Gaming laptops can be expensive, but if you know what you are looking for, it is not an impossible task to find one that is within your budget. Besides budget, there are a few important deciding factors like processor, graphics cards, RAM, and display that you should look at while buying a gaming laptop. But, it is not easy to find a balance between performance and price and you might have to end up compromising with either of them. Luckily gaming laptops under $1500 fill this gap and offer an optimum gaming experience to the users within their budget.
However, finding yourself a perfect gaming laptop within a budget still seems like a tedious job. From Acer to Lenovo, there are tons of brands that offer competitive gaming laptops in terms of performance. To ease this, we have curated and reviewed the best gaming laptop under $1500 that you can currently buy in the market with their pros, and cons below. Furthermore, we have explained what you should look into for a gaming laptop towards the end. Keep reading!
The Best Gaming Laptops under $1500 in 2022
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 (2021)
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 made its way as one of the best gaming laptops in this very competitive laptop niche with a style. The reviews for G15 have been nothing but positive and perform very well in gaming benchmarks. Tests showed the laptop can handle pretty much every game at the highest graphic settings given the latest specs installed.
Being a superior choice among the Gen Z audience, the ROG Zephyrus G15 offers a beautiful design and sleek display. The laptop is available in different processors including Ryzen 7, Intel Core 7, and Ryzen 9. The processor you choose for your device can dramatically affect the price that you might have to pay for it. Ideally, an intel core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, and a 165Hz display can cost you somewhere below $1500. But if you want a higher spec, the price of Asus ROG G15 can go up to $2500.
Lenovo Legion 5
The Lenovo Legion 5 is another popular mid-range gaming laptop offering amazing performance. Gaming or workstation, the Lenovo Legion 5 offers a powerful CPU & GPU that can handle demanding tasks. From playing video games to programming and 3D rendering, the Legion 5 can handle everything with ease. Although Legion 5 is available in different configurations and higher specs, you have to decide what you are willing to spend.
If you don’t want to go anywhere above $1500, the specs you can get for it will include a 16GB of RAM, Nvidia RTX 3050Ti 4GB or RTX 3060 6GB graphic card, 512GB SSD to 1TB SSD, and an intel core i7 processor with 15.6-inch 165Hz display. The Lenovo Legion 5 and Legion 5 Pro are quite similar in specs but the Legion 5 Pro wins in terms of display. If you can throw out a few more bucks, the Legion 5 Pro is also an excellent choice. Regardless, the Legion 5 offers a great performance making it one of the most value for money laptops to buy in 2022.
Acer Predator Helios 300
Acer Predator Helios 300 is a mid-range gaming laptop that stands out among 15.6-inch as one of the most value-for-money laptops. While many reviews that benchmark gaming laptops show lower performance for Helios 300 as compared to other newer higher-end laptops, it still remains an excellent 1080p gaming laptop. The Helios 300 makes an excellent choice if you are not into playing video games at ultra settings and doesn’t go heavy on your pocket.
As for the specs, the Predator Helios 300 is available in different variants. The base model of Helios 300 features an Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, RTX 2060 graphic card, and a 144Hz display that guarantees an immersive gaming experience. In terms of display, the Helios 300 have comparatively better color accuracy, brightness, and viewing angle than the Acer Nitro 5. The Helios 300 is also available with a bigger 17.3-inch screen and you can purchase whichever you need based on your preference.
HP Omen 15
The HP Omen 15 has been featured as one of the best mid-range gaming laptops with a top-notch performance by TechRadar, TechCrunch, and many more. While there are tons of contenders in the market offering design, performance, and value, the HP Omen 15 has been able to win the hearts of many gamers in budget. The laptop offers a 16.1-inch 144Hz FHD IPS display, an intel core i7-11800H processor, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, and GeForce RTX 3060 6Gb graphics card for just under $1500. While you can buy HP Omen 15 on lower or higher specs, the above-mentioned specs are capable of running all processor-heavy applications, and video games with an easy 60 fps.
If you are someone who wants to play video games at 4K, the HP Omen 15 is not the laptop for you and you should probably consider a higher-end laptop with RTX 3080 GPU. But if it’s the normal gaming needs, the HP Omen 15 makes a great gaming laptop with great performance. Overall, the laptop is one of the most value-for-money and you can consider buying it for your mid-range gaming without any doubt.
Asus TUF Dash 15
If you are a casual gamer and a student, the Asus TUF Dash 15 is your most ideal laptop that will fulfill your every need. The Asus TUF Dash 15 offers plenty of power at a very reasonable price. While there are a few critics regarding slower performance compared to other laptops in this segment, we believe it’s one of the most value-for-money for the features it offers. The Asus TUF Dash 15 is equipped with an Intel core i7-11370H processor that can turbo boost up to 4.8GHz. The ASUS TUF Dash 15 is also available in Ryzen 5 processor, therefore, take a careful look at the processor that powers the laptop before making a purchase.
Additionally, the Asus TUF Dash 15 takes gaming to the next level with its ray-tracing support from the RTX 3050Ti graphics card. Although the 4GB GPU might not be enough to run video games at ultra settings, you’ll get a decent frame per second at high settings for any video games. Furthermore, the laptop includes 16GB RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 144Hz display that helps in multitasking and carrying out processor-heavy tasks.
Buyer’s Guide – Things to Consider While Buying a Gaming Laptop under $1500
It’s a no-brainer you get what you pay for. But it’s still important to consider what you are buying and if it’s really worth it. Gaming Laptops under $1500 make an excellent mid-range gaming laptop capable of handling all modern games with amazing performance. However, there are a few things that you must look at before you make a purchase.
CPU
A Central Processing Unit (CPU) is what powers the whole computer and getting a good CPU is important to get a decent performance while playing video games. Older processors might not be able to handle modern games and you might end up regretting it. An Intel Core i7 or Ryzen 7 is an ideal CPU for laptops under $1500 and should be enough for all your games and any multitasking needs.
GPU
GPU is an integral part of a gaming laptop. A GPU is what makes a laptop, a gaming laptop. It’s very important to look for a decent Graphics Processing Unit to run your game smoothly and without any lag. Older GPUs like the GTX 820 and or GTX 940 are unable to run today’s modern game. We would recommend looking for at least RTX 2060 that supports ray tracing and improves video rendering. While some laptops also offer RTX 3060 and RTX 3070 graphic cards. If you can find it, it’s a deal for you.
RAM
Another important factor in a gaming laptop is RAM. In fact, you will need at least 8GB of RAM to play your games without shutter and lags. A RAM is a virtual memory that stores data as you do any task like play games, watch videos, or even attend meetings. Since gaming laptops under $1500 offer up to 16GB of RAM, it should be an issue. However, you must check and confirm before you make a purchase.
Display
If you are going to spend the rest of your life playing video games, better get yourself a decent display that doesn’t hurt your eyes. While gaming laptops are available in different display sizes like 14-inch, 15.6-inch, 16.2-inch, 17-inch, and more, we would like to recommend the 15.6-inch laptop as your most ideal solution. The 15.6-inch display can offer up to a 360 Hz refresh rate and is suitable for your eyes. However, in this segment, you will probably get around 144Hz to 240Hz refresh rate.ga
