The most ideal rig for gamers is indeed the gaming PC’s but gaming laptops are getting more trendy and making their way to the competitive rows of aggressive gaming genres. If you’re one of those beginners who can’t go any further than a budget gaming laptop, then take a deep breath here because we have handpicked the best gaming laptop under 500. Which is way better than spending thousands of dollars initially when you are just a starter.
Does this make sense to you? If not then let me clear a few limitations here which most probably are going to come in your way while buying a gaming laptop one for yourself.
Firstly it’s an impossible case for any individual not to or even tried once to play game(s) on a PC or a laptop, it would be the lamest excuse if you say you are one of them. Do I need to mention the game Spider Solitaire when you get bored? Of course not and I believe your taste of gaming must be upscaled too since you are getting this far this year.
In short, gaming is going nowhere whether the scope is little or something as trendy as Apex Legend or Cyberpunk 2077. Although gaming laptops under $500 may not be the one to dash out for the latest games of today but can do better for mainstream gaming.
Another thing you might come across is the lifespan of the machine and its performance is directly related to the cost you are paying for it. It justified the reason strongly that these gaming laptops under $500 are more likely to be placed as budget laptops, and when we say that, it ultimately leads to a low end gaming performance. The more you pay the better gaming performance you are getting, which is unlikely to be found in $500 laptops.
If you are super excited then without further ado, jump to the gaming laptop under 500 reviews immediately.
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Common FAQs people ask about the best gaming laptop under 500
1. What is the best gaming laptop of 2022?
Dell Inspiron is the best gaming laptop of this year which falls perfectly into the category of affordable gaming laptops. A worth buying unit to deliver the exact joy of a game any person looks for while spending his money. Equipped with 10th generation Intel Core i5 Quad core processor and Intel UHD integrated graphics card, this laptop is able to beat the competitors in the line like no other.
2. Is it worth it to buy the best gaming laptop under 500?
Yes, it’s worth buying, but remember not to keep your expectations too high. In this budget constraint, there is a high chance you wouldn’t be able to play the most advanced and latest games of today. However, the deal is for those who want to get their first experience on gaming laptops and are not sure whether they are good for them or not. Consequently, to lessen the chance of regret for those who have never played games on laptops before, these cheap gaming laptops are a good start for them.
3. Can I use gaming laptops for other work as well?
Gaming laptops are built with powerful and with very authentic hardwares to push the very limit of gaming, in short, gaming configuration is not any ordinary which may fail to do any task, but it can do so much for you. Whether it’s editing, modeling, encoding, browsing or any other task, these gaming laptops are capable of all.
4. How is a gaming laptop better than a gaming PC?
Both gaming laptop and gaming PC have their own advantages and have upper hand on each other in different regards. If you want a device with futuristic specifications, then a gaming PC has better opportunities for upgrading. Although gaming laptops are good when it’s about portability and requires no effort for the setup as compared to desktops. Similarly, gaming PCs are more powerful devices and have more room to dissipate heat while gaming than laptops and are more likely to give a touch of components like RGB lighting, customizing chassis, dedicated graphics etc.
5. Which laptop is best for both video editing and gaming?
Acer Predator Helios 700 is the best video editing laptop and can do gaming as well. If you intend to do editing on a professional level, Acer predator fills your needs to get the high quality results.
Best Gaming Laptop Under 500 dollars 2022 List
- Acer Aspire 5 – Best AMD gaming laptop
- Dell Latitude – Best cheap gaming laptop
- Dell Inspiron 15 3000 – Best touchscreen laptop under 500
- Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 – Best thin and lightweight laptop
- HP Athlon Silver 3050U 14 – Best gaming notebook
- Asus-Vivobook-15 – Best affordable laptop for gaming
- HP Pavilion 14 – Best 14 inch gaming laptop under 500
- Acer Chromebook Spin – Best convertible laptop
- Lenovo Ideapad 3 – Best budget gaming laptop
- Asus Chromebook – Best small laptop under 500
BEST GAMING LAPTOP UNDER 500 2022 REVIEWS
1. Acer Aspire 5 – Best AMD gaming laptop
15.6” FHD IPS display | 1920*1080 resolution | AMD Ryzen 3 3200U Dual Core Processor 2.6GHz to upto 3.5GHz | AMD Radeon Vega 3 graphics | 8GB RAM DDR4 | 128GB SSD+500GB HDD | Windows 10 operating system with S mode
Acer Aspire 5 is highly potential regarding the processing and graphics, this is the main reason Acer is one of the best gaming laptop under 500. This machine is equipped with AMD Ryzen 3 3200U dual core processor with a processing speed of 2.6Ghz to 3.5Ghz, up to 4MD Cache L3 and 3 GPU cores. On the other side, there is a AMD Radeon Vega 3 mobile graphics card, it has 14nm processing technology, 300MHz base clock and 1101 boost clock.
