7 Best Gaming Laptops Under $1500

Gamers usually prefer experiencing the virtual worlds from the comfort of their PC. However, in some cases, you just need the extra functionality of being able to take your gaming setup with you on a trip.

It can be pretty challenging to put together a machine powerful enough to run your favorite titles and yet small enough to fit into the laptop case. Especially if you are on a strict budget. Challenging but not impossible.

Therefore, in this article, we have compiled a list of 7 gaming laptops under 1500 dollars. Read on to find out how you can continue gaming on the go.

Top 7 Best Gaming Laptops for Under 1500

Gaming laptops have their own subcategory on the market. Just like studying or video-editing laptops, they have a specific set of criteria to meet. And while some of the indie titles might be able to run on a slightly repurposed microwave, AAA games can be extremely demanding in terms of processing power and memory capacity.

So, depending on what you need, the bare minimum setup you will require may change. However, we mean to list the laptops that will get you as much coverage as possible for as little money as possible. So let’s get to it and choose your best gaming laptop for 1500 dollars.

MSI GL65 Leopard 15.6″

Component List

• Processor: Intel Core i7-10750H 2.6-5.0GHz
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 8G GDDR6
• Memory: 16GB (8G*2) DDR4 2666MHz
• Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD

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The very first candidate for the title of the best laptop under 1500 dollars is MSI GL65 Leopard 15.6″. And although its graphics card isn’t cutting edge, it is more than capable of carrying its weight when it comes to most AAA titles.

It has slightly less RAM than you’d like and might struggle when dealing with vast sandboxes. But, overall, it can very well be considered the best gaming laptop 2021 under 1500 dollars when it comes to the cost-performance ratio. It won’t give you the best of the best but that’s not really what you’re looking for anyways.

Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop 15.6″

Component List

• Processor: Intel Core i7-10750H
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
• Memory: 16GB DDR4 2933MHz
• Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD

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Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop 15.6″ is the second in the list of top gaming laptops under $1500. Its market price goes slightly above the $1500 mark. But if you really want to get a hold of this gaming laptop, less than $1500 is a fairly easy-to-find bargain. You just have to be patient and wait for a promo discount.

The greatest asset of this model is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card. If you like your image nice and crisp – this one has got you covered. The new generation of hardware will last you a relatively long time as well so you can forget about upgrades for a while. It is the best 1500 gaming laptop in its price range. So, if you can afford it – don’t hesitate. It will deliver.

Lenovo Legion Y540 Gaming Laptop 15.6″

Component List

• Processor: Intel Core i7-9750H
• Graphics: GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB
• Memory: 16GB
• Storage: ‎1 TB SSD

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Lenovo is one of the most common laptop brands out there. And there is a very good reason for it to be the case. Lenovo models are usually very reliable and affordable. This one is not an exception.

Lenovo Legion Y540 Gaming Laptop 15.6″ can easily be considered the best gaming laptop under 1300 dollars. For this modest price, you get a very decent machine that can easily do some heavy lifting for at least a couple of years. It will perform remarkably as a work laptop, a gaming setup or even a visual effects setup.

A spacious 1 TB of SSD memory storage can house anything you need and then some. Yet, if you are constantly working with video and photo editing, you’ll need to invest in some extra storage fairly soon.

ASUS TUF 15.6″

Component List

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 3750H Processor (up to 4.0GHz)
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 8GB GDDR6
• Memory: 16GB DDR4
• Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD

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If you are looking for a capable gaming laptop, 1500 bucks might not be a huge sum to work with. But when it comes to ASUS TUF 15.6″, it’s more than enough. You can easily get this baby for under 1200 dollars. Is it the best gaming laptop for 1300 and below price range? Probably not. But it sure as hell will not disappoint you.

It does pretty much everything you would expect from a machine in its price range. Nothing more and nothing less. But if you desperately need a gaming setup for a very low price, this would be your best choice.

Finding a good gaming laptop less than $1500 worth is a pretty difficult task as is. And this model resides just on the edge of what can be deemed acceptable performance considering the price.

Dell G3 15.6″

Component List

• Processor: Intel Core i7-10750H
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060
• Memory: 16GB 2933MHz DDR4
• Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD

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Dell G3 15.6″ is square in the middle of the curve when it comes to gaming laptops. If you are looking for a laptop for 1500 dollars and lower – this is probably the safest choice. It doesn’t offer anything special. But its specs are solid all across the board. So if you want a reliable machine – this is the option to go for.

Its hardware can carry most games out there including AAA titles. It can also provide a great setup for photographers and video editors. However, depending on what you are planning to use this model for besides gaming, you might want to get an extension of the memory storage right away.

Acer Helios 300 17.3″

Component List

• Processor: Intel Core i7-10750H 6-Core Processor (Up to 5.0GHz)
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060
• Memory: 16GB DDR4 2933MHz
• Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD

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The main advantage of Acer Helios over similarly priced competitors is its screen width. The extra inches make a world of difference for those who like a little bit of comfort in their life. The sheer capacity of built-in storage is also really nice as you can delay purchasing an extension almost indefinitely if you know how to manage your memory storage.

The fairly common NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 performs fairly well when dealing with most modern games. And although the 30 generation is already here, it will take some time for the new generation of video games to take advantage of it.

HP Omen 15

Component List

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 4800H
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB
• Memory: 16GB DDR4 3200MHz
• Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe

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HP Omen 15 goes slightly above the threshold of laptops under 1500 dollars category. But its specs are just too good to pass up on.  It can easily be used for high-quality rendering. And the extra bucks you spend are very well worth it.

The cost-performance ratio is very nice. You might find yourself struggling to build a machine from scratch with the same characteristics for a lower price. The only question is why would you go over the price limit.

Unless you have something very specific in mind, you might never even need such a powerful machine at your disposal. Otherwise, this will be a great investment.

The Ultimate Guide To Buying a Gaming Laptop Under $1500

Stock models can be a great first choice for a newbie. However, if you need a gaming laptop under $1500 that fits your exact needs, you might want to think about making one from scratch.

Buying parts individually can be less costly than purchasing a pre-built model. And that laptop for 1500 dollars that you found can easily turn into a laptop under $1300 with pretty much the same characteristics. You just have to pay extra attention to the compatibility of components as not all of them can be put into the same system.

Also, you should keep in mind the graphics card and the amount of RAM on your machine as these can have a pretty high impact on your experience. Make sure you invest in some extra data storage as your amazing laptop under 1500 dollars will be useless if it doesn’t have enough space to store your library of games.

And don’t be intimidated by the assembly process. It’s really very much like adult Lego. And your selection of gaming laptops under $1300 broadens quite a bit if you take the assembly process upon yourself to save some money.

Conclusion

Finding an affordable gaming laptop model can be quite difficult nowadays. It can be even more difficult to try and build one from scratch. Games become more demanding by the year and some components can become unattainable due to factors nobody can control.

However, all these factors shouldn’t stop you from pursuing your favorite hobby. There is always a way to overcome the obstacles provided you are willing to spend some time on it. So be resourceful and diligent and you’ll be able to get your dream laptop for a fairly reasonable price.

Scroll up and take your pick of the best gaming laptop under 1500 dollars. All of them should be able to carry the weight of most titles out there. Make sure to compare the system requirements with the laptop stats if you are looking for something specific though.

And don’t worry too much about making a mistake. All hardware grows old sooner or later. You’ll have to upgrade the innards of your machine once in a while anyway. So try to always plan ahead in that regard as it can help you save some of your budget.