student. But, do note that this gaming laptop does not have a webcam, which in the current work/study from home times is a must.
Read our full ASUS TUF Dash F15 Gaming Laptop Review
Hardware Specifications of ASUS TUF Dash F15 Gaming Laptop:
| Processor | Intel Core i7-11370H Quad-Core Processor (Turbo up to 4.8GHz) |
| RAM | 8GB DDR4 3200MHz RAM |
| Storage | 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4GB DDR6 Graphics |
| Display | 15.6 Inch Full HD IPS-Type 144Hz Refresh Rate Display with Adaptive Sync (62% sRGB, 280-nits) |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Home |
| Battery Life | Up to 8 hours |
| Weight | 4.4 lbs |
4. Dell G15 Gaming Laptop – With Newest 12th Gen Intel CPU
Key Features:
- Alienware inspired designed & performance tuning
- Newest 12th Gen Intel CPU
- Effective cooling
- Full size keyboard with orange key backlight
- Lot of ports
- Bulky design
Dell’s newest iteration of G series gaming notebooks is a very appealing offering from the brand for budget gamers. Dell has taken a lot of inspiration from its expensive Alienware gaming notebooks, both in terms of design and performance tuning to make this year’s models.
Dell also sells G15 with AMD processor, but you’ll get more powerful GPU by going with its Intel model for under $1000. You can configure the Dell G15 with the latest 12th Gen Intel Core i5 12-core processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU with the 8GB of fastest DDR5 RAM and fast 512GB of solid state drive.
With these specs, the G15 will be able to run all the latest games at smooth frame rates and handle all sorts of demanding tasks. It also comes with a 15.6-inch full HD display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Note that this panel does not have good color coverage, but it’s a decent display for gaming and everyday work. If you want more eye candy, you can also spec the G15 with a 165Hz 100% sRGB panel, but for that, you’ll have to get it with an RTX 3060, which would bump up its price tag more than $1000.
Apart from that, this laptop also has enormous dimensions, and it also weighs about five and a half pounds, making it a pretty bulky machine. But, bigger dimensions mean more room inside for its hardware to breathe. Accordingly, Dell has fitted a very powerful cooling system with quad exhausts (inspired by Alienware), and it can sustain heavy workloads for a long duration without any issues. So, you can pull an all-nighter gaming session on G15, and it still won’t break a sweat.
Hardware Specifications of Dell G15 5511 Gaming Laptop:
| Processor | 12th Generation Intel Core i5-12500H 12 Cores (4P + 8E) Turbo up to 4.5 GHz |
| RAM | 8GB DDR5 RAM (Upgradable) |
| Storage | 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD (Upgradable) |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 4GB DDR6 Graphics |
| Display | 15.6 Inch Full HD Anti-Glare Display with 120Hz refresh rate |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Home |
| Battery Life | Up to 5 hours |
| Weight | 5.5 lbs |
DEAL ALERT: Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i 15 w/ 12th Gen Core i5 & RTX 3050 Ti for $1,134 $949 from Lenovo
The recently refreshed Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i 15 with an all-new design and latest-gen Intel hardware is available at a fabulous discount right now at Lenovo. For under $1000, you can get its variant with the 12th Gen Intel Core i5 processor and RTX 3050 Ti GPU paired to an 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD.
Though, it’s worth noting that the RAM that comes installed in it is DDR4 and not the fastest DDR5 like on the Dell G15. Not a huge thing, but it does affect the performance a bit.
Overall, this is a fantastic deal with the latest and greatest CPU you’ll find under $1000 paired to a capable RTX 3050 Ti GPU. And the updated design of the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15, which looks like the premium Legion line, hugely complements it to become one of the best budget gaming laptops available right now.
5. Asus TUF F17 17-inch Gaming Laptop
Key Features:
- Massive 17-inch 144Hz display
- Rugged MIL-STD rated exterior
- Well specced for the price
- Self cleaning dual fans for effective cooling
- Lot of ports
- Loud and clear sounding speakers
- Large and Heavy
Gaming on a PC is always a better experience than laptops, and one of the reasons behind it is you get to game on a large display. If you want to have a similar experience on a laptop, then a gaming laptop with a 17-inch display is what you need.
