Best Gaming Laptops Under $500 — Updated April 2024
What are the best gaming laptops under $500?
If you’re looking for a new laptop, but you’re working within a budget, you might be interested in checking out our curated list of the best gaming laptops under $500. We’ll review them and outline their specs and features. Sound like a plan?
Let’s dive in!
- What are the best gaming laptops under $500?
- Important Features to Consider — Best gaming laptops under $500
- Asus Vivobook F510UA – 15″ HD
- Acer Aspire 5 Business Flagship – 15.6″ FHD
- Acer Swift 3 SF315-52 Slim HD
- Dell Inspiron 5000 Series 15.6 Touchscreen Pro
- Acer Aspire E 15 Laptop, 15.6″ Full HD
- ASUS VivoBook S15 Thin Full HD
- Acer AMD A12-9720P Aspire 5 15.6″ Notebook
- Lenovo 81F5006GUS IdeaPad 330s 15.6″
- HoMei 256 GB SSD Dual-Core Gaming Notebook
- Acer Aspire Flagship High Performance 15.6 inch HD
- Conclusion — Best gaming laptops under $500
- Asus Vivobook F510UA – 15″ HD
- Acer Aspire 5 Business Flagship – 15.6″ FHD
- Acer Swift 3 SF315-52 Slim Full HD
- Dell Inspiron 5000 Series 15.6 Touchscreen Pro
- Acer Aspire E 15 Laptop, 15.6″ Full HD
- ASUS VivoBook S15 Thin Full HD
- Acer AMD A12-9720P Aspire 5 15.6″ Notebook
- Lenovo 81F5006GUS IdeaPad 330s 15.6″
- HoMei 256 GB SSD Dual-Core Gaming Notebook
- Acer Aspire Flagship High Performance 15.6 inch HD
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Important Features to Consider — Best gaming laptops under $500
Graphics Card — Best gaming laptops under $500
The essential feature in a good gaming laptop is your graphics card. This should be the first item on your list when it comes to looking at specifications. Most laptops come with a graphics card that will not perform well in 3D. The best gaming laptops under $500 won’t have quite as good a graphics card as some of the higher-end models, but they are adequate.
Performance — Best gaming laptops under $500
The memory (RAM) you have is the second most significant factor. For most games, less than 4GB ram will not be sufficient to load or play any game. 4GB will meet the minimum requirements, but we recommend aiming for ‘6-8GB’s of RAM. Your laptop’s processor also factors into what you will be able to play. Low-end processors are not strong enough to render games; Your processor is not as crucial as your RAM or Graphics card though. The laptops compiled in the list below do not have the fastest processors but are equipped with decent CPU that will still permit you to play games.
Screen Resolution — Best gaming laptops under $500
Since you are shopping on a budget, an HD screen should not be on your list of priorities. For the most part, you will not be running many games in High-resolution settings, to begin with, so your focus should be on more ram or a better graphics card.
Battery Life — Best gaming laptops under $500
You can expect to have your laptop plugged in while gaming. This is an area where all gaming laptop manufacturers dropped the ball. They chose more power, in exchange for less battery life. While most laptops batteries last 10-12 hours in power saving mode, gaming laptops tend to last 3-5 hours, which is still an adequate amount of time while gaming.
Asus Vivobook F510UA – 15″ HD
The Asus Vivobook F510UA offers compact performance, a vivid HD display, and clear audio. It is thin, light, and built to last. The battery does not provide optimal performance, lasting only 3-5 hours. However, this does not take away from the fact that it is a capable gaming laptop.
- This laptop features an Intel Core i5-7200U 2.5GHz processor with turbo up to 3.1GHz
- Stunning 14.2-inch screen, with 0.8″ thickness
- 15.6″ anti-glare Full-HD 1920×1080 WideView screen with ASUS Splendid software upgrade
- 8GB DDR4 RAM with 1TB storage
- Ergonomic keyboard with a fingerprint sensor
- Connections include USB 3.1 Type-C, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, and HDMI ports
- Lightning-fast 802.11ac Wi-Fi will keep you browsing at lightning speeds
- Bluetooth 4.1
Acer Aspire 5 Business Flagship – 15.6″ FHD
The Acer Aspire 5 is excellent for handling multiple tasks. It offers 8GB DDR4 RAM and has a 2.3GHZ processor. The laptop’s dual-core processor is its crutch and is not ideal, but it will still perform excellently on most high-performance games.
- This laptop is powered by a 7th Gen. Intel Core i3-7100U dual-core processor
- Intel turbo boost technology provides extra performance
- Beautiful 15.6″ diagonal 1920×1080 FHD-SVA BrightView WLED-backlit screen
- Capable 8GB DDR4 SDRAM
- 1TB hard drive
- High-bandwidth RAM provides power to run your games, software, and applications
- Intel 620 graphics
- Up to 9hrs of battery life, and 7 hrs and 45 min when in gameplay
- Windows 10 OS
- Front-facing HP TrueVision HD webcam with integrated microphone
Acer Swift 3 SF315-52 Slim HD
The Acer Swift 3 SF315-52 has a thin design combined with a Sleek Metal Body. It provides excellent performance: The Intel Optane Memory extends the average user the same performance as a solid-state drive, making it attractive for gaming. The speakers do, however, it tends to down fire audio. The battery while gaming will last anywhere from 2-4hrs.
