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5 Best Gaming Laptop Under $500 Reviews in 2023 | Top Models for the Price

5 Top Picks

2 Reviewers

33 Hours of Research

28 Options Considered

Gaming laptops are those designed specifically to handle the enormous workload from gaming. Normally, they must have superior specifications in the processor, RAM, graphics, and disk drive. For this reason, a decent gaming laptop often costs about $1000, so this price range might be ideal for a big budget buyer. 

Prior to making any recommendations, we will give you some insight into budget gaming laptops, lending you a hand in the process of making better decisions and avoiding consumer guilt later on. Let’s start!

Best Gaming Laptop Under $500 - What Are They, And Do They Actually Exist?

Gaming laptops are those designed specifically to handle the enormous workload from gaming. Normally, they must have superior specifications in the processor, RAM, graphics, and disk drive. For this reason, a decent gaming laptop often costs no less than $1000, causing huge inconvenience for gamers with a limited budget.

Bearing that in mind, many brands have introduced budget gaming laptops - with a price ranging from $300 to above $1000 for a laptop. So, technically, under $500 gaming laptops are real and are gaining immersive profits.

However, the advice here is to be cautious while choosing among them, and have in mind that cheap items won’t last. Many products can operate excellently on the first days and break down into cracks on the rest. Consequently, sometimes cheap gaming laptops cost even more than top-notch ones.

There is still a chance for the notebook to run those games, however by no means would that experience be fast and smooth. With a laptop under $500 you can enjoy old games, Minecraft for example so it’s a big win if it can run minecraft.

Regarding all those disadvantages, we highly recommend raising your budget of about 200 to 400 bucks. Not only can you have more satisfying gaming experience (especially with a great gaming mouse) but it will reduce the risk of regretting later on.

3 Top Gaming Laptop Under $500

Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop

 

1. [Best Overall]

 Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop

5/5

To start off the list, we would love to present an Acer’s bestseller - Acer Aspire 5. This is one of the most popular laptops for tight-budget gamers around the world, which is by no means an accident.


Featuring an AMD Ryzen 3 3200U Dual-Core Processor, together with 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD, Acer Aspire 5 is a compact gaming laptop which is able to process everything up to mid-range gaming. 

  • Light and compact
  • Long battery life
  • User-friendly

 2019 ASUS TUF 17.3" FHD Gaming Laptop Computer

The 2019 ASUS TUF 17.3” FHD is a perfect example of a gaming laptop that does not break the bank but is still able to provide terrific gaming insight. Priced around $1000, it may be a little more expensive than other products on this list; however, we must say its superiority is totally worth the extra money.

  • Powerful processor, minimum slowdown
  • Superb graphics specifications
  • RGB backlit keyboard

HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop

3. [Best For The Long Battery Life]

HP Pavilion Gaming

4.8/5

HP Pavilion Gaming is highly recommended due to its outstanding specifications for a gaming laptop. If you are seeking a laptop that deserves every penny you spend on it, check this product out.

What makes HP Pavilion Gaming really stand out from the list is its powerful processor, 1TB hard drive and NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics.

  • Long battery life

  • Powerful, able to proceed with little slowdown
  • The sound comes out great

Best Gaming Laptop Under 500 – Our Recommendations

[Best Overall]

5/5

To start off the list, we would love to present an Acer’s bestseller - Acer Aspire 5. This is one of the most popular laptops for tight-budget gamers around the world, which is by no means an accident.

Featuring an AMD Ryzen 3 3200U Dual-Core Processor, together with 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD, Acer Aspire 5 is a compact gaming laptop which is able to process everything up to mid-range gaming. Weighing just 3.97 pounds, the product is among the lightest gaming laptops on the market, especially for those that are priced less than $500.

Another impressive thing about Acer Aspire 5 is its user-friendliness. With Acer’s proprietary Color Intelligence system, the harmful blue color is reduced, decreasing the threat of severe eye strain -  a common problem for long-hour gamers. Plus, it also has a backlit keyboard that helps you type effortlessly in low-light environments.

 Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop

Pros

  • Light and compact
  • Long battery life
  • User-friendly

Cons

  • A bit low computer memory (4GB RAM)

However, considering the price, mobility and battery life, Acer Aspire 5 is definitely among the best picks for less than $400. So if you have a moderate budget this is one of the best candidates for you.

