With the growing cost of gaming laptops, with many costing over $1000, buying budget gaming laptops that deliver decent performance has been a task. However, if you are to ignore the latest 4000 series GPU, and miss out on a feature called frame generation (not very useful at such entry-level laptops anyway), you will find laptops with older generation GPUs that are quite cost-friendly and almost as fast as them.
This article lists all the budget gaming laptops under $800 that are available in 2024.
Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.
Five best budget gaming laptops under $800 in 2024
1) MSI GF65 Thin 3060 gaming laptop - $799
The MSI GF65 Thin 3060 is the only laptop with an RTX 3060 that is available for under $800. It's among the cheapest RTX 3060 budget gaming laptops right now, and the only way that's done is with an older CPU. It has a 10th Gen Intel Core i5 CPU, but it's a hexa-core CPU as opposed to other laptops with quad-core CPUs.
It is equipped with 16GB RAM and 512GB of storage for an even better performance. However, availability could be an issue. This model often goes out of stock, which may lead to a price increase in the future.
Pros:
- RTX 3060 GPU
- 16GB RAM by default
- 512GB SSD
- 144 Hz
- Great Pricing
Cons:
- 10the Gen CPU is a bit older at this point.
Quick specs:
2) Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-57Y8 gaming laptop - $786
The Acer Nitro laptops are designed for budget users, so it is fair to assume that it has budget specs inside. However, that's not the case at all. It has a 12th Gen i5 CPU along with 16GB RAM and more. It even has an NVMe Gen 4 SSD, which allows super-speed game loading. As for the graphics card, it has RTX 3050 Ti, which has 4GB VRAM.
Pros:
- RTX 3050 Ti
- Intel 12th Gen i5
- 16GB RAM
- NVMe Gen 4 SSD
- 144 Hz
Cons:
- The price is a bit on the higher side.
Quick specs:
3) Acer Aspire 7 A715-51G gaming laptop - $699
The Acer Aspire 7 looks nothing like a gaming laptop. It features simple aesthetics and looks like an ordinary laptop. But it's what's on the inside that's more interesting. For the graphics card, it has an RTX 3050, which is quite decent at this price, making it one of the best budget gaming laptops.
It has an Intel Core i5 CPU, which is based on the P series, so it's not as powerful as the other CPUs on this list. However, for most games, it will be fine.
Pros:
- 12th Gen Intel Core-i5
- Simple design
- 1 TB SSD
- RTX 3060
Cons:
- 60Hz display
Quick specs:
4) HP Victus 15 gaming laptop - $689
The HP Victus 15 is among the best budget gaming laptops under $700. It features a beautifully crafted design that users will surely appreciate. It comes with 12th Gen CPU to ensure a stutter-free gaming experience. However, the laptop only has 8GB of RAM, so you will need to buy another 8GB RAM stick later.
It also has a decent three-sided bezel-less display and an RTX 3050 GPU with 4GB of VRAM.
Pros:
- 144 Hz high refresh rate
- 12th Gen Core i5
- RTX 3050 with 75W TGP
- 70 Wh battery
Cons:
- Only 8GB RAM by default
Quick specs:
Also, check out the best budget RTX 4060 laptops in 2024.
5) Acer Swift X 14 gaming laptop - $629
The Acer Swift X 14 is a compact gaming laptop that is powered by a Ryzen CPU and an RTX 3050 in a tiny package. It has a 14-inch screen with FHD resolution that will provide better visuals during your gaming session. Furthermore, it's one of the best budget gaming laptops of this size.
It is also equipped with WIFI 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 to ensure you get the lowest latency during a competitive online gaming session.
Pros:
- Ryzen CPU
- Compact design
- WIFI 6
- RTX 3050
Cons:
- Only 40 TGP is provided to the GPU
Quick specs:
These are some of the best budget gaming laptops that you can find under $800 in 2024. You will find a variety of laptops with different graphics card options on this list, including RTX 3060, RTX 3050 Ti, and RTX 3050. Pick out the one from this that best suits your needs.