Best Gaming Laptops Under $1000
Interested in buying a new gaming laptop but don’t have loads of cash to spend? We’ve gone ahead and sifted through the immense glut of budget laptops out there to bring you some awesome options that don’t break the budget and help you game on the go. In general there is a lot to understand when spending loads of dosh on a new computer so for those of you who are a bit oblivious to computers or just have questions, we’ve made a neat technical guide as well. In it we discuss the most important components for gaming and some things you need to look out for when buying a gaming laptop. Before we dive in, World’s Best Gaming has two really important tips!
Don’t just buy a random laptop
This sounds like common sense but the amount of people who throw $800-900 at a laptop for school from Wal-Mart only to be disappointed is staggering. Do research!
A Gaming Laptop isn’t cheap
Our products don’t dip below $700 because we can’t recommend cheap laptops as gaming laptops. You can have something cheap or good but usually not both. Most sub $700 options (If not all) will struggle to play today’s games well and the best ones usually end up being refurbished. Good laptops exist in the budget range but you do get what you pay for. We recommend slowing down and saving up a bit more cash if you aren’t ready to purchase something great. Don’t waste $650 compromising on a laptop you’ll use for several years with a sunken hear when just a bit more money could give you amazing gaming sessions for several years.
THE BUDGET OPTION – ASUS TUF FX505GT-US52
ASUS TUF FX505GT-US52 15.6" Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i5-9300H, GeForce GTX 1650, 8 GB DDR4, 512 GB SSD, Windows...
- Can play all of todays great games at decent frame rates
- Solid screen (IPS)
- The core components are really good so it’ll be a great laptop and good gaming laptop.
- You’ll probably begin to feel that compromise in the next year or so when next-gen consoles release games and they no longer cater to consoles that are almost a decade old. The games of today will run well but future-proofing isn’t guaranteed.
Important Features
15.6’’ 1080p IPS Screen
i5-9300H
GTX 1650
8 GB DDR4
512 GB SSD
Windows 10 and a free copy of avengers
Who is this for?
1080p gamers on a budget who don’t mind sub 60 FPS with the newest games. You’ll be able to play anything, you won’t break the bank, but you’ll be primarily looking at a good work/school laptop that CAN game. The exception being games like League of Legends and CS:GO will run super well as they are older but relevant.
Our Take
The ASUS TUF FX505GT-US52 (What a mouthful) is a fine laptop and plays games well. This is for those who absolutely cannot spend more than $700+ on a gaming laptop. To be honest, I think it is worth waiting or even doing a side-gig like Uber Eats to get the extra power you see in our other options. That being said, I can in good conscience recommend this for anyone doing things like school, work, and 1080p gaming. If you have to compromise that’s ok, this is the best you’ll see at this price point. The HD IPS monitor is solid, the CPU and GPU combination can really tackle some games well but you’ll usually be playing at medium to low settings with newer games. If you aren’t obsessed with FPS and graphics, this is a mighty fine laptop. In fact, this is the laptop I’d recommend for those gaming on a budget but I do think once you’ve put $700 into a build it’s worth thinking about ways to stretch and get that next tier. We’re honest here at World’s Best Gaming and after putting a lot of time and research into finding good products, it seems like we’re at a generational mid-point. I.E. probably a year from now, this price point will have some killer options (Especially with the new RTX-30 Series cards) but for now, it’s the best you’ll do.
THE RUNNER UP – ASUS TUF GAMING A15
ASUS TUF Gaming A15 - 15.6" FHD - AMD Ryzen 5 4600H - GeForce GTX 1660 Ti - 8 GB...
- Fantastic build design
- 1080p gaming above 60 FPS with many of todays games
- 144hz 1080p IPS monitor makes this great for mobile competitive gaming
- Easy to update (Don’t take this for granted)
- Some minor cooling issues so make sure you prep for that when running demanding games, or even talk to ASUS for a replacement.
Important Features
15.6’’ 144Hz 1080p IPS Screen
GTX 1660 TI
8GB DDR4
512 SSD
RGB Keyboard (Why not)
Ryzen 5 4600H
Who is this for?
