Choose the Best Gaming Laptop Under $800
Customer’s Choice: the Best Rated Gaming Laptops Under $800
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In stores you can easily find laptops with Gaming label. However, whether they are suitable for video games depends on the quality of components and their performance power. Laptops often cost more than PCs as everything should be placed very closely. You receive mobility but lose some of the power, while comparing devices of the same price. Nevertheless, it is possible to find wonderful models that are suitable for gaming.
Most gaming laptops are heavier than others and it is common. Their batteries are larger. However, you should not worry about having them very large. Modern technologies allow them to be of the same sizes as others. However, in most cases you will not be able to upgrade your laptop. Thus, while selecting one, you need to understand that you will be using this device for many years. Therefore you can find here valuable information, which helps in selecting the right laptop and reviews of several best options.
Table of Contents
Acer Swift 3– Longest Battery Life per Charge
You can easily make voice recordings or phone calls using the integrated microphone. Moreover, Acer Swift 3 knows that you really want to use the device with authentication with your fingerprint via a sensor. Thanks to the illuminated keyboard, you can work comfortably until late in the evening.You can easily make voice recordings or phone calls using the integrated microphone. Moreover, Acer Swift 3 knows that you really want to use the device with authentication with your fingerprint via a sensor. Thanks to the illuminated keyboard, you can work comfortably until late in the evening.
Performance
ACER aims to offer good quality of build and high performance when it comes to processors. Thus, Acer Swift 3 has an AMD processor of six processor cores. It enables fast processing what is important in gaming.
In terms of clock frequency, the ACER device goes one better: You have a Turbo Boost feature. It increases the frequency of the processor that improves performance. As a result, the processor reaches 4.0 GHz.
Speaking about storage capacity the manufacturer has opted for a fast and robust SSD disk as the hard disk. With the laptop, 512 GB are available for your data on this hard drive.
Display
Speaking of display, it has 14 inches. It enables you to work comfortably, as you have an optimal view of your applications. With the resolution of 1920×1080 pixels you will be satisfied playing games in FullHD.
The 16:9 aspect ratio is ideal for multimedia applications. High-resolution and razor-sharp: the device underlines the picture experience when gaming or when playing videos with a resolution in Full HD.
Pros
- Due to light materials, it is not heavy;
- It has a wonderful performance for such a price;
- Long battery life per charge.
Cons
- It does not have an SD card reader.
Acer Aspire 5 – Best Budget Option
The laptop’s battery has an average capacity of 3220mAh during normal use. You can surf the web, stream music, or work with the device for up to 12.5 hours without having to use a power adapter.
Performance
Proven quality and technology have been selected for the “brain” of the notebook: Inside, a powerful Intel processor that has 4 cores for high processing performance. This model also has a Turbo Boost. It increases the clock frequency of the processor up to 3.90 GHz.
The built-in memory of the type DDR4 manages with a low operating voltage and ensures that the process runs smoothly. You have 8 GB of RAM, which provides fast processing of graphics and dealing with various tasks connected with clip making, video editing, and rendering.
Display
The display diagonal is 14 inches. It allows users to enjoy comfortable gaming and working with a convenient view of your applications. With a screen resolution of 1920x 1080 pixels, you have all games, tables, or films in view.
Thanks to the 16: 9 aspect ratio, you can also watch TV highlights optimally on this PC and always have everything in view while playing games. High-resolution and razor-sharp image. This laptop brings a totally new experience of enjoying graphics when gaming or when playing videos with the best resolution quality.
Pros
- The laptop has a nice Nvidia GeForce video card, which is compatible with various videogames;
- Efficient and fast inbuilt processor;
- A lot of storage space.
Cons
- It easily heats ups.
ASUS Vivobook S15 S532– Best in Balance of Size, Portability & Performance
Performance
On a day-to-day basis, VivoBook S15 is able to handle basic office tasks with ease while running Spotify, Bandcamp, YouTube, and other music streaming sources without anything horribly blocked. Even playing your favorite games with other software in the background will not be difficult to cope with.
At the heart of the notebook beats an Intel processor with four processor cores, which ensures that this product does its job effortlessly and reliably. It has a Turbo Boost feature. It can significantly increase performance of the laptop and reach 4.8 GHz.
Display
Display belongs to standard sizes of 15.6 inches in diagonal. It gives users a good overview of applications. Moreover, it does not require a lot of space which makes it easy to carry. The screen resolution of the notebook is 1920×1080 pixels and provides a Full HD resolution of your favorite video games.
ScreenPad
The ScreenPad is a hybrid/secondary touchscreen. You can choose to turn it on or turn it off entirely if you just want to use it as a trackpad. You do this by toggling the F6 key.