This Asus TUF F17 is the best 17-inch gaming laptop you can buy for under $1000 because it packs a very capable set of specifications inside, and its massive display supports a 144Hz refresh rate, making gaming a truly immersive experience on it.
We already talked about the build quality of Asus’ TUF line of laptops when we talked about the Asus TUF Dash F15 earlier. They are known for their tough designs (hence ‘TUF’ in the name). The TUF F17 is also no different and comes with a MIL-STD-810H certification for durability. However, the large display and strong build quality come at the cost of portability. That said, the Asus TUF F17 weighs 5.7 pounds, making it cumbersome to travel long distances with this laptop in a backpack.
However, the gaming experience it delivers makes it worthy of making that compromise. It is powered by a hexa-core Intel Core i5 core processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU, which is not the most powerful CPU GPU combo you can get in a gaming laptop in this price range, but it can still run all the latest games at decent framerates.
Its 8GB RAM is also relatively low, but you can easily upgrade it to 16GB, and for storage, it offers a 512GB SSD, which is spacious enough to accommodate a game library with 4-5 AAA games.
Overall, TUF F17 provides a large screen gaming experience for a fraction of the price. It has powerful enough components to run all the latest games at medium settings, and it has got tons of ports to connect all your gaming peripherals. Plus, it has the newest and fastest WiFi 6 support for uninterrupted online gaming.
Hardware Specifications of Asus TUF F17 17-inch Gaming Laptop:
| Processor | Intel i5-11400H 11th Generation 2.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor (Turbo up to 4.5 GHz) |
| RAM | 8GB DDR4 RAM (Upgradable) |
| Storage | 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD (Upgradable) |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 4GB DDR6 Graphics |
| Display | 17.3 Inch Full HD IPS-Type Display with 144Hz refresh rate |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Home |
| Battery Life | Up to 5 hours |
| Weight | 5.7 lbs |
6. 2022 HP Victus 16 – With Newest AMD Ryzen 6000 CPU
Key Features:
- Large 16-inch 144Hz display
- Latest AMD Ryzen 6000 series processor and Nvidia RTX GPU
- Minimal design
- Lightweight for its size
- Long battery life with fast charging support
The Victus 16 is a recent addition to HP’s gaming laptops family, and if you are looking for a good compromise between the portability of standard 15-inch laptops and a large screen gaming experience of 17-inch laptops, this 16-inch laptop is a worth considering option for you. It is a 16-inch laptop with a 16.1-inch full HD 144Hz display, and it weighs nearly 5 pounds, making it great for gaming as well as everyday use.
The design of the Victus 16 is also very minimal. The only flashy design element on it is the V logo on its lid, standing for Victus. Otherwise, it’s a disguised gaming laptop that will pass off even in a business meeting.
Internally, though, it has all the horsepower you need to enjoy the latest games. It is powered by the newest AMD Ryzen 5 6600H processor, which has 6-cores that can clock up to 4.5 GHz, and it is also a lot more efficient than outgoing Ryzen 5000-series AMD CPUs, delivering decent battery backup.
Accompanying the powerful CPU is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU, which makes Victus 16 a pretty capable gaming laptop. It can run even the most graphics-intensive games of 2023 at smooth frame rates.
With a full-size backlit keyboard and vast array of I/O, the Victus 16 is a complete package under $1000 if you want a gaming laptop with a large screen that is also easy to carry around so that it can double up as your laptop for work.
Hardware Specifications of HP Victus 16 Gaming Laptop:
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 6600H Hexa-Core (Turbo up to 4.5 GHz) |
| RAM | 16GB DDR5 4800MHz |
| Storage | 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4GB DDR6 Graphics |
| Display | 16.1-Inch Full HD IPS 144Hz Anti-Glare Display |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Home |
| Battery Life | Up to 7 hours |
| Weight | 5.2 lbs |
DEAL ALERT: HP Victus 16 w/ Ryzen 7 5800H & RTX 3050 Ti for $1249 $999 from HP
Although the 6000-series AMD gaming laptops are already out, it isn’t a significant upgrade in terms of overall CPU performance than the outgoing 5000-series AMD processors. And that’s what makes this last year’s HP Victus 16 model with an 8-core Ryzen 7 processor and RTX 3050 Ti a great deal.
