Best Gaming Laptop under $1500 – 2024 Review

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The best gaming laptops come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. A gaming laptop can ensure that you can game at any time, be it on the train or in the library. It would help if you had a machine capable of delivering good stable framerates and something that can prove you for some time.

Our Top Picks for 2024

In today’s market, there are many brands to choose from with different specifications and features. Here are some of them.

1. Acer Nitro 5

The Acer Nitro 5 is an excellent option in this price range. A sleek looking machine with impressive specs under $1000 is ideal for the starter gamer. The Intel Core i7 of the 9th Generation combined with the NVIDIA GTX 2060 will set you up for some time. The full HD widescreen 15.6 display with 144Hz is a joy to look at, and we can’t recommend it enough.

The screen is smooth and colorful. Acer has put in a tremendous backlit keyboard that feels great to use and has a travel distance of 1.6mm. We like the red honestly and the addition of the dedicated NitroSense key, which lets you monitor and control your CPU and GPU temperatures in addition to the fan speed and some power settings. They also implemented unique cooling technology under the name Acer CoolBoost, which works excellent judging by tests.

Waves MaxxAudio meets Acer TrueHarmony and delivers great deep sound and effects. You won’t need speakers when gaming with this machine. All around, the Acer Nitro 5 is a well-rounded machine that is great to use and is a welcome buy for any dedicated gamer.

• Processor: Intel Core i7-9750H 9th Generation Processor 2.6GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 4.5GHz
• Display: 15.6″ Full HD 1920 x 1080 widescreen LED IPS 144Hz Refresh Rate
• RAM: 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Memory
• Graphics Chip: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 with 6GB of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM
• Storage Size: 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD (2 x PCIe M.2 Slots 1 Slot Available)
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home
• Ports: 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C, 3 x USB 3.1, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x Mini DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x Audio jack
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth
• Weight and dimensions: 14.31 x 10.04 x 0.96 inches and 4.84 pounds

 

2. ASUS TUF

Asus TUF is a great and affordable option that fits the fine line of balance between performance and price. This time we have a powerful AMD Ryzen 7 4800H paired with an NVIDIA Turing powered RTX 2060 that is sure to satisfy all your gaming needs. These gaming processors have eight cores, and paired with this high-end video card; it will perform flawlessly at 1080p.

Not too big nor too slick, it has enough ports and storage options, so you don’t have to worry about connectivity or running out of Memory. They boast an impressive MIL-STD-810H military standard build quality, which guarantees reduced fall damage. You can be sure that you can sling this machine over your laptop, and nothing will break. They also say that their chassis can withstand high humidity and freezing colds.

The TUF laptop seems like the perfect challenger to any weather conditions. With an array of expansion options and unique cooling systems, this machine is suitable for any gamer traveling a lot and wants to get a device that will set him up for the future. Oh, and ASUS has done it’s best to put in a massive lasting battery that can do 9 to 12 hours of browsing and regular computer tasks.

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 4800H Processor 45W (8M Cache, up to 4.2GHz)
• Display: 15.6″ full HD 1920×1080 144Hz IPS-Type display
• RAM: 16GB DDR4 3200MHz RAM
• Graphics Chip: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 with 6 GB VRAM with ROG Boost
• Storage Size: 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10
• Ports: 1 x USB 2.0, 3 x USB 3.0, 1 x HDMI 2.0
• Connectivity: Wi-FI 5, Bluetooth
• Weight and dimensions: 14.1 x 10.1 x 1 inch and 5.07 pounds

 

3. MSI GL65 Leopard

The MSI Leopard is a beast! With the 10th Generation Intel Core i7 and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070, you have a portable powerhouse capable of capping any game. With the ability to overclock the CPU safely up to 15 percent, you can even get more juice out of it. With a vivid 15.6 inch display with a unique thin bezel, gaming on this laptop feels like a premium experience. The 16 GB of RAM will keep your machine speedy and responsive, and the ability to expand to 64 GB leaves you some space for upgrades in the future.

The backlit keyboard is perfect to use and feels responsive to the fingers. The Per-Key RGB keyboard is a joy to design and play with, and you can customize the machine to your liking. The Dragon Center software gives you great control over your laptop, and you can really tweak the insides as much as you like.

Oh, and the 144Hz screen looks buttery smooth, and it really shows how powerful the RTX is with it’s fancy Ray Tracing and deep shadows. MSI also made sure to include some fantastic speakers that will get you immersed in anything you do.

