5 Best Gaming Laptops Under $800

A comprehensive list of the five best gaming laptops under $800. Each gaming laptop in this list offers excellent specifications on a tight budget.

Deciding which is the best gaming laptop under $800 to buy is no easy task. The gaming laptop you choose should give you excellent performance while being budget-friendly. But, that is easier said than done. Most laptops that come with the latest specifications can be pretty expensive. Whether you are a casual or a competitive gamer, we are sure that you want your gaming experience as smooth and visually appealing as possible.

What Do You Need in Your Gaming Laptop Under $800?

Gaming laptops under $800 rarely have the latest processors or the best graphic cards in the market. This means that it is unlikely that the laptop would support certain AI enhancement features like DLSS 3 or Path Tracing.

However, it is advisable to not compromise when it comes to the RAM (memory). Make sure that the laptop has at least 16 GB of RAM. You would also need a lot of storage to download, install, and play most games these days. 1 TB of storage should do the trick. We understand that it may be tough to navigate these hurdles and arrive at a decision by yourself.

In this article, we have assembled for you a list of the 5 best gaming laptops under $800.

Note: The article reflects the writer’s opinions.

1) Acer Nitro V (ANV15-51-789J)

Best Specs in a Gaming Laptop under $800

The Acer Nitro V may be one of the best gaming laptops to buy under $800. It is one of the only laptops sporting a 13th-Gen Core i7 processor and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. It is quite rare to find a RTX 4000-series gaming laptop in this price range. You will be able to enjoy the best gaming experience on a tight budget. Best Buy offers this model at just under $800. 

It has a 1080p screen with a refresh rate of 144 Hz, but the colors are not the brightest (300 nits). Still, it can run most of the latest games at high settings with ease. The keyboard also has a static backlight.

There are plenty of ports present on the laptop, making it easier to use with several devices or peripherals at a time. Down the line, if you have the money for it, you can also upgrade certain specifications of this laptop. It may be hard to manage with 512 GB of storage, but upgrading is always an option. One con that you should keep in mind is that the fans in the Acer Nitro V are quite noisy.

Pros	Cons
Best processor under $800	Dull colors
Best GPU under $800	Storage may not be enough
Plenty of ports	Fans are noisy

Lenovo LOQ 15 (15ARP9)

Best AMD processor in a Gaming Laptop under $800

The LOQ series by Lenovo provides gamers with the best specifications possible at a reasonable price. The Lenovo LOQ 15 (15ARP9) is available in Walmart for just $699.99. 

It comes with the AMD Ryzen 7 7435HS processor, giving you considerable processing power in this price range. It also features the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU. This combination makes for a smooth and pleasurable gaming experience, whether it be casual or competitive. With 16GB of RAM and a 1080p, 144hz screen, this gaming laptop under $800 is a true beast on a budget. Such solid specifications make this gaming laptop capable of even running latest games like Black Myth Wukong.

Though the Lenovo LOQ 15 makes gaming a truly delightful experience, its build quality is questionable. The chassis of this gaming laptop is made of plastic, which lends to a cheap and bulky feel. 

Since there is no integrated GPU, the laptop uses quite a bit of juice and hence would not have considerable battery life. To be fair, gaming when your laptop is not plugged into a power outlet is not advisable to begin with, so this should not be a major issue.

Pros	Cons
Ryzen 7 series processor provides high processing power	No integrated GPU
Color-accurate screen with high refresh rate	Plastic build
Nvidia 4000 series GPU laptop at under $700 is a steal

HP Victus 15.6”

Most RAM and Storage

If you are looking for a budget gaming laptop under $800 but do not want to compromise with the specifications, the HP Victus may be your best choice. On the inside, the HP Victus comes with the AMD Ryzen 5 8645HS processor, along with the latest Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU. Not just that, this laptop also sports a whopping 32GB DDR5 RAM, being the product on this list with the most memory. 

To complement the brilliant specifications, the laptop has a 1080p screen with a refresh rate of 144hz, making it viable for casual gaming as well as esports. The HP Victus is available on Amazon for $809. 1 TB of storage space is more than what you could ask for in this budget.

However, the machine does weigh about 8 pounds. That is quite heavy, even for a gaming laptop. The AUX port is also a bit tricky to use as it may feel like your audio jack has snapped in tight. The fans are relatively silent and can help maintain a moderate temperature even while you are playing graphics heavy games such as Hogwarts Legacy.

Pros	Cons
32 GB RAM is more than enough for a lot of multitasking	Feels pretty heavy compared to other laptops on this list
1 TB storage means a lot of freedom to store several games and files	AUX port feels a bit tight
Fans do well to moderate the temperatures while gaming

MSI Thin 15 (B13VE-1451US)

Most Lightweight

If you require a gaming laptop under $800 that is lightweight, look no further than the MSI Thin 15. Weighing in at just a bit over four pounds, this gaming laptop is sure to satisfy your needs. Despite being considerably light, this gaming laptop has impressive specs. With the 13th-Gen Core i5 processor and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050, it is guaranteed to give you a pleasant gaming experience. The MSI Thin 15 can be bought at Best Buy for just $599.99.

Though 512GB storage space should be enough, it is certainly less than ideal. You may have to manage the storage by deleting the games or files that are redundant or less important. Of course, upgrading the storage is always an option. The 144hz FHD screen lets you enjoy high quality smooth graphics especially when grinding in competitive FPS games like Call of Duty.

Pros	Cons
Great CPU for under $600	Less than ideal storage space
RTX 4000 series GPU for under $600	Overheating issues may arise due to compact design
Lightweight

Dell G15

Best Design

If you are looking for a gaming laptop under $800 with a modern, retro aesthetic, the Dell G15 gaming laptop is the one for you. It has the 13th-Gen Core i5 CPU and also the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU. The laptop looks bulky but weighs about 6 pounds, which is quite common for a gaming laptop. 

It also comes with the Alienware Command Center to help manage your system, provide thermal and other information, and give you control over the lighting. There are macro shortcuts to switch to Dynamic Performance Mode and maximize the fan speed. Thus, the laptop is able to maintain cool temperatures while gaming. You can buy it on the Dell website for just $749.99.

We would only recommend this gaming laptop under $800 if you value aesthetics over specifications. With 8GB of RAM as well as 512GB of storage, this laptop lacks in certain areas. However, it should be noted that if you are willing to spend about $100 more, you can get the same laptop with way better specifications.

Pros	Cons
Aesthetic design	The only RTX 3000 series laptop on this list in this budget
Efficient ventilation keeps the thermals in check	8 GB RAM is less than the recommended requirements for most modern games
Alienware command center features

This concludes our list for the five best gaming laptops under $800. Each entry on this list has its pros and cons. You should pick the one that suits your needs.

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