1. MSI GF75 17.3″ Gaming Laptop
2. MSI GF65 15.6″ Gaming Laptop
3. Acer Predator Helios 300 Laptop
4. ASUS TUF FX505DT 15.6″ Gaming Laptop
5. Lenovo Ideapad L340 15.6″ Laptop
If you need a gaming laptop but are working with a moderate budget, we’ve rated & reviewed seven of the best gaming laptops under $1,000 to help you find the right option for your needs.
Gaming laptops are always going to be outperformed by custom-built and pre-built gaming desktops on a dollar-for-dollar basis. However, desktops aren’t viable options for gamers who need a more portable option. And, fortunately, there are decent gaming laptops out there in the ~$500-$1,000 price range.
In this guide, we’re going to take a look at seven of the best gaming laptops under $1,000 that are currently available. We’ve rated the seven laptops below based on their gaming performance and the price tags they come in at to give you a good idea of what kind of value they offer. So, if you’ve got a moderate budget and you’re looking for a solid gaming laptop, one of the options listed below should work for you.
A Quick Look at the Best Gaming Laptops Under $1,000
In order to simplify finding a solid option for your needs, we’ve provided a quick-look table below that showcases our picks for the best gaming laptops under $1,000 in a few different categories. We’ve selected our picks for the best option under $1,000 overall, the runner-up, and the best value gaming laptop under $1,000, as well as listed the cheapest option on this list.
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NAME | SPECS | RATING | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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TOP PICK
|
 |
MSI GF75 |
|
/10 | |
|
RUNNER-UP
|
 |
MSI GF65 |
|
/10 | |
|
VALUE
|
 |
Acer Helios 300 |
|
/10 | |
|
BUDGET
|
 |
ASUS TUF FX505DT |
|
/10 |
*If you click on the “Read Review »” links you will jump to our overview on that specific laptop. You can also keep scrolling down see our thoughts on our Honorable Mention picks.
1. MSI GF75 17.3″
The best gaming laptop under $1,000
The MSI GF75 is our current pick for the best gaming laptop under $1,000. The GF75 comes with an Intel Core i7-9750H processor, a GTX 1660 Ti GPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. It also comes with a larger 17.3″ 1080P 120Hz display.
The one down side of the GF75 is that, for the price, it only comes with 16GB of RAM. The two closest options in price on th is list (the MSI GF65 and Acer Predator Helios 300) both come with 16GB of RAM.
However, the GF75 has a better processor than both the GF65 and the Helios 300 and it has a larger screen as well. It also has a better GPU than the Helios 300 and it comes in ~$20 cheaper than the GF65. And, because laptop memory is fairly easy to upgrade, the 8GB of RAM can be turned into 16GB for ~$40 and a little effort, whereas the downfalls on the other two options (weaker processor and smaller screen size) cannot be fixed.
So, in the end, despite not having a ton of memory (which, again, can be fixed fairly easily), the higher-end processor, the better GPU, and the larger screen help it take our title of the best sub-$1,000 gaming laptop.
2. MSI GF65 15.6″
Our runner-up pick
While the MSI GF75 listed above was our pick for the best option under $1,000, the MSI GF65 isn’t that far behind it. It does cost a little more than the GF75 and it does have a weaker processor.
However, the Intel Core i5-9300H that it comes with will still provide an adequate amount of performance in pretty much any scenario. And, where the GF75 only comes with 8GB of RAM, the GF65 comes with 16GB of RAM.
But, after that, both options are pretty much identical. Both have GTX 1660 Ti GPUs, 512GB SSDs, and 1080P displays with 120Hz refresh rates. Although, the GF75 does sport the larger display (17.3″ vs 15.6″).
Ultimately, though, as all the GF75 really needs is an extra 8GB of RAM to meet or exceed the GF65 in every category and, because adding additional memory is fairly easy, we chose the GF75 over the GF65. If the GF65 were to drop in price, though, you could make a case to choose it over the GF75. However, at their current prices, we think the GF75 is the better option for 2021 and beyond.
3. Acer Predator Helios 300 15.6″
The best value option
Despite being a bit older than some of the other options on this list, the Acer Predator Helios 300 is currently one of the best gaming laptops under $1,000.
The Acer Predator Helios 300 comes with an Intel Core i7-8750H processor, a GTX 1060 6GB graphics card, 16GB of RAM, and a 256GB NVME SSD. It also has a 15.6″ 1080P display that has a 144Hz refresh rate.
The combination of the i7-8750H and the GTX 1060 6GB GPU are enough to max out pretty much any game on a 1080P display. And, the 144Hz refresh rate makes games feel incredibly smooth. Although, that 144Hz refresh rate didn’t come into play too much on more demanding games, but for non-demanding esports titles like Rocket League, Dota 2, League of Legends, etc., it will definitely help.
