5 Best Gaming Laptops Under $800

80% of users selected HP 2017 Laptop, 20% selected Dell Latitude, 0% selected HP High Performance Laptop, 0% selected Dell Inspiron and 0% selected Lenovo Yoga 2017. Every month we analyze your answers and change our rating.

Gaming laptops have components specially designed for PC games. They are as powerful as large desktop PCs, but still easy to transport. Thanks to their high performance, they are not only suitable for gaming, but also other computationally intensive tasks such as image and video editing.
Gaming laptops no longer have to be bulky and heavy; thanks to new technology, they can be as thin and light as ultrabooks. Laptops are not upgradeable; the decision for a performance level is final and should be carefully considered. Therefore you can find here valuable information, which helps in choosing the right laptop and reviews of several best options.

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.

Performance

ACER relies on a good performance and solid technology from the manufacturer of the processor. That is why the device is equipped with an AMD processor, whose six processor cores enable precise computing processes.
In terms of clock frequency, the ACER device goes one better: The integrated Turbo Boost increases the frequency of the processor to up to 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

The display with a screen diagonal of 14 inches enables you to work comfortably, as you have an optimal view of your applications. The screen resolution of the notebook is 1920×1080 pixels and supports you in your daily gaming.
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.

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Acer Aspire 5 – Best Budget Option

The notebook’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 with four processor cores coordinates the requested processes. With the integrated Turbo Boost, the clock frequency of the processor is increased 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.

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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, which significantly increases the processor’s clock rate up to 4.8 GHz.

Display

With a screen diagonal of 15.6 inches you have a good overview of your applications and can take the notebook with you on the go. The screen resolution of the notebook is 1920×1080 pixels provides a Full HD resolution of your favorite videogames.

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 by placing them on the main display of VivoBook 15 by tapping 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.

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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 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

Various connections, including 1x HDMI 1.4, 1x headphone/microphone combination connection, 1x USB 3.1 Type-A (Gen. 1), 1x USB 3.1 Type C (Gen 1) and 2x USB 2.0, ensure that the notebook works correctly. With Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) WLAN standard you can dive into the Internet.
Of course, it is also possible to connect the device to other devices via Bluetooth. The Bluetooth version 4.2 is used here. It ensures fast data exchange and, thanks to its low energy consumption, saves the battery of the device during the process.

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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.

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The Buyer’s Guide

CPU

The main processor (CPU) is critical to the performance of the entire laptop. It should bring enough power not to slow down the graphics processor. Conversely, a graphic processor that is too weak can also inhibit the main processor, so make sure that both parts are of good quality. 

The leading manufacturer of high-quality processors is currently Intel. Most current games require your device to have at least one i5 processor from Intel, but a more expensive i7 model is better

GPU

The graphics processor is the core of the graphics card and ensures smooth movement during games. At this point, you should definitely not save, because the processor cannot easily be exchanged for a more powerful successor. 

Avoid laptops that have a graphics processor built into the main processor, as these usually do not offer enough performance for a pleasant gaming experience. Use separately built-in processor cores from AMD or Nvidia.

RAM

The main memory (RAM) of your laptop determines the speed at which your laptop processes information. In the past 3 gigabytes were often enough, today it should be at least 8. Make sure that the memory is the DDR3 variant, which processes faster than its predecessors.

The main memory is one of the parts that can be replaced and expanded comparatively easily and cheaply. With almost all other innards of your laptop, major upgrades do not make sense, as the prices for both the part and the installation are extremely high.

Display

In addition to the resolution, the technology used for the display is no less decisive for the image quality, with three main variants currently in use, each of which is LED. TN panels are comparatively simple and can be produced inexpensively. 

The more complex IPS displays, on the other hand, are characterized by a high contrast rendition, better color representation, and high viewing angle independence. Both types of display require backlighting so that the image can be brought into the eye of the viewer.

In contrast to this, the individual pixels of an (AM) OLED screen light up actively, so an illuminated background is not required. This improves the contrast display once again because nothing lights up when black, so a “real” black is displayed on the screen.

Storage Capacity

With many laptops and PCs, it is the hard drives that limit performance considerably. HDD hard drives are still used in new devices, but SSD hard drives are much more suitable. These further developments are characterized by an extremely high speed and give the necessary speed boost. 

The caches built into SSDs are also practical, into which your laptop moves the frequently used programs for shorter loading times and smoother work. Choose an SSD hard drive with enough space. You can only enjoy the high speed of data processing if the game is saved on the same hard drive. When playing from external hard drives, the speed suffers enormously, regardless of the rest of the hardware.

Battery Life Duration

Do not expect too much in terms of battery power. Using gaming hardware, from start to finish, results in power-hungry components that will cut battery life pretty quickly. The power-saving mode and using the Intel graphics card when not in a game help you massively.

Finding a device that can last for two to three hours on a single charge and at the highest settings is going to be the best one can hope for with today’s battery technology. It should be noted that most players usually play when plugged in and do not expect to play far from an electrical outlet for more than an hour or so.

Keyboard & Touchpad

Your keyboard should be comfortable to use at least for a long period of time. All extras, such as mechanically styled pushbuttons, programmable buttons, and multi-colored RGB backlighting, are a plus that depends solely on preferences.

Portability

The degree of portability depends entirely on the size and weight, as well as how much you plan for your trip.

Minimal portability

If you are looking for minimal portability, meaning your gaming notebook will most likely be on your desk at home, you can look for a system with a 17- or 18-inch display. Bigger laptops usually mean better, faster, and more powerful components. 

On the other hand, it also means that it is heavy and can only be used for a short time without a plug. Finding a pocket that will fit a 17-18-inch screen can be a problem.

Medium Portability

This is the perfect balance for those who will take their laptop with them often but not every day of the year. A 15-inch notebook weighs between 4.3 and 7.2 pounds and can last an average of 5 hours on one charge with light gaming. You will sacrifice a little performance for better portability, but for most, it is a balanced choice.

Optimal Portability

Computers with 13- or 14-inch screens are built for constant movement. The size is perfect for any pocket and they weigh less than larger laptops. However, they are not the most powerful notebooks, and the small displays do not provide a visual size for most games. They have the highest average battery life and are good for games.

Miscellaneous

The connections are also important. A LAN connection should be available here, and WLAN is also mandatory. Inquire about the speed of the built-in power supply, because a good internet connection is a minimum requirement for most games. 

The USB ports should belong to the 3.0 generation, which ensures an enormous speed when transferring from a 3.0 USB stick or a 3.0 hard drive. If you plan to connect VR headsets, you will need enough fast USB ports and a Mini DisplayPort.

Tips on Buying A Gaming laptop

• Even a cheap notebook should offer a display resolution of at least Full HD.
• The entry-level processors offer little performance and a small amount of RAM. With a mid-range processor and 8 GB of RAM, you are on the safe side.
• Mouse, keyboard, a second screen. Periphery expands the possibilities of use. The interface equipment (HDMI, USB, and USB-C) should be considered when buying, especially if additional costs are to be avoided.
• When usage habits change, memory, and data storage often reach their limits. If you want to use your notebook for a long time, pay attention to the possibility of expanding the memory.
• Rickety keyboards, rough touchpads, and a jumping cursor are extremely annoying with intensive use.

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. 

Gaming Laptop Under $800 Bestsellers

We have tested the most popular gaming laptops under $800 (the table is updated daily). We show the result in the bestseller list. Here you will find the best available products for you sorted by the customer reviews.

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