Are Gaming Laptops Under $1000 Actually Worth It?

I’m not sure if gaming laptops under $1,000 are worth it, or if I should just wait and save up for something better. What do you think?

Yes, they are! Not everyone can afford top-tier models. If it meets your needs, it’s definitely worth it.

Yes, but the quality really drops between $800 and $600. For around $1000, you can get a solid machine like a Lenovo Legion, Acer Predator, or HP Omen if you catch a good sale. You can even find some with RTX 4070 GPUs.

For sure! There are plenty of laptops under $1,000 with a 4060 and a good CPU. Frame Generation and DLSS do a great job, even in AAA games.

I’d say once you drop below $700, you won’t find anything good. But around $800-900, you can find some pretty good options if you shop around.

Yeah, especially if you’re planning on playing any AAA games. It’s worth it.

Any recommendations?

Hayes said:
Any recommendations?

Go for a 4060 or a lower-end 4070. The 4070 is about 15% faster than the 4060, so you’re getting a lot of value.

Hayes said:
Any recommendations?

I recommend this one OP. The Legion 5 has great build quality, an AMD processor to avoid the Intel burnout issue, and a 4060+frame generation that should handle any game you want to play.

@Jamie
I’ve heard similar things, but my Intel Envy laptop has been great. I just wish the graphics were a bit better (it’s got a GTX 740m). It’s been with me for 10 years though!

Yeah, the Lenovo Legion is great. I bought mine three years ago for around $1k, and it’s still running strong.

Got my 4060/7840HS for only $765, and it’s worth every penny.

As long as you’re not too picky about display quality, it’s usually fine. Asus TUF, Acer Nitro, HP Victus, and Lenovo LOQ make solid budget gaming laptops. The downside is usually lower build quality (plastics) and dimmer displays with lower resolutions. For me, the display quality is the deal-breaker, though.

Yes, especially in the $800-$1000 range. If you’re in that range, you can find some great deals.

Tavis said:
Yes, especially in the $800-$1000 range. If you’re in that range, you can find some great deals.

Ooo, the Dell G15 looks nice.

I know prices have changed, but last year I got a gaming laptop with a Ryzen 9 and an RTX 4050 for about $900.

Yes, especially Legions on sale. They’re great laptops for the price.

I’d recommend getting at least one tier up from the bottom-tier GPUs. I know a friend who was happy with his 3060 for years, but now he feels an upgrade is needed. You can always wait and play games on a 4060 until your new laptop arrives. Waiting for a 4060 laptop could save you money too, and when you upgrade, your 6060 might be just as good as a 4080!

It depends on when you’re buying. $950 on Black Friday is different from $850 at launch.

I bought a used Lenovo IdeaPad for $470, and it’s amazing. Some people take really good care of their laptops, so you can find a good deal if you’re lucky.