Home > Best Gaming Laptops > Best Gaming Laptops under $500
Let me start by an understatement: finding the best gaming laptops under 500 dollars is tough!
These budget laptops are usually not made for gaming. Web surfing and movie watching are usually what they’re for.
Nonetheless, we did our job seriously and found the top 10 best gaming laptops under $500!
Our Top 3 Picks
#1 – Acer Aspire 5 |
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Ultra-Powerful for the price | Ultra-Light with Vivid Display | Budget 17-inch for Gaming |
| 15.6″ HD | 15.6″ HD | 17.3″ HD |
| Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM | Intel i5 with 6 GB of RAM |
| 256 GB SSD | 1000 GB HDD (5400 rpm) | 1000 GB HDD (5400 rpm) |
| Expect 7 to 8 hours | Up to 5 hours | Expect 3 to 5 hours |
| Jump to our Review | Jump to our Review | Jump to our Review |
What you need to know on Gaming Laptops under 500 dollars
The truth about a gaming laptop under $500 is that it won’t be able to play the latest games. If that’s what you’re looking for, you should increase your budget a little and go for gaming laptops between $600 and $800.
That doesn’t mean that you cannot find a good gaming laptop under $500!
Luckily for us, manufacturers have put on the market entry-level chipsets that allow for some decent gaming at a low price. So it doesn’t mean you have to settle for 1991 Civilization 1! 😉 But you have to know that they will run games from a few years ago, at medium settings. Not recent demanding games.
So as long as you understand that, you’ll have to play older games or less intensive games, let’s continue with the best $500 gaming laptops!
What do you need in a good gaming laptop under $500?
Graphics Card
There is one thing that is far more important than anything else in a good gaming laptop under $500 (or any gaming laptop): you need a good graphics card. This is the first thing you should look at. You see, most of the time laptops come with a graphics card that doesn’t perform well with 3D.
Performance
The memory (RAM) you have is also a big factor. Less than 4 GB is not enough to load & play a game. You need at least 4 GB and you should go for 6 GB or more.
The processor is also a factor. Low-end processors won’t be powerful enough to render games, but nowadays it’s not as big as a factor as the graphics card and memory you have. Laptops on this list won’t have the fastest processor on the market, but the top ones are still equipped with decent CPU that’ll allow you to play games.
Screen – HD or non-HD?
Some of the laptops in this list are equipped with an HD screen, some not. Everything being equal, usually if the manufacturer puts an HD screen, he’ll have to sacrifice somewhere else. In this case, gaming power.
Since you’re looking for the best gaming laptops under 500 dollars, an HD screen should not be your priority here. Get more RAM or a better graphics card. You’ll have more gaming for your money. Anyway, chances are slim that you’ll be able to run games at high-resolution.
Battery life
Don’t expect to be impressed by the battery life. This is an area where all laptop manufacturers made a compromise. And I agree with their choice! Having more power is far more important! While the laptops with the best battery life will easily last 10h, here we’re talking more about 3 to 5 hours. And if you’re playing a game, keep it plugged!
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Specs for the Top 9 Best Gaming Laptops under $500
Graphics 14, 15-inch Processor AMD A9, AMD A10, Intel i3, Intel i5 RAM 4 to 16 GB Storage 256 to 1000 GB Battery life 3 to 12 hours OS Windows 10 Thickness / Weight 0.8 to 5.29 lbs Price Range $$, $$$
Top 9 Best Gaming Laptops under $500
1 – Acer Aspire 5 – 15″ HD
“Ultra-Powerful for the price”
This is what a call a good deal! Seriously, Acer did a good job providing a good gaming laptop around $500. A dedicated GPU, an SSD drive, and an i5 for about $500. I’m sold!
So if you are looking for a gaming laptop under 500 dollars, you should definitely consider this one. With a quite good build quality, a good 15-inch HD display – although a little dim – and a quite powerful CPU, you do get a good laptop.
So not only is this Acer Aspire 5 gaming ready, it also has nice features all around. This one is a no-brainer!
Pros
| Cons
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| Graphics | 15.6″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) with NVIDIA MX250 |
| Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Expect 7 to 8 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.85″ / 4.85 lbs |
2 – Asus Vivobook F510UA – 15″ HD
“Ultra-Light with Vivid Display”
If you’re looking for a $500 gaming laptop with enough screen space to enjoy your game, the Asus Vivobook F510UA might just be perfect for you! With a recent i5 processor and an Intel UHD 620 graphics card, it’s one of the most powerful for its price.
Not only that, but this 15-inch laptop is equipped with an HD display that is bright & sharp. Also, it has a clear audio system that is perfect for enjoying a game or watching a movie. Add that to a thin, lightweight design and you’ve got a winner! Read our full review.
Pros
| Cons
|
| Graphics | 15.6″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 1000 GB HDD (5400 rpm) |
| Battery life | Up to 5 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.8″ / 3.7 lbs |
3 – HP 17-X114dx – 17″ HD
“Budget 17-inch for Gaming”
Now this one is for the big screen lovers. With the HP 17-X114dx you get a large & clear 17-inch display. And, while 17-inch laptops are usually bulky & heavy, this one is quite light at 5.85 pounds.
