Best Gaming Laptops Under $1500 – Reviews & Buyers Guide

I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect gaming laptop under $1500 and came across some hidden gems – budget gaming laptops with few compromises.

We’ve tested and reviewed all of these models to help you make an informed decision. Our reviews are based on real-world performance, not just specs. So, if you want a sub-$1500 gaming laptop that can play games at high settings without breaking your budget, this is the place to be!

We have compiled a list of the best gaming laptops under $1500. These are affordable, portable and powerful enough to run your favorite games without breaking a sweat.

You won’t have to worry about getting stuck with a low-quality model in order to save some money. All of our recommended laptops are built by reputable brands and offer great value for their price tags.

Having a portable gaming station opens up new possibilities for enjoying your games, as you no longer have to be glued to your desk. Moreover, you can make use of the gaming laptop’s horsepower to double as a workstation and get professional work done on the go, especially if you opt for a model with a stealthy, minimalist design.

The main takeaway from our experience with the Razer Blade 15 is how impressive the performance is. The laptop is powered by Intel’s latest 10th Gen Core i7 laptop processor, capable of turbo boosting to up to 5GHz. Aside from the jargon, what you need to know is that the laptop can run all the latest, most demanding games without breaking a sweat.

Moreover, the aluminum, unibody housing delivers a stylish look coupled with a durable, compact form factor sitting at just 0.78 inches of thickness. The green Razer logo at the back and the signature neon green keyboard backlights complete the iconic Razer design that gets gamers returning time and time again.

In terms of storage, the gaming laptop ships with a base SSD of 256GB, which is not a lot by today’s standards as the massive modern games can eat up your storage really quickly. Nevertheless, you can easily upgrade your SSD down the line as the laptop comes with an accessible extra SSD slot.

We don’t see many 144Hz monitors on laptops at this price point (even the Razer Pro 17), so it’s worth highlighting that Razer Blade 15 doesn’t compromise on that front. Competitive gamers will appreciate how fluid the gameplay experience is, giving them room to show off their skills online.

Acer’s Predator Lineup has always nailed the look and feel of a gaming laptop while delivering the exceptional performance you’d expect, and Helios 300 is no different. Powered by the 9th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA’s dedicated gaming graphics card, the laptop offers excellent performance.

The display is an integral part of the gaming experience, and Acer delivered on that front. The 15.6 FHD monitor offers high image fidelity and crispness. The IPS panel also comes with a 144Hz refresh rate while keeping the response time as low as 3ms, which translates into responsive gameplay with virtually no input lag or distracting screen tears.

Acer Predator Helios 300 took some innovative leaps on the audio front. It implemented MAXXAudio technology, which is capable of delivering a surround audio experience. This can be a game-changer, especially in competitive shooters, as you will be able to pinpoint exactly where your enemies’ footsteps are coming from in a 360 degrees field.

During our testing, we really enjoyed the ergonomic feel of the keyboard. The keys are responsive and come with RGB customizable backlighting. Moreover, the directional WASD keys are concave-shaped for a better grip, which shows the level of Acer’s attention to detail.

Our only complaint is the poor battery performance. You can squeeze around an hour and a half of gameplay out of the laptop before the battery dies. This can be a deal-breaker to some folks; however, if you game mostly at home, you can keep your laptop plugged during extended gaming sessions.

If you’re looking for the most portable gaming laptop, you’ll be happy with what Asus TUF brings to the table. At just under five pounds, the laptop packs tons of features while retaining a lightweight footprint that can go with you anywhere with no hassles.

In terms of performance, Asus TUF departs from Intel’s processor in favor of AMD Ryzen CPU. With its well-optimized battery usage, this power-efficient processor allows you to get up to four hours of gameplay on one charge. It also doesn’t get too hot thanks to its smart SenseMI controller, which balances the CPU’s variable clock speed according to the software running.

Moreover, the 15.6 inches display deserves some spotlight. It stretches to the laptop’s very edges, minimizing the side bezels to deliver a more immersive gaming experience. The IPS display technology also provides true-tone color representation with plenty of viewing angles.

If you were wondering whether your gaming laptop can double as a powerful workstation, Asus cuts right to the chase with a big YES for an answer. The elegant metallic finish and the slim form factor make a perfect professional looking device.