ScreenPad’s main interface is similar in appearance and functionality to the standard Android user interface, in that the Home and Menu controls are nailed to the bottom of the screen for easy navigation between apps.
You can expand the applications launched in the ScreenPad. You simply place them on the main display of VivoBook 15 and tap the arrow icon on the left. The launched apps can then be easily redirected to the ScreenPad if you want to be able to control something from the secondary display.
Pros
- Wonderful processors to deal with various tasks simultaneously;
- Relatively good battery life expectancy;
- The convenient second small display creates a variety of applications while playing videogames.
Cons
- The display does not have a wide range of colors, which is important for photo editing tasks.
ASUS VivoBook X512DA-BR7N4– Most Efficient Cooling
It is a pity that the manufacturer has installed a battery with a fairly low capacity. Although there is no tragedy and the laptop will start demanding charging after approx. 4-5 hours of active work, the 20Wh more would allow you to forget about the power supply for the whole day of work.
Performance
The AMD Ryzen 7 3700U has 4 cores, can process up to 8 threads at the same time, and achieves clock rates of up to 4.0 GHz. The manufacturing process has been optimized to 12 nm and the clock rates slightly increased by 100 MHz base clock and 200 MHz maximum clock. The standard power consumption is 15 watts.
Display
NanoEdge’s new design makes the screen of the laptop VivoBook almost frameless and provides the user with a huge screen surface and an extremely immersive visual experience for work and play. Despite the use of an ultra-narrow frame, the top part has an integrated, high-quality HD camera for video chatting with family and friends, even if you are thousands of miles away.
Connectivity
This model has various connections and ports. It includes:
- HDMI
- headphone/microphone input
- USB 3.1 Type-A
- USB 3.1 Type C
- 2x USB 2.0
It ensures that the notebook works correctly. You can also enjoy a stable internet connection even when you prefer WiFI. It is equipped with Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac).
Of course, it is also possible to connect the device to other devices via Bluetooth 4.2. This version is quite fast and stable for fast data exchange. Thanks to its low energy consumption, it helps to save the battery of the device during the process.
Pros
- A large amount of RAM for processing multiples processes simultaneously;
- It is suitable to play various videogames;
- The built-in webcam of HD quality.
Cons
- Not impressive battery life capacity.
Acer Nitro 5– Best Modifiable Laptop
Despite this, Acer has done a good job of keeping the design as minimal as possible without making Nitro 5 overly tacky, making it also suitable for all those content creators who need power on the go.
Performance
This processor has a maximum clock frequency that reaches 2.4 GHz frequency, but thanks to the software specially designed and implemented by Acer inside the laptop, it is possible to go well beyond this figure.
Speaking about the video card it is an Nvidia GTX 1050, one of the queens of the mid-range, with 3GB of memory dedicated to counterbalance the power of the processor.
Display
A beautiful 15.6-inch Full HD IPS panel with LED technology. Thanks to a high refresh rate given by the GPU itself, we have a screen in which upscaling, but also jaggedness and dynamism of the images are never less than they should be.
Modifiable
You read that right. This Acer Nitro 5 notebook, while being part of the budget gaming notebook series, has all the credentials to win even with competitors who make much more expensive machines. Simply because every component of this PC can be changed or modified at will by the user.
Beyond the processor, which obviously cannot be easily disassembled, and the cooling system, GPU, and RAM can be comfortably changed. Obviously, great attention must be paid to the various existing compatibilities, but Acer also in this sense gives us a hand by putting a complete list of all the components.
Pros
- Wonderful qualities for a price;
- Nice audio quality from inbuilt speakers;
- It is compatible with modern VR headsets.
Cons
- It is mostly made of plastic.
The Buyer’s Guide
While buying a laptop there are several important points that you should take into consideration. Here you can learn more about them to be able to select the device that matches your tastes.
CPU
Performance is the main spec that customers pay attention to. CPU or the main processor is the one who is responsible for fast operating. The overall performance of a laptop also depends on a GPU. Thus, the main processor must be fast enough to keep running a graphic processor and vice versa. A graphic processor should not slow down the CPU. While selecting a gaming laptop these two specs have to be of a decent quality.
GPU
Gamers prefer to enjoy video games in good graphic quality without lowering it. That is where you need a powerful GPU or graphic processor. Many modern video games have quite high requirements, thus you should not save money on getting a good GPU.
Among laptops, there are models with an inbuilt GPU into the CPU. it is better if you avoid them and there are several reasons. They are not very powerful and it is not easy and cheap to replace them. Therefore, you should consider getting devices with Nvidia or AMD graphic processors that are built-in separately.