With this configuration, this cheap gaming laptop is able to play games and graphics intensive tasks, though the gaming is limited to few AAA game titles and more for less demanding titles. Overall the performance remains on the scale for entry level gaming, which is fairly acceptable from affordable gaming laptops. Acer, the cheap AMD gaming laptop has 15.6 inch large full HD IPS display with 1080p resolution, that is an ideal choice for gaming and multitasking and has 720p web cam.
Further, you will get USB 3.1 x1, USB 2.0 x2, and an HDMI. Despite this, you have to sacrifice for a card reader, DVD drive, VGA and USB Type C. Talking about the looks, this budget gaming laptop is so good to hold, weighs only 3.8 lbs and marvelously thin profile that is only 0.7 inch, this physics is hardly found in a 15.6 inch display. Apart from this cheap gaming laptop under 500, if you can raise your budget and bring it up to $700, you can get your hands on Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop with more powerful configuration which include 9 generation Intel core i5 processor and Nvidia GTX 1650 graphics card.
Gaming benchmark: This is a casual gaming laptop which is able to run 256 PC games, although it does not include games like GTA V, Apex Legend and Fortnite. Still it is capable to run Minecraft, Titanfall 2, Counter-strike, Overwatch, World of Tanks etc can smoothly played without any dips. Thus, this light gaming laptop secured a 38% benchmark for gaming.
Reasons to buy
- Backlit keyboard
- Good for light gaming
- 7.5 hours long battery life
- Less than 4 pounds of weight
- Fingerprint reader
Reasons to avoid
- Lacks DVD drive and USB type C
2. Dell Latitude E5470 – Best cheap gaming laptop
14 inch HD display | 1366*768 resolution | Intel Core i5-6200U dual core processor up to 3GHz (3MB Cache) | Intel HD 520 graphics card | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD | Windows 10 Professional
Expecting high intensive gaming with a cheap gaming laptop is somehow an exaggeration but not a sin. Dell Latitude 8th generation gaming laptop is one of the best gaming laptop under 500, a powerful gaming machine. Dell Latitude gaming laptop is extremely fascinating and not any entry level or mid range laptop but is designed to run advanced games like Fortnite and GTA V. Its Full HD 14 inch IPS display delivers premium quality stunning visuals. Apart from this, the bezel is a little thick than many but still allows you to deeply indulge in the videos and games from every side of the screen.
Further, the configuration is comparatively powerful, it has Intel Core i5-6200U dual core processor up to 3GHz and 8GB RAM eliminates the possibility of any dips during the game which might leakout the gaming enjoyment. Moreover, it is designed for rugged and heavily build gaming sessions, whether you want a come back in your gaming peers to beat them or want to perform optimally in office or school, this military and sturdy constructed machine wouldn’t disappoint you on any level. In addition, the local storage is 256GB is a very decent package to hold your documents and other file in solid state drive quite effectively.
Furthermore, don’t forget the graphic card. Dell Latitude gaming laptop owns Intel HD 520 integrated graphics card which is an entry level graphics chip, good for photoshop, editing and streaming, and helpful to get a little taste of gaming too. Although it does not have a LED backlit keyboard, but the keys are soundless and very comfortable means to silently work in the office meeting. It has USB 3.0 x3 ports, RJ-45, VGA, HDMI and SD card reader
Gaming benchmark: However, you can smoothly run Fortnite, PUBG and GTA V on high setting. On the other hand, it can play Call of Duty WWII, SuperHot, League of Legends, Apex Legends and so many more with an average FPS with constant flux. As a result, this best gaming laptop secured the score of 61% of gaming benchmark.
