Best Budget Laptops for Gaming Under $850
Not everyone has the money to build the ultimate gaming rig. Some people work while traveling and need a laptop that can handle gaming and work on the go. While gaming on a laptop isn’t exactly ideal for hardcore, intensive, graphics-heavy games outside of a super-expensive rig, it can be just right for casual gaming and certain games that aren’t as strenuous on your system.
Most popular games will recommend between 4 GB to 8 GB of RAM, Core Processor i5. So the laptops we will are looking at have 4 GB to 8 GB RAM with an i5 processor or higher.
With budget laptops, you won’t be able to run many popular game titles like Grand Theft Auto V, Modern Warfare, or PUBG at max or high settings.
Here’s a list of the best laptops under $850 to game on
Acer Aspire 5 Series
From $559
Specifications
Intel® Core™ i5-1035G1 Processor, Quad-core, 1 GHz
Intel® UHD NVIDIA® MX250 GPU1 Graphics with shared memory
15.6" Full HD (1920 x 1080) 16:9
8 GB, DDR4 SDRAM
512 GB Solid State Drive
Some popular video games you’ll be able to play on the Acer Aspire 5 series include Overwatch, League of Legends, World of Warcraft, and on low settings Grand Theft Auto V.
ASUS VivoBook K570ZD
From $569
Specifications
Intel® Core™ i5-10210U Processor (6M Cache, up to 4.2 GHz)
NVIDIA® GeForce® 1050
15.6” Full HD NanoEdge bezel display with stunning 86% screen-to-body ratio
8GB DDR4 RAM
512GB PCIe SSD
I’ve had this laptop for a few months now and I love it. It’s ultra slim, very light, and looks very sleek. It’s great for working and getting in some World of Warcraft on the go.
HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15”
From $789
Specifications
Intel® Core™ i5-9300H Processor
15.6” Micro-EDGE Laptop
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050 (3 GB)
8 GB SDRAM, 256 GB SSD
Dell G5 15 Gaming Laptop
From $849
Specifications
Intel® Core™ i5-9300H
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 4GB GDDR5
8 GB, 2 x 4 GB, DDR4, 2666 MHz
128GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive (Boot) + 1TB 5400 rpm 2.5" SATA Hard Drive (Storage)
With the G5, you will be able to play most popular gaming titles on medium to high levels. It’s also pretty decent for multi-tasking different work projects without overheating.
Lenovo IdeaPad S340
From $489
Specifications
Intel® Pentium® Gold 6405U Processor (2.40 GHz, 2 Cores, 4 Threads, 2 MB Cache)
15.6” HD (1366 x 768) anti-glare, touchscreen, 220 nits
4 GB DDR4 2400MHz
256 GB PCIe SSD
The Lenovo IdeaPad 300 series is a starter laptop that is perfect for work and light gaming. Some gamers have said that they are able to play Overwatch, Tekken, and other games seamlessly on the IdeaPad.
I often see parents on forums looking to get their child a cheap laptop for gaming, or college students looking for something they can work on and game a bit. And they usually look specifically for something within a $200 budget. The sad truth is, you will not get a good laptop for any type of gaming under $200 unless it’s used or refurbished, maybe. When looking for a budget laptop for gaming you want to avoid Chromebooks and Notebooks. These will usually have 32 GB hard drives which is virtually nothing. You will run out of space with the first system update.
Remember, these laptops are mainly for if you want to do some light gaming while traveling. Do not buy these as your primary method for gaming, and especially if you are looking to stream. A well-built laptop should last you a good 5 years, but streaming can be so labor-intensive on a laptop that’s not built for hardcore gaming.
Although there are ways to optimize your laptop for gaming, it may be better to just buy a new or refurbished laptop for gaming. If you can, save up for an ASUS ROG, an Alienware M15 R1, or an MSI; it would be well worth it. You will be able to get work done and game at whichever level you desire.
