Entry-level gaming laptops get more expensive each year, making it hard to call them budget or cheap rigs. Even our best cheap gaming laptops page has a few select choices. But hope is not lost for those trying to maintain a budget under $1,000.
I reviewed the Gigabyte G6 KF (2024), a gaming laptop that I despised. It still cost over $1,000, and I could not fathom why. It felt like it was built as cheaply as possible, though it came with an RTX 4060 GPU. But is that really impressive?
I dug around and found that, no, it’s not. Folks who are shopping for a gaming laptop need to think twice about their approach. First and foremost, don’t buy at full price. Second, there are powerful gaming laptops you can get for under $1,000.
Get yourself a powerful gaming laptop for a cheap price
I’ll preface this by saying these gaming laptops won’t be quality machines. However, if the Gigabyte G6 KF taught me anything, it’s that almost nothing could be as wrong. And at the very least, you can get better performance than what the Gigabyte offers on its overpriced label.
The first one I found was the HP Victus 16. Traditionally an entry-level gaming laptop, it’s outfitted with an RTX 4070 GPU and is currently on sale at Best Buy for $899. Mind you, we haven’t reviewed this model. But we loved last year’s version, which offers a colorful display, great audio, and a solid overall design. This model sports an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 16.1-inch, 1080p display.
Then there’s the Lenovo Legion Slim 5. We haven’t reviewed this particular Legion, but the Legions we have reviewed score decent marks. This model is also outfitted with an RTX 4070 GPU for $1,249 at Lenovo ($1,179 if the following coupons are still active: BBYEXTRA10 and BUYMORELENOVO). The difference between the Victus and Legion models is that the latter is typically more premium. This model offers a 16-inch, 2560 x 1600 display, whereas the Victus features a 1080p screen. It also sports an AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD.
Bump that price up a bit, and you can get the Dell G16 Gaming Laptop for $1,299 at Dell. We didn’t review this Dell G16, but I’ve reviewed many in the past and found them reliable performers. What’s unique about this version, on top of its RTX 4070 GPU, is the Intel Core i9-13900HX processor. That’s a whole lot of power for an affordable price. This machine also comes with a 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240Hz display. It’s also outfitted with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.
Yes, you can get an RTX 4070 gaming laptop for under $1,000, but you can also get an RTX 4080 gaming laptop for under $2,000. Don’t believe me? See the Alienware m16 on sale for $1,899 at Best Buy. We reviewed the latest Alienware m16 R2. The only one on sale is the older model, but that’s still a bangin’ laptop for the price. It has an AMD Ryzen 9 processor, an RTX 4070 GPU, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240Hz display.
Bottom line
Regardless of whether these gaming laptops are still on sale by the time you read this, the record shows that you should only be spending what you have to. You can get powerful, reasonably-priced gaming laptops if you know where to look.
Of course, check out our best gaming laptop deals page to keep up with the greatest deals. And if you are reading this on or around July 16-17, then check out our curated list of the best Prime Day gaming laptop deals which often includes some of the biggest discounts of the year.