Reasons to buy
- Intensive gaming supportive
- Dual cooling fans with anti dust technology
- Rugged design
- 8th generation powerful gaming laptop
- SC card reader, VGA
Reasons to avoid
- Broad bezel
3. Dell Inspiron 15 3000 – Best touchscreen laptop under 500
15.6” HD Touchscreen | 1366*768 resolution | Intel 10th Generation Dual Core i3-1005G1 Processor 1.2GHz to upto 3.4GHz | Intel UHD graphics | 8GB RAM DDR4 | 128GB SSD+1TB HDD | Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Dell Inspiron 15 3000 meets all the necessary requirements a user wants. It is a budget gaming laptop with a reasonable price and a sophisticated hardware with a 10th generation Intel i3-1005G1 processor with a clock speed of 1.2GHz to 3.4GHz along with a max Cache of 4MB. It comes with integrated Intel HD graphics 405 chip and 8GB RAM. This Dell 7th generation laptop with this defined configuration is not a powerful machine, plus it is not the fastest to beat any gaming PC, not even near to it, but still provides smooth and non freezing performance.
In this 500 dollar price tag, all of these are affordable gaming laptops enlisted for casual gaming only, so do the Dell Inspiron 15 3000 without any exception. This decent cheap gaming laptop consists of LED backlit technology, its screen is 15.6 inches wide which supports touchscreen features, very responsive and a spec to marvel for at this price. Its colorful display is enhanced with crisp images set with 768p resolution. (with a slight increase of cash, you can get the same specs though 6MB Cache with Dell Inspiron for business and students).
Further down the specs, in the port section the user will get one USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, HDMI and a card reader but no optical drive. Whereas talking about the looks, Dell Inspiron is not a fascinating piece of machine, it is made up of matte texture of plastic which reflects fingerprints clearly. It is a little bulky with 4.8 lbs of weight and 0.9 inches thick. If you are planning for a thin gaming laptop, then perhaps Dell fails to catch your attention in this regard.
Gaming benchmark: Dell Inspiron is again a budget gaming laptop which is unable to run most latest games of today, you can only be able to run old versions of games on medium settings. This cheap laptop for gaming can only play 42 trending PC games. Dell Inspiron is capable to run all games that comes backwards from 2017. For instance, Titanfall 2, Minecraft, Overwatch, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Destiny and so on. Consequently, this laptop scored 31% of gaming benchmark.
Reasons to buy
- SD card reader
- Good for multitasking
- Reasonable price for the specs
- Casual games bring 20-25fps on medium settings
- Up to 7 hours of battery life
Reasons to avoid
- Cant handle graphics intensive tasks
- No optical drive
4. Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 – Best thin and lightweight laptop
13 inch FHD Touchscreen | 1920*1080 resolution | 10th Generation Intel Dual Core i3-10110U Processor 2.1GHz to upto 4.1GHz | Intel UHD graphics | 4GB RAM DDR4 | 64GB SSD | Chrome OS Operating System
Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 is a 2 in 1 convertible notebook and it is a big bash with great configuration and a pack of entertainment. Lenovo Flex 5 is a best small laptop under 500. Its screen is 13 inches wide with narrow bezel and touch supportive with a stylus (digital pen). You can draw or scribble down instead of typing hassle right at the moment, no destruction of the inspirational moments, no disturbing sounds of clicking buttons. Though its configuration includes 10th generation Intel Dual Core i3-10110U with processing speed of 2.1GHz to 4.1GHz, 4MB Intel Smart Cache and 4 threads each core.
Lenovo has its own speciality in the way it is designed, it is extremely attractive yet affordable. Its classy looks in Graphite grey color makes people to steal envious glances towards it. Although it has a smaller screen but that doesn’t limit the joy of watching movies and playing games since its bazel is small too. Lenovo Flex 5 is a 1080p laptop under 500, its great resolution collaborates greatly with the intel UHD 615 graphics and enables you to step into indulging movie and gaming sessions.
However, if you run out of battery in between the ongoing loop, relax and put this on charge for only an hour, it will charge up to 10 hours in the shortest period of time due to Quick recharge Technology. Moreover, this gorgeous looking, seamless multitasking 2 in 1 laptop is extremely light in weight with only 2.97lbs. and 0.6inch thin, which make this very much portable and easy to carry along. Other than this, it consist latest and most durable connectivity in form of next generation Intel WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0. It has 2x USB Type C and a USB Type A and an SD card reader.
Gaming benchmark: Most suitable to run entry level games. You can play all games back from 2017, for instance, Call of Duty 4, Superhot, Far Cry 3, witcher 3, Rage, Destiny and many more. However, if you are lucky you can play GTA V or any other advance game but on lower FPS. Therefore, this laptop achieved 44% score in the gaming benchmark.
