Best gaming laptop under $500 in 2023
You'll want to know the best gaming laptop under $500, as if you're on a budget, you won't have the big bucks to spend on the top of the line, dedicated gaming laptops produced by Razer or Alienware.
It's worth noting that for under $500, you're not going to be getting very powerful hardware, and it will struggle to run the latest games on even the lowest of settings. However, it can make for a perfect machine to play older titles, less graphically intense ones, or indie games.
So, if you need to know the best gaming laptop under $500 that you can purchase right now, we've got you covered.
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Best gaming laptop under $500: Bmax X14
Click to enlargeOur first and most expensive choice for the best gaming laptop under $500 is the Bmax X14, which narrowly makes this list, as it comes at $499.99. However, you can use a $100 Amazon voucher to get it even lower by checking the link below.
This gaming laptop comes with a standard. fairly strong AMD Ryzen 5 3450U CPU, which is one of the best budget laptop CPUs you can buy. Along with the integrated graphics, you'll struggle to run the most modern games with this, but it will serve you well on a number of older titles at 1080p/60 FPS.
With the added 8 GB of RAM and a sizeable 512 GB SSD that can be expanded to 1 TB, the Bmax X14 fits a lot into its budget build.
Best gaming laptop under $500: Lenovo IdeaPad
Click to enlargeComing in at roughly $80 cheaper, the Lenovo IdeaPad has some decently high specs that you wouldn't expect, but this results in trade-offs that make it inferior for those looking to play more graphically challenging games.
The whopping 20 GB of RAM and 1 TB SSD will ensure you have all the memory and storage you need to keep things running smoothly, especially loading screens, which will blitz by thanks to these specs.
The slightly reduced screen size (1366x768) should help with running some more modern games, and the AMD Athlon 2.3 GHz CPU isn't a slacker either, providing some decent speed, but it's best to keep in mind you won't be running something like Elden Ring at 60 FPS anytime soon.
Best gaming laptop under $500: Acer Aspire 5
Click to enlargeOur cheapest budget gaming laptop is the Acer Aspire 5, which goes in a different direction from the previous laptop, sacrificing RAM and storage for the most powerful CPU of the bunch.
Boasting the AMD Ryzen 5500 U, the Acer Aspire 5's mid-range CPU is great for running games that prioritise the CPU over the GPU, such as grand strategy games from Paradox, or Football Manager for example.
This does come with the downside of only 8 GB of RAM, and a small 256 GB SSD which means you'll quickly fill your storage, but if you know exactly what you are going to use this laptop for it shouldn't be too much of an issue.
That's all for our breakdown of the best gaming laptop under $500, and now you know three of the best budget picks that you can purchase right now.
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