The 8-core Ryzen 7 5800H processor inside this Victus 16 is actually faster than the 6-core Ryzen 5 6600H in the 2022 model mentioned above. Also, apart from the CPU, there are no other differences between the new and the old model. From design to display, keyboard, and even the ports, everything else is the same.
So if you don’t mind buying a year-old model, this 2021 Victus 16 is a little-faster performing machine for about the same price.
7. Asus ROG Strix G15 – With Crazy RGBs!
Key Features:
- Customizable RGB keyboard & lightbar
- High performance 8-core AMD CPU & Nvidia RTX GPU
- 300Hz display!
- Easy to upgrade
- Large & smooth tracking surface
- Loud & clear audio
- No webcam
If you want to have customizable RGB lights on your gaming laptop, the Asus ROG Strix G15 is for you.
It is built to impress, both internally and externally. Although it’s priced slightly higher than $1000, we think it offers a good value for the asking price. The biggest draw to the ROG Strix G15 is its flashy design.
It’s a daunting aesthetic with clean-cut corners all around the chassis, and it comes with the AuraSync light bar to truly stand out. It can match up to your backlit RGB keyboard as well as other AuraSync compatible gear you might have. Looks are a big part of this gaming laptop, so you should know instantly if this is for you or if you’re better off looking for a subtler laptop like the Lenovo Legion 5 (Our Top Pick).
It comes with a 15.6-inch display with a whopping 300Hz refresh rate, which is impressive but overkill for the hardware that it packs in.
Inside, the ASUS ROG Strix G15 houses the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H processor. Although the CPU belongs to a slightly old AMD 4000 series processor family, it’s an 8-core chip, and it is very capable. The powerful CPU is accompanied by 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD storage, both of which are upgradeable.
To handle gaming, it has RTX 3050 Ti, which delivers a very stable gaming experience while playing titles like CS:GO and GTA V. However, it will struggle to deliver smooth frame rates with ray tracing enabled in highly intensive titles like Control or Cyberpunk 2077.
Overall, though, the Asus ROG Strix G15 is a great package with a decent thermal management system, a full array of ports, USB Type-C charging support, and less than 5 pounds of weight.
Hardware Specifications of Asus ROG Strix G15 Gaming Laptop:
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 4800H Octa-core Processor (Turbo up to 4.2 GHz) |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 RAM |
| Storage | 512GB PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4GB DDR6 Graphics |
| Display | 15.6 Inch Full HD IPS-type 300Hz Display |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Home |
| Battery Life | Up to 9 hours |
| Weight | 4.6 lbs |
8. Acer Swift X – Most Ultraportable
Key Features:
- Standard work notebook like design
- Ultraportable (just 3 lbs!)
- Powerful specs for gaming and other demanding tasks
- Color accurate display
- Long battery life
- No fast refresh rate display
If you are looking for the most travel-friendly gaming laptop under $1000, look no further than Acer Swift X.
It is an under 3 pounds weighing ultraportable 14-inch laptop without any flashy design elements or RGBs packing some serious punch inside to tackle whatever you may throw at it. And its battery lasts for up to 12 hours on a single charge, so you can also use this ultraportable high-performance machine as your daily driver for work!
It is powered by a highly efficient AMD Ryzen 7 5800U processor, which is a low-powered U-series AMD CPU meant for thin and light devices. But don’t let that fool you into thinking that this is an incapable CPU for gaming. It has 8-cores that can clock up to 4.4 GHz, and it can even smoke high-performance H-series Intel CPUs-powered laptops from last year in some benchmarks. Furthermore, the powerful CPU is accompanied by a decent 16GB of RAM, an adequate 512GB of SSD storage, and an RTX 3050 Ti GPU with 4GB discrete graphics memory.