It’s equipped with an i5 CPU and Intel UHD 620, so it’ll play some games quite well. And since some of them require fast action, you’ll appreciate the comfortable keyboard that won’t make you miss a move. If you’re looking a 17-inch gaming laptop under $500, this one is for you!
Pros
| Cons
|
Check current price on Amazon.com
| Graphics | 17.3″ HD screen (1600 x 900) |
| Performance | Intel i5 with 6 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 1000 GB HDD (5400 rpm) |
| Battery life | Expect 3 to 5 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 1″ / 5.85 lbs |
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4 – Acer Aspire 5 – 15″ HD
“Good Features but Lower Performance”
This one is a laptop equipped with an i3 processor. It’s not as powerful as an i5 – that the very best gaming laptops under $500 will have – but it’s still equipped with an Intel UHD 620. So it will still run some games decently.
The main advantage it has over most is that it’s equipped with a good HD display & clear audio. Something most $500 gaming laptops won’t have. So choose another one that is equipped with an i5 if you want the performance, but choose this Acer Aspire 5 if you are looking for a better display & audio.
Pros
| Cons
|
| Graphics | 15.6″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i3 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 1000 GB HDD (5400 rpm) |
| Battery life | Expect 7 to 8 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.85″ / 4.85 lbs |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
17-inch HD5 – Dell Inspiron 3000 3543 – 15″
“Good graphics & CPU”
Dell definitely managed to build one of the best gaming laptops under $500. It lacks a bit of RAM and an HD screen, but otherwise, it’s a quite powerful gaming laptop. They’ve equipped it with the most powerful processor and graphic card you can find on this list. That means good gaming power!
| Graphics | 15.6″ screen (1366 x 768) |
| Performance | Intel i5 with 4 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 500 GB HDD (5400 rpm) |
| Battery life | Expect 7 to 8 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 1″ / 4.8 lbs |
# 6 to 9 Best Gaming Laptops under $500
6 – Acer Aspire E5-575-33BM – 15″ HD
“Great Value & Long Battery Life”
The Acer Aspire E5-575-33BM is built on the same platform as many of its more powerful brothers. That’s gives you a better laptop for your money than you would get otherwise. Especially the colorful HD display and the loud audio. And, even if it’s not the slimmest laptop, it has a solid, stylish design that doesn’t feel like an ultra-affordable gaming laptop.
You also get a laptop with a long battery life so you can just pick it up and leave the house without having to worry about carrying the charger. It doesn’t have the most powerful processor, but for light gaming, it’s enough. A great value choice!
Pros
| Cons
|
Check current price on Amazon.com
| Graphics | 15.6″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i3 with 4 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 1000 GB HDD (5400 rpm) |
| Battery life | Up to 12 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 1.2″ / 5.27 lbs |
7 – Dell Inspiron 5000 i5555 – 15″
“Good all-rounder laptop”
This Dell Inspiron i5555 delivers good performance with a decent budget graphic card and CPU. It will power recent games at medium settings, but don’t expect it to play the latest ones. But for a $500 laptop, it should be on your list!
Check current price on Amazon.com
| Graphics | 15.6″ screen (1366 x 768) with Radeon R6 |
| Performance | AMD A10 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 1000 GB HDD (5400 rpm) |
| Battery life | Expect 5 to 6 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.9″ / 5.27 lbs |
8 – Lenovo IdeaPad 320 – 15″
“Sleek with Good Audio”
If you’re looking for a sleek-looking $500 gaming laptop, the Lenovo Ideapad 320 might be your best choice. It has enough power to play not-too-demanding games thanks to its i5 processor and Intel UHD 620 graphics cards, and you’ll be able to install all the games you want with its 1 TB hard drive.
On the minus side, it’s equipped with a non-HD display that lacks both brightness and color vividness. Still, if you prefer look & performance over display quality, this 15-inch laptop could be a good choice.
Pros
| Cons
|
| Graphics | 15.6″ touchscreen (1366 x 768) |
| Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 1000 GB HDD (5400 rpm) |
| Battery life | Up to 6 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.9″ / 4.85 lbs |
9 – Lenovo Ideapad 100 – 15″
“Basic Laptop for Gaming”
For someone who’s looking for a budget laptop to work, surf the web and play an occasional game, this Lenovo Ideapad 100 is a pretty good choice. As the entry-level laptop in their Ideapad series, this one has a decent built quality and gives you enough power with its i3 processor.
Check current price on Amazon.com
| Graphics | 15.6″ screen (1366 x 768) |
| Performance | Intel i3 with 4 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 500 GB HDD (5400 rpm) |
| Battery life | Up to 3 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.89″ / 5.07 lbs |
Erik is the owner and main editor of lptps.com. He has been working in computers and information technology for more than 20 years. He’s a business analyst, developer and avid traveler.
2 Comments
William Stanaland
My laptop just died and I’m in need of a new one, not really looking for extreme portability, would like the one that can smoothly run video games any suggestions?
-William
Erik
Check out our page for gaming laptops under $500, you’ll find what you need there 🙂