Top laptops for gaming under 500 in 2023
Gaming laptops under 500 dollars can be hard to find but not impossible. We have a made list of best gaming laptops under 500 dollars in 2023. Three years back, there were almost no laptops under this range but times have change and price of gaming components has gone down in a big way.
That is why it is possible to buy an excellent, capable gaming laptop under 500. Normally gaming laptops cost a lot, normally costing more than 1000 dollars for a decent configuration. Lately laptop manufactures have introduced cheaper ones that let you play games at decent frame rate and quality for as low as 400 dollars and in some cases as low as 300.
Best Gaming Laptop Under 500 dollars in 2023
HP Gaming 15-EC0013DX
If you are looking for proper gaming laptop around ~500 dollars, this HP gaming laptop should be top of your list. It has full-voltage 2nd generation AMD Ryzen 5 processor that is mated to a Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 discrete GPU, both of which promise the best experience one can have in a gaming laptop this cheap.
Of course, you can use its power for things other than gaming such as AutoCAD, photoshop and video editing. The screen has full HD resolution and IPS technology for superb wide viewing angles. The screen has been given anti-glare coating for glare-free gaming experience. The keyboard is full size, backlit and features dedicated numberpad. Our reviewers loved the ergonomic keyboard design and wide touchpad. Storage is all SSD so expect lightening fast transfer speeds and with 8GB RAM, there is nothing stopping this laptop. Infact, this laptop makes all other $1000-plus laptops overpriced.
AMD 2nd Generation Ryzen 5 3550H Processor (Quad-core, 2.1 GHz Up To 3.7 GHz, 4 MB Cache), 8GB DDR4 Memory, 256GB SSD
15.6″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS Widescreen LED-backlit Display, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 3GB GDDR5
10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet, 802_11_AC, Bluetooth 4.1, Card Reader, HD Audio with Stereo Speakers, Webcam
1 x USB 3.1 Type-C, 1 x USB 3.1 Type-A, 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x Headphone/Speaker/Line-Out Jack, 1 x RJ-45
Full-size Island-style Backlit Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, Windows 10 Home 64-bit, 52.5WHr 3-cell lithium_ion, 4.96lb, Black
ASUS VivoBook 15 F512DA-EB51
It has quad core AMD processor that brings high quality graphics card enabling you to play high definition content and latest games at decent FPS. With its AMD Radeon Vega 8 GPU, 256 GB SSD and whopping 8GB RAM, you have plenty of plenty of processing and graphics power for work and play. Its 15.6-inch Full HD screen is great for watching videos and stereo speakers bring quality sound experience to the table.
Asus has also equipped it with a fingerprint reader that lets you login faster and more secure than typical login methods. Clearly, ASUS VivoBook 15 F512DA-EB51 is one of the most affordable and best gaming laptop under 500 dollars.
15.6” Full HD, AMD Quad Core R5-3500U CPU, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB PCIe SSD, AMD Radeon Vega 8 Graphics, Windows 10 Home
Acer Aspire 5 A515-55-56VK
The Acer Aspire 5 A515-55-56VK offers excellent value for money. Powered by 10th Generation Intel Core i5-1035G1 processor, it is capable of running all modern games with ease even though there is no discrete GPU. The integrated Intel HD graphics are very powerful in 10th generation Intel i5 series and handles even latest games with ease. There is plenty of storage and memory for smooth computing experience. The keyboard is full size and has dedicated numpad.
Acer Aspire 5 A515-55-56VK has backlit keyboard so you will have no trouble typing in dimly lit conditions.
10th Generation Intel Core i5-1035G1 Processor (Up to 3.6GHz)| 8GB DDR4 Memory | 256GB NVMe SSD
15.6″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) widescreen LED backlit IPS Display | Intel UHD Graphics
Intel Wireless Wi-Fi 6 AX201 802.11ax | Backlit Keyboard | Fingerprint Reader | HD Webcam | Up to 8 Hours Battery Life
1 – USB 3.1 (Type-C) Gen 1 port (up to 5 Gbps), 2 – USB 3.1 Gen 1 Port (one with Power-off Charging), 1 – USB 2.0 Port & 1 – HDMI Port with HDCP Support, Windows 10 Home
Lenovo Flex 5 14
Powered by AMD quad core, top-of-the line processor, this Lenovo is best laptop under 500. Thanks to AMD Radeon Vega 8 graphics, you will be able to enjoy extreme gaming and immersive movies. There is massive 16GB RAM for supreme multitasking experience. Its 256GB NVMe SSD ensures data loads in blinks of an eye.
Lenovo Flex 14 also comes with a well designed backlit keyboard that lets you input data in all sorts of lighting conditions. Talking about input, Lenovo has included an active pen in the package that lets you draw or jot notes directly on its beautiful full HD display which can be folded back and used as tablet as shown in above image. These are one of the benefits of a convertible laptop – you can fold the display and use it as a gigatic windows 10 tablet.
Its efficient quad core AMD Ryzen 5 processor delivers strong performance and yield 10-hour battery life with normal usage.
| 14-inch FHD 1920×1080 Touchscreen Display, AMD Ryzen 5 4500U Processor, Radeon Vega 8, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB NVMe SSD, Windows 10, backlit keyboard
Looking for even cheaper gaming laptops? Well there are some more but you probably would not be able to run games at medium settings, so if you want good FPS in a game, consider sticking to laptops shown above or below. If you want more cheap gaming laptops under $500, see this list at budget-laptop.com.
So that was the list containing best laptops under 500 dollars. I hope you find the gaming laptop of your choice in the list.
Best gaming laptops under 500 dollars in 2023 – what to look for
1. Good GPU: When it comes to games, having a good graphics processing unit (GPU) is a must. It should be your top priority so make sure it has decent GPU power to run games. A normal AMD or Core i3 processor backed by decent discrete laptop GPU will run the game just fine. It is best to look out for laptop with AMD processor under 500 dollars as they also come with a powerful GPU onboard. This AMD Radeon R5 or R7 graphics card can handle most high end games at medium or low settings just fine. That being said, Nvidia laptop graphics cards are still preferred over AMD.
2. SSD or Hybrid hard disk configuration: It is important to get one with solid state drive or hybrid hard disk drive if you want to ensure that everything loads up quickly. Hybrid HDDs come with a small cache or SSD that speed up loading times considerably. Keep in mind that games take up a lot of storage space so stay away from SSDs if you are planning to store a lot of heavy-duty games on your laptop.
3. Processor: This is heart of your laptop and despite the fact that discrete graphics have a more important role than the processor in gaming laptop, it is important to go for atleast i5 or i7 processor. This is important to ensure smooth operations and multi-tasking experience. In case you are getting an AMD powered laptop, then going for AMD A8 or A10 is recommended. Both come with quad cores and are used in some of the best gaming laptops under 500.
4. Battery life: While most laptop experts will say that battery life does not matter on gaming laptops, it is entirely not true. Since you are a getting a laptop and not a desktop, there will be scenarios where you will want to use it for non-gaming purposes. So make sure it has at least 2-3 hours of battery life.