Also, the GeForce GPU comes with dedicated Gaming and Creator drivers, allowing you to allocate the graphics power for an optimized software experience when running video-editing, 3D modeling, or other graphically demanding apps.

We’ve got yet another entry from Acer’s Predator Helios 300 lineup. This time around, the PH315-51-78NP model solves the previous entry’s most noticeable shortcoming: battery life. This laptop offers up to seven hours of battery usage compared to the one and a half hours delivered by its PH315-52-710B counterpart.

Another key distinguishing feature between the two models is the processor. The power-efficient model uses an 8th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU, as opposed to the newer, more powerful 9th Gen processor we’ve seen in the previous entry.

It’s worth mentioning that the base storage takes a hit as well in the power-efficient model. It ships with a 256GB SSD instead of 512GB found in its counterpart. However, the storage is easily upgradable, so it shouldn’t influence your purchase decision.

Other than that, the two models are basically identical, which brings us to the question of how to pick one of them over the other. It all boils down to performance vs. battery life. If you’re a gamer who wants to squeeze as much performance from their machine, stick to the PH315-52-710B model and be prepared to keep it plugged in during long gaming sessions.

On the other hand, if battery life is the laptop’s biggest selling point in your eyes, you’d appreciate the seven hours you can get out of the PH315-51-78NP model before it requires recharging.

We’ve got another manufacturer on our list following Razer’s footsteps and implementing Intel’s 10th Gen Core i7 processors in their budget-friendly gaming laptops. MSI GP65 Leopard is a true performance beast with its 6-Core powerful CPU.

When it comes to graphics horsepower, the laptop delivers what you expect from an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 powered machine. It supports real-time Ray Tracing technology, which simulates how light bounces off objects to create more realistic in-game environments.

When it comes to RAM, the laptop comes with 16GB of DDR4 memory, which meets most modern games recommended configurations. If you want to upgrade down the line, it’s possible to pump the RAM to a whopping 64GB, which significantly boosts your laptop’s life span.

MSI GP65 Leopard is the perfect example of when power meets style. With its per-key RGB backlighting customization, the laptop offers an unparalleled adjustability level for a more personal look.

If you’re looking for a gaming laptop with plenty of storage without hurting your wallet, Dell G5 15 is the perfect choice for you. The laptop comes with dual storage drivers; a 256GB fast SSD, and a 1TB massive HDD.

This is a smart move on Dell’s part, as the laptop gives you the freedom to organize your files, so you get the speed and minimal game loading times of SSDs while having a cheaper storage alternative in the form of an HDD for all your other files.

When it comes to performance, Dell G5 15 delivers what you’d expect from a gaming laptop under $1500. The CPU and dedicated GPU go hand in hand to run your graphically demanding games smoothly. You can get seven hours of gameplay time on a single charge, thanks to the laptop’s power-efficient performance.

However, we were let down by the screen’s refresh rate. At 60Hz, the panel doesn’t give you the smoothness and responsiveness you’d expect from faster displays. This can be a major disadvantage, especially in competitive games and shooters. If you mostly play single-player, story-driven games, the low refresh rate shouldn’t be a big issue.

If you like the storage versatility we’ve seen in Dell G5 15, but the 60Hz display is a deal-breaker to you, Asus heard you loud and clear. Asus ROG 15 delivers a similar dual-storage driver setup, but this time around, the laptop comes with double the screen’s refresh rate compared to Dell G5 15.

The 120Hz display eliminates screen tearing and other image artifacts for a smoother, more responsive gameplay experience. Moreover, the 15.6 inches screen delivers a crisp, color-accurate, high-resolution gaming experience.

During our experience with the laptop, we noticed that out of the box, it puts a cap on performance to conserve battery life. However, you can dig into the settings and change this default configuration, or keep your laptop plugged to a wall outlet to get the most out of the 9th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU and GeForce GTX GPU combo.

It’s worth noting that Asus ROG 15 doesn’t come with a built-in webcam, which can be a bummer for gamers who are into streaming or want to use their laptop for video conference calls. However, Asus delivers on the performance, display, storage fronts making this laptop a compelling overall gaming device. You can use a Bluetooth or USB webcam as a way around.