The one downside of the Predator Helios 300, though, is that it doesn’t come with much storage out of the box. The 256GB SSD is fast, but it probably isn’t large enough to accommodate the average PC gamer’s library. You can always grab an additional 2.5″ drive, though, and add to the Helios 300 if you need more storage.
The bottom line, though, is that with the older i7-8750H processor and GTX 1060 GPU, the Helios 300 won’t provide as much performance as the MSI GF75. However, it does come in at ~$40 cheaper—so, you can save a bit of money without sacrificing too much performance.
If you are interested in the Helios 300, you can check out our full Acer Predator Helios 300 review by following the link, or you can watch the video above.
4. ASUS TUF FX505DT 15.6″
The best budget gaming laptop
If you don’t have over $700 to spend, but you need a 1080P laptop that will allow you to play pretty much any game with no problems, then the ASUS TUF FX505DT is worth checking out.
At just under $700, it is one of the more affordable options on this list. And, of the two options that do come in cheaper than the FX505DT, neither of them have the one feature that helps the FX505DT stand out: a 120Hz refresh rate.
The FX505DT comes with an AMD Ryzen R5-3550H processor, a GTX 1650 GPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. And, it has a 15.6″ 1080P 120Hz display.
The other two cheaper options, (The Lenovo Ideapad L340 and Dell G3579), do match the FX505DT in terms of CPU/GPU/RAM combo, but because they only come with a 60Hz refresh rate, we felt the FX505DT was the better option.
Of course, if you don’t need the higher refresh rate display, you could save some money and opt for either of those two options instead.
5. Lenovo Ideapad L340 15.6″
Honorable mention #1
As mentioned above, the Lenovo Ideapad L340 is one of the cheapest options on this list. It comes in at just under $700 and sports an Intel Core i5-9300H, a GTX 1650 GPU, 8GB of DDR4 memory, and a 512GB SSD. It also comes with a 15.6″ 1080P 60Hz display.
While we did choose the ASUS TUF FX505DT as our top budget option, the truth is that you could make a strong case for the L340 in its place. The L340 does come with the slightly better processor and the larger SSD at a slightly lower price.
However, we felt the FX505DT’s 120Hz refresh rate helped give it the edge over the L340. If you don’t require the higher refresh rate, though, and you’re find gaming on a 60Hz display, then the L340 would actually be the better option.
6. ASUS ROG G531GT 15.6″
Honorable mention #2
One option you might want to consider if you don’t quite have enough to get the GT75 or the Acer Predator Helios 300, is the ASUS ROG G531GT.
It comes with an Intel Core i7-9750H processor, a GTX 1650 GPU, 8GB of memory, a 512GB SSD, and a 15.6″ 1080P 60Hz display.
While it doesn’t have a higher refresh rate display, it is one of the more affordable laptops out there with a new 9th Generation Intel Core i7 CPU. And, the GTX 1650 that it comes with will help it push any game you throw at it.
We do think the ASUS TUF FX505DT and Lenovo Ideapad L340 offer a better price-to-performance ratio. But, if you require a higher-end processor for more CPU-intensive tasks and you don’t have the money to get the GT75, the ASUS ROG G531GT would be a nice alternative.
7. Dell G3579 15.6″
Honorable mention #3
If you’re looking for a very affordable gaming laptop that will give you enough performance to run your favorite games at 1080P, you might want to consider the Dell G3579.
At just a little over $600, the G3579 comes with an Intel Core i5-8300H processor, an NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti GPU, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive, and a 15.6″ 1080P display.
These specs won’t be enough to max out today’s top titles, but this system will be able to run any game on at least lower settings. For popular non-demanding games like League of Legends, Dota 2, and Rocket League, this laptop will be able to run them with no problems.
And, for games like Fortnite, PUBG, and Apex Legends, you’ll be able to run them on this laptop on lower-to-medium settings with a decent framerate.
So, if you’re strapped for cash, but you need a solid laptop for gaming, the Dell G3579 is worth checking out.
Need A Solid Gaming Laptop Under $1,000?
While we always recommend that gamers build their own gaming computers so that they can get the most performance out of their budgets, we also realize that certain users will need the mobility that a laptop offers. If you are interested in building your own PC, check out our guide on the Best Cheap Gaming PC Builds Under $1,000 to see the difference in hardware you can get. And, if not, and you absolutely need a gaming laptop instead, one of the affordable gaming laptops listed above should work for you
If you want to look at more affordable options, you can also check out our guide on the Best Budget Gaming Laptops (Under $500).
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Micaiah says
Hello,
What do you think of the New Acer Nitro 5 (https://www.bestbuy.com/site/acer-nitro-5-17-3-laptop-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1650-ti-512gb-ssd-obsidian-black/6413248.p?skuId=6413248) Please tell me if this is a good option for a budget gaming laptop because this seems like a pretty good option