Ranking: The best affordable (sub-$1,500) gaming laptops

The IdeaPad Pro 5 16 G9 is an all-rounder. Featuring fairly high-end components, including the Meteor Lake Core Ultra 9 185H CPU, it is available for around 1,400 euros. Particularly noteworthy is the powerful 90-watt GeForce RTX 4050 laptop GPU, which is almost as fast as some RTX 4060 laptop GPUs.

The IdeaPad Pro 5 16 G9 is faster than it looks thanks to the powerful 90 W GeForce RTX 4050.

Costco offers the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5 16 with the Core Ultra 9 185H and the RTX 4050 for ~1,500 US dollars (1,400 euros).

With this system, the buyer is getting a Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, a GeForce RTX 4060 and a 144 Hz 1,200p display wrapped up in a recently-redesigned casing that exudes some slight Alienware flair. Thanks to the updated chassis, the A16 remains quite cool and comparatively quiet unless the Turbo performance mode is enabled. Overall, the inexpensive gaming laptop does a lot of things right. It is only when it comes to the display that you should be careful; please do not opt for the least expensive SKUs with their inaccurate colors, but rather choose the slightly more expensive 1,600p panel.

The TUF Gaming A16 FA608WV is a capable and comparatively inexpensive gaming laptop with long battery life, especially thanks to the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370.

In Germany, our partner store Alternate sells the TUF Gaming A16 for 1,399 euros.

The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IRX9 is mostly noteworthy due to its strong CPU and gaming performance. This laptop's i7-14700HX and RTX 4060 perform faster than average and even come close to some i9-14900HX and RTX 4070 laptops. The Legion Pro should also work well for content creators thanks to its color-accurate display.

If you are looking for a very powerful gaming laptop for reasonable money, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is the right choice. Content creators should also be happy with it, despite some minor drawbacks.

At our partner store Campuspoint, the system costs 1,549 euros. Other stores sell it for around 1,600 euros, for example Jacob and mediarado. Directly from Lenovo Germany, a model with an RTX 4060, an i9-14900HX and the display variant we tested can be had for €2,249, which is quite a high price for an RTX 4060 laptop. However, the Pro 5i was also at one point available with an RTX 4070 and a 500-nit display for just €1,455 (Mydealz) so please check several websites and you might just score a great deal.

With this system, we have a Ryzen 5 8645HS, a GeForce RTX 4060 and 16 GB of RAM working hand-in-hand. In addition to some decent gaming prowess, the Nitro offers reasonably long battery life figures, a 14.5-inch panel (2.5K, 16:10, 100% sRGB, 120 Hz, G-Sync) and a USB 4 port. The system is available for 1,449 euros.

With the Nitro 14, Acer delivers a competent mid-range gaming notebook in a compact format.

In Germany, the AN14-41-R3MX is available from Notebooksbilliger.de at a price of 1,449 euros.

In addition to the price, we like the Tulpar T7's keyboard, the fast Wi-Fi module and, of course, the lifelong and free maintenance. The T7 also stays cool even when under stress.

The Tulpar T7 is an inexpensive gaming laptop with the generous promise of free annual maintenance for life. Note - make sure to get an SKU with dual-channel RAM, otherwise its performance will fall behind the competition.

The Tulpar T7 is available starting from 996 euros on Amazon.de (with no Windows license included). The regular price is 1,299 euros, and the RRP is 1,699 euros.

The TUF series from Asus is growing. Its smallest member is powered by the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 and is one of the fastest 14-inch gaming notebooks on the market. It comes with a 2,560 x 1,600 165 Hz IPS display; the whole deal costs around 1,500 euros.

The TUF Gaming A14 has almost identical features to the ROG Zephyrus G14 but is significantly cheaper. It delivers good productivity and gaming experience for the size. Expect loud fans and high temperatures during intensive use as an almost inevitable trade-off.

The TUF Gaming A14 FA401WV is sold by Asus Germany for 1,500 euros.

The A15 FA507UV has a few nice features to offer that you wouldn't normally expect from a lower price range gaming laptop: A Ryzen 9 Zen 4 CPU, a GeForce RTX 4060, USB 4 support and excellent battery life. The computer should be available from around 1,100 euros. Without any Windows license, that is.

With the TUF Gaming A15 FA507UV, Asus delivers a well-rounded FHD gaming notebook with impressive battery life.

Asus' TUF Gaming A15 can be had for €1,169 from our partner store playox.de.

As one of the more affordable gaming notebooks from MSI, the Katana A17 AI dispenses with fancy LEDs and expensive materials, relying on a simple plastic design instead. High display refresh rates and solid GPU options such as the laptop GeForce RTX 4070 are all present, as expected. For gamers on a budget, getting the best GPU possible is often seen as the priority, and the Katana does well in this regard. Fan noise is kept at bay and the keyboard is comfortable enough for any tasks, non-gaming ones including.

The Katana A17 is a cheaper alternative to the GE, GS or GT series but still offers excellent graphics performance with its 105 W GeForce RTX 4070.

Amazon.de has our Ryzen 7 test SKU in stock for €1,499. The Ryzen 9 QHD configuration is available from 1,989 euros over at one.de.

The 15-inch model offers a speedy Ryzen chip and a GeForce RTX 4060 (or RTX 4070). There are two RAM and M.2 slots under the hood for easy upgrades down the line.

The MSI Katana A15 is an averagely fast gamer with two M.2 slots that could do with improvements in a couple of respects.

The Katana A15 AI B8VG-459 is available starting from around 1,500 euros.

This Lenovo 15-incher is designed for FHD gaming on high to maximum settings. The reasonably powerful hardware consists of a Core i5-13450HX, a GeForce RTX 4060, 16 GB RAM and a 1 TB SSD (as tested). The price is appealing; the portable computer is available from just 899 euros. (No Windows license is included.)

With the LOQ 15IRX9, Lenovo delivered an affordable FHD gaming notebook that has just one or two weaknesses.

The LOQ 15IRX9 is available from Amazon.de at a price of 1,025 euros. If you're fine with buying a machine without a Windows 11 license, you can get the Lenovo for 899 euros at Computeruniverse.net.