The 2019 ASUS TUF 17.3” FHD is a perfect example of a gaming laptop that does not break the bank but is still able to provide terrific gaming insight. Priced around $1000, it may be a little more expensive than other products on this list; however, we must say its superiority is totally worth the extra money.

The 2019 ASUS TUF 17.3” FHD offers an AMD Ryzen 7 Quad-core, which is said to be 3% but feels like 300% faster than Intel Core i7. Serving the most powerful processor in this list, the product warrants you top-notch experience with the least stagnation as possible.

With a screen size of 17.3 inches, 2019 ASUS TUF 17.3” FHD is not the lightest and thinnest laptop within its price range. Nonetheless, thanks to its HD Widescreen LED Display (1920 x 1080), this large size gives you a chance to play games with genuine graphical feeling as well as helps reduce eye constraint.

 2019 ASUS TUF 17.3" FHD Gaming Laptop Computer

Pros

  • Powerful processor, minimum slowdown
  • Superb graphics specifications
  • RGB backlit keyboard

Cons

  • Costs extra money

All in all, 2019 ASUS TUF 17.3” FHD’s is higher-than-average price for a budget gaming laptop. But with another $500 and you can enjoy top-tier gaming experience .

[Best For The Long Battery Life]

4.8/5

HP Pavilion Gaming is highly recommended due to its outstanding specifications for a gaming laptop. If you are seeking a laptop that deserves every penny you spend on it, check this product out.

What makes HP Pavilion Gaming really stand out from the list is its powerful processor, 1TB hard drive and NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics. With these features, HP Pavilion Gaming can handle even the latest game such as Fortnight, PUBG or Overwatch while also giving you high-quality watching experience.

Battery life is another strong point of HP Pavilion Gaming. With a duration of up to 8.5 hours for mixed usage and 5.5 hours for wireless streaming, the laptop can hold for a longer amount of time than most gaming laptops priced under $1000. Needless of recharge, it should also walk you through a long workday with ease.

Of course powerfulness comes at a cost, and in this case, it is HP Pavilion Gaming’s mobility that is sacrificed. Weighing about 4.85 pounds, the product is more on the heavy side and can be easily outweighed by other more portable laptops.

 HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop

Pros

  • Powerful, able to proceed with little slowdown
  • Long battery life
  • Decent graphics
  • The sound comes out great

Cons

  • A bit bulky and heavy

If you are a true gamer, mobility is not so big of a deal right? HP Pavilion Gaming is designed for the most avid gamers, to whom powerfulness and graphics are of utmost priority. If this is your case, just give this HP kid a chance!

Another product from ASUS, TUF FX505DT is known for its balance between price and technical specs.

Around $200 cheaper than its cousin FX505DY, ASUS TUF FX505DT features a Quad-core AMD Ryzen 5 processor, together with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD. Thanks to these specs, the product can handle well games of light to medium settings.

Equipped with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB graphics, ASUS TUF FX505DT offers you high-quality images through vivid and consistent colors.

 ASUS TUF FX505DT Gaming Laptop

Pros

  • Pretty solid performance
  • RGB backlit keyboard

Cons

  • Not very long-lasting

Although still having some typical problems of a cheap notebook, ASUS TUF FX505DT is a good alternative for the FX505DY above. With a tough build and fancy RGB backlit keyboard, it is not a bad choice for a notebook under $800.

Dell G3 5965 is another tight-budget laptop, designed with a view to providing the best gaming experience for the least amount of money.

Deliberately focused on graphical superiority, Dell G3 5965 features NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 and 4GB GDDR5 graphics memory, which can give you intense and real feelings. While playing games, who does not want to have crystal clear images?

Presenting the latest Intel Core i5 8300H Processor Quad Core and 8GB RAM, in most cases, Dell G3 5965 is adequate for satisfactory gaming experiences. While not being the ideal laptop for professional gamers, this Core i5 laptop is still able to operate even the latest games and satisfy your multitasking needs without notable stagnation.

With a screen size of 15.6 inches and a weight of 5.95 pounds, it is not a laptop you may want to carry everywhere with you.