For those who don’t care about the newest RTX features but still want to hit above 60 FPS with today’s 1080p games and do some competitive gaming as well (144 Hz refresh rate!)
Our Take
The ASUS TUF Gaming A15 is a solid all-around build for those who want 1080p gaming. I particularly love the display as it has some sweet specs. The brilliance of having the 144 Hz monitor is slightly lost in today’s cutting-edge AAA games as the 1660 Ti isn’t likely going to hit 200 FPS anytime soon. But for competitive games like CS:GO or Valorant, it’s awesome! Those games are less demanding and the extra Hz really shines. You see the enemy faster and it feels super smooth. The screen is IPS as well-meaning it has really good viewing angles and better quality than those janky plasticy TN monitors of old. We hate TN here if you can’t tell. This sort of gaming laptop can expect good frames in 1080p often pushing past 60 FPS with new games, you’ll only notice challenges playing top-tier games like Red Dead Redemption 2. 512 GB SSD is the current ideal but this is also a fairly upgradeable model allowing you to add more SSD and RAM. That’s an awesome feature because a bit more RAM and storage space greatly extends the lifespan of this. The CPU is fantastic (8-core) and probably the biggest bottleneck would be RAM followed by GPU followed by cooling solutions. Some have reported cooling issues but ti doesn’t seem to be the norm. If you pick this up and have that problem, make sure to reach out to ASUS. This is our runner-up. There is a lot to like but you can’t compete with the next contender when it comes to power.
UPGRADE PICK – GF65 THIN 9SEXR-249
MSI GF65 THIN 9SEXR-249 - 15.6" 120 Hz - Intel Core i5-9300H - GeForce RTX 2060 - 8 GB DDR4...
- You can actually dabble in 2K (I do mean dabble, you’ll need an external monitor)
- Really powerful for the price
- This is a beast of a machine and is actually the same weight range as other options despite its girthy size
- 8GB of RAM is probably the biggest bottleneck
Important Features
15.6’’ 120 Hz 1080p Screen
RTX 2060
I5 9300H
8GB RAM
512 GB SSD
Who is this for?
1080p Gamers who want top-notch graphics, performance, battery life, and don’t mind spending a bit extra for those killer features like DLSS.
Our Take
The GF65 Thin is the big kahuna of budget laptops and beats the ASUS TUF Gaming 15 when it comes to raw unparalleled power. MSI has been doing epic gaming laptop builds for quite a while and while I normally say don’t trust a brand, MSI produces mostly gaming laptops, unlike Dell or HP who throw dumpster fire products into a great portfolio just for what seems like watching the world burn. The RTX 2060 is a pretty phenomenal card for the 1080p scene. It’s even ok for light 2K gaming (Again light) and for older games you can use 2K to your hearts delight. This is a really powerful laptop at a great price. It outperforms the other options and has the most powerful and modern tech features you’ll find at this price-point. Ray-tracing probably isn’t something wise to use on a laptop and expect amazing results but it does work. It’s worth booting up glorious RTX enabled Minecraft for the experience. Other features like DLSS are game-changing though and you’ll get access to that. Crisp anti-aliasing without the killer hit to performance. This is an awesome laptop. The 120Hz screen is fantastic too, while people swear by more Hz, the human eye can’t usually see above 60 Hz. You need to push those framerates sky high and be finely tuned to your game to really experience the benefit. The difference between 120 Hz and 144 Hz is minor enough that those with a problem probably live and breath gaming and have a dedicated desktop anyways. This is the laptop you want though if you have the cash. It’ll last for quite awhile and give you some great experiences in the years to come. The biggest downside is 8GB isn’t a lot of RAM so you may want to upgrade that at some point.
Note: This laptop often drops by $100 or so, look for the best value you can find!
World’s Best Gaming Technical Guide!
We love to dive deep into tech here and talk about what matters when it comes to different products and choices. Our technical guides will answer frequent questions, teach you something new, and hopefully grow in time as we see the world of tech grow around us.
