3 Best Cheap Gaming Laptops (2026): Lenovo, MSI, Alienware
As gaming laptop prices continue to rise, it’s increasingly difficult to find affordable options that aren’t terrible. Here are your best options based on performance and cost.
Performance Comparison
Other Cheap Gaming Laptops to Consider
There are a few other affordable gaming laptops I haven't tested yet that are worth considering. Asus and Dell both have RTX 5050 options, but neither is under $1,000. The Asus ROG A14 is out there, but it is currently only available with an RTX 5060.
Other affordable RTX 5050 laptops include the Omen 16, which is currently selling for $1,100. I haven't tested that device in a while, but it's a solid deal. The cheapest deal I've seen is the HP Victus 15 with the RTX 5050, which is only $999. If you want to upgrade to the next level of GPU performance, such as an RTX 5070, you'll see a significant jump in price. One of the cheapest RTX 5070 gaming laptops is the Asus ROG Strix G16, which sells for $1,760. That should give you an idea of how performance scales up from what is considered “budget.” Read our Best Gaming Laptops guide for more high-end picks.
Here are two other affordable gaming laptops I've tested that are worth mentioning:
Lenovo LOQ 15 Essential Gen 11 for $1,850: If the version of the LOQ 15 I recommended above isn't available, I would consider this one more seriously. If (and when) that older model goes out of stock, my opinion here will change. But as it stands, it's hard to justify this “newer” laptop, which pairs a three-year-old GPU with a three-year-old CPU (the Core i7-13650HX). The good news is the display is on par with the other LOQ 15, which is a step up in color from the Alienware 15. But the deal-killer is the included 135-watt power adapter. Like the Acer Nitro V 16 below, it loses power when playing games in Performance mode despite being plugged in. That means the extra 10 to 15 percent of higher frame rates you get in Performance mode is on a time limit. Also, at its full price of $1,850, it's way overpriced, so wait for a discount.
Acer Nitro V 16 for $1,040: Much can be forgiven if the price is low enough, but unfortunately, the Acer Nitro V 16 isn't as cheap as it once was. The display is bright enough and has a fast 180-Hz refresh rate, but the colors are an issue. As I saw in my tests, the color accuracy and gamut are wildly off, resulting in some funky, desaturated coloring. The other big issue with the Acer Nitro V 16 is the power supply. Like the LOQ 15 Essential, it also only comes with a 135-watt charger rather than a larger 180-watt brick that most RTX 5050 laptops have. While the smaller power brick is nice, it means you can't run intensive games in Turbo mode without draining the battery—even while plugged in. I was told that the updated 2026 model would fix this problem, but it still lists a 135-watt charger. I was fine to overlook that issue when the laptop was selling for less than the competition, sometimes as low as $750. At its current price, though, you're better off with the MSI Cyborg A15.
What You Should Look For in a Cheap Gaming Laptop
Most cheap gaming laptops share a lot in common. They're all usually between 0.8 and 1 inch thick and tend to have bare-bones gaming-capable hardware. Here are some of the key specs to look for:
Display: 15-inch or 16-inch display. Depending on the aspect ratio, they'll have basic displays with a standard 1920 x 1080 or 1920 x 1200 resolution. You won't find higher-resolution panels on gaming laptops under $1,000. Also, take a look at the refresh rate. 144 Hz is the standard, but the higher the better for less motion blur and smoother animation. While OLED and mini-LED are more common in higher-end gaming laptops, all budget-oriented options use LED IPS.
CPU: The latest processors from Intel and AMD will all be here, and in the budget tier, the differences aren't as significant as in higher-end options. For AMD, that's usually either the Ryzen 5 220 or Ryzen 7 250. Intel's latest gaming chips in this price range are the Intel Core Ultra 5 225H or Core Ultra 7 240H. While Intel has announced its next-gen Core Ultra Series 3 chips, these haven't come out yet.
GPU: We're currently in Nvidia's RTX 50-series graphics cards, which came out at the beginning of 2025. In gaming laptops under $1,000, you'll be stuck with either the RTX 5050 or 5060. These likely won't be replaced until at least 2027, so it's safe to buy these for now.
Memory: You want at least 16 GB of RAM, and that's typically what you'll be stuck with in budget gaming laptops. Many gaming laptops let you upgrade RAM yourself later, though with the price of stand-alone memory these days, it might not be a bad idea to configure it with 32 GB upfront.
Storage: Gaming laptops start at 512 GB, and that will be enough for most. Upgrading to 1 terabyte isn't a bad idea, though, whether that's configured up-front or done yourself later. You can always store games on an external hard drive, but with the size of games these days, the more storage you have, the better.
What About Older Gaming Laptops?
The laptops above are the cheapest gaming laptops you should buy, but as you'll discover with some research, there are some even lower-priced options out there—some as low as $500 or $600. Most come with older graphics cards and processors, meaning you're getting a dip in performance. This is especially true if you buy something like an RTX 3050 or 2050. The RTX 50-series is the latest version, which came out at the beginning of 2025. The RTX 40-series was announced in 2023, meaning anything older than that is well over three years old. I wouldn't recommend anything that old, especially not if it was already budget-oriented. I haven't seen anything cheap enough that would make me think you shouldn't go with one of the RTX 50 series options above instead.
How We Test Budget Gaming Laptops
Here at WIRED, we test budget gaming laptops the same way we test high-priced ones. Gaming comes first, and we run a series of in-game benchmarks to establish a baseline that can be compared apples-to-apples, including titles from different genres like Cyberpunk 2077, Marvel Rivals, and Monster Hunter: Wilds. This spits out a score, yes, but while it's running, we pay attention to factors like fan noise, internal temperatures, and surface temperatures. We also test the game in more realistic scenarios to get a feel for how all the elements of the system come together, including the screen. We also use other CPU and GPU benchmarks like 3DMark Steel Nomad and Cinebench to evaluate performance.
Speaking of the screen, we use a colorimeter to test the breadth and accuracy of the colors, the peak brightness, and the contrast. These are all important and contribute to the overall experience of using the laptop both in and out of gaming. We also test battery life in local video playback. This is not so much for gaming, but more to see how well it works for other work or for school. We also test out the speakers and webcam to see how they hold up.
Lastly, we handle these laptops to get a sense for durability, build quality, and usability. That means typing on the keyboard, swiping on the touchpad, opening and closing the hinge, carrying it from place to place, and applying pressure to the lid and palm rests. Add in the included specs, price, and configuration options, and it comes together in something that I'd either personally recommend or not. For budget-oriented devices, price is given more weight in this evaluation. If one gaming laptop costs more than another, it needs to add something that offers a qualitative benefit.
Originally published on Wired
