Best Gaming Laptop Under $500: Top Picks

Discover our top inexpensive laptop models for gamers on a budget.

Gaming laptops tend to be quite expensive. The sizable price tag is dictated by the superior specifications required for an immersive gaming experience. Good graphics, build quality, audio, battery life, and overall performance add up to hundreds and thousands of dollars. But with so many laptops on the market, it’s easy to find some budget-friendly options for gaming. Below, we’ve rounded up our top picks for the best gaming laptop under $500. Curious what is the best MacBook for gaming? Read our recent piece.

What to Expect

Budget gaming laptops are certainly capable of delivering excellent performance, but they come with some limitations. So, managing expectations is important. Typically, when choosing an inexpensive gaming laptop, you should pay attention to the following features and specifications:

Processor: Most modern games recommend the Core-i5 processor or above for the optimal experience, but you can surely play games with an older processor, though the experience might not be as smooth.
Graphics card: A decent graphics card is crucial for proper gaming. NVIDIA or AMD graphic cards are sufficient for most modern games, but more sophisticated 3D games might require an upgrade.
Display: It’s hard to enjoy a game without a vivid, bright, and crisp display. Many budget-friendly gaming laptops are advanced enough to have a full HD display.
RAM Memory: The greater the RAM, the less glitchy a game will be. Most laptops within the $500 range offer at least 8GB of RAM, which is a minimum requirement for a smooth gaming experience.

Best Gaming Laptop Under $500: Acer Aspire 5

This is an affordable gaming laptop with powerful specifications. It comes with a 15.6-inch Full-HD IPS display, the latest AMD Ryzen 5 Hexa-core processor paired with 8GB of RAM (4GB of RAM for the most basic model), multiple ports, and Wi-Fi 6 capability, which could be beneficial for online games. The laptop also features AMD Radeon Graphics. Overall, this device offers a good mix of features for the price and is perfect for gamers on a budget.

Best Gaming Laptop Under $500: Lenovo IdeaPad 3

This device comes with powerful hardware and is a good choice for gamers who don’t want to spend much on their next gaming laptop. It features a 14-inch full HD display with anti-glare coating, 8GB of RAM, 256 GB of SSD, and an AMD Ryzen 5 quad-core processor with Radeon Vega 8 graphics. A great battery life of up to 8 hours is a nice bonus. You can buy this laptop on Amazon for $494.40, which is a fair price for these specifications.

Best Gaming Laptop Under $500: Asus VivoBook 15

This is a thin and light laptop that is perfect for casual gamers. The device is well-built and offers enough power for a solid gaming experience. It features a 15.6-inch full HD LED display with a 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of SSD, and AMD Radeon Vega 8 integrated graphics. Windows 10 Home is pre-installed, so the laptop is compatible with all PC games.

Best Gaming Laptop Under $500: Dell Inspiron i3583

This model offers good value for the money. The laptop features a 15.6-inch high-definition touchscreen display, 8th-generation Intel i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, and decent audio quality through the Waves MaxxAudio Pro. The Intel UHD 620 graphics card will let you play many games comfortably. There is also a high-definition built-in webcam with a microphone. Overall, it’s a reliable, sturdy laptop that is perfect for casual gaming and work.

Conclusion

Whether you’re an avid or a casual gamer, finding the best gaming laptop under $500 is possible. Contrary to what many people think, budget laptops are fully capable of handling gaming. Our top laptop choices listed above will allow you to have a pleasant gaming experience and enjoy your favorite games, no matter how demanding they might be. Finally, if you have an old one that you want to sell, you can make a laptop trade in for cash with Gadget Salvation.