RAM
Another spec that you will enjoy in your laptop is the main memory RAM. The amount of it influences the speed of processing information by various processes. Modern games require more and more of it to have a stable frame rate. You should consider devices with a minimum of 8GB or even more. In addition, you should be getting DDR3 type of RAM or better.
Among different parts of the laptop, this you can replace and change without difficulties. Some models even have enough space to put additional ones. Nevertheless, you should think twice before making large upgrades as sometimes it is better to get another laptop.
Display
When trying to find a good laptop you also should pay attention to display. In combination with resolution you can enjoy decent image quality. There are several options that you can encounter. Most of them are LED displays. IPS models can impress you with rich colors, contrast and viewing angle. All modern types need backlighting.
From another side (AM) OLED displays have pixels that easily adapt and provide good images. They do not require illumination on background as they are easy on the eyes. You receive better contrast which allows you to enjoy even black colors and scenes in video games without difficulties.
Storage Capacity
It is great when you can keep plenty of games simultaneously without deleting them from time to time. The hard drive responds to the amount of space you have on your laptop. Most of them are HDD, which are slower than SSD but serve much longer. The second type of hard drive has a fast response, which also influences the performance while playing video games.
However, the SSD is not very spacious. They are often designed to run important services and processes on the computer. Those video games that require better performance can be installed here. You can also use an external hard drive for storing files and data. While using them for games is not a very good idea as you the performance will go down.
Battery Life Duration
Laptops provide users with a possibility to be mobile. Thus battery life is also an important spec. However, in gaming models, it is not the primary thing you need. To receive maximum performance other parts use more charge energy. Thus your device will not last long after charge especially when you play games.
Nevertheless, you can find a laptop within 2-3 hours when you use the computer at maximum. Most of the time you will be playing games while being plugged in to the outlet. Only then you will receive the maximum frame rate per second and stable performance.
Keyboard & Touchpad
Playing video games means that you will be using a keyboard and mouse. Laptops have touchpads, which is convenient for casual time spending, while a keyboard means more. It has to be convenient when you need to press buttons quickly. Newer laptops have button LED lights that are useful when you sit in a room with lights off.
Portability
Whether the laptop has a good portability influences the way you will walk around and travel with it. There are several categories that can be used to define these devices. It will help you to get the most suitable model for you.
Minimal portability
If you plan to use a laptop at your desktop at home, you may consider models with minimal portability. On the market you should consider devices with 17-18-inch displays. It is bigger than average models but also has more power and performance.
From another side, large minimal portability also means that power consumption is bigger. The battery charge will not last long and you will mostly use it connected to an outlet.
Medium Portability
A lot of users prefer to have balance in mobility. They want to have a portable and powerful device. With a medium portability it can be achieved. You may consider a 15-inch model. It often weighs between 4.3-7.2 pounds. One charge of battery can offer around 5 hours with light gaming.
Optimal Portability
When you move from one place to another you need a portable laptop. Smaller models with 13-14-inch displays. Charger is also does not require much space. So you can get everything you need in a bag and be on the road. Moreover, they are not that heavy. Thus you will not get tired walking around with them. Nevertheless, they are not that powerful than you expect. To get small and powerful devices you will have to pay a lot.
Miscellaneous
The connectivity of laptops also plays an important role, depending on your needs. LAN and WLAN are obligatory if you plan to use it wirelessly or with a ethernet cable to have less ping in online games. The charger also should be effective in providing enough power when you use maximum profm laptop performance.
Another part is the USB and video ports. The new generation of 3.0 USB is not very widespread. Nevertheless, they become more and more popular. They ensure that data and files transfer at higher speed at the same time. They also sometimes need to be used with VR headsets. To enjoy VR you also will need to have a mini port.
Tips on Buying A Gaming laptop
- You should look for laptops with Full HD resolution even in cheap models.
- For gaming laptops RAM is important. You should consider models with at least 8GB or higher. Then you will be able to enjoy stable performance.
- Always look at periphery features. They can show the versatility of a device. The most common among them are USB type C, HDMI and other USB ports. Disk drive is not very useful nowadays, thus you should not worry if a laptop does not have it.
- Possibility to modify and upgrade a laptop is always welcomed. After some years of using a device, you may want to add more memory, add RAM, etc.
- Always try to press buttons and touchpad before buying. It should be convenient to use as you will be using it most of the time.
Video Tutorial: Dell Inspiron 15 Gaming Laptop (2017)
To Sum Up
With such a large variety of gaming laptops, it is definitely not an easy task to make the right decision. As they are not cheap assets, it is important to learn more about their peculiarities. With proper knowledge, you will be able to get the device according to personal needs without spending too much money.
