Best Gaming Laptops Under $1000 in 2024 Reviews, Buying Guide

$1,000 seems like a lot of money when you are getting a laptop; I just picked up an ultrabook for a $1,000 but guess what? It cannot play games because that is one thing that I had to sacrifice. However, if you are looking for something that will let you play games and do all the other productivity tasks as well, then you are at the right place.

The purpose of this round up is to explore all the best laptops that you can find in $1,000. These are some excellent offerings from all your favourite brands, and these laptops come with all the specs that you need to play your favourite games.

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get started.

Sometimes we are in a hurry, and we just want to jump to the gaming laptop that we think is best. If you are one of those, just have a look at all the options below.

Reviewing the Best Gaming Laptops Under $1000

Now, finding a laptop at this price is not at all something that is going to be complicated. We have amassed the list for you that will let you look at some excellent options within the price range, so let’s not waste more time and have a look, shall we?

We all are aware of some excellent laptops from HP including the Envy, Omen, Pavilion, and Spectre. However, the company recently launched the Victus series, aimed at those who are looking for a gaming laptop but without the need to spend a lot of money It is an excellent thing to go ahead with

Gaming Experience

We are going to start with the gaming performance which I believe is the most important aspect of any gaming laptop, and well, HP Victus does deliver on almost all the fronts. If you want something promising, this laptop is there for you and you are not going to be disappointed.

• Red Dead Redemption 2: 115 frames per second.
• Forza Horizon 5: 110 frames per second.
• GTA V: 164 frames per second.
• Call of DutyWarzone: 84 frames per second.
• Fortnite: 93 frames per second.
• Valorant: 270 frames per second.

It is safe to say that HP Victus performs in line with other gaming laptops with similar specs, the Ryzen chip really helps with the gaming performance especially in games that are CPU dependent, so you really do not have to worry much.

Specifications

Moving onto the specs, we are looking at a rather stellar package overall with nothing that falls out of the line. You still get all the aspects you want from a gaming laptop, so that certainly is a good thing. Still, you can look at the specs below.

• 15.6” IPS FHD 144Hz display.
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti.
• AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
• 144Hz refresh rate
• 16GB RAM.
• 512GB SSD.

In terms of specs, you are not getting something that is too fancy, and honestly, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that as you are getting something great overall.

Design and Connectivity

For me, design and connectivity are two of the most important factors of any gaming laptop and if they are not up to the mark, then I really do not want to get something. Thankfully, the HP VIctus is designed properly, and it is not something that you should be worried about. If you think that the laptop is going to draw not to good type of attention, then that will not be the case.

As far as the ports go, you are getting a USB-C 3.2 Gen 1, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, a full-size HDMI 2.1, an Ethernet connection, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a full-size SD card reader. So, that is more than acceptable.

MSI laptops are excellent and we are all aware of how good they are. The point is that if you have been looking for something solid and stellar, it is not a bad thing to look at MSI as the products that they have offered are excellent, to say the least. The MSI GF63 is just that, a solid laptop for esports gamers and anyone who is looking for a surprisingly thin laptop.

Gaming Experience

Gaming experience is undoubtedly one of the most important things for anyone who is looking to play some games. Thankfully, you are going to be getting a lot of amazing options when you are looking to game, so you would be more than happy to know that the MSI GF63 actually delivers a rather pleasant experience with gaming.

• Red Dead Redemption 2: 115 frames per second.
• Forza Horizon 5: 110 frames per second.
• GTA V: 165 frames per second.
• Call of Duty Warzone: 85 frames per second.
• Fortnite: 100 frames per second.
• Valorant: 280 frames per second.

Good gaming performance is without a doubt important for everyone and if you have been looking for something along those lines, the MSI GF63 more than delivers on that front with ease.

Specifications

As far as the specs are concerned, you are getting a fairly decent package. Nothing about this laptop is outlandish or something that you would not expect.

• 15.6″ 144Hz FHD display.
• Intel Core i7-11800H
• RTX 3050 TI
• 16GB RAM
• 512GB NVMe SSD.

Despite packing all this hardware, the laptop remains lightweight and ready to go.

Design and Connectivity

The thing that I do love about the MSI GF63 is the design language. Instead of going full futuristic and outlandish, MSI has focused largely on something that is basic and sleek. The laptop can easily be used in various environments without too much of a hassle, so you are good to go.

You do get three USB Type-A ports, and a single USB Type-C port. All are 3.2 Gen 1. There is also an HDMI 2.0, along with an Ethernet port and rest of the connectivity options such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Over the past couple of years, Acer laptops have become fan favorites for a number of reason; they bring great value to the table, do not cost a lot of money when compared to the competing laptops, and most importantly, have a decent set of specs that work really well. With that said, the Acer Nitro 5 is on our table today, a laptop that has paid us a visit in the past too, this time around, however, we are looking at comparatively different, more powerful configuration than before. So, let’s not waste time and have a look.