- This laptop features 2.5GHz Intel Core i5-7200U dual-core processors with boost up to 3.1GHz
- Intel 620 HD Graphics
- 8GB DDR4 SDRAM
- 14-inch 1,920 x 1,080 FHD ComfyView IPS display
- 256GB SSD storage
- Ports include 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C, 1 x HDMI, headset jack, and an SD card slot
- 802.11ac wireless LAN, Bluetooth 4.0 for fast connectivity
- 720p HD webcam
Dell Inspiron 5000 Series 15.6 Touchscreen Pro
If you are in the market for an affordable gaming laptop, it shouldn’t mean you have to settle for less. The Dell Inspiron offers an 8th-Gen Intel Core i5 processor. This laptop is perfect for gaming, but it falls short of its competitors with its poor screen resolution, short battery life, and bland design.
- 15.6-inch 1366 x 768 HD LED touchscreen
- AMD A10-8700P 1.80 GHz with turbo up to 3.20 GHz
- 8GB DDR3L 1600 MHz
- 1TB 5400 RPM HDD
- Windows 10 Home OS, 64-bit
- Waves MaxxAudio Pro Audio
- AMD Radeon R6 with shared graphics video card
- 4-cell lithium-ion battery
Acer Aspire E 15 Laptop, 15.6″ Full HD
The Acer Aspire E 15 offers long battery life, a comfortable keyboard, optical drive, and most importantly, affordability. It is one of the best laptops in its price range. It has exceptional performance and a full HD screen. The downside, however, is that the screen is considered to be somewhat dull, and the laptop itself is quite heavy.
- Intel Core i5-8250U processors
- Windows 10 Home OS
- 8GB RAM
- M.2 SATA SSD hard drive
- 15.6″ display
- Graphics card features Nvidia GeForce MX150 graphics with 2GB of dedicated memory
- 2 GB video memory
- 4 USB slots
ASUS VivoBook S15 Thin Full HD
At just 3.5lbs this laptop is ultrathin and light. The backlit keyboard allows you to game in the dimmest of settings. With the specs listed below, you should be able to play most of your favorite games with ease. The 15.6-inch wide-view display offers an extraordinary gaming experience.
- 8th Generation Intel Core i5-8250U processor with 3.4 GHz turbo
- NVIDIA GeForce MX150 2GB graphics card
- 4GB DDR4 RAM + 16GB Intel Optane Memory
- 1TB Intel Optane Enhanced HDD
- 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080 Full HD WideView display
- ASUS NanoEdge bezel
- Backlit keyboard and fingerprint sensor
- Connections including USB 3.1 Type-C (Gen 1), USB 3.0, USB 2.0, and HDMI
- Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi
Acer AMD A12-9720P Aspire 5 15.6″ Notebook
The Acer Aspire A515-41G-11FF offers a great keyboard and even better trackpad. Excellent performance, along with extraordinary speakers. This laptop does not offer a backlit keyboard. Additionally, the dim panel and the sharp edges can get uncomfortable if you are gaming for an extended period. However, none of the cons should be a deal-breaker, especially in this price range.
- 2.7GHz A12-9720P Quad-Core processor
- 8 GB of DDR4 SDRAM
- 1TB Hybrid Drive
- AMD Radeon RX 5402GB dedicated graphics card
- Windows 10 Home OS
- 15.6″1366 x 768 LCD display
- Intel Core i3-6006U 2.00 GHz processors
- Non-backlit keyboard
Lenovo 81F5006GUS IdeaPad 330s 15.6″
The IdeaPad 330S offers a thinner and lighter build with narrow bezels for a broader view. It boasts up to date processing and better graphics performance, as well as a redesigned backlit keyboard.
This laptop will stream the majority of your favorite games in mid-high resolution, but doing so will probably result in overheating after a while.
- 1.6 GHz Intel i5-8250u quad-core processor
- 4 GB DDR4
- 16 GB Intel Optane memory
- 1 TB hard disk drive
- Intel 620 UHD graphics card
- 15.6-inch 1366×768 HD LED-backlit anti-glare display
- Standard backlit keyboard
- 802.11Ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0
- Windows 10 Home OS
HoMei 256 GB SSD Dual-Core Gaming Notebook
This laptop offers exceptional performance and is suitable for demanding tasks, such as gaming. It is lightweight, and its 15.6-inch screen offers an extraordinary wide-view display. HoMei is not yet a globally known brand, but it is on the rise with its selection of well-reviewed laptops.
- Intel Pentium dual-core G5400 gold processor 3.7 GHz
- 4GB DDR4 2400 MHz memory
- 256 GB M.2 SATA hard drive
- 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080 Full HD LED-Backlit display
- IPS Panel with a wide-angle view
- NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics card with 2GB GDDR5 dedicated memory
- Sound BLASTER CINEMA 5 Audio Enhancer
Acer Aspire Flagship High Performance 15.6 inch HD
The Acer Aspire Flagship offers competitive performance, long battery life, and a bright HD display that has Acers BluelightShield to protect you from harmful Bluelight. The dual-core processor is where this laptop falls short, but it does not hold it back from being able to play your favorite games in comfortable settings.
- 15.6-inch HD 1366 x 768 CineCrystal LED-Backlit Display
- Intel 520 HD graphics card
- 2.3 GHz Core i3 6100U dual-core processor
- 4GB RAM
- 1TB HDD
- Connectivity includes 1 x USB 3.0 port, 2 x USB 2.0 ports, 1 x HDMI out port, 1
- 3.5mm audio out jack, and 1 x RJ-45 Ethernet port
- 802.11ac WiFi
- Bluetooth 4.0
- Webcam
- 4-cell lithium-ion battery
Conclusion — Best gaming laptops under $500
While the best gaming laptops under $500 won’t necessarily have the same performance or functionality of the higher-end gaming setups, they will perform adequately to provide a decent gaming experience.
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