I don't know about you, but I've owned a lot of gaming laptops from all sorts of different brands. From the $90 we used to get for my first (and now latest) machine – it felt like just yesterday – to some cheap and cheerful new releases that still feel great. At one point I was looking at some refurbished computers and saw something with a little AMD vibe on it, and thought "I'll take this baby over another $70 one." And then came two more that were just perfect for me: the Intel Celeron N4000 from EMC and an eight-core Core i5 with 8 cores, 16 threads, with 32 GB RAM and 2 TB hard drive for under $250. Then comes Alienware's recently released AlienFX desktop PC system, which in terms is as easy to use as possible, and has been my go-to gaming laptop for years. Obviously, the cheapest model is the 10.5" variant, but there's nothing wrong with that, even if that's not what most games look the same on. So no matter what type of computer you have, these are the best compact budget gaming rigs you can buy today.
Best Cheap Gaming Laptop Still Stands Out Among The Rest
The Asus ROG line has been around since 2004 and has taken up many different names from that point on. They're typically considered by gamers when they want to save money while getting super-powerful processor chips and fast access to the fastest parts of their games, along with plenty of storage space, lots of memory, and tons of graphics. This also cuts down on the need for overclocking (or anything else that makes your computer slow down). If you're into the gamer-first niche of playing shooters, then you're probably best off buying either a newer version of the Pro series or an older one – but both are better than the last. There are plenty of differences between them, but the main differences are the higher clock speed, better processors, etc, so if you need an upgrade, then you should definitely pay attention to this article. In short, you should be able to pick up a good gaming setup for a very decent price.
Acer Aspire 7 A715-75G-50SA
Acer's entry-level A series is an absolute beast. It runs Windows XP, and has its own customizable BIOS and you can choose where you want to install Windows. That means you can put up a nice virtual environment with a bunch of open apps and games, and run everything from Steam. You still have a large selection of apps, but they're less annoying to manage because you're using a browser instead of a downloader – so that saves time and will make the process more streamlined. Overall, it may not have everything you want in a mainstream gaming laptop, especially if you're more of a fan of simple systems and minimalistic looks. I'm pretty impressed by how well it handles Chrome, Firefox and other browsers, though.
MSI GF63 Thin 9SC-240IN
The tiny size of this sub-$100 laptop is why it hasn't gotten a lot of attention. But if you're one of those people who would want someone who could have just a few buttons to do a lot of things without having to bother looking through 1000 tabs – then you're going to love it. The GPU inside is quite light but powerful enough to play modern AAA action games – which makes it perfect for anyone who wants a basic experience out of Cyberpunk 2077. Plus, this laptop has a really small design so you won't have to worry about any unsightly cables hanging off the back. All in all, if you have a laptop like this, then you're getting a real value for money. You probably aren't getting much performance like other high-end gaming desktops, but for this price tag you're getting a reasonable alternative to something the company would charge a premium for. Get used to seeing the green arrow logo to your right once each time.
HP pavilion 15-bc512TX
The keyboard layout isn't anything special, per se, but it's certainly pretty slick. Some players prefer it to have more keys, others, less. Since you don't want to start fiddling about, it seems natural for us to keep our hands clean at home - so it's easier to just stick to the switches. However, that might change if you need to touch it. I personally prefer having a physical controller to the touchscreen control panel from a dongle, the latter being a bit too slow. So I prefer having a mouse rather than a controller. My friends who love keyboards feel the same way about mice, so I think they'd agree with me. Of course, for everyone else, I have to admit that I have a preference for a keyboard. For myself, it may not be the most important part of the experience. I still enjoy hitting keys, and typing up messages – but I actually find that it's far from necessary when it comes to doing most of my work. I'll give Microsoft a break, though; they do provide keypads that're far more accurate and precise than anything they're selling in any retail shop that I've seen yet. Regardless of whether you like to hit keys or not, that is actually the whole point: Having a standard set of keys is better than having no fingers.
Acer Nitro 5 AN517-51-53JG
Acer does what I want to hear when it comes to gaming laptops: cheap. Its previous generation – the original 2001 Nitro 5 A7 – has long been the benchmark for portable gaming rigs. Those old days are gone, unfortunately. The current Nitro 5 is a modern update, which means that the specs are upgraded slightly. These upgrades include faster CPU speeds and larger RAM (8GB), but they still leave the base specs unchanged: 4.19 GHz (2.7GHz core), 120fps (120Hz refresh rate), 150W TDP, and support for NVidia Geforce and AMD Radeon RX 470. As far as ports go, they include USB 3.0, headphone/microphone combo jack, LAN port, 3x Thunderbolt (USB 3.1Gen2), HDMI and audio output ports, ePscopio card reader, SD Card Reader, VGA, RS232.5 connector, PS/2 connectivity, Audio Video Interface (AVI) (Audio Jack & Pogo Pinout), MicroSD slot, MicroSD reader, M.2 drive Reader, Gigabit Ethernet interface, Mini Display Port 1.0, RJ45-AC power connector, SATA III SSD storage drive, Dual SIM card reader, One USB Power Delivery, Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 5.2 (USB 3.1 x2, 1x1) networking. Not surprisingly, the video quality is improved to 1080p60 / 720p 60 / 50 / 50 / 40, which brings about some improvements to the visuals. Unfortunately, there's no sound jack, which leads to problems for headphones and mic users in most games that aren't on dedicated headsets.
HP Pavilion Gaming 15-ec0026AX
The next major feature on my list is the battery itself. On this device my friend Jason Koon decided he wanted to run his entire day without a charger in his headset to prevent him from waking up dehydrated to death or needing to charge every night. Nowadays you don't even have to go outside with the charger like we did, or go without electricity to wake up tired, so this device is perfect for everyday use. It was rated at 25W, meaning it can handle everything from gaming to a morning walk and lunch. Even on the weekend, I had no issue finishing a handful of hours, even after blasting away against multiple zombies in Borderlands. Luckily, this is the most affordable laptop I've ever purchased. When running only one game for an hour or two, it was no problem. Otherwise, it kept my brain happy for about an hour and 20 minutes, then when I plugged it back in and started again it went exactly the same way. I'm not sure why that happens, but I think the low temperatures at least help. Battery life may be less than expected, but considering the fact that the chip inside this thing is completely generic and doesn't require special tools – I don't have an exact number I can compare this to. But it'll be fine, regardless.
HP Pavilion 19c512TX
This is similar to my previous budget gaming notebook when it comes to specs and reliability. But then that's not to say this is bad for a 17.3" screen with 1440p60 resolution. No games look the same – including the ones that I haven't played. But the biggest difference is that this one has an 11.6-inch OLED display, which I'm not sure whether is worth the purchase price. I know that there are benefits to a smaller screen, but the size really isn't a dealbreaker for me. The combination of the lower price than you'd see elsewhere, plus the full HD resolution, gives this a fantastic experience for all kinds of fans, big or small.