PC gaming can be expensive, but the right laptop can help you cut costs and enjoy high-quality graphics without spending a fortune. In the past, only a few select manufacturers could offer powerful gaming laptops at reasonable prices. But today, there are many options, so you can find the best gaming laptop price for your needs.
The best laptops for gaming are able to balance a lot of different factors, including size, weight, and battery life. They also feature a lot of cutting-edge internal hardware, such as fast processors and powerful GPUs. And while these laptops aren’t cheap, they tend to be cheaper than desktop gaming machines of the same power.
When shopping for a gaming laptop, it’s important to consider the CPU, memory and storage, as well as the graphics card. Unlike other components, which can be upgraded or replaced later, the CPU is the heart of the laptop, and it determines how well it performs. For a gaming laptop, you’ll want to look for one with a 12th-generation Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 series processor at least, but ideally a 14th-generation or newer Intel CPU. The best gaming laptops also have a minimum of 16GB of RAM and 512GB of solid-state or hybrid storage.
If you’re interested in a gaming laptop that can run the latest Triple-A games at 1080p resolution, you’ll want to make sure the graphics card is capable of running them well. You can find laptops with entry-level cards like the Nvidia GTX 1650 or even older GPUs, such as the Nvidia GTX 950, which are still powerful enough to run modern games well at low to medium settings.
For budget-friendly gaming, the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 is an excellent option. This laptop features a 13th-generation Intel CPU, a 16-inch 2K display with a 240Hz refresh rate, and an RTX 2070 GPU. This combination is more than enough to run most modern games at a good frame rate and without too many graphical settings compromises.
Another great value is the MSI Bravo 15, which packs a punch into a small package. This budget-friendly gaming laptop starts under $700 and offers a solid mix of internal hardware. It includes an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor, 16GB of RAM and a Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card. This is a good combination for budget gaming, but it still gives you the power to play most of the latest indie and triple-A titles at 1080p resolution or lower.
Gaming laptops can be bulky, and they’re often heavier than other types of portable computers because of the extra space needed for heatsinks. Because of this, they typically have short battery life. However, with proper usage, you can extend the battery life of a gaming laptop to four or six hours. You can also buy an external power bank to extend the length of time you’re able to game. A high-powered gaming laptop will need more power, so you’ll want to invest in a larger capacity external battery to get the most out of it.