8 Best Gaming Laptops under $500 [January 2023]

Are you looking for the best budget gaming laptop for under 500 dollars?

Check out the following list of the 8 best gaming laptops under $500 if you’re seeking an affordable machine to play games on.

Since gaming laptops are costlier, the computer world has gone a long way to make them more affordable.

You can have an intense gaming experience without breaking the bank if you buy affordable gaming gadgets.

Everyone claims gaming is an expensive hobby, especially after getting a laptop or PC set up.

If you want to play PC games, you’ll have to spend more money on a good laptop and some equipment than on an Xbox or PlayStation 4.

Various low-cost, mid-cost, and high-cost gaming laptops are available if you’re searching for a more budget-friendly choice. You can play entry-level and mid-range games with a $500 gaming laptop.

Today, you can get a reasonably priced laptop with excellent performance, a long battery life, and is quite portable.

Depending on your needs, you may disable some features while focusing on the essentials.

If you’re looking for one of the best laptops under $500, you can look at the list of the cheapest option.

Overview: TOP 3 Best $500 Gaming Laptops

Processor

GRAPHICS

RAM

STORAGE

DISPLAY

BATTERY

Editor Choice

HP Victus 15

Best for Gaming

Check Prices

Processor

11th Gen Intel Core i7-11800H

GRAPHICS

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti

RAM

8GB

STORAGE

512GB SSD

DISPLAY

15.6-inch FHD; 144Hz

BATTERY

Up to 8 hours

Best Value

Lenovo IdeaPad 3

Best for Students

Check Prices

Processor

AMD Ryzen 5 5500U

GRAPHICS

AMD Radeon 7

RAM

8GB

STORAGE

256GB SSD

DISPLAY

14-inch HD; 60Hz

BATTERY

Up to 6 hours

Best Seller

Acer Aspire 5

Best Cheapest

Check Prices

Processor

AMD Ryzen 5 5500U

GRAPHICS

AMD Radeon

RAM

8GB

STORAGE

256GB SSD

DISPLAY

15.6-inch FHD; 60Hz

BATTERY

Up to 11 hours

What is the Best Gaming Laptop Brand?

The brand of laptops is also essential because premium makers are constantly being introduced to good quality machines. However, if you only buy a cheap and non-performer notebook, it will likely be damaged after 2-3 years.

Just check if there is any service center near you. If your PC breaks down later, it can be easily repaired and replaced.

In addition, you can only get a service center that repairs regular-brand gaming laptops, so you must check the brand before buying a gaming laptop for $500.

Some popular gaming laptops brands, such as Dell, HP, Lenovo, Acer, Asus, and MSI, always launch a good computer within your budget.

8 Best Gaming Laptops under $500 in 2023: Top Picks

• 1. HP Victus 15 Gaming
• 2. HP 15
• 3. Dell Inspiron 15 3000
• 4. Lenovo IdeaPad 3
• 5. HP Pavilion X360
• 6. Acer Aspire 5
• 7. Asus VivoBook 15
• 8. Dell Inspiron 15

What to Look for in a $500 Gaming Laptop?

You should check the laptop’s specifications; it relies on the work.

No one purchases a laptop only to play games on. They watch films, multitask, use Microsoft Office, video conferencing, and perform some activities.

As a result, you should pay close attention to all components, including the CPU, GPU, RAM, battery life, screen quality, and so on.

To use it primarily for gaming, you’ll need to concentrate on some of the crucial components listed below.

Performance should be Good.

To get better performance on any laptop or PC, you must buy the most essential and powerful components, such as processors, graphics cards, memory, etc.

CPU

It manages the laptop’s processes and internal components, so check its generation ( like intel 10th, 11th, 12th Gen and AMD Ryzen 4th, 5th, 6th gen) and how many cores it has when choosing a poster.

Intel:

12th gen Core i5-1235U, 12th gen Core i5-12450H, 11th gen Core i5-1135G7, 10th gen Core i5-10300H.

Intel’s first two processors are not as powerful, but the latter two are very powerful and can easily play modern games.

AMD:

AMD Ryzen 5 6600U, AMD Ryzen 5 5500U, AMD Ryzen 5 3500U, AMD Ryzen 7 3700U

AMD’s performance in processing and gaming will be excellent; if you like, please choose the latter two CPUs.

Need Smooth Graphics card

Therefore, the dedicated GPU expansion slightly reduces the graphics processing pressure from the processor and memory.

But if you play light games, the integrated graphics can also perform better.

Integrated Intel:

Intel UHD, Inter Iris, Intel Iris Xe, Intel Iris Xe Plus.

Don’t Buy any older Laptops with minimal Graphics less than these for Under $500.

Intel Iris graphics card is more powerful than some of the dedicated GPUs.

Shared AMD

AMD Vega 3, AMD Vega 6, AMD Vega 8, AMD Vega 10.

Integrated AMD GPU gives more power at a lower price; that’s why to select with a little attention.

Memory and Storage Should be More

When choosing memory, you should see its power and size.

For example, 8GB RAM has a speed of 3200 MHz, which is how you must check on a laptop.

In terms of storage, solid-state hard drives should be used as the primary storage drive.

Today’s work cannot be done with hard drives because it is slower than SSDs.

1. HP Victus 15 Gaming

CHECK Today’s Best Deals

Specifications

The HP Victus 15 Laptop is a lightweight gaming laptop that offers superior performance, durability, and convenience. Its powerful processor provides the perfect balance between performance and energy efficiency to smooth your gameplay while not compromising battery life.

The HP Victus 15 Laptop’s features are listed below:

• The 12th Gen Intel Core Processor i5-12450H is a powerful yet versatile processor capable of efficiently handling demanding tasks like video editing, design, or gaming.
•  An 8GB DDR4 RAM provides the best speed for gaming. It also ensures no lag and enhanced performance for a smoother experience.
•  An NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 GPU features enhanced ray tracing and tensor cores. It can offer increased performance in popular applications such as games, 3D design, and Virtual Reality (VR) content creation.
•  4GB of high-speed memory to optimize performance and reduce lag spikes.
•  A 512 GB of PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD storage; blazingly fast and more reliable than traditional SSDs. It gives you enough space to save all your documents and projects in one place.
•  Unfortunately, the battery lasts only about 4 hours and 40 minutes. So keep the charger nearby to keep playing through your day without worry.
•  It has a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display with a 1920×1080 resolution.
•  There is one HDMI port, multiple USB ports, Bluetooth connectivity, and 802.11a/b/g/n/ac for wireless connectivity.
•  It can support all your devices and needs with 2 USB 2.0 Ports and 2 USB 3.0 Ports.
•  It supports Windows 11 Home OS.

2. HP 15

CHECK Today’s Best Deals

Specifications

If you are a student looking for a thin and light laptop for all streaming and video editing, then the HP 15 in an HP laptop can solve all your problems.

HP notebook computers allow us to work efficiently and enjoy entertainment anytime, anywhere. This HP 15 is the best laptop for sims 4 under 500 dollars in 2023.

This is a thin and light notebook. For less than $600, this laptop is suitable for all beginners and students. In addition, it is vital in quickly share content between your friends and the school.

Performance

In terms of performance, it uses the 11th Generation Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor and is paired with Intel Iris graphics.

It can’t handle all the work, but it is enough for streaming media, video conferencing, and online courses; remember that it will provide you with the best performance at a low cost.

It is loaded with 8 GB DDR4 RAM, very suitable for simple daily tasks but not suitable for high-quality games, and 256 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD, which is 15 times faster than traditional hard drives.

This laptop can provide you with 7 hours and 15 minutes of battery life and reliable power for a whole day.

Using it for video playback and other operations will provide up to 9 hours and 45 minutes of Battery lifetime.

In addition, it also comes with HP fast charging technology, which only takes 45 minutes to get 50% power.

Display and Design

The HP 15 has a 15.6-inch full HD IPS micro-edge anti-glare display with a maximum screen resolution of up to (1920 x 1080) that can provide unmistakable image quality during the streaming or video conferencing. This lets you enjoy ultra-wide viewing angles and seamlessly perform multi-monitor settings.

Other Features

Overall, it’s not designed for creative design. As mentioned earlier, it is suitable for family use, elementary school students, and college students.

This is not suitable for travel, even though it is slightly lighter (3.75 lbs). It has an excellent full-size keyboard.

It has multiple input/output ports and connectivity features to achieve a faster data connection. For wireless connectivity, It has Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 for speedy connection, and for wired, two USB Type-A ports, one USB Type-C port, an AC Smart pin, an HDMI port, an SD media card reader, a headset, and the microphone combo jack.

