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Best Gaming Laptops Under $1,500
Gaming laptops can be expensive, but they don’t have to eviscerate your savings account. Over the last few years, some features that you only used to find on the most high-end gaming notebooks have trickled down to low and mid-level models. A PC with a speedy SSD, a high refresh rate display and a GPU good enough for gaming at 1080p can be had for under $1,500.
Tom’s Hardware reviews a large number of gaming laptops with different prices, features, and components. That gives us insight into what kind of performance, materials, displays, and other features you can expect with your budget set at $1,500 or below. Our goal is to highlight the gaming laptops that offer the most in this range.
Most gaming laptops under $1,500 will use Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5050 and RTX 5060 graphics cards. The majority of these systems should come with Intel and AMD’s latest chips (Intel Core Ultra or Ryzen 8000 for AMD), though you may come across especially good deals if you’re willing to take last-gen tech. That being said, at this price point, try to avoid just 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. You should be able to do a bit better, especially on the high-end.
With one of the best gaming laptops under $1,500, you should be able to run intensive games at 1080p with smooth rates at high or possibly ultra settings, especially if you’re considering esports.
Recent updates
Update September 22, 2025: While our picks haven’t changed, we’ve updated the reference information on this page, such as the FAQ, to better reflect the components you’ll find in the newest gaming laptops under $1,500.
The quick list
1. Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (Gen 9) Check AmazonCheck Walmart
Bright Display with High Resolution
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (Gen 9) puts a fast, high resolution screen together with a 14th Gen Intel Core i7 and Nvidia RTX 4060 for a fairly powerful gaming system below $1,500. We also appreciated the comfy keyboard and variety of ports.
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2. Asus TUF Gaming A14 View at ASUSView at Best BuyView at WalmartView at Amazon
Thin and light gaming
Asus’ TUF Gaming A14 is a travel-friendly gaming laptop that’s also a very good option for productivity and won’t get you strange looks at the office. Its 100W RTX 4060 can handle modern demanding games at moderate settings, and it switches off the GPU to deliver over 10 hours of battery life when you’re doing less demanding tasks.
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3. HP Victus 16 View at WalmartView at Amazon
Best Budget 1080p Gaming
The HP Victus 16 combines solid gaming performance, a bright, 16.1-inch display, and long battery life, making for a great laptop at its price point. We’re also fans of its comfortable keyboard, which is great whether you’re gaming or working.
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4. MSI Katana 15 HX View at WalmartView at AmazonView at AmazonView at Amazon
Another Great Gaming Laptop Under $1,000
The MSI Katana HX stands is the rare gaming laptop we’ve tested under $1,000. The combination of an Intel Core i7 and Nvidia RTX 5050 makes for solid 1080p performance on a laptop, and you even get four-zone RGB lighting. The dim, bland, 15.6-inch, display, however, is a serious trade-off.
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5. Acer Nitro 16 View at WalmartView at AcerView at AcerCheck Amazon
Best Sub-1000 Gaming Laptop Alternative
The Acer Nitro 16’s AMD Ryzen 5 CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 are a potent combo. This sub-$1,000 laptop doesn’t miss out on creature comforts with its four-zone RGB keyboard, USB 4 Type-C port, quiet fans, and long battery life.
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6. Gigabyte Aorus 16x View at AmazonCheck Walmart
If you can save a bit more
The Aorus 16X’s Core i7-14650HX CPU and GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card effortlessly handle modern games on its excellent display, and its built-in speakers won’t have you missing your headphones. It also has productive input devices, excellent connectivity (including Thunderbolt 4 and Wi-Fi 7), and biometric security from its IR webcam.
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The Best Gaming Laptops Under $1,500
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Bright Display with High Resolution
1. Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (Gen 9)
Bright display with high resolution
Our expert review:
Specifications
CPU: Intel Core i7-14650HXGPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 (8GB GDDR6, 1,890 MHz boost clock, 140W maximum graphics power)Display: 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, 165 Hz, G-SyncWeight: 5.51 pounds (2.5 kg)Today’s Best DealsCheck AmazonCheck Walmart
Reasons to buy
+Well priced+Solid gaming performance+Bright screen+Comfortable keyboard and touchpad+Good port selection
Reasons to avoid
–Below average battery life–No biometric features–Single-channel RAM
If a bright, fast display is your priority, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (Gen 9) may suit your needs. The 16-inch, 2560 x 1600 screen can go up to 165 Hz and supports G-Sync. On our light meter, it was quite bright for the class at 354.6 nits.
But the Legion Slim 5i also offers other benefits. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 and Intel Core i7-14650HX delivered strong gaming performance, and we appreciated the variety of ports. The keyboard and touchpad were both comfortable, which is just as important for when you’re not gaming as for when you’re getting some playtime in.
There are a few sacrifices you make for the price. The battery life isn’t incredible (though unfortunately that’s largely par for the course with gaming laptops) and you don’t get any biometric security features. Our $1,313.99 review unit came with 16GB of RAM, which is great except that it was in a single-channel configuration, which can affect performance. At least you can upgrade that down the line.