Gaming laptops are not cheap. High-end beasts are mainly made for the top 1% of the population, with the hardware to run games at maxed out settings on ultra high resolutions, and with features that are borderline overkill for anything but gaming.
Despite their high sticker prices, there’re a lot of laptops that come in low price tags like $500, these laptops may lack the bells and whistles of their high priced counterparts, but they serve their purpose to be up for running games.
However, if you only need the best gaming laptop under $500 then there are plenty that offers good value without breaking your wallet – although don’t expect them to last forever. However, even entry level laptops have their limits when squeezed by today’s latest titles so it’s likely you’ll be getting a new laptop sooner rather than later.
In recent years, there’s been an influx of gaming laptops that sits in between the budget and high-end spectrum. Gaming laptops under $500 might not have all the bells and whistles as their more expensive counterparts, but they’re close enough to what you can get for a laptop that can run games at max settings.
These laptops feature mid to high end specs and boast of features like – backlit keyboards, fast processors, and RAM which most laptops lack in this price range.
So if you’re buying a laptop then be sure to check these things.
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Performance
The laptop needs to have enough performance to at least run games well. This is achievable with the best budget laptops under $500 and you’ll be able to play most titles on medium-low settings at lower resolutions.
Also, if you’re planning to upgrade your laptop as games evolve, it’s best to choose a laptop that isn’t too limited by its components.
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Portability
The next thing you want to consider will be portability. Laptops with the biggest screens and the highest hardware specs aren’t necessarily portable and vice versa so look for laptops that balance these two aspects.
Also, you might not need a very powerful rig if you intend to use your machine mainly for work or light gaming so don’t always focus on power alone. With this in mind, there are plenty of great machines under $500 that we’ve come across which is why we’ll try to highlight some good options for this price range.
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RAM/Storage
This is another important thing when looking for the best laptops under $500. You’ll need to spend around $100 more if you want 8GB of RAM but it really depends on your needs since 4GB of RAM should be enough for most titles.
Also, higher capacity storage is normally the go-to solution when dealing with faster hardware so choose a machine that can offer at least 512GB SSD or 1TB HDD.
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Display
A lot of gamers are somewhat obsessed about their display so finding a laptop with an IPS panel will maximize your viewing experience especially in terms of color accuracy and contrast where other types often fall short.
With that being said, TN displays are also decent choices if you’re not too much into graphic design and video editing and you can get a decent display under $500.
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Graphics Card
A dedicated graphics card is one of the main characteristics to look for when buying a laptop that’s capable of running games at decent settings. While integrated GPUs like Intel HD should be enough for most titles, it’ll be preferable if you’re looking for something that can run demanding games smoothly in 1080p or 1440p resolutions.
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Battery Life
What good is a laptop if it can only last a couple of hours on a single charge? You’ll definitely want to look for something that offers more than 4-5 hours of battery life.
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Build Quality & Aesthetics
One thing you might want to consider when getting an affordable laptop is build quality, although most laptops under $500 are built well but take extra care when choosing plastic over aluminum chassis as these will offer much better durability. Also, make sure you like the way your new machine looks because aesthetics does matter (to some people at least). Not everyone wants their laptop to look like it came out 30 years ago or one you could find in an office building.
Final Words
Well, that’s pretty much all you need to take into account when shopping for a laptop. Of course, there are other features like display ports, optical drives and so on but they aren’t really important unless you specifically need them.
So if you’re looking for the best laptops under $500 then consider these tips we’ve talked about in this article and you won’t go wrong with your purchase.