Reasons to buy
- Fingerprint reader and webcam privacy shutter
- 4 modes due to 360 degree rotating hinges; laptop, tent, stand and tablet
- 2.97 lbs weight and 0.6 inch thin gaming laptop
- Affordable for smooth flow games at low settings
- 10 hours of long lasting battery
Reasons to avoid
- No backlit keyboard
5. HP AMD Athlon Silver 3050U 14 – Best gaming notebook
14 inch HD display | 1366*768 resolution | AMD Athlon Silver 3050U Processor 2.3GHz to upto 3.2GHz | AMD Radeon graphics | 8GB RAM DDR4 | 256GB SSD | Windows 10 S mode
HP AMD Athlon Silver 3050U 14 inch gaming notebook under 500 is a reasonable size of the screen which could facilitate the casual gamers, streamers and students. Although you have to lower down your expectations regarding the gaming but the basic computing can be done effortlessly. It owns a AMD Athlon Silver 3050U processor with 4MB Cache and 2 threads. Further, it has an AMD Radeon Graphics, which is a pretty good configuration at the cost it comes with. Whilst testing we have experienced very few dips in extra long hours of playing which probably caused by heated CPU, rest it is fine and quite acceptable for gaming though at low settings.
Other than the processor and the graphics card, HP AMD Athlon Silver 3050U 14 inch notebook comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD local storage. A very good amount of storage offered to keep files, videos and docs and many more. This powerful hardware is fair enough and easy to run any game for more than 5 hours. This HP budget gaming laptop is a decent choice to make if you want to take this on a business meeting or to do school stuff along with gaming sessions. It has only 3 USB ports, includes; one USB Type C port and two USB 3.0 Type A port along with HDMI.
Talking about the life of battery, this HP notebook owns 3 Li-ion battery pack, enables the user to get up to 10 hours of non stop browsing, typing, watching videos and many more. Despite all, if you are ready to rise your budget, there is HP Envy 17t touchscreen laptop that is 8th generation i7-8850U with NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphic chipset also in 17.3” full HD touchscreen one of the best gaming laptop under 700, extremely amazing bandwidth to run all the high-end graphic games smoothly.
Gaming benchmark: Back to HP Notebook that is a cheap gaming notebook, you can play Fortnite, Realm Royale, Shadow Die Twice, Max Payne and some other as well but do remember after a certain period of time it becomes difficult to play in a smooth mode and the RAM get heat up, however, since it is a mid range gaming laptop, you can play casual games as long as you want to play without facing any problem nor lagging. Thus, this laptop scored 27% gaming benchmark.
Reasons to buy
- 3.24 lbs weight and 0.8inch thin profile
- Ultra soft buttons
- Stylish and sleek design with obsidian black color
- 8th generation gaming laptop
- Upto 10 hours battery
Reasons to avoid
- Quite heavy as a notebook
- No backlit keyboard
6. Asus VivoBook 15 – Best affordable laptop for gaming
15.6 inch FHD display | 1920*1080 resolution | 10th Generation Intel Core i3-1005G1 processor 1.2GHz up to 3.4GHz (4MB Cache) | Intel HD Integrated graphics | 8GB RAM DDR4 | 128GB SSD | Windows 10 in S mode
Asus Vivobook F510QA is among the best gaming laptop under 500 dollars. If your budget is tight, Asus has given you a free hand in this perspective, since it is the least expensive gaming laptop, Asus Vivobook the best budget gaming laptop is extremely stylish and sleek in design. It is powerful and very efficiently handle everyday computing without hanging no matter how many tabs you have opened and how quickly you are switching between them, the performance remains the same.
Further, its matte display and vivid colors engaged you for hours. Whereas, the screen is full HD 1080p resolution that delivers stunning and crisp image with eye care mode. There is no harm to your or kid’s eyes who dare to spend hours as long as they want. However, coming towards the configuration, Asus Vivobook has 10th generation Intel Dual Core i3-1005G1 processor, with a processing speed of 1.2GHz and boost up to 3.4GHz. Moreover, its 8GB RAM is a perfect combination with Intel UHD integrated graphics chipset in order to facilitate light gaming for almost 6 hours on the go.