Gaming Experience

A laptop would be useless for a lot of us if the gaming performance is not something that lives up to the potential. After all, almost all of us are spending a good chunk of change on a gaming laptop and if that is going to result in average gaming experience, then there is no point in spending the money, right?

Well, thankfully, the Acer Nitro 5 manages to deliver respectable performance across the board and is not going to disappoint anyone, either. So, if you have been in search of something good, this is a great offering that you can pick up.

Have a look at the benchmarks below.

• Red Dead Redemption 2: 118 frames per second.
• Forza Horizon 5: 115 frames per second.
• GTA V: 175 frames per second.
• Call of Duty Warzone: 90 frames per second.
• Fortnite: 110 frames per second.
• Valorant: 300 frames per second.

You can see that the RTX 3050 Ti powered Acer Nitro 5 is actually decent as far as the overall performance is concerned, so it is not at all something that is going to let you down in most of the gaming tasks.

Specifications

Coming to the specifications, when you are dishing out this much money, you normally expect something that is decent and solid. After all, I would be mad if my money did not get me a good laptop, to begin with. Thankfully, the Nitro 5 that I have with me is pretty decent as far as the specs are concerned.

• 15.6″ FHD 144Hz IPS Display
• Intel Core i7-11800H
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU
• 8GB DDR4
• 512GB NVMe SSD

It is safe to say that for under $1,000. You are getting an exceptional value for money and it is not at all something that is going to complicate things for you.

Design and Connectivity

Moving onto the design of the Acer Nitro 5 and this is the one thing that I might not like about this laptop. The Nitro 5 happens to be unapologetically gamer-esque and while that is not a bad thing by any means, it does feel like Acer has left out a lot of important details on the build quality just to make the laptop look good. It is largely plastic and yes, it does flex but at this point, is there anything in the market that does not?

Moving onto the parts, considering the sheer size of this laptop, you would expect the Nitro 5 to bring a healthy number of ports and well, that is true, at least by today’s standard. You are getting two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports along with an ethernet and audio jack on the left. On the right, you are getting two USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, with one being Type-C and the other being Type-A. There is also an HDMI port along with the charging plug in the back.

Needless to say, the port selection for this laptop is good if not excellent but in this day and age, anything we get is great when it comes to ports.

We are closing in on the last few laptops in our list and the next offering we have to tell you about is the Lenovo Legion 5, an unapologetic gaming laptop that is both big and powerful, at the same time. Lenovo is known for delivering some great gaming laptops and this one is just that; although I am a fan of their Yoga lineup, but if you are looking for a gaming laptop, getting the Legion 5 is an excellent option that is not going to cost you a lot of money and at the same time, will deliver good performance overall.

Gaming Experience

So, I am going to start with the gaming performance here because of course, that is one of the main aspects of any gaming laptop that are available in the market. So, naturally, this is just as important and we are going to take a look at how the gaming experience is on this laptop, to begin with.

• Red Dead Redemption 2: 51 frames per second.
• Forza Horizon 5: 60 frames per second.
• GTA V: 67.7 frames per second.
• Call of Duty Warzone: 38 frames per second.
• Fortnite: 72 frames per second.
• Valorant: 105 frames per second.

It is more than safe to say that looking at the gaming experience, the laptop is more than capable, to be honest. However, for the perfect gaming experience, you might have to lower your settings and resolution in some case.

Specifications

The specs are, of course, a corner stone of any good laptop, computer, or anything, for that matter. So, if you have been looking for something decent, the Lenovo Legion 5 actually brings out a pretty good package overall. So, if you want something that delivers, this is a great option.

• 17.3″ FHD 144hz Display
• AMD Ryzen 5-5600H
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 
• 32GB RAM
• 1TB PCIe SSD

Looking at the specs alone, you are getting a decent laptop. However, it is important to understand that for the price, you do not have to worry about a lot of issues.

Design and Connectivity

Now, moving to the design of this laptop, if you are looking for something that is understated and still powerful enough, you would be more than happy with the Lenovo Legion 5. The laptop is constructed mostly out of plastic which is an obvious way to cut the cost down but it is not something bad, to be honest. In this range, you cannot expect a lot of finesse

As far as the port selection is concerned, that is something that will please most of you as the Lenovo Legion 5 comes with 4x USB Type A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C, 1x Headphone jack, 1x HDMI, 1x SD card reader. It is safe to say that there are enough ports for all your peripherals and other use cases.

If you ask me about my favourite manufacturer, Asus would easily top the list. I have been using Asus products for as long as I can remember and over time I have come to realise that Asus really knows how to stay relevant in the game as the company has managed to deliver some fantastic offerings. So when the TUF Dash 15 showed up on my table, I was naturally excited. But is it as good as it might seem? Let’s have a look at it.