• Processor: Intel Core i7-10750H 2.6-5.0GHz
• Display: 15.6″ FHD 1920 x 1080 300 nits IPS Anti-Glare LED-Backlit Display
• RAM: 16 GB
• Graphics Chip: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB VRAM GDDR6
• Storage Size: 512GB NVMe SSD
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home
• Ports: 2 x 3.2 Type-A, 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1 x HDMI
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth
• Weight and dimensions: 14.08 x 9.76 x 1.08 inches and 9.38 pounds

 

4. Dell Gaming G3

Dell was always famous for its computers and desktops. The American multinational company was founded in 1984 and has ever made good machines. The Dell Gaming G3 was designed with superiority in mind, and with the affordable price point, it is a great gaming laptop to get. Packed with an Nvidia RTX 2060 for just over $1200 and an Intel Core i7, you will be set up for a few future years.

The 144Hz display is vivid and pleasant to look at. The bezel looks good, and gaming is a joy. With a dual-fan cooling system, Dell has made sure that your machine will stay cool while you game. Equipped with the Alienware CommandCenter, you can truly personalize your gaming machine and fine-tune all the performance options. Good speakers are in the pack, as well as the right gaming keyboard.

• Processor: Intel Core i7-10750H 2.6-5.0GHz
• Display: 15.6″ Full HD IPS-Level 144Hz Refresh Rate 72%NTSC Thin Bezel
• RAM: 16 GB DDR4 SDRAM
• Graphics Chip: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB VRAM GDDR6
• Storage Size: 512GB NVMe SSD
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home
• Ports: 2 x 3.2 Type-A, 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1 x HDMI
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth
• Weight and dimensions:
• 20.7 x 13.7 x 3 inches and 8.93 pounds

 

5. Gigabyte AERO 17

Gigabyte and the Aero line have produced a sleek looking laptop with impressive performances. This machine has a tad bit bigger display, and we are impressed by the thinness of it. Just 3 mm and a 144Hz 17.3″ display looks great, and you can expect full immersion anywhere you want to play. The 5ms response time and the impressive viewing angle are also the cherries on top.

The display also boasts perfect color accuracy with X-Rite Pantone technology. With an Intel Core i7 CPU and an NVIDIA GTX 1660, you will be able to play the latest games with ease. Better options are available, but the price point jumps a lot. The Aero 17 also has Microsoft Azure AI, which claims to be the first computer AI that learns how you game and operate the computer to determine your GPU and CPU’s performance options dynamically. Paced with a big battery of 94Wh, you can expect a longer running time. The Aero is a well-designed machine with a ton of features, which we can wholeheartedly recommend.

• Processor: Intel Core i7-10875H 2.6-5.0GHz
• Display: 17 3″ 3mm ultra-thin bezel 144Hz FHD 1920×1080 Anti-Glare displayRAM: 16 GB DDR4 DRAM
• Graphics Chip: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti
• Storage Size: 512GB NVMe SSD
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home
• Ports: 2 x 3.2 Type-A, 1 x USB 3.0 Thunderbolt, 1 x HDMI
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth
• Weight and dimensions:
• 15.6 x 10.6 x 0.84 inches and 10.78 pounds

 

6. Razer Blade 15

Designed by gamers, the Razer Blade 15 is a beauty. An ultra-compact machine with a super cool design packed with a 9th Gen Intel Core i7 and an NVIDIA GTX 1660Ti will guarantee a fast and precise gaming experience. The full HD monitor with a 100 percent sRGB color display is nice to look at but just 60Hz. There are options in this list with higher refresh rates, but Razer has made sure that the display does look nice, despite the lower refresh rate.

The price point is a bit high, but you are buying a Razer machine, after all. The brand name is more expensive, but Razer is Razer. We especially like the CNC aluminum unibody and the black color that pops and will get some looks. If you want a premium build quality gaming laptop, this is one for you. The machine does look cool and is very thin. A customizable keyboard is there; the Razer Chroma and playing with it is fun, and it looks terrific.

The Razer Blade 15 is an outstanding choice, especially now, as Amazon Prime Day is coming up. Sadly, the battery won’t last too long, and under a more massive load, you will get up to 2 to 3 hours of battery.

• Processor: 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750H 6 core processor w/ 2.6GHz/4.5GHz
• Display: 15.6″ FHD 1080p 60H display
• RAM: 16 GB DDR4 DRAM
• Graphics Chip: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti
• Storage Size: 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home
• Ports: 2 x 3.2 Type-A, 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1 x HDMI
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth
• Weight and dimensions: 9.25 x 13.98 x 0.78 inches and 4.63 pounds

 

Also, take a look at other valuable mentions in this price range:

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A Complete Guide to Selecting the Right Gaming Laptop

A budget of $1500 will be enough to get a device that will run the latest games with ease on medium to high settings, depending on the game. In this post, we want to do a quick overview of gaming laptops that are worthy of your time and that you should check out. The most important things that you need to be aware of are the following points.