In Addition, this 8th generation gaming laptop owns 128GB SSD local storage, perfect to hold your daily computing files nicely. What’s more is, its ergonomic backlit keyboard, although it has island style buttons that are chiclet shaped but are too flat, perhaps unsuitable for few people who prefer little raised keys to meet their fingers. However, it should be noted that Asus Vivobook is a mid range laptop, more certainly designed for computing, editing photos, surfing, watching videos and playing some entry level games.
Gaming benchmark: This budget can play few advanced games too on 30 to 40 FPS but quite good for old and casual gaming including DOOM, Half-life, Borderland 2, Wolfenstein: The new order 2014, Call of Duty 2013 and many more. Hence, this laptop scored 35% gaming benchmark.
Reasons to buy
- Anti-glare widescreen
- 0.9” thin 3.79lbs lightweight
- One year accidental damage protection by Asus
- Ergonomic backlit keyboard
- Vivid color supportive to enhance the contrast
Reasons to avoid
- No DVD optical drive
7. HP Pavilion 14 – Best 14 inch gaming laptop under 500
14 inch FHD Display | 1366*768 resolution | AMD Athlon Silver 3050U Processor 2.3GHz to 3.2GHz (4MB Cache) | AMD Radeon Graphics | 4GB RAM | 128GB SSD
HP Pavilion is the best convertible laptop under 500. Most of the people prefer to do their daily tasks on a convertible laptop that could accommodate more than just a standard laptop. And when it comes to the gaming phase, whether you are an adult or a kid, comfort is a must. HP Pavilion has 14 inch wide angle full HD IPS display with 768p resolution and is anti-glare screen which push vivid colors and impressive view.
Furthermore, HP Pavilion 14 has AMD Athlon Silver dual core processor with 2 threads, 4MB Cache and turbo frequency of up to 3.2GHz, alongside 4GB RAM and AMD Radeon graphics card with shared memory. Moreover, coming towards the hard drive, it does have a 125GB massive storage facility for your files, documents, videos etc. Whereas, other than the gaming part, HP Pavilion is extremely good in graphic designing part and video editing. You can surf as much as you want and watch videos up to 7 hours continuously without having any lags or dips.
Apart from its performance, its design and built is almost identical to the HP NoteBook 17.3” with a very slight difference of narrow bezel design. The lid is metal matte finished, a touch of modesty in silver, its keypads are soft and easily recognizable though it is backlit. Moreover, you will get one USB 3.1 Type C, two USB 3.0 Type A, HDMI and a fingerprint reader as well. Moving towards the battery, there are 3 cell Lithium-ion battery pack, though the drain of the power however depends on the usage of the laptop.
Gaming benchmark: Now coming towards the crucial part of the HP Pavilion X360 review i.e. its eligibility to play the games. The sort of games that you can play on this 2 in 1 laptop is limited yet perfect for decent gaming. Nonetheless, it can also able to run League of Legends, FIFA 18, GTA 5, Minecraft, Prince of Persia and Need for Speed although it is quite difficult to play Fortnite and the newest versions of games of the year with high graphic requirements. Hence, this laptop scored 31% gaming benchmark.
Reasosns to buy
- Full HD convertible
- 0.8 inch slim profile
- 32GB snow bell USB card comes along
- 8th generation gaming laptop with finger print reader
- 7 hours of battery life
Reasons to avoid
- Not so fascinating graphics
8. Acer Chromebook Spin – Best convertible laptop
11.6 inch HD touchscreen | 1366*768 resolution | Intel Celeron N3350 Dual Core Processor 1.1GHz to up to 2.4GHz and 2MB Cache | Intel HD graphics 500 | 4GB RAM DDR4 | 32GB eMMC | Chrome OS
Certainly, this is the best small laptop under 500 with 14 inches HD backlit. This 2 in 1 laptop is extremely flexible in terms of the required task, that is convenient to draw, write, gaming and many more just the way you want this laptop to transform. It should be noted that on its design side, its versatility is beyond the looks in real life than in pictures, its sleek and stylish looks is amazingly fascinating. It provides a personal theatre experience on the lap, an absolute miniature version of home theatre with great sound and picture quality.
