The Best Gaming Laptop For The Money of 2023

Although they are all gaming laptops, you have quite a few different machines to choose from, depending on your budget and intended use. Specifically:

The gaming laptop for most people

Usually, the mass computer models will meet the basic needs of most gamers: compact, powerful, serving both game-related tasks and essential work.

Therefore, you can use this gaming laptop model for a smooth gaming experience while handling everyday tasks well.

Premium gaming laptops

Although products that cater to the masses can well meet basic gaming needs, if you want a more premium experience, you'll have to look to products with a slightly higher price tag like the Razer Blade 15 Advanced.

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These models have in common their sleek, high-quality designs and powerful processors. These high-end models are always ready for both entertainment and studio work.

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Budget gaming laptop

Products dedicated to gaming often have high configurations, so there will be prices that are not too accessible. However, in reality, you can still be satisfied with a budget-friendly model's experience.

And Acer Nitro 5 is such a product: Full HD resolution brings an excellent visual experience, incredible power to handle many different games well, and an efficient cooling fan that boosts overall performance to 25%.

All of the above advantages make this model from Acer a worthwhile investment that you should not miss.

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You are never limited to choices when looking for a gaming laptop with different types of machines as above. However, if you are on a budget, it is almost impossible for a model to surpass the 3 products that will appear shortly:

1. Lenovo Legion 5 - Best for Performance

Lenovo equips the Legion 5 with a high-performance 8-core AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics card. The combination above creates a product that balances performance and battery life - something that seems impossible in the reasonably affordable price range of the Legion 5.

Specifically, in terms of performance, you cannot doubt the power of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU. It can be that this processor has made a massive leap in performance, ensuring the graphics are always the most realistic while the reflection is still quite impressive.

Meanwhile, you also never have to complain about what the manufacturer offers in terms of battery life. The above power comes from Legion AI Engine - a breakthrough gaming solution with an efficient cooling system.

Legion Al Engine automatically determines your gaming habits and then intelligently distributes power. Besides, it is impossible not to praise the intelligent air intake system and high-performance dual fan design. 

Every innovation is at helping Legion 5 stay cool, and quiet, and deliver consistent performance with minimal energy consumption. Not only impressed with the CPU and GPU, but the representative from Lenovo also makes gamers satisfied because of the impressive sound and image quality.

Your gaming experience will be perfect with the display with 100% sRGB color accuracy Dolby Vision graphics. Besides, with this model, you also can experience 3D immersive audio exclusively for gamers like never before.

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Pros

• High-performance 8-core AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor.

• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics card.

• Full HD display with 100% sRGB color accuracy.

• Legion TrueStrike keyboard with 4-zone RGB backlighting.

• Realistic sound optimized for gamers.

Cons

• Quite heavy.

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2. ASUS TUF Dash 15 - Best for durability

If you are looking for a durable and versatile product that is always ready to entertain you wherever you go, ASUS TUF Dash 15 is the name you should not miss.

Because this model confidently has passed rigorous MIL-STD-810H tests, meeting military-grade durability standards. Whether in harsh environments with vibrations, high humidity, or moving conditions with many impacts, the product is durable and reliable.

But all the advantages of the TUF Dash 15 are not merely military-grade durability. With a reasonably affordable investment, you can already own a powerful product that meets the needs of professional-level gaming.

It can be confirmed because the manufacturer has equipped this model with an 11th-generation Intel Core CPU, and GeForce RTX GPU. Not only that, but the appearance of Dynamic Boost 2.0 also helps this laptop model have a reasonably high frame rate - 144Hz.

The rather impressive frame rate is the refresh rate which is also quite good thanks to Adaptive-Sync technology. It can be that with a representative from ASUS, you will no longer have to face the phenomenon of screen tearing and significant latency. Instead, it's the smoothest gaming experience in its price range.

Understanding the streaming needs of gamers and the above equipment, ASUS also provides a super-fast Thunderbolt 4 connection port, Type-C charging, and several other quite helpful connection ports. 

Thanks to that, you can easily connect your laptop to many other supporting devices such as GPUs, docks, and portable power supplies,...

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Pros

• Military-grade durability.

• Intel Core 11th Generation.

• GeForce RTX GPUs.

• The frame rate is quite high in the price range.

• Adaptive-Sync technology enhances the refresh rate.

• Various connection ports.

Cons

• Only 60% sRGB color coverage.

3. MSI GL66 - Best for Portability

Usually, gaming laptops are always associated with bulky design, heavyweight, and not high portability. However, that doesn't mean that you can't own a product that can be carried every day to be anywhere and comfortably studied and worked.

Because MSI GL66 is a model that meets all the above requirements.

This model has a moderate weight, slim and neat design. Besides, the battery life is also quite impressive, allowing you to handle daily work tasks well.

Underneath the neat appearance above is a powerful configuration that satisfies any gamer.