So, it’s quite a capable notebook for gaming despite its thin and light form factor. It can handle most AAA games at decent frame rates at medium to high settings, and if you want to use it for intensive workloads, then the Swift X also excels at handling editing software such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Ableton Live and more.
However, since this notebook is geared towards content creators, it does not come with a fast refresh rate display, which could be a little bummer if you play a lot of fast-paced games.
Besides that, though, the Swift X’s display is excellent. It gets enough bright, and it covers 100% sRGB color gamut, making everything on the screen look more beautiful.
Hardware Specifications of Acer Swift X:
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800U Processor (8-core, up to 4.4 GHz) |
| RAM | 16GB LPDDR4x RAM |
| Storage | 512GB SSD |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Discrete GPU with 4GB DDR6 Graphics |
| Display | 14-Inch Full HD IPS LED-backlit Display (300-nits, 100% sRGB) |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Home |
| Battery Life | Up to 12 hours |
| Weight | 3.0 lbs |
9. Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Gaming – Best Cheap Gaming Laptop
Key Features:
- Decent powerful specs for the price
- High refresh rate display
- RAM and Storage drive easily upgradeable
- Good amount of ports & equipped with latest Wi-Fi 6
- Great value for price
- Dim and dull display
Until now, most laptops we have talked about cost between $800 – $1000, which is the extreme of your $1000 budget. But, if you are looking for an even cheaper option, then this Lenovo IdeaPad 3 gaming laptop offers quite a capable spec sheet for under $700, making it a decent budget option for gaming.
It is powered by an AMD Ryzen processor with 6-cores, which delivers excellent multi-core performance to handle gaming and other demanding tasks. The CPU is accompanied by a GTX 1650 GPU, which is an entry-level Nvidia GPU, but for the price, it’s decent enough, and its 4GB of discrete graphics memory will ensure that it will be able to run new games without any issues. Its built-in 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD are also decent enough, and it is easily upgradeable if you need more.
To make the gaming experience even better for budget shoppers, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15 also offers a 15.6-inch full HD display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The display isn’t much vivid and color-accurate, but its high refresh rate and 250-nits of brightness make it good enough for gaming and indoor use.
Overall, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15 is one of the best cheap gaming laptops you can buy right now, and its long battery life of up to 8 hours and lightweight design also makes it a great option for daily work besides gaming.
Hardware Specifications of Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Gaming Laptop:
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 5600H Hexa-Core Processor (12 Threads, Up to 4.2 GHz) |
| RAM | 8GB DDR4 RAM (Upgradable) |
| Storage | 256GB SSD (Upgradable) |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 4GB Graphics |
| Display | 15.6 Inch Full HD IPS LED-backlit display with 120Hz refresh rate |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Home |
| Battery Life | Up to 8 hours |
| Weight | 4.8 lbs |
ALTERNATIVE CHOICE: Acer Nitro 5
The above-mentioned Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15 is a great option if you are shopping for a gaming laptop on a shoestring budget. However, by spending just a little bit more, you can buy the Acer Nitro 5, which offers the newest and much capable Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU.
Although the GPU is paired to the 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, which is quite old at this point, it’s still pretty capable and can run all the latest games of 2023 without any issues. The powerful CPU and GPU combo is further accompanied by 8GB RAM and 256GB speedy NVMe SSD, which you can upgrade up to 32GB and 2TB, respectively, making it a future-proof machine.
All that power mated to a high refresh rate 15.6-inch 144Hz Full HD display makes gaming on the Acer Nitro 5 a delight, and the experience is further complemented by its red-backlit keyboard and host of port selections that can accommodate all your gaming peripherals.
Overall, if you cannot spend to the extreme of $1000, this Acer Nitro 5 offers an almost similar experience to most other options on the list for nearly two hundred dollars less. | $680.00 from Amazon
10. MSI GF65 15-inch Gaming Laptop – Old but gold
Key Features:
- Powerful GPU with 6GB VRAM
- Thin and light design
- Effective cooling system
- Wide ports selection
- Supports latest Wi-Fi 6
- Boring red and black design
The MSI GF65 was one of the top-selling gaming laptops under $1000 of 2021, but it’s still worth considering because it has an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti GPU with 6GB dedicated graphics memory.