Acer Chromebook has a small screen comparatively to the rest of the best gaming laptop under 500 introduced to you earlier. Consequently, its small size make this laptop easy to carry anywhere. Its 2.76 lbs weight is too less as compared to many good gaming laptops with compact size. You can place this on your coffee table, on your lap, couch or lift and place it wherever you want to do the work with relieve. Certainly, one of the best 2 in 1 laptop, comes with two USB 2.0 port and 2 USB C 3.1 Gen 1. Further, coming towards the graphics processing unit, Acer Chromebook Spin laptop owns Intel UHD 500 integrated graphics, good for decent gaming and for those who need light graphics programs to run.
Moreover, Acer Chromebook Spin convertible laptop owns Intel Celeron dual core procesor with processing speed upto 2.4Ghz and have 4GB RAM, quite decent hardware for multitasking, but not for intrusive gaming. Moreover, there is a 32GB local storage, ample space to store your documents and all sorts of files securely. Although, if you need a bigger screen then Acer Chromebook 15 with 15.6 inch wide screen at $319 can fix your need. However, if you are looking for some powerful configuration to beat the intensive gaming session, then check out Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop with 9th generation Intel i5- 9300H and GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card, at the price of $669.
Gaming benchmark: Now here is the major concern, since its RAM is pretty low you must keep in mind that RAM plays an important role in the gaming experience apart from GPU. On account of this, Acer Chromebook Spin owns 4GB RAM and the processor is also of entry level, thus there is a significant lag of performance in terms of the latest gaming. However, this convertible laptop can run casual games like others and able to bring only up to 20fps, securing 21% of gaming benchmark for less demanding titles.
Reasons to buy
- LED backlit touchscreen
- 0.78 inches thin
- 2.76lbs light in weight
- Good for browsing and streaming
- 9 hours of battery life
Reasons to avoid
- No DVD and backlit keyboard
9. Lenovo Ideapad 3 – Best budget gaming laptop
15.6 inch HD display | 1366*768 resolution | AMD Ryzen 3 3250U processor 2.6GHz to up to 3.5GHz | AMD Radeon Vega 3 graphics | 4GB RAM DDR4 | 128GB SSD | Windows 10
Lenovo Ideapad 3 is the mid range gaming laptop, designed for casual gaming with the given configuration. Shuffling against the best gaming laptop under 500, Lenovo Ideapad 3 is one to fill the needs of light gaming and casual use at home, office or school. Equipped with AMD Ryzen 3 3250U dual core processor, which have 2.6GHz base frequency and goes up to 3.5GHz boost processing, 4MB Cache and 4 threads. Though, it has AMD Radeon Vega 3 graphics card; a not so outstanding graphics though, but is fine for some decent gaming, video editing, encoding, browsing and watching videos.
Further, coming towards the screen, it doesn’t have a touchscreen, though it is glossy and gorgeous 15.6 inch full HD with eye care Technology, enables you to watch as long as you want without any harm. Whereas, it has no backlit keyboard rather the keys are soundless and very comfortable for people who used to spend hours on their laptops typing and computing every day. Moreover, its storage is pretty decent as well, with 128GB in SSD fair enough to store your files, documents and more.
Whereas talking about its quality built, it is made up of platinum coating making it attractive for the user. The lid is coated with aluminum gray, light and fragile feel at the touch but is durable and rugged for every day commune. Its weight is 4.84 lbs. which is quite heavy comparatively to other best gaming laptops under 500, but the size is perfectly feasible to fit in the backpack. Although, the battery is not so good, it last only to 6 hours due to 1 cell lithium-ion. The ports it offers are, two USB 3.1 port, one USB 2.0 port, SD card reader and an HDMI to get another screen to increase the productivity to another level.
Gaming benchmark: Now coming towards the crucial segment, that is the games you can play on this best cheap laptop for gaming. Since it owns a slower clock range CPU, in addition the GPU is also not so supportive, it is unlikely to play advanced games. Yet it allows you to play some old games and their outdated versions. For instance, Wolfenstein 3D, Counter Strike Global, Left 4 Dead 2, Borderlands 2, Half life 2 and more games that are similar to them can easily run on this gaming laptop with its average graphic setting and within 40-60 fps. Thus, it scored 25% gaming benchmark.
