7 Best Gaming Laptops under $1500
Before I had a custom-built PC, my first foray into PC gaming was on a fragile HP ENVY laptop. I remember playing games like Saints Row and struggling to get past 15-20 FPS. Now gamers know that a good gaming laptop is an essential piece of equipment. Not only do they need powerful hardware to run the latest games, but they also need a machine that is portable and can handle extended gaming sessions. If you’re looking for a great gaming laptop that doesn’t go above $1500, then you’ve come to the right post. In this blog post, we will take a look at seven of the best gaming laptops for under $1500 and my views on each system.
What are the Best Gaming Laptops under $1500?
Asus ROG Strix G15
A powerful and reliable gaming laptop.Featuring an AMD Ryzen 7 6800H CPU, an NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 Laptop GPU with 16GB DDR5 RAM, this laptop is designed to provide you with an immersive gaming experience.
Pros: Cons:My View
The Asus ROG Strix G15 is probably the best gaming laptop for its value. This particular model is running AMD CPU and NVIDIA GPU combo. Combined with 16 GB RAM and 1 TB PCIe SSD, most games will run with amazing game performance. The panel is a 1080 IPD panel able to run a refresh rate of 300hz. 300hz is a bit of an overkill but know that the option is there for FPS gamers (My eyes can see past 300hz…). If RGB and lighting are one of your main purchase drivers, this laptop is best at RGB design. And not just the RGB design, but the overall build quality is great with multiple ports and well-ventilated chassis. However, one downside Overall, the Acer ROG Strix is one of the top high-performing gaming laptop in the market .
Lenovo Legion 5
From the reputable Lenovo, the Lenovo Legion 5 comes with a 165Hz refresh rate, NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 Laptop GPU, and AMD Ryzen 7 6800H processor, this laptop offers a great portable gaming expereince under $1500
Pros: Cons:My View
Lenovo’s Legion line has been producing excellent affordable gaming laptops for quite some time. The newest 2022 Legion 5 takes what it has been doing best while making a sleeker design. Built with the AMD/Nvidia combo, the components are industry standard for the price. The laptop has a 1080 IPS display with a 144hz refresh rate. It is not the best in class but will still provide an excellent gaming experience in the most demanding games. The design is also slimmer which makes it more portable for LAN parties or traveling. I would have liked to see a higher storage option as only 512GB might get filled up quickly with games these days. The Lenovo Legion 5 is a gaming machine that is great for budget-minded gamers.
ASUS TUF Gaming F15 (2022)
The TUF series is the best budget oriented PC gaming line. Asus doesn’t comprise quality for the price and the TUF F15 is an example of that. With a 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-13900H processor combined with RTX 3050 and 16GB of 4800MHz RAM, you can stream, game with ease.
Pros: Cons:My View
The ASUS TUF line creates products that are very much budget oriented. Products can range from PC components like the TUF graphics card line and of course budget gaming laptops. The ASUS TUF F15 gaming laptop rocks an Intel i7 11th-gen processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060. Plus, it comes with 16GB RAM and a large capacity of storage with a one TB PCIe SSD. The display is a 15.6in 1080p resolution with a refresh rate of 144hz. Unlike the ROG Strix mentioned above, the Asus TUF F15 does have a webcam. Overall it should deliver great gaming performance for most graphics-intensive games.
MSI Pulse GL66
With a 15.6″ 144Hz FHD 1080p display, Intel Core i7-11800H processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card, 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD storage, the Pulse GL66 is designed to deliver smooth and responsive gameplay.
Pros: Cons:My View
I used to relate MSI Laptops as big, bulky, but powerful. However, MSI has started to create more products where design doesn’t compromise performance. The MSI Pulse GL66 is one of the best gaming laptops under 1500. It is very sleek for a gaming laptop coming in at 0.78 inches. The hardware it packs is impressive as well with an Intel Core i7 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070. It also comes with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD. Even with a higher price than others in this category,its still one of the best gaming laptops for this price range. The only downside I see for MSI is that their customer service isn’t the best. There have been multiple reports of people waiting weeks or even months to get a response from customer service. So if you purchase an MSI product, make sure you have a backup plan just in case something goes wrong. With specs like these, you can’t go wrong with the MSI Pulse GL66.
Acer Predator Helios 300
Powered by a 10th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics, the Helios 300 boasts lightning-fast speeds and seamless gameplay. Its sleek metal chassis, customizable RGB keyboard, and slim bezels provide both style and function, making it an ideal choice for gamers who demand high-quality design and performance.