The GTX 1660 Ti does not support Ray Tracing and DLSS, so it won’t deliver life-like reflections in ray tracing supported games or boost the frame rates using AI. But, it still beats newer RTX 3050 and 3050 Ti gaming laptops in many games! That’s because the GTX 1660 Ti has 6GB graphics memory compared to 4GB on the RTX 3050 and 3050 Ti, and that gives the GTX 1660 Ti an edge despite being an older GPU. The CPU on the GF65 is also last year’s 10th Gen Intel Core i7 6-core chip. However, this CPU and GPU combo can still beat or deliver comparable gaming performance as the new models.
Its 15.6-inch display isn’t color accurate like most gaming laptops in this price range, but it comes with a 120Hz refresh rate, so gaming on it is a buttery smooth experience. The keyboard of the GF65 is also excellent for gaming and everyday work. Its keys travel deep to deliver nice tactile feedback while typing, and its keys light up in red color showcasing this laptop’s true DNA.
All of these packed neatly inside a thin and light chassis that weighs just 4.1 pounds makes the MSI GF65 still a worthy option despite its last-gen hardware. And, you can rest assure it will keep going strong for years to come.
Hardware Specifications of MSI GF65 15-inch Gaming Laptop:
| Processor | Intel Core i7-10750H 2.6 GHz Hexa-Core Processor (Turbo up to 5 GHz) |
| RAM | 8GB DDR4 RAM (Expandable up to 32GB RAM) |
| Storage | 512GB NVMe SSD |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB DDR6 Graphics |
| Display | 15.6 Inch Full HD 120Hz IPS Display |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Home OS |
| Battery Life | Up to 5 hours |
| Weight | 4.1 lbs |
ALTERNATIVE CHOICE: MSI Katana GF66 15-inch Gaming Laptop
If you don’t want to buy a gaming laptop with last year’s specs, then here’s another option from MSI, which offers all the latest and greatest specs you can get in this price range.
It is powered by an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 8-core processor with Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU with 4GB graphics memory and 16GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD for storage.
Despite being the latest 2022 model, the design of the MSI Katana GF66 is still very similar to last year’s model, and it’s still reasonably portable at 4.6 pounds. The display on this new model is slightly better, though, with a 144Hz refresh rate and slightly better color reproduction, while the keyboard has the same typing feel and red backlit keys.
With all the ports and slots and the fastest Wi-Fi 6 support, the MSI GF66 is right in league with the other best gaming laptops under $1000 mentioned here, offering great performing specs with all the basics covered. | Check Price on Amazon
So these are the best gaming laptops under $1000 available right now. All of these laptops have been hand-picked by our team of experts after doing thorough market research and comparing and examining the specs of a lot of models from different brands.
And only the best of the best options with powerful enough specs and all the essential features for gaming have made it to this list.
We would highly recommend you to read the short reviews of each of our recommended gaming laptops to learn in detail about them and make an informed purchase.
However, if you still cannot decide which gaming laptop you should get or have questions, you can talk to us in the comments below.
We hope that this gaming laptop buying guide helps you buy the best gaming laptop under $1000 for yourself. Check out more gaming laptop buying guides and reviews in the gaming laptops section of our website.
Happy Shopping!
So I wonder which one of these laptops will be able to play the newest games for the next 10 to 15 years? Even though I will wait for price drops for the games.
Is the one with 7 hours of battery life the best one or the one with 15 hours? Could the one with 15 hours of battery life be able to play all the newest games at max settings? Or would the 7 hour one also be able to play the newest games? Acer Nitro 5 (with Quad-Core i5 and GTX 1050Ti) is the 7 hour one I am talking about, while the other is Acer Aspire E15 Gaming Laptop.
If you want performance then you’ll have to compromise in battery backup. You can either get a laptop with long battery life with less powerful hardware or get the powerful machine with less battery life. For under $1000, currently the best laptop for gaming is Dell Inspiron i7577. It offers best specs for gaming with GTX 1060 GPU.