Reasons to buy
- Best 7 generation laptop for basic computing
- Web cam privacy shutter
- Impressive visual quality and clear sound with Dolby audio
- Up to 6 hours of battery life
- Sturdy and strong build
Reasons to avoid
- No backlit keyboard
10. Asus Chromebook – Best small laptop under 500
11.6 HD IPS display | 1366*768 resolution | Intel Celeron N3060 Dual Core Processor 1.6GHz to up to 2.48GHz (2MB cache) | Intel HD 400 graphics | 4GB RAM DDR3 | 32GB eMMC
Asus Chromebook is another best gaming laptop under 500 in small size. The combination of Intel Celeron N3060 Dual Core Processor 1.6GHz to up to 2.48GHz with 2 threads and maximum 2MB Cache. On the graphics side, this budget gaming laptop owns entry level Intel HD 400 graphics card, both the processor and graphics chipset is unable to run the latest games, though good for the basic level of computing. Moreover, its 4GB RAM is capable to handle daily light browsing and multiple tabs. Whereas when talking about the local storage, Asus Chromebook 11 contains 32GB eMMC to store your files and documents.
Being one of the best budget laptops under 500, don’t keep your expectations too high, its cost cutting is very much visible in terms of its design. Although, the overall built is more than just fine. It has a chicklet keypad which is not backlit to facilitate the user in darkness while typing. Its bezel is a bit fatty around the screen, however an acceptable choice for decent gaming and some casual work at home or office. It comes with RJ-45, USB 3.0 x2 port, and HDMI. Its 2 cell Li-ion battery pack gives a ride of up to 9 hours to the user. However, it has a little bulky body in spite of thin and light profile which you may prefer.
Whereas, if you want tremendous graphics along with the performance then raise your budget a little and get your hands on Asus Tuf gaming laptop with Intel Core i5 and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card. Moreover, there is another choice as well with great graphics and super performance due to the powerful 6 Core processor of Intel Core i7-10510U 16GB RAM and incredible graphics by NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 all comes in Asus Zenbook that is the best gaming laptop under 1000.
Gaming benchmark: Due to low clock frequency and entry level graphics chipset, this cheap gaming laptop is unable to perform well for game enthusiasts and can only be able to run low demanding games. Its configuration is not very helpul to handle intense workloads, though still capable to perform for casual games at low settings. Thus, this laptop scored 10% gaming benchmark.
Reasons to buy
- Best performer yet affordable and cheap
- 8th generation gaming laptop
- Good for basic computing and streaming
- Soft and comfortable keypad for long work
- 9 hours battery life
Reasons to avoid
- No drive for CD
- No backlit keyboard
What are the major elements you need to consider in a gaming laptop? Buyers Guide
That time has long gone when the computer was being the one who is given the task of simple computing. Then there was a time when the computer got transformed into laptops, a more portable and innovative way to do all the multitasking irrespective of the place and time.
However, now this is the time where a game like activity is becoming esports. For this purpose, laptops has transformed into gaming laptops to enhance the joy of playing games and help you to achieve optimal results which you have never experienced before.
Since they are named as gaming laptops that doesn’t mean they are solely designed for gaming, no, these laptops are a step forward in the configuration regards and are very much capable to do all the computing like an ordinary laptop.
Whereas, in the gaming perspective, these laptops own much powerful and potential hardware in order to accommodate the gamers in a professional way.
Similarly, if you are a newbie gamer or even a professional, then you must get yourself acquainted with the features that are extremely useful and have a pivotal role in gaming. Let’s enlighten you with those features or properties, a gaming laptop must have.
GPU- Graphics Processing Unit
First thing first, that is how good a gaming laptop produce the image. The graphics processing unit is the most important part you must checkout, since the image quality, animation and video production is the responsibility of the GPU system of your laptop.
Likewise, the rendering speed of the image is crucial as well, the ideal GPU speed is 3.6GHz (minimum 3.0GHz) for a nice picture quality. Perhaps most of the people including the expert gamers might prefer NVIDIA GeForce graphics card for high-end gaming, but it is an expensive bite to swallow down for the people with a limited budget.
Thanks to the AMD graphics chipsets, who has nowadays unleashed themselves in the market and is a quite good performer, cheaply available than NVIDIA and yet a great option for decent gaming. You can find these graphics card in almost all the best gaming laptops under 500 that are uncovered above.
RAM
RAM, the random access memory is a part of the computer that I don’t think need any explanation nor there is a requirement to talk about its role in the gaming. However, in a very precise way, RAM is a boss who temporarily stores the game that is about to be launched on your screen and is not only responsible to hold the data of the game but helps the processor to run it smoothly as well.