The holy trinity of CPU, GPU, and RAM is your main focal point, as these will have the most significant impact on what games you can run and how fast you can run them.

Processor: The CPU in this price range should be an Intel Core i5 or an i7. The equivalent would be an AMD Ryzen 7 from AMD. The CPU needs to be fast enough but be aware that most newer games depend on the GPU more than the CPU so that an Intel Core i5 will be enough.

Video Card: The GPU is the heart of your gaming machine, and an NVIDIA GTX 1650 or RX 5500M should be the bare minimum for playing on medium settings. Anything better than that will perform better. Sadly for this price, you won’t be able to do VR or play all games in high settings. Still, as you’ve read, there are some excellent machines on our list above. An NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 or 2070 would be ideal, and with that, you will fulfill the minimum requirements for VR.

Build Quality: What is the machine’s build quality, and will you be sure that you can carry around the laptop in your bag without it fearing that it will break or dent. It will help if you are looking for a tad more rigid material like aluminum or similar to ensure that the laptop is in one piece. Some brands boast about their military-grade tests and controls that would provide the longest life span.

Cooling: You should look for a laptop with a well thought out cooling system that will help your game and push your computer if the chance for that arises. Some machines are specially designed for overclocking, so you may want to use that.

Display: The display and the quality of it are one more critical aspect. You want a durable screen with excellent and vivid colors. Especially here, the refresh rate is a required question. 60Hz is the subpar standard, but anything over that you want! 122Hz is good, 144Hz is better, 300Hz is ideal. The refresh rate is the particular number of times the image can be updated with images. Higher means smoother and more streamlined gameplay, as well it can give you a competitive edge.

Memory: Will you be able to expand your laptop? Many games could require more Memory and RAM, and buying a machine with additional slots could save you some headaches down the road. 8 GB is the bare minimum you want to get, but getting 16 GB would be ideal. As said, this is usually upgradable, and some laptops have features that make upgrading super easy.

Battery Life: You need to be aware that the battery life will probably be on the worse side. If you can get a gaming laptop that can pull more than 3 or 4 hours, that would be excellent. You can expect 2 to 3 hours under heavier load in this price range, but know that these were not designed for use on a battery. If you want long battery life, you would have to get an ultrabook with a more discreet mobile GPU and CPU. Maybe check out this post on laptops for designers and artists for machines that can do longer without a power source.

Storage: With new games coming out that can take 60 to 100 GB to be playable, you will want enough disk space. Even if you get a fast machine, a regular hard drive can slow you down. That is where a Solid State Drive comes in, and most of the list devices have SSD options. The minimum should be 512 GB, but usually, you can combine an SSD and an ordinary hard drive. A combo of a 1 TB hard drive and 512 SSD seems ideal, and this option is not too pricey.

The Keyboard: You want the right keyboard that will feel comfortable and good to use. You need to be aware that Key Travel, anti-ghosting, actuation are essential for gaming. Necessary Travel, especially as that is how much the key can travel when you press it. You want to get something with 1.5 millimeters of essential travel.

Who should buy a gaming laptop?

Gaming laptops are suitable for those who live a more mobile lifestyle, university students that want to be able to game on the go, and in any spot. Thanks to their powerful specifications and good build quality, they are also suitable for professionals and designers who want to have a powerful workhorse computer in their bag that can handle heavier editing applications.

There are a lot of features that you may be interested in, and usually, gaming laptops are to the brim customizable. From the satisfactory performance tunning to the keyboard’s lighting, you can make the computer just your own.

Is a gaming laptop good as a gaming desktop?

A smaller machine does not mean lower framerates or a compromise in vide game graphics quality. With the new efforts that manufacturers made, you can have a portable beast that will run any modern title. You can get a smaller machine that is silent and portable instead of a bulky table PC.

What are the top laptop gaming brands?

Today, there are many companies in the marketplace, but we would have to say that our top picks are Acer, Alienware, and Razer. Lenovo and their Legion series have some incredible machines, and Gigabyte is going all out with their latest models.

Conclusion

If you are buying a gaming laptop and in this price range, you are sure to get something that will last you a couple of years. Be aware that you will get a machine that will run most games with medium to high settings, depending on the title. The GPU should be an essential part of your computer as the video card is the performance bottleneck in most cases.

Make sure that your storage and RAM can be upgraded, and with some of these new games coming out, where you need dozens of gigabytes to store them, you will need it. Make sure you understand what type of display you are getting and how it will look. Decide on which software you will want to use and know that your machine will have to be plugged in most of the time. With all being said, happy shopping and good luck!

Take a look at the following video and find out everything you need to know before buying a gaming laptop: