10 Best Budget Gaming Laptops

The Lenovo Flex 5 14 is a 2-in-1 convertible that can be used as both a laptop and a tablet, making it versatile for various tasks. It's priced in the lower midrange and offers a fair balance of performance and features. With an AMD Ryzen 7 processor and 16 GB of RAM, it's a good choice for general use and capable of handling some engineering and 3D tasks, though not optimized for intensive gaming. It has a 14-inch IPS touchscreen display, a decent battery life, and is lightweight for portability. It also features a decent spread of ports including USB-C, and it charges via USB-C as well, but it lacks a dedicated number pad, yet it includes a backlit keyboard and fingerprint reader for convenience and security.

The HP Envy x360 15" is a midrange 2-in-1 convertible laptop, offering versatility as it can be used as both a laptop and a tablet. With a 512 GB storage capacity and 16 GB of RAM, it's equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 processor and Vega 8 graphics that are suitable for general use and some demanding applications, but may not be optimal for intensive gaming, 3D rendering or machine learning tasks. The battery capacity is solid, and at 15.6 inches the IPS touchscreen display provides good color coverage, but it's not the top choice for color-critical work. Weighing around 4.43 pounds and around 0.72 inches thick, it balances portability with performance, and with a variety of USB-C ports including charging capability, it offers good connectivity. The keyboard is backlit and has a number pad, enhancing productivity, and the build quality is rated as very good. This laptop's release date was in April 2023, and it runs on Windows 11 Home.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is a budget-friendly gaming laptop that comes with a decent storage capacity and moderate RAM. It's equipped with an AMD Ryzen processor and an Nvidia RTX GPU, which makes it suitable for gaming and other intensive tasks. The battery capacity provides a reasonable amount of usage time, and it sports a 15.6-inch display with a high refresh rate, suitable for fast-paced games, but it's an IPS panel which may not be the brightest. It's relatively heavy, affecting its portability, has a number pad, and features backlit keys, hardware ray tracing, and DLSS. Suitable for gaming needs, it may not be the top choice for very high-end gaming or professional engineering software but can handle general use and moderate 3D tasks well.

The ASUS Vivobook 16X offers a balance between performance and price, being in the lower midrange category. It features a large 16-inch IPS screen with a 16:10 aspect ratio, suitable for productivity tasks but with a standard 60Hz refresh rate that's adequate for general use rather than fast-paced gaming. Powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 5800HS with integrated Vega 8 graphics, the laptop is capable of handling daily tasks and lighter creative workloads, though it's not designed for intensive gaming or high-end 3D rendering. Its battery life is suitable for several hours of typical usage, making it moderately portable at a bit over 4 pounds. The Vivobook 16X is equipped with 512GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, enhancing multitasking abilities. It also has a decent selection of ports including USB-C, HDMI, and an Ethernet port, plus a backlit keyboard with a number pad, enhancing utility for work and study. Overall, the Vivobook 16X is good for general use, fair for 3D/machine learning applications, and fair for engineering tasks.

The Acer Swift Go 14 is a laptop with a lower midrange price and comes equipped with 512GB storage and 16GB RAM, which should be sufficient for daily tasks and moderate multitasking. It features an Intel i5-1335U processor paired with Intel Iris Xe graphics, suitable for general use and light photo editing or casual gaming, but not for heavy 3D rendering or intensive gaming. The battery is fairly standard, ensuring around 8 hours of typical use. It has a 14-inch IPS display with good resolution and a 16:10 aspect ratio, enhancing productivity with more vertical screen space. The laptop doesn't have a touchscreen, but it offers good color accuracy and contrast ideal for web browsing, document editing, and movie watching. It's quite portable at under 3 pounds and just 0.59 inches thick, making it easy to carry around. It offers a good selection of ports, including USB-C with charging support, but lacks Ethernet and dedicated gaming features. The Acer Swift Go 14 also includes a backlit keyboard and a fingerprint reader for added convenience and security.

The HP Victus 15 is a reasonably priced laptop with 512 GB of storage, 16 GB of RAM, and is powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 processor paired with an Nvidia RTX 2050 for graphics. Its 15.6-inch IPS display offers a resolution of 1920 x 1080, with a high refresh rate but without touch capabilities. The battery capacity is decent, aiding in fair portability despite its somewhat heavy build. It excels in heat management, has a good-quality keyboard, and is targeted toward gaming with features like a backlit keyboard and hardware ray tracing. However, its color space coverage is on the lower end, which may not be ideal for color-intensive tasks. It runs Windows 11 Home and is endorsed as particularly suitable for gaming. With a combination of USB-C, HDMI, and Ethernet ports, it offers a variety of connectivity options. Released in May 2023, it's a good fit for general use and gaming but may fall short for professionals in engineering and 3D/machine learning due to moderate performance scores in those areas.

The Acer Aspire 5 15 is offered at a lower midrange price and is equipped with a 15.6-inch IPS screen with full HD resolution. It does not support touchscreen functionality. Powered by an Intel i5 processor with integrated Iris Xe graphics, it provides a balance of performance suitable for general use and can handle some light 3D and engineering tasks. It has a solid battery life but may not be ideal for intensive gaming, although casual gaming should be acceptable. With 512 GB of storage and 16 GB of RAM, it's capable of multitasking efficiently. The laptop is fairly portable at under 4 pounds and 0.7 inches thick and comes with a backlit keyboard, fingerprint reader, and a good array of ports including USB-C and HDMI. Its build and speaker quality are fair, while the keyboard and webcam are rated good. Overall, the Acer Aspire 5 15 well suits everyday tasks and modest design work.

The HP Envy x360 15" is a 2-in-1 convertible laptop, so it works both as a laptop and a tablet, offering flexibility if you like touchscreen capabilities or need a device that can double as a tablet. It has a lower midrange price and is quite light, which makes it easily portable. With an AMD Ryzen 5 processor and integrated Vega 7 graphics, it can handle general use like browsing, office tasks, and light multimedia creation but may not be best suited for intensive gaming or engineering software. The battery life is decent for typical usage, and the build quality is good. If your tasks are more demanding in 3D or machine learning applications, you may find its performance limited. The keyboard and webcam quality are marked as good, and it has a backlit keyboard with a number pad for easier typing in low light conditions. It also features a solid heat management system for sustained use.