Pros: Cons:My View
Acer has been making PC and laptops for both consumers and enterprises for years. Their Predator gaming line is very budget-oriented. As such, the Acer Predator Helios 300 is one of the best gaming laptops for under 1500. It has a sleek design and is packed with some great hardware. The Intel Core i7 and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 are a great combo for any gamer. The 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD are quite standard for mid-range laptops. The display is a 1080 IPS panel with a 144hz refresh rate. I would have liked to see a higher resolution but for the price, it is still a great laptop. The laptop is also compatible with Alexa Show mode. This basciallty makes your PC into a Alexa screen just like Echo devices. Ofcourse this Acer’s customer service is also very responsive and helpful so you can rest assured that you will be taken care of if anything goes wrong.
MSI Stealth 15M
The MSI Stealth 15M is the thinnest and lightest 15-inch gaming laptop available. It features an Intel® 11th Gen processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX™ 3060 graphics, a 15.6″ 144Hz FHD 1080p display, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Thunderbolt 4, WiFi 6 and Windows 10. It also comes in sleek Carbon Gray or Pure White design.
Pros: Cons:My View
Previously, I mentioned the MSI Pulse as a great gaming laptop at a reasonable price point. I also mentioned how MSI laptops are usually powerful but bulky. Well, MSI has a line of gaming laptops that are designed with elegance and weight in mind. The MSI Stealth 15M is one of those laptops. It comes in at only 0.62 inches and weighs in at only three pounds. Despite its small size, it packs a punch with an Intel Core I77 and Nvidia RTX 3060. The 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD are also great for gaming and general use. However, with a compact design, there may be tradeoffs. Quite a few users have complained about the fan noise being loud and the laptop getting too hot. But if that doesn’t bother you or you game with loud teammates, then I recommend trying the MSI Stealth.
Lenovo Legion Slim 7
A powerful gaming laptop that doesn’t compromise build for power. The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 is AMD CPU and GPU with a 16GB Ram config. Combined with a 16 inch IPS 165Hz panel, its easy to have a
Pros: Cons:My View
Like MSI, Lenovo’s Legion line has laptops that are “slim”, gaming laptops designed to be sleek and seamless. The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 is one of those laptops. It comes in at 0.66 inches and weighs in at only 4.2 pounds. It has an Intel Core i7 and an Nvidia RTX 3050Ti. That’s enough power to run even the most demanding games at high settings. Plus, the Legion Slim 7 has a 165 Hz refresh rate display, so you’ll enjoy smooth and responsive gaming. So if you’re looking for a thin and light gaming laptop that doesn’t sacrifice performance, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7i is a great option.
What to look for in a $1500 “Budget” gaming laptop?
Affordability is a very relative term and $1500 can be considered on the high end for certain people. $1500 can buy a Meta Quest Pro, which can let users work virtually on 3 monitors during its 2 hours of battery life. $1500 is also around the price range many people consider mid-range for laptops. Low-end, high-end, mid-range, the price you pay should be worth the product you get.
A way to qualify the worth of a gaming laptop depends on your priorities. Do you want a powerhouse as the main battle station and won’t be traveling as often, or do you want a lightweight portable gaming laptop that can run the top competitive games on the market? More often than not most gaming laptops in this budget may have tradeoffs and getting your priorities/needs can help with the decision-making process. The easy part comes after.
A lot of mid-range gaming laptops start to use very comparable parts. If you look at the list, the RAM and Storage Size is mostly the same, where some would offer more storage. The GPU also usually varies between 3050, 3060, and their Ti counterparts. The bigger difference come in build quality, display preferences, and Adhoc features like ports and webcams. Companies have created so many variations and advancements in gaming laptops. It’s easy to get lost or overwhelmed. (Their naming convention doesn’t help either) Hopefully, this list either serves as your last stop or your first step into the world of gaming laptops.
My Final Thoughts
Even though I primarily game and do most of my work on my gaming desktop, I would still love to own a gaming laptop for its portability. But for the past few years, my gaming has been on my custom-built desktop and my gaming consoles (Switch and PS5). My iPad Pro has filled that laptop “gap”. With the Steam Link app, I can stream my steam games to my iPad. But the purpose of my iPad is more work and productivity. With the rise of handheld cloud gaming, it’s hard to if I should invest in a gaming laptop or have an iPad & gaming handheld combo. If you decide to go for a gaming laptop, this should list should help you narrow down your choices. Like my prebuilt list, I will keep updating this as better products enter the market. Thanks for reading and be sure to check out my blog for more tech and gaming!
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