Dell G3 Gaming Laptop

Pros

  • Sufficient processor, RAM and disk drive
  • Excellent graphics specifications

Cons

  • Weighty, not suitable to carry around

With a price of just above $500, Dell G5 5965 has done a great job of balancing between power, graphics and mobility. Overall, it is among a few under-$500 laptops that are actually worth considering. If the graphical factor is important for you as a gamer, Dell G5 5965 is built for you!

Things to consider before getting a gaming laptop

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

Known as the brain of the machine, CPU is the most important factor to consider if you want to buy a fast, capable-of-gaming laptop.

You may be asking: so what job does this piece do? Basically, the CPU is responsible for any processes going on inside your laptop, determining its speed and smoothness. Therefore, if you want to play games or multitask on the laptop, you should aim for those with powerful processors.

There are two main types of CPU out there: AMD and Intel. Intel is thought to be more powerful that comes with a high quality product price. A good gaming laptop often features Intel Core i7 or more.

Storage

For gaming laptops, of course, the faster the better. Fine storage will improve game loading speed as well as reduce hitching, a common problem among cheap laptops.

In this regard, SSD (Solid ) is apparently superior to HDD (Hard Disk Drive), yet it can be out of your affordable price range. In that case, it’s for the best if you choose a decent HDD. For regular productivity tasks, a 500GB HDD would suffice, while for gaming, we recommend 1TB.

laptop for gaming

Display

If you want the best gaming experience, the display is fundamental. So, what kind of feature should you look for?

Size: Larger screens often mean less eye constraint, but also less portability. Most gaming laptops have a screen size from 15 to 17 inches.

Resolution: It goes without saying that the more resolute the image, the better the gaming experience. However, high-quality images can indicate a higher price and probably lower speed.

Keyboard

Normally, the keyboard is a factor to which an average buyer would not pay too much attention. However, this is something gamers really care about, as they count greatly on the keyboard for their gaming performance. These are several things you would want to consider:

Key Travel: This describes how far down you can press a key. Generally, a number of more than 1.5 mm would be adequate, but the more the better.

Actuation: This is the force required for the key to be recognized. Actuation between 65 and 70 grams would be ideal, not too heavy but also not too soft.

Backlighting: A backlit keyboard helps you type easily in the dark and also fashionable, which makes it particularly popular recently. However, it will cost extra money and if you are on a tight budget, be aware backlighting is not that necessary.

a person typing on laptop keyboard

FAQs

Is Core-i5 sufficient for gaming?

Normally, Core-i5 is the minimum requirement for a gaming laptop. It has enough computing capacity for up to medium gaming, and is popular among budget notebooks. Yet, if you want to play graphic-intensive games or simply smooth experience, Core-i7 is recommended.

How much battery life is enough?

Battery life can be pretty bad for gaming notebooks, as a good gaming notebook must combine and balance between many things including high processing capability.

Generally, 5 to 6-hour battery while gaming is pretty impressive, while 3 is acceptable. Will you - an avid gamer - choose battery over processing speed?

Should I buy a gaming laptop featuring 8GB RAM?

8GB RAM is the entry-level for even casual tasks, and we do not recommend it for gaming laptops. At least get a 16GB memory if you do not want to suffer severe stagnation, while 64GB is the ideal.

Also, be aware that computer memory can be updated easily with not much money. This is a solution for many low budget gamers.

Should I buy a gaming laptop with a touch screen?

Frankly, no. A touch screen does not help much with gaming, not to mention that it will drain the battery and cost extra money. To a laptop under $500, the case may be even worse. After all, with a limited budget, you must set strict priority for features you want from your notebook. In this case, we think powerfulness should be of utmost importance.

Bottom Line

All in all, it is hard to tell which is the best gaming laptop under 500. To put everything inside a compact notebook and try to balance between specs such as processor, RAM, graphics is by no means easy, let alone with a limited budget.

In this article, we have presented our top 5 cheap laptops, some of which exceed the original price range ($500). We believe this is necessary since you may want to buy a notebook that will stay with you in a few years. If you upgrade to a laptop that's just under $600, the price can have big performance implications and of course the options detailed above are much, much better than their $400 laptop counterparts.

Hope you will find the best gaming laptop under $500 you need!

About Dusan Stanar

I'm the founder of VSS Monitoring. I have been both writing and working in technology in a number of roles for dozens of years and wanted to bring my experience online to make it publicly available. Visit https://www.vssmonitoring.com/about-us/ to read more about myself and the rest of the team.