So what do I need to know about laptops?
So if you haven’t built a computer before or generally don’t know what goes on under the hood, fear not! Computers may seem complex on the outside, but that’s because… they are complex. It’s not easy to understand everything involved with them. That being said, there are a couple of parts that dictate the quality of your experience that you can expect to want to cater to. Those are the GPU, CPU, and to some extent the quality of the monitor (Never buy a ratty 720p laptop, those are just gross). The following features are what matter the most to someone making the decision to buy a new laptop.
Storage Space and Type
We recommend an SSD, it cuts loading times down tremendously on games and is actually not affected much by the occasional bump. Compared to a mechanical drive, it’s more durable and blazing fast. The problem though is that often laptops don’t offer a lot of space with SSD options meaning you’ll want an additional drive or external at some point. Whatever you do, make sure your SSD is 512GB or above. Your Operating System can take up around 80 GB so a small drive like 128GB is impossible to use and a 256 GB may fill up with one game or be unable to load a huge AAA game like Red Dead Redemption 2. If you are curious about storage devices and the differences, check out out other guides here!
Processor or CPU type
The processor is what allows your laptop to run well for day to day tasks. In general, newer processors work extremely well. One of the challenging things with laptops though is that companies often produce low quality processors for them. It’s often unclear and a bit hazy when looking at the 13 different i5 models from this or that generation. Because of this, make sure to research your specific processor. For gaming the i5/Ryzen 5 models in desktops are so fast that they remove almost all bottlenecks meaning your other components are what help you boost those FPS up. We only selected laptops with solid CPU options but you’ll be pretty depressed if you get a loser of a CPU and can’t even browse the internet quickly.
The Graphics Processing Unit A.K.A. The Real MVP
Ah, the fabled GPU. This is the bread and butter of your laptop and with Nvidia releasing new RTX 30-Series desktop GPU units we are bound to see some phenomenal laptop versions soon. We picked laptops that all have a dedicated GPU because this is the #1 component to make your gaming experience great. It’s literally the heart and soul of the beautiful pixels you know and love. We picked Nvidia products because realistically they’ve rocked the market the last couple of years and for budget laptops, they’re the best option.
You need a dedicated GPU if you want to game well on a laptop. Many newer processors come with decent internal GPU’s that are attached to CPU’s but these are not good enough to really game. We say decent because we are nice people but they suck. They just outright suck. For some that’s all they need or the best option. They’re more for League of Legends, CS:GO, Valorant, and other titles designed to run as fast as possible on lower-end systems. An integrated GPU might not even run a game you purchase though because they’re not that strong. In other words, if you don’t have a GPU from Nvidia or AMD, avoid it! Run! Save your hard-earned dosh!
We should note that it’s important to make sure you pay attention when looking at a laptop GPU. Some models may have a designator like M or Q. Laptop GPU are similar to CPU in that a GTX 1050 in a laptop may be a mobile version and way less powerful than one in a desktop. So make sure you check if the GPU you are looking at loses a bit of oomph when it transitions to a laptop version.
RAM
8GB will serve you well and 16GB will exceed your need in gaming. Most models in this price-point only have 8GB and you’ll get a good performance boost by upgrading if that is the bottleneck in your games, but realistically it’s a minor change.
Brand: A Great Thing to Ignore!
Don’t get obsessed with it or worry about this much. For the most part, brand isn’t a good indicator of whether or not you snatched up an epic laptop. In fact it’s downright misleading to assume a Dell is good or bad or an HP is awesome because Aunt Matilda had one in 2006. The reality is that brands in computers are more often taking what parts and designs are available on the market, putting it into a unique form-factor with some minor changes, and selling those at a reasonable price. These brands might have very unique in-house custom options but it’s more important what parts are inside the laptop and in some circumstances (Such as with Dell’s new Apple copying line of laptops) somewhat important to consider the other aspects. I would say though, avoid weird foreign brands from poor quality factories on websites like Alibaba. If something sounds too good to be true… you get the gist.
