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

The first RTX 5000 gaming laptop immediately conquers the top spot on our list of the best budget gamers. With the Legion 5 15, Lenovo offers a very good mid-range gamer with no serious weaknesses in the test. The case is functional and offers sufficient connections and a very comfortable keyboard as well as very good maintenance options. The performance of the Legion 5 15 does not disappoint either. The new OLED panel also offers very good picture quality and is very bright in HDR mode. Together with the extremely fast response times and the 165 Hz frequency, games look simply stunning.

All in all, Lenovo offers a very convincing overall package with an excellent OLED panel and the new GeForce RTX 5060 laptop in the fastest version.

The Legion 5 15 with an AMD Zen 5 processor is available from Lenovo from 1,689 euros. Our special model for students, for example, is available at Campuspoint for 1,449 euros (without operating system).

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.

As one of the more affordable gaming notebooks from MSI, the Katana A17 AI dispenses with fancy LEDs and metal materials and instead relies on a simple plastic design. High native refresh rates and GPU options such as the GeForce RTX 4070 are retained. For core gamers on a tighter budget, the GPU is likely to take precedence over other aspects, and the Katana A17 performs well in this regard. At the same time, it delivers decent fan noise and a comfortable keyboard for non-gaming tasks.
 

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

Amazon.de is currently offering our Ryzen 7 FHD test configuration for €1,499. The Ryzen 9 QHD configuration is available from 1,989 euros at one.de.
 

The Medion Erazer Scout 17 E1 is the first notebook based on the GeForce RTX 5050 to land in our editorial office. This means that the Medion offers adequate performance for Full HD displays in most cases, although many gamers would have liked to see a bigger leap to its predecessor, the RTX 4050.

The Medion Erazer Scout 17 E1 is an affordable entry-level gamer with light and shade. The price is currently still a little too high.

The Medion Erazer Scout 17 E1 MD62758 was available for around €1,250 at the time of testing (e.g. from the Medion Shop).
 

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.

With the Nitro V16 is a gaming notebook in the 1,000 euro range that offers more than decent performance for the price (Ryzen 8000 & RTX 4060).

With a more powerful display and better fan control, the Acer Nitro V 16 would be a thoroughly convincing gaming notebook for the price.

The Acer Nitro V 16 ANV16-41-R5AT was available from various online stores from around €1,100 at the time of testing.

Intel Core i7-13620H, an RTX 4060, plus 16 GB RAM and a 1 TB SSD - and all for just 899 euros. You can't get an RTX 4060 gamer much cheaper than that at the moment. What's more, the G5 does a few things surprisingly well: the subtle design is pleasing, the keyboard is more than solid, the rather average display shines with high color accuracy and the CPU performance is slightly above average.

An RTX-4060 laptop for 899 euros: Despite some compromises such as a 720p webcam and the lack of a Thunderbolt port, the Gigabyte G5 impresses with its solid design, good keyboard and high color accuracy of the display.

The Gigabyte G5 KF5 2024 is available from various online stores, including Amazon, for 806 euros.
 

For $1,100, you get a great 120Hz IPS display with full sRGB colors and a respectable GeForce-RTX-5060 GPU. Because it comes with less demanding hardware than the 16X Aurora, the 16 Aurora is thinner and has both longer battery life and a smaller power supply for easier transportation.

The Alienware 16 Aurora combines the requirements for everyday school or college use, such as battery life and slim design, with the performance needed to play the latest titles smoothly in 1,080p.

Dell is now shipping the Alienware 16 Aurora for €1,199, as tested. Smaller configurations with the RTX 4050 or RTX 5050 are also available. The tested model and other configurations are also available on Amazon.
 

MSI's most affordable 15.6-inch gaming notebook has modern features such as a 144Hz IPS display, GeForce RTX 4050 graphics and a Core H-series processor. Priced at less than $900, the MSI GF63 is enough to pique the interest of any budget gamer.

The MSI GF63 is an affordable entry-level gamer that gets a lot right with the screen and hardware, but certainly feels in line with its price when it comes to the chassis and CO.

The Core i7 version of the MSI Thin GF63 is available from Amazon.de for 999 euros.