Gaming Experience

I am going to be honest here. Being a gamer, gaming experience is the one thing that matters the most to me and if my laptop is not performing adequately, then there is no point in spending so much money trying to get things right. Thankfully, the TUF Dash 15 does not suffer from that as it does pack a decent set of specs, making it a great overall performer in almost all the cases.

• Red Dead Redemption 2: 103 frames per second.
• Forza Horizon 5: 110 frames per second.
• GTA V: 137 frames per second.
• Call of Duty Warzone: 90 frames per second.
• Fortnite: 110 frames per second.
• Valorant: 301 frames per second.

You can see that the gaming performance is what you would expect from a laptop with an 11^th generation Intel processor and an RTX 3050 Ti. The best thing here is that you have access to DLSS, so that can always be used to get better performance out of the laptop without any issues.

Specifications

As far as the specs are concerned, for around a $1,000 or sometimes lower, the set of specifications that you do get are not much different than what other companies are offering you. So, if you are looking for something good and decent, perhaps this laptop is definitely going to deliver on that front.

• 15.6” 144Hz FHD
• Intel Core i7-11370H
• GeForce RTX 3050 Ti
• 8GB DDR4
• 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD

As you can already see, the set of specifications is not much different from what other companies are offering at this point, and I do not mind that. In this budget, there are very few differentiating factors, so it is better that you are looking at something that is actually good and something that you would want to buy.

Design and Connectivity

The one thing that made this laptop so good for me or a stand out for me is the design. Sure, it still looks like a gaming laptop from every angle but Asus has managed to fit all of that in a thin and light chassis, making it one of the lightest laptops in the market and the thinnest, as well. BE mindful, however, as it is not as thin as an Envy or a Spectre, but at the same time, it is also a gaming laptop through and through.

As far as the port selection is concerned, you get a good selection of ports, ensuring that you do not end up getting something that simply is not good enough. There are 3 x USB-A 3.2, 1 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x ethernet, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack available on this laptop, making it one of the best in terms of port selection.

We all know of the fact that Dell as a company has released some exceptional gaming laptops and other offerings, at the same time. Now, when you are talking about gaming laptops from Dell, we are mostly familiar with the Alienware offerings that Dell has. But a lot of people do not know Dell for delivering some excellent budget offerings that are outside the Alienware brand and the Dell G15 happens to be one of them.

Gaming Experience

A gaming laptop without a proper gaming experience is not something that anyone would want. After all, if you are dropping so much money on a good laptop, it should deliver good performance. Thankfully, the Dell G15 performs as you would expect it to performs and delivers stellar performance across the board in most of the games that I have tested.

The configuration that I got my hands on has an RTX 3050 with a Ryzen 5 5600H and this combination delivers solid frame rate and you can check it out below.

• Red Dead Redemption 2: 100 frames per second.
• Forza Horizon 5: 95.5 frames per second.
• GTA V: 134 frames per second.
• Call of Duty Warzone: 85 frames per second.
• Fortnite: 104 frames per second.
• Valorant: 290 frames per second.

As you can see, the Dell G15 performs more than adequately in gaming, especially with a mix of high and medium settings at native resolution of 1080p. If you are looking for something that is on a budget, then you are getting your hands on something excellent, that is for sure.

Specifications

As far as the specifications are concerned, the Dell G15 has a surprising mix of solid offerings and to be honest, the unit I got my hands on for the review is an impressive example and you are getting everything that you can possibly imagine in this budget and more.

• 15.6″ FHD 120Hz Display
• AMD 6-Core Ryzen 5 5600H
• GeForce RTX 3050
• 8GB RAM
• 512GB SSD

You can look at the specs and see how decent the overall package is. You can, of course, configure it further should you wish to go ahead and do that without any issues.

Design and Connectivity

Now, I will be honest, the design and connectivity are two important things that I cannot overlook in a laptop. However, the one thing that I hate about gaming laptops is their aggressive looks. Thankfully, the Dell G15 strikes a perfect balance between professional and gaming; this means that one look at the laptop and you can tell that it is a mean gaming machine but it is never something that you cannot take out in the public.

Moving onto the connectivity, I was expecting the Dell G15 to be marred with the same issues that we see on modern laptops – the criminal lack of ports, but this is not the case as you are getting more than enough ports.

You are getting three USB 3.2 Type-A Gen 1 and a single USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2. You also get an HDMI 2.1 which is a huge plus, along with an ethernet port. Of course, the wireless connectivity is also there but the lack of a fingerprint sensor is something that I do not get.

Normally when you are talking about Gigabyte, you do not talk about the laptops that the company is known for releasing. However, that does not mean that Gigabyte does not have experience in that field as the company has tried its hands on some stellar gaming laptops in the past and it has always worked really, really well, to be honest. The Gigabyte G5 GD is the last laptop on the list and I can already tell you that it is an excellent offering that you can buy. What else is good about this laptop? Let’s find out.