What about all the other features?!?!?
Your gaming laptop will probably have an ok webcam, blue-tooth and Wi-Fi, loads of ports, but those aren’t really why you’ll want to buy a specific laptop. Gaming is about power and we could exhaust you with wonderful tales of the USB 3.0 ports and this port or that but really… that’s not why your buying a gaming laptop. If you do need a specific port though, just check the long-list of specs and it’ll be listed. Don’t be weird about it.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I snag a gaming laptop for under $1000?
Yes, you totally can but it is reasonable that you’ll need to make some concessions. Whether it’s battery life, screen quality, or a lack of future-proofing. Laptops can either be affordable or they can be powerful. There is a fine middle of the road but you can’t expect $3000 performance from a $500 laptop. Realistically though you can hit 60 FPS in 1080p and even dabble in 2K with some laptops under $1000 (As our options show). Just don’t gather up $650 worth of cash and blow it on some 2-1 flip screen laptop that can’t run angry birds. It’s so much lost money when a bit more could get you those nice Far Cry 6 sessions.
Why is the cheapest option $750?
Opportunity cost! To get a good laptop, you have to pay quite a bit to “Buy-in”. I.E. a laptop at a minimum will cost $500 or more for anything remotely decent. If you are already spending $500 it would be stupid to be impatient. Instead, work hard, save money, and get to that $750 mark because it is the difference between playing 1080p AAA titles at FPS as low as 20 and being able to game well and well for the foreseeable future. I keep saying this because budget laptop buyers are notorious for blowing a large sum of money on something not very good because they couldn’t stop going to McDonalds for a couple weeks (Not saying it’s you, but if it is, maybe chill and save some cash)
But I really wanted like… a $500 option…
Awesome! That’s like buying a $100 iPhone. Good luck, it’s not going to end well. Seriously, it’s worth it to have good quality, peace of mind, and a bit of future-proofing but we believe in democracy and freedom so have at it with your cheap gutter laptops.
Why didn’t you review battery life?
To be honest, it’s not a Macbook Pro. While you can usually expect to get a solid 2-3 hours of gaming with a gaming laptop, most of the components draw too much power for battery life to be a significant factor in your choice. While it is really nice to get a laptop with enough juice to last an international flight, you shouldn’t purchase based off of battery life so much as the ability to play games. It’s just not a good factor in deciding this. Although unusually bizarre battery situations do matter (Some require two power supplies or only last 45 minutes) and we note those if they come up. Often a laptop will say “7+ hours of battery life!” but our experience has told us that they aren’t always honest and batteries just aren’t consistent enough to be a good metric for decision making.
Anything else I really need to know about gaming laptops?
They can be freaking heavy. If you don’t lift weights and get the wrong gaming laptop, you’ll soon look like Charles Atlas. It’s important to consider this, but we didn’t find these three extremely heavy or that different in weight. Thinner is better too, some gaming laptops are thick and clunky. These are the best balance of weight and size though.
What about Refurbished models?
Buy at your own risk but they’re a GREAT option if you just don’t have cash and need something that will do the job. We didn’t list them because I want to be able to sleep at night if you bought some half-broken product from an Amazon Warehouse. Realistically though, I’ve had two-refurbished laptops, refurbished DSLR, Refurbished TVs. Never had a problem. It doesn’t always mean there has been much use at all and most companies offer a good warranty for the first month or two.
Thanks for Joining Us!
Whether it’s for school or getting blistering framerates in Doom Eternal, having a mobile solution for gaming is great. It makes visiting the relatives during the holidays bearable if you need to leave your console or desktop for two weeks. It makes gaming easy and convenient if you aren’t at home. They’re just an awesome thing to have. If you want a laptop, consider something on this list, we promise you we put a lot of time into finding products (That’s why we don’t have twenty, we just have the 3 best). That’s because we care about our WBG community and want them to get the products that matter. If you have comments, questions, or learned something, leave a note. We’d love to hear from you!