Specifically, the power of the product comes from the 11th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, which can confidently handle all of today's most popular games. Meanwhile, NVIDIA GeForce RTX ensures this model can deliver the highest-performance graphics experience possible.

Not only that, but the exclusive Cooler Boost technology also reinforces the power of this gaming laptop.

To put it simply, the above technology will be mainly responsible for heat dissipation, providing the necessary airflow so that the machine can stay in the best condition even if you play high-profile games for a long time.

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Pros

• Exclusive Cooler Boost Technology.

• Compact design, lightweight, high portability.

• 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processor.

• Performance graphics card.

• Custom keys.

Cons

• Missing SD port.

The list above has named a few models that balance pretty well between budget and performance. However, if you want to expand the list and search for your laptop models, in addition to the list above, you need to refer to some of the instructions below:

GPU

Currently, you have two main choices when looking for GPU-based gaming laptops: Nvidia and AMD.

In particular, the latest representative from Nvidia is the RTX 30-series, with quite famous names such as RTX 3060 Max-Q RTX 3080.

As for AMD, the card line that often appears on gaming laptops is the Radeon RX 5000M.

If you do not have too high requirements for the gaming experience and do not install the machine in the highest mode, the GTX 1650 that has appeared on some popular models like the MSI GF63 can satisfy quite reasonable demand.

Meanwhile, if you are looking for products with mid-range graphics cards that handle games well at high settings, Nvidia's RTX 3060 and RTX 3070 will be the ideal choice. Typically, in the Acer Predator Helios 300 using the RTX 3060, you almost can't complain about this model's visual performance.

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CPU

When choosing a gaming laptop, the GPU always needs more attention than the CPU. Therefore, with a limited budget, you can select a product that uses Core i5 but still meets the basic needs.

And in case you can spend more on the configuration, the Core i7 CPU, even the Core i9-9980HK, is sure to deliver the power you've always been looking for.

RAM

Playing games is one of the most RAM-intensive tasks of the device. Therefore, even if you are looking for a good product for your budget, you still need to make sure your choice has a minimum of 8GB of RAM.

Typically, an ideal gaming laptop model with an affordable price tag and powerful enough performance will have a GTX 1650 and 8GB of RAM. One of the very successful gaming laptop models with the above combination is the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 - one of the best products for the budget today.

Screen

Many people focus too much on the internal configuration that ignores an equally important criterion: the screen when choosing a gaming laptop. 

Because a lousy screen will not give you the most optimal entertainment experience, even though the machine owns the most powerful chips and processors.

In order not to make the above mistakes, here are some notes you need to know when choosing a monitor:

• Size: Gaming laptop screen size will be in the range of 15'' - 17''.

• In particular, some models are only 14'' in size - usually, these products will have the most prominent advantages of being thin, light, and highly portable.

• Or there are also some models with screen sizes up to 18'' - a relatively large number that allows you to have a more impressive experience but has a significant impact on the overall weight of the machine.

• Resolution: The minimum solution for a gaming laptop model is Full HD. The above answer also becomes the expected standard of this laptop line when it is pretty tricky for you to find products with lower parameters.

• Refresh rate: Every gamer will be satisfied with a 60Hz monitor. However, if you want a smoother gaming experience, models with higher refresh rates: 144 Hz, 240 Hz, or even 360 Hz are ideal.

However, it would help if you kept in mind that a high refresh rate is not always advantageous because this parameter must be commensurate with the GPU of the machine. 

If the device doesn't have a powerful GPU, you won't be able to take full advantage of the refresh rate of up to 360 Hz.

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In addition to the above fundamental issues, you need to know a lot of information when buying a gaming laptop. To not miss any helpful advice, immediately refer to the frequently asked questions below:

What's the most essential gaming laptop component?

The graphics card is the issue that receives the most significant attention when considering a gaming laptop.

The technologies and parts that help optimize the graphics card's performance, such as the cooling system and the limiter frame, are also factors worth considering.

What screen size is best for a gaming laptop?

The answer depends on your usage habits and personal preferences.

For example, a product measuring 13-14'' will have high mobility. Meanwhile, 17'' can meet the needs of setting up a workstation tool.

Are high refresh rate panels worth it for laptops?

The answer is yes. Especially with competitive, fast-paced games, the refresh rate will significantly affect your experience.

How much storage does a gaming laptop need?

It depends on how many games you have installed on your device. For example, by some calculations, if you install about 20 games, you will need a memory capacity of up to 1 TB.

How About Battery Life?

Battery life is not the advantage of most gaming laptops at any price point. Typically, these models will only have a few hours of battery life. The time will be shorter depending on the game you choose and the installation level.

Although there are some disadvantages, it is undeniable that the products present in the list of Best gaming laptops for the money above meet all the requirements you set forth: competitive prices, impressive configuration image, and handling popular games well.

Hopefully, with the suggestions and instructions above, you will soon find the right product to have the best entertainment moments while the cost is the lowest.