Read our full HP Pavilion 15 2022 Review

3. Dell Inspiron 15 3000

CHECK Today’s Best Deals

Specifications

The Dell Inspiron 15 is the best gaming laptop for under $500. Dell’s latest Inspiron 15 3000 laptop is suitable for note-taking; we strongly recommend it for gaming and daily use.

This type of laptop is known for its versatility, thanks to its lightweight and portable design. It has a surface of a metal shell on the top.

These Dell Inspiron 15 3000 laptops are equipped with 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 Quad-Core Processor, efficiently running entry-level and mid-range games. It comes with Radeon Graphics.

Although not perfect, it fits this budget well. In addition, if you are willing to buy, please provide the option of choosing Intel processors.

You will get 12GB of DDR4 memory, the latest 2666 MHz. You will get a 256GB SSD, which is an excellent choice in this price range. You can keep the files, save the game, do all the operations, or choose to upgrade.

Here, you will see a 15.6-inch full HD display with an anti-glare function and a non-touch narrow bezel WVA display with a backlight for wide-angle and side views.

Using this monitor, you will benefit from DELL Cinema Color; its brightness supports 300 nits, bringing you a lot of outdoor performance.

It has been pointed out that it needs to be more reliable for photo and video editors looking for accurate color representation.

This laptop has perfect battery life and can provide 6 hours of battery backup, which is the ideal choice in this price range. You will also get a 65-watt adapter with this laptop.

The keyboard and multi-gesture trackpad are also very responsible and will never let you down, the performance is also good, and the typing feel is excellent. I also saw a backlit keyboard inside, which would help you type at night.

You can also get a multi-function USB Type-C port, HDMI port, a USB port, a micro SD card slot, and more features like Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth.

4. Lenovo IdeaPad 3

CHECK Today’s Best Deals

Specifications

The new Lenovo Ideapad 3 is a good choice if the budget is limited. This laptop is equipped with AMD Ryzen 5-5500 mobile processor and AMD Radeon 7 reworked graphics card, which can be used daily.

Integrated graphics could be a better graphics card. The budget is smaller, but you can efficiently run many games. Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is one of the best gaming laptops under $500.

This laptop has a 14-inch display; you can see a full HD display with a maximum resolution of 1080p, which provides clear images.

This laptop has 8GB of RAM and DDR4 if needed and can be upgraded soon. This is why we chose a $500 gaming laptop.

This Lenovo laptop weighs 3.2 pounds (1.4 kg) and is very lightweight, and if you like to put it in your pocket, you will get good portability.

This lightweight notebook computer is suitable for primary and middle school students; you can also watch videos and play some games, and it is better for daily work. Lenovo Ideapad 3 is the best laptop for Fortnite for under $500.

Each mode is provided in this laptop, such as Q control mode, which takes your CPU to the top way and offers fast performance, and is found in the power saving mode to run the battery for a long time. This is a good gaming laptop for less than $500.

I saw multiple ports on this laptop, such as two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port, and one HDMI port. Also, it has the latest Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth to connect to other devices easily. It is one of the best $500 gaming laptops in 2023.

On Lenovo laptops, you can get excellent audio transmission and provide clear sound, and the display bezels on both sides are narrow, but the top and bottom are slightly contrasted.

5. HP Pavilion X360

CHECK Today’s Best Deals

Specifications

The HP Pavilion X360 is the best convertible laptop in the $500 price range because it has powerful hardware and a beautiful all-metal chassis.

This is the latest model with the newest hardware and unique design. HP Pavilion X360 is the best touchscreen laptop for under $500.

The colors you see in the image are silver, blue, and black. No matter which color you choose, it provides an enhanced premium appearance compared to traditional laptops and is undoubtedly fascinating.

This is a touchscreen laptop, on which you get to see a full 14-inch display that supports the touch. It has an Intel Core I5 processor with a 1.20 GHz base speed and a max of up to 3.6 GHz.

The processor is the latest 11th gen which beats the i5-7th gen. It has a G series 1135G4 processor, which means you can run many games on this laptop. The G-Series Processor is specially made for gaming.

This laptop also integrates Intel Iris Xe Graphics, making it the best laptop for photographers or anyone looking for a multifunctional one with excellent capabilities. Hp x360 is one of the best affordable gaming laptops for under 500 dollars (touchscreen).

It has an 8GB DDR4 SDRAM, making it one of the best 2-in-1 laptops on the market. The storage is maintained by a fast 256GB SSD, which provides enough space to store all important files on this laptop.

The battery life of this convertible laptop is also very long, providing up to 9 hours of continuous backup. Overall, the HP Pavilion X360 is the best 14-inch convertible gaming laptop for less than $500, which can meet all types of needs, including light gaming, video editing, and other power-hungry uses.

In this laptop, multiple ports are considered two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, one USB 3.1 Type C port. 1 HDMI output port, and one headphone/microphone combo jack. Bang & Olufsen speakers boost the device’s audio and place it under the chassis grille.

6. Acer Aspire 5

CHECK Today’s Best Deals

Specifications

This Acer Aspire 5 is one of the best gaming laptops under $500. Aspire 5 is an excellent product of Acer, which performs well when playing online games.

It uses an innovative and simple design, a metal casing, and a notebook computer body, improving its durability.

Acer Aspire 5 is a very thin and light notebook; you can quickly go anywhere and work perfectly. The lid has a shiny metal surface with a white Acer logo.

Acer Aspire 5 has a powerful AMD Ryzen 5 5500U processor; the primary clock frequency is 2.1GHz, the maximum Boost clock speed is up to 4.0GHz, and 6MB of L3 cache, 6 cores, and 6 threads, which is reliable.

A laptop that you can take with you to your daily work. It is equipped with an integrated AMD Radeon Vega graphics card.

The display of this laptop is a 15.6-inch full HD widescreen LED-backlit IPS, which can display the resolution (1920 x 1080). This gives you the scope and clarity you need to get the job done.

It provides reasonable brightness and fantastic picture quality for watching large high-definition movies or videos.

It has 8 GB of DDR4 RAM; this high bandwidth can efficiently run your graphics-intensive pc games and video editing applications and run multiple programs and browser tabs simultaneously. Acer Aspire 5 is the best budget gaming laptop under $500.

Acer Aspire has upgraded to a 256GB PCIe SSD, which is faster than HDD. All changes have been made in the daily tasks, from booting to uploading and downloading files.

The standard HDD is used for faster execution. PCIe SSD is ideal for online gaming applications, programming, multiple servers, daily backups, etc.

It is supported by Windows 11 home os, which is the fastest and most reliable for gamers.

In addition, it is also equipped with a USB 3.1 port, two USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI supporting HDCP, Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45), WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth, two stereo speakers, a high-definition webcam, and a built-in microphone. Hey, the keyboard comes with a backlit keyboard.

The battery life of this laptop is also incredible; it can provide up to 11 hours which is ideal for students.

7. Asus VivoBook 15

CHECK Today’s Best Deals

Specifications

The ASUS Vivobook 15 is a current budget-conscious 15.6-inch laptop that is a truly capable device with an attractive price. It is light and thick; it comes with a stylish new look that fits right in with your active lifestyle.

The ASUS VivoBook 15 gives you everything you need to work or play. Asus VivoBook 15 is one of the best gaming laptops under $500 to play Minecraft, Roblox, Fortnite, etc.

The design was developed on last year’s VivoBook, and is both small and ultra-thin, weighing just 3.97 pounds (1.8 Kg), making it highly compact.

It comes with one of the most powerful and fast Intel Quad-core 11th gen i5-1135G7 processors with a base clock speed of 1.2 GHz and a maximum boost clock frequency of 4.0 GHz and has a 6 MB cache memory and 6 threads.

The Asus Vivobook 15 comes with a great backlit keyboard, which takes this laptop away from the premium feel.

It has an integrated Iris Xe graphic that won’t win any gaming performance, but it will allow playing classic titles. This Asus VivoBook 15 is the best cheap gaming laptop under 500 Dollars.

The display of this laptop comes with a 15.6-inch FHD LED display with a screen resolution of (1920 x 1080), with an 83 percent screen-to-body ratio.

In addition, this laptop comes with one USB-A3.2 port, one USB-C 3.2 port, one USB 2.0 port, an HDMI and 0ne headphone, one microphone combo jack, and an X MicroSD card reader.

The Asus VivoBook 15 comes with 8GB of DDR4 RAM and a 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD Card, which is customized and expert, upgraded only on specifications, as mentioned in the title and tech details so that your applications without a laptop Can walk easily without realizing it.

Its battery life is also incredibly better than some of its rivals, and some users have reported run times of over 6 hours on a full charge.

You can easily do 4-5 hours of web browsing or word processing while playing video and 3-4 hours, and most commentators have reported that the audio quality is good.

It is powered by Microsoft Windows 11 Home with an excellent backlit keyboard, fast fingerprint reader, Wi-fi 6 (802.11ac), Bluetooth, excellent sound master audio, and a webcam.

8. Dell Inspiron 15

CHECK Today’s Best Deals

Specifications

Dell Inspiron 15 is one of the best gaming laptops under $500. The Dell Dell Inspiron laptop comes with AMD Ryzen 5 3450U Mobile Processor, with Radeon Vega 8 Graphics to make your Gaming and everyday task more accessible.

This dual-core processor is the latest one. With this, you can play medium graphics games.

You will get 12GB of DDR4 memory, which is ideal for everyone. You will get a 512GB SSD with a customization option, which is a perfect choice in this price range, and you can go for a higher version.

You can keep the files, save the game, and do all the operations, and you can also choose to upgrade later as per your requirement.

Here, you will see a 15.6-inch Full HD display with an anti-glare function, and the backlight is a non-touch Narrow Border Display, which will be used in wide-angle and side views. Using this screen, you will not disappoint at all.

The resolution of this display is (1920 x 1080) which is not perfect. The display should have at least Full HD resolution with high contrast, but you must sacrifice something at this price.

The Dell Inspiron 3505 provides good battery life and will give you all 8 hours of battery backup for everyday tasks and 4-5 hours for playing games. With this laptop, you will also get a 65-watt adapter, which can quickly charge the battery.

The keyboard and the multi-gesture trackpad are also very responsible, which will never disappoint you and give you a good performance, so it feels good on typing.

You also get a multifunction USB Type C port, HDMI port, a Wedge-shaped lock slot, an RJ-45 connector, a USB port, a micro SD card slot, and more like Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth.

The sound quality is also remarkable, and with Waves MaxxAudio Pro with Stereo Speakers, the producing sound is clear and louder.

The Best Cheap $500 Gaming Laptops: Comparison

How to Choose the Best Gaming Laptop Under 500 in 2023?

Like any computer making a great laptop requires a lot of components… excellent. Let us break it down so that you don’t get stuck trying to figure it out yourself.

When buying the best $500 gaming laptop, you will want to look at the following:

Minimum and Recommended Gaming Laptop Requirements

If the budget is tight enough, stay with the lowest specifications and buy the recommended laptop.

We all know that the minimum specifications of laptops will not be able to perform, and it is not suitable for tasks such as video streaming and editing photos.

Fixed a Budget

If the budget is tight, price is the main issue. Finding the best gaming laptop for under $500 takes work. We still don’t want you to waste money, so we will prioritize cheap laptops when everything else is the same.

Always choose the higher version if you have money because buying a laptop is a long-term investment.

The processor Should be Powerful

The Processor is the central part of any laptop. If you have a better processor, your computer can run anything perfectly. We recommend the Ryzen and Intel Processors these days because of their power.

If you are under budget, you can select the Latest gen of Intel i3, i5, and Ryzen 3, 5, and 7. The latest gen of i5 and Ryzen 5 Is better per your budget.

Minimum and Recommended CPU requirements for Popular PC Games

Choose More and the Latest RAM

RAM, like CPU, is also vital in determining overall performance. Memory provides short-term memory storage for applications to quickly access data and store information that the computer is using.

Types: DDR3, DDR4, LPDDR4X

If any laptop has DDR3-level memory and your budget is only $500, you can buy it now, but find out if there is a minimum DDR4-level RAM.

You won’t get lpddr4x in any $500 gaming laptop, so don’t expect it.

For a gaming laptop with a limited budget, you should not be satisfied with less than 8GB of RAM or less.

Minimum and Recommended Memory requirements for Popular PC Games

It should have a Smooth GPU

The graphics processing unit (GPU) or graphics card ensures that your game runs with the maximum and minimum expected graphics quality.

The better the GPU, the better the laptop can render details such as textures, anti-aliasing, ray tracing, etc. If you want to permanently change these game settings to suit better your graphics card, the better the GPU, the closer you are to these high-end settings.

Minimum and Recommended Graphics requirements for Popular PC Games

Battery Life

If your requirement is gaming, you need to sacrifice battery life because gaming laptops are not made for battery performance. Almost every gaming laptop under $500 can only last about 4 hours while gaming.

This is because the hardware in gaming laptops requires much more power than ordinary laptops. Some gaming laptops may last longer when web surfing or watching movies, but if you buy a gaming laptop, be prepared to plug it in.

Should have Fast Storage

Regarding storage, you usually choose between an HDD and a solid-state drive (SSD). HDD may have a higher storage capacity than SSD but at the cost of lower performance than SSD.

Some gaming laptops use dual storage methods, choose HDD as the primary storage method, and built-in a smaller SSD; you can use it for games with higher performance requirements.

Minimum and Recommended Storage requirements for Popular PC Games

Look at Display Quality and Size

It would help if you bought a more prominent, brighter, higher-refresh-rate screen display for gaming purposes. A higher-quality Display can always provide a better gaming and viewing experience. This is why you have so much discussion about monitoring refresh rate now.

The extra money is worth it, but you can still play the game on a lower-quality screen because the budget is less than $500.

Select from a Trusted Laptop Brand

Every brand considers itself the best label on the market, but investing in certain brands can hurt you. Choosing laptops from top brands purchased on the market (such as Dell, HP, ASUS, Lenovo, etc.) can ensure quality control, and these models usually have a good warranty.

Still, waiting? Check the rating section on popular sites such as Amazon to understand the condition of each laptop.

Needa Louder Speakers

Today, most gaming laptops provide good speakers. They are good enough for gaming, but if you want the best music experience, you may need to buy a good pair of headphones or external speakers. Brands like Dell and Lenovo provide accessories discounts with the laptop.

Ports

Ensure that the gaming laptop has all the necessary ports for a good gaming experience. It would be best if you had a USB port to add a USB flash drive, an external mouse, or any device connected via USB.

The HDMI port also connects your laptop to desktops and larger displays. The USB Type-C port can transfer up to 5GB of data per second.

Keyboard

Depending on your budget, you might get a backlit keyboard laptop, perfect for everyone. The keyboard is the main factor responsible for the typing experience.

You won’t get an RGB keyboard in a gaming laptop under $500; if you search better, you can get a better quality backlit keyboard in this price range.

If the laptop has a backlight function, You will enjoy playing games and typing in dim lighting.

You don’t have many quality keyboards in a budget gaming laptop, but the full-size backlit feature will help you a lot at night or when the lights are dimmed, not only for games but for all work.

Operating System

When choosing a laptop in this price range, there are two central operating systems, Windows and ChromeOS.

Windows will provide you with the broadest selection of software, and Chrome OS is very suitable for consumers who need to browse the web and run specific Android applications. macOS is extensible and is not used for gaming purposes.

FAQs

Q1. What is the Best Gaming Laptop Under 500 Dollars?

If you want a better gaming laptop for under $500, please use an Iris Xe Plus or AMD Vega 10 graphics card and the latest processor.

For optimal performance, computer components such as memory and storage drives need more powerful functions.

Any laptop with the essential components discussed above is the best choice.

On our list, the best gaming laptops for Under $500 are-

1. HP Victus 15
2.  HP 15
3.  Dell Inspiron 15 3000
4.  Lenovo IdeaPad 3
5.  HP Pavilion X360
6.  Acer Aspire 5
7.  Asus VivoBook 15
8.  Dell Inspiron 15

Q2. How to Choose a Good Gaming Laptop Under 500 Dollars?

The mid-range laptop is about $500-$1000, and This budget falls into this category to find the best laptop for less than $500. If you want to play entry-level games and do Everyday tasks, it’s easy to find the best for under $500 Gaming laptops.

All laptops and Chromebooks included in the best picks under $500 are excellent, but each has its strengths and drawbacks.

If you want a laptop to play games occasionally, the computer will have a powerful CPU and dedicated graphics card, which will drain battery life.

In this case, you will need to sacrifice a little portability to enjoy the fun of the latest high-frame-rating games.

However, you may want to buy a portable and durable laptop. In that case, it is easy to put in a bag, has a long battery life and good manufacturing quality, and the cost of games is extremely low, so there is many under $500 select.

Q3. What Processor should I buy?

Nowadays, there are many options on the market. Also, You May know the Best Gaming Laptops Under 400 Dollars.

You can view the latest products if you want to buy a laptop equipped with an Intell processor. Intel G-series processors are more suitable for gaming and heavy tasks than U-series processors. The latest generation i3 or i5 is perfect for under $500.

You can check the latest mobile processors; if you want to buy a laptop equipped with AMD Ryzen processors, you can check the latest mobile processors. All AMD Ryzen processors are designed for gaming so you can choose anyone. The latest AMD Ryzen 3 or Ryzen 5 is perfect for under $500.

If you buy a Chromebook, you can choose a slower processor, such as an Intel Core i3 or Pentium processor. And, in this price range, you will find a few laptops with Core i5 processors. Therefore, we recommend that you choose Intel and AMD processors.

Q4. How much RAM do I need for gaming in a $500 Laptop?

The best gaming laptop for 500 Dollars, RAM is an essential aspect after Processor. Whether using a Windows or a lightweight Chrome operating system, 8GB can provide you with plenty of space for multitasking and more complex applications and certain games.

So you should have at least 4GB of RAM on your laptop.

Q5. Is a backlit Keyboard Needed for Gaming?

The backlit is another essential factor you should look at in a 500-dollar gaming laptop. This particular feature helps a lot in dim light conditions.

Therefore, you need to buy a laptop with a backlit keyboard.

There are RGB and simple backlit features in a good gaming laptop.

If you find an RGB backlit keyboard in this price range, it will be an ideal choice for everyone. However, every cheap gaming laptop under $500 has now come with RGB features.

Q6. Are under $500 gaming laptops good?

As we have always said, if you have a limited budget and want to buy the best gaming laptop under $500, you will not find a computer specifically designed for gaming.

With a laptop under $500, you can smoothly perform daily tasks and entry-level games.

Q7. Should I buy a Touchscreen Laptop?

Depending on your budget, you may find many touch screen options, and many Chromebooks are touch screens. Touchscreen laptops and Chromebooks have advantages, allowing users to switch between tasks quickly and easily.

They also can provide a way of working even if the touchpad or keyboard does not work correctly. For those who take notes, the touch screen is a great advantage.

Compared to standard laptops, they also have better color, brightness, and contrast on a smoother screen surface.

You will also find some things that could be improved; for example, a smoother screen style will make the colors clear, but when using a laptop for typing or office work, it will also produce glare, which may make your eyes tired.

The battery will drain quickly if you are working on the touch screen. You need to turn off the touch option if you want the best battery life on a touchscreen laptop.

Q8. What should I buy windows, Mac, or Chromebook OS?

All choices are up to you. All three operating system laptops have their characteristics. To simplify the interface, consider using a Windows operating system laptop.

If you want to play games, please buy a Windows laptop. Google’s ChromeOS is not used for gaming but for web surfing and daily routine tasks. Each Windows or Chromebook has advantages and disadvantages.

macOS laptops are not cheap, but they are expensive. You may only find macOS laptops if the budget is less than $500.

We recommend that you only purchase updated products that cost $500. The rest is Windows and Chrome OS, depending on the kind of software you need to run and what game you will play.

In short, if you want to access the most extensive software on most platforms, Windows is definitely your safe choice. A Chromebook is your ideal choice if you have a limited budget and need to browse documents with little storage space.

Related: Best Gaming Laptops Under $400

Q9. Is a $500 Laptop suitable for high-end gaming?

You can easily enjoy entry-level games on a $500 gaming laptop, but some modern games, such as Killer, Interstellar World 2, etc., cannot be played.

To run high-end games, you need a dedicated and influential graphics processor and a new generation of CPUs.

A $500 gaming laptop offers a powerful processor, dedicated graphics card, and memory.

This is why if you play modern and high-end games on a cheap laptop under $500, it will be a problem, and you will need help to work properly.

If you want to play a modern game, please increase your budget and easily find it between $800 and $900.

Final Words

This is our recommended list and reviews of some of the best gaming laptops under $500, where we carefully explain the features of each computer.

Nowadays, buying affordable gaming laptops is not tricky because brands continue to make great laptops.

Many options can be within your budget, and you can efficiently run entry-level and mid-range games.

If you buy any recommendations from the above list of best gaming laptops under $500, you will not disappoint. All of these offer fast gaming performance and have high-quality hardware components.

After reading this article, we hope you can easily buy the laptops you want, which are the best overall.

8 Best Gaming Laptops under $500 [January 2023]