Gaming Experience

The first thing that anyone would pay attention to in a gaming laptop is going to be the experience when it comes to gaming. Of course, if the experience is not good enough, what even is the point of spending so much money, right?

This RTX 3050 powered laptop does deliver promising results that you can check out below.

• Red Dead Redemption 2: 51 frames per second.
• Forza Horizon 5: 87 frames per second.
• GTA V: 120 frames per second.
• Call of Duty Warzone: 77 frames per second.
• Fortnite: 92 frames per second.
• Valorant: 115 frames per second.

As you can see here, the gaming performance is nothing surprising. It is what you would expect from a laptop of this stature. So, if you have been looking for a laptop with a decent set of specifications, then you are looking at a great overall laptop here.

Specifications

In terms of the specifications, the Gigabyte G5 GD does not bring anything unusual to the table; as a matter of fact, most of the specs that you are getting with the laptop have already been seen in other offerings, so it all makes sense. Still, we are going to take a look at what this laptop brings to the table.

• 15.6″ FHD IPS Anti-Glare 144Hz
• Intel Core i5, 11400H
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU 4GB GDDR6
• 16GB Memory
• 512GB SSD

In terms of the specs, the Gigabyte G5 GD does not win any awards but hey, for under $1,000, I would say that this is a bargain that you do not want to miss.

Design and Connectivity

For me, design is one of the most important factors that come in to play whenever I am choosing a laptop. If the design is not something that I am used to, I do not think that it is something that I would want to go with as that would only hinder my user experience and I believe that no one wants that. Thankfully, the Gigabyte G5 GD actually comes with a very basic design which could almost be summed up as too basic. Nothing about this laptop makes it look like a gaming laptop and that is good for a lot of people; I just wish the Gigabyte logo was not as big.

As far as the connectivity goes, you would be more than happy to know that this laptop brings everything that you would want in a laptop. You are getting a USB Type-C port, a standalone DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI port, two USB-A 3.1 ports, an ethernet port along with a microphone and a headphone combo. So, for the port selection, I believe you are more than covered and it should not come as a surprise to anyone.

Related Guides

• Best Gaming Laptops Under 800
• Best Gaming Laptops under 1200
• Best Gaming Laptops under 1500
• Best Gaming Laptops under 2000

How to Get the Best Gaming Laptop Under $1,000

Since we are done looking at all the best gaming laptops under $1,000, now is the time to help you pick the right one so you do not end up getting your hands on something that is not good for your overall use. So, let’s get started with a few basic things.

• What is the Budget: I would say that budget is perhaps one of the most important, if not the most important thing when you are looking to get your hands on a new laptop, or anything else, for that matter. If you have not decided the budget, there is a chance that you might end up buying something that can barely get the job done and well, we do not want that for anyone.
• The Specs: Another thing that you simply cannot overlook refers to the specifications in the laptop. Imagine buying something after doing a lot of research only to find out that it cannot even deliver the specs you are looking for. Just take a look at the Acer Nitro 5, one of the most powerful laptops that you can find in this list, and something that delivers excellent value overall.
• What Sort of Games Are You Into: before you go ahead and put your money on a laptop, I would highly advise that you ask yourself about the type of games you are into. If you are not going to play the AAA titles, you might want to stick to an affordable laptop.
• The Size of the Laptop: There were days when gaming laptops used to be massive in size, thick, and well, heavy, as well. Thankfully, that has changed and in the modern day and age, you can actually find some stellar thin and light gaming laptops. Before you invest in one, make sure that you ask yourself about the size of the laptop you want.

Frequently Asked Questions

What laptop is best for gaming under 1000?

• All the laptops that I have mentioned here are among the finest laptops that you can pick up for under $1000. They perform great, have relatively similar specs, and work really well in most of the cases.

Is a Core i5 good for gaming?

• Yes, if multiple threads are not something that you want to use and you are just looking for gaming, a Core i5 in a laptop is a lot more than what you would need for smooth gaming experience.

Is a 1000 dollar gaming laptop worth it?

• Yes, after spending some time with these laptops I have come to realise that laptop gaming has become a lot more accessible than it used to be and is definitely something that you should be looking into.

Conclusion

I understand that when people are getting their hands on a new gaming laptop, things can get out of the way but if you genuinely want something that can be affordable and overall good for them. If you are not willing to spend a lot of money and still want to get your hands on a good gaming laptop then this list is for you.

We have listed the best gaming laptops that you can find for under a $1,000 and we made sure that we do not go over the board with the budget because a lot of times, people do end up doing just that. The laptops that we have listed here will deliver the best gaming experience that one could possibly ask for in the given price range.