Therefore, minimum 4GB RAM should be there to run the games without facing glitches, even so, when the processor or the GPU system fails to perform or of least configuration then it is most probably not possible for the overall hardware unit to run the game.
However, the case may differ in terms of the type of game you are most likely to play. For instance, if you are about to play the most advanced and latest high-end games then you must need at least 8GB RAM.
CPU
The central processing unit is again of crucial importance. Most powerful processors comes in Intel and are expensive too. Intel i5 and Intel i7 is the ideal form of processing unit but since they are costly, a very few of Intel processors comes into our basket of best gaming laptop under 500.
However, there is no worry because AMD processors are quite cheap and are effective too in terms of performance.
Hard drive
After GPU, RAM and CPU, hard drive is the unit that collaborates with the rest of the elements and laden free the load of the hardware within the laptop. Therefore, before buying a laptop make sure you are aware of your work (files, photos, videos, clips, documents) and all the related stuff that is needed to be stored. Before this, let me tell you the most common types of the hard drive.
The one and the most earlier form of storing local data is PATA (Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment). This was the preceding of all the forms and was invented back in 1986, of course you don’t want this drive in your latest gaming laptop, and honestly, I am afraid any company is producing this drive installed laptop.
Then there is SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment). Its interface is different from PATA, so do its capabilities, its transferring technology is faster power consumption is too little than PATA and its cables are more fine and thin as well comparatively.
However, these HDD (Hard Disk Drive) is very much different than the third form that is SDD (Solid State drive). SSD use flash memory technology to transfer data instead of magnetism. Moreover, there is no moving parts in it, more successful for quick data transfer, durable and rapid boot with nearly zero latency.
Now I believe it is crystal clear which local storage drive is the best for your laptop.
Display
Here comes last but not the least, the display. Of course, you must not be the one to prefer non HD visuals, isn’t it? Full HD IPS display is the most common yet demanding display for the computer system. It depends on the resolution, for the perfect videos and an ideal visual that holds you for hours is 1080P. In this resolution, the pixel is more than acceptable and clear for all kind of surfing, editing, photos, videos, movies etc.
Size and weight
Since the laptop is a portable computer, it must not be oversized and overweight that become difficult to carry around. Definitely, the gaming is not the only task you need to do on your laptop, there are plenty of other things as well. For instance, if you are a student, it must be lighter in weight, smaller in size to fit in your backpack easily, likewise it should be effortless to move around in the home or office as well. Thus, the thinner and lighter is best to carry around.
Similarly, its screen size varies as well, according to its overall size and dimension.
Therefore, all the given elements above are the depending features. They depend on your need of laptop in order to do a particular task. It more depends on the situations you need them in, more significantly, when it’s about a gaming laptop, it relies on the sort of games you are willing to play and this will decide the system requirement i.e. the GPU, CPU and the RAM of your laptop.
Is this a WISE decision to buy a cheap gaming laptop under 500?
The answer to this question depends on certain things. That is if you are not short on cash then the whole debate ends here and you can easily move and pick expensive gaming laptops with much more capabilities than just being any simple gaming laptop, in terms of high resolution and graphics, big storage and RAM, speed processors (CPU) and thin and lightweight laptops.
But if you are a beginner and don’t have many funds, though still desire to enjoy the same immersive gaming experience at low cost then this guide is a great start. Thus, perfect for those who are seeking for affordable gaming laptops. In this case, the answer to the above question is a definite yes.
With that said, if you are getting the cheese at a low cost then you must not make fool of yourself by throwing more money, at least you know what you get is what you have paid for.
Conclusion
Summing it all, we must admit that we ought not to expect a gaming laptop to perform the notch of performance by a gaming desktop. Of course, the level of gaming desktops is far much better than gaming laptops, but still, these laptops are following the trail of desktops specialized in esports.
However, when it is about the handful of budget, we are supposed to get little of cake yet a mouthful, and yes it is possible in the list of top 10 gaming laptops compiled above. Each one of them is the best gaming laptop on its own level, however, the latest games might take few lags yet some may run nicely without figs and dips.
In addition, you can try big screens like HP Notebook and HP Pavilion X360 17.3 inches wide to enhance the gaming pleasure. Likewise, a thin and light weight laptop is also a demanding feature making it more portable and easy to carry along, with this in mind Lenovo Flex 14 2 in 1 gaming laptop seems better option, yet Asus VivoBook F510QA is another great pick in this regards.