There was a time back then when video games on computers were just a rich man’s hobby. Now, thanks to globalization and nanotechnology, this hobby has become more accessible. These days, you don’t exactly need the best of the best or the latest and shiniest tech in order to enjoy video games. Entry level gaming laptops will certainly do.
To set a clearer distinction, entry level gaming laptops or computers are those that cost below $900. There’s a bit of wiggle room above that, but anything well past that price point is considered mid-range. Meanwhile, the typical current-generation GPU hardware that fits into the entry level category is a GeForce RTX 3050 Ti or Radeon RX 6500 or any GPU weaker than those two.
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This laptop or computer category doesn’t exactly let you play games the way they’re supposed to look smoothly. You’ll have to turn down some major settings that will impact the atmosphere and visual clarity. For some, this might reduce immersion, but whether the price of immersion is worth it or not depends entirely on your budget or lifestyle.
All things considered, entry level gaming laptops are quite a godsend for many people.
You won’t break the bank and you’ll still be able to play some of the latest video games– maybe even do a bit of multimedia work. Check out the best among them for your budget needs.
Gigabyte G5 KD
PROS
- Mid-range components at entry level price
- Decent RAM for its price point
- Affordable
CONS
- CPU is last-gen but you can't complain at this price
- A bit thick
- CPU/Processor: Intel 11th Generation Core i5-11400H
- GPU/Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
- RAM/Memory: 16 GB
- Storage: 512 GB
- Display: 15.6″ FHD 144Hz
While we did state that the usual entry level or low end GPU for laptops and PCs is the RTX 3050 Ti or weaker (and the AMD equivalents), an RTX 3060 laptop being sold at entry level price is the best budget deal you can get right now.
This is bordering on the absurd since gaming laptops with the RTX 3060 are usually priced at $1,100 to $1,400. You can grab this one for sub-$900 since it received a huge discount. That’s the greatest deal you can have for an entry level gaming laptop.
It’s all thanks to Gigabyte and its cost-cutting procedures. Do be warned though, there are some compromises with this laptop. It could be anything from a lower-wattage RTX 3060 to a poor cooling system, or maybe even cheap plastic parts.
Gigabyte G5 KD
Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-55-57C4)
PROS
- Metal casings
- Cheap price
- Decent RAM
- Sturdy keyboard
CONS
- CPU is two generations behind and outdated
- CPU/Processor: Intel Core i5-10300H
- GPU/Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti
- RAM/Memory: 16GB DDR4
- Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD
- Display: 15.6″ FHD 144Hz
Pricing might change without prior notice but at the time of writing, this Acer Nitro is at the $700-price point. That’s way too impressive a sale. Because most laptops for that price don’t even have a dedicated GPU or graphics cards and are thus, not for gaming. This is as good as it currently gets for the most budget-oriented option.
An RTX 3050 Ti gaming laptop for $700 is without a doubt, a steal. Plus, it’s Acer and their Nitro lineup and chassis have some decent amount of metal parts. In fact, the top of the chassis, namely the keyboard housing and the back of the screen is metal.
And despite being a budget option with only a 15-inch screen, they managed to include a numpad.
Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-55-57C4)
Acer Predator Helios 300
PROS
- Metal casing
- Sleek design
- i7 CPU
CONS
- Lack of storage expansion options
- CPU/Processor: Intel Core i7-11800H (11th Gen)
- GPU/Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti
- RAM/Memory: 16 GB
- Storage: 512 GB M.2 NVMe PCIe
- Display: 15.6″ 1920 x 1080 IPS Display @ 144 Hz
The drawback of going Acer Nitro is that it’s at the bottom of the heap for the brand. Acer cut a lot of features and sacrificed a bit of quality for that lineup. The better lineup would be the Predator Helios 300 series. They have sturdier parts and more up-to-date features such as the WiFi module, and a better CPU.
In this case, it’s an i7 from the previous generation of Intel CPUs, which is equivalent to an i5 in this current generation or 12th Gen. That means it’s good enough for productivity tasks and should give players a good boost of FPS in video games, especially since 1080p resolutions rely a lot on the CPU for framerate.
Acer Predator Helios 300
2022 Lenovo IdeaPad
PROS
- Has white variants
- Nice keyboard
- Minimalist design
CONS
- CPU could be better
- CPU/Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 5600H
- GPU/Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti
- RAM/Memory: 16GB DDR4
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 15.6″ FHD 120Hz
If you’re looking for something Lenovo since they tend to have a good reputation among laptops, then the 2022 Ideapad has something good on offer. The big difference is that it utilizes AMD’s previous-generation Ryzen processor.
It’s decent enough for gaming, but don’t expect it to be on par with its Intel equivalent. As for the other components, this Lenovo laptop is pretty standard as far as budget or entry-level options go. It looks a bit stylish though, especially with that minimalist logo. Certain variants also come in white color.
2022 Lenovo IdeaPad
HP Victus (15-fa0020nr)
PROS
- i7-12700H at this price point is a steal
- Minimalist design
- Stylish cover
- Not too thick
- Has a more affordable i5 variant
CONS
- RAM could be a lot better
- CPU/Processor: Intel Core i7-12700H 14-Core
- GPU/Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti (4GB GDDR6)
- RAM/Memory: 8GB DDR4 RAM
- Storage: 512GB PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD
- Display: 15.6″ 1920 x 1080 144 Hz IPS Display
A 12th Gen i7 Intel CPU is not something you usually find tucked inside a budget chassis, but the HP Victus begs to differ. It managed to squeeze in the i7-12700H. That’s pretty impressive and will surely give a good boost not just in gaming but in many other tasks.
You will need to sacrifice a bit of operational snappiness because this budget gaming laptop only comes with 8 GB RAM which is a disservice to gaming computers these days. Thankfully, it runs in dual channel with two 4 GB sticks working in unison, but you will want to upgrade those for sure if you like higher framerates and for Google Chrome to cooperate.
HP Victus (15-fa0020nr)
What to look for in an entry level laptop?
For the CPU, you’ll want at least an i5 or Ryzen 5, anything lower will affect your gaming or daily operation too much. For the GPU, the typical best you can get at entry level (at the moment) is an RTX 3050 Ti. There are some AMD Radeon options, but they’re terrible at handling Ray Tracing, so it’s best to stick with Nvidia at this budget category if you care about video game visuals too much.
For RAM, anything that is 16 GB is ideal. Meanwhile, you’d want the Storage to have at least 512 GB of available space.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Are entry level laptops less durable?
Yes. The manufacturers use cheaper materials such as plastic to cut costs. -
Are entry level laptops good enough for gaming?
That depends on the games you play, but for an RTX 3050 Ti or RX 6500, you'll get decent gaming performance provided you turn down some demanding graphical settings.