While playing games, gamers don’t think they are playing games, but they feel like it’s a real adventure because of the graphics. We all know that games released in 2021 and above have some outstanding graphics no one could imagine.
Technology is advancing day by day, and gamers feel bored while playing games with low-quality graphics. They demand smooth gameplay on at least a 1080p quality image.
Every game released in 2021 and above has such graphics no one had ever expected. Days Gone, Red Dead Redemption 2, and GTA 5 are great examples.
So to run these games on the go at max settings, you need a gaming laptop because a standard laptop cannot run such games smoothly. If your laptop doesn’t have a heavy processor, GPU (graphics card), fast RAM, and latest hard disk, you cannot play such games.
So at Tech Up Life, we will reveal the best budget gaming laptops that can run all these games on maximum settings. On these laptops, you will not face a single input delay or any frame per second (FPS) drops while gaming.
These laptops are also budget-friendly. We will not list a laptop with low specs and high prices. The laptops we will mention will have high specs at a reasonable price. For this guide, we’re not reviewing old laptops with high prices and low specs. Instead, we will review genuine laptops with a fair price and high specs. Check out the best budget gaming laptops of 2021!
Best Budget Gaming Laptops of 2021
- Razer Blade 14
- Acer Predator Helios 300
- ASUS TUF Dash 15
- ASUS ROG Strix Scar 15
- Acer Nitro 5
- Lenovo Legion 5
- Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
- Dell Gaming G3
These are the 8 best budget gaming laptops of 2021, and they are capable of running most modern AAA games at ultra-high graphics and maximum resolution. Every laptop has a heavy processor, blazing-fast GPU, and latest hard drives. Now, let’s start the review of the laptops I mentioned. Everything will be explained in brief detail, so be ready for that because we’ll not miss a single feature.
Best Budget Gaming Laptop Overall – Razer Blade 14
Razer is a renowned manufacturer of high-quality PC gaming hardware, ranging from keyboards, mice, and headsets to laptops and eGPUs. Its Razer Blade 14 is the best overall gaming laptop that, despite a reasonable price tag, comes with some top-notch specs. It’s a one-time investment for hardcore gamers because its specs are good, and the price is appropriate.
The Razer Blade 14 is a budget gaming laptop with AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX Octa-Core processor, up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 GPU, 165Hz refresh rate, and 1 TB M.2 NVMe SSD. Only hardcore gamers can understand the value of these specs.
But I’ll explain these specs in brief detail. The first thing that matters the most is the display screen. If your laptop’s display screen is bad, you don’t enjoy playing games because of the bad display. The display screen of Razer Blade 14 is 14-inches, and it comes with a 165Hz refresh rate and QHD screen. Because of this high refresh rate, you’ll see a fantastic image quality with tear-free gaming.
The AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX is an Octa-Core processor with 8 cores, 16 threads, and 16 MB Layer 3 Cache Memory. Ryzen processors are famous because of their high base clock, and this Ryzen 9 5900HX has a base clock of 3.30 GHz. In 3.30 GHz memory, your processor works like nothing is being happened.
You can fearlessly perform heavy tasks because that’s enough base clock. But if the base clock doesn’t handle your current task, the boost clock comes in working, and that’s 4.60 GHz. So full memory of 4.60 GHz with 8 cores and 16 threads is best for gamers.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 remains the GPU of dreams for every professional gamer. When we look at its performance, no GPU is able to compete with this one due to its large amount of memory. Memory Interface Width, Boost Clock, and CUDA Cores exceeded your expectations. Memory is 10 GB, but this 10 GB number includes 8704 CUDA Cores, a 1.41 GHz base clock, and 320 bits of interface width for memory.
Numerous games run smoothly on this graphics card with the maximum resolution and Ray-Tracing capability. There are not all games that support Ray-Tracing. The Ray-Tracing feature is enabled in some games, so you will enjoy graphics unlike any you have seen before. Every single pixel and dot will be crystal clear for you to see. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 GPU feature is the best one, and Razer Blade 14 has it.
The 16GB DDR4 RAM with 1 TB M.2 NVMe SSD is another big number for gamers. You get 1 TB storage space with the latest hard drive. These M.2 NVMe SSD hard drives have a high read and write speed. So you get a quicker execution when you click on any icon.
So that’s how powerful this Razer Blade 14 is. Its keyboard includes Razer Chroma Per-Key RGB lights. You can add any color of any keyboard key you want. Its battery timing gives 10 hours of backup. The 10 hours backup is rarely found in gaming laptops, but Razer offers this backup.
Pros
- USB-C Charging
- QHD 165Hz refresh rate
- Per-Key RGB lights option
- Latest Ryzen Processor with high memory
- Razer Care provides 1-year hardware repair coverage
- Vapor Chamber Cooling for maximized thermal performance
Cons
- It doesn’t come in a full-size keyboard
Best 15-inch Budget Gaming Laptop – Acer Predator Helios 300
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is another powerful gaming laptop with an Intel processor. While the Razer Blade 14 has a Ryzen processor, this Helios 300 has an Intel CPU. Ryzen and Intel processors can both deliver good performance.
This Acer Predator Helios 300 has an Intel Core i7-10750H processor with super-fast memory specs. This processor has 6 cores, 12 threads, and 5.00GHz memory. Its base frequency starts from 2.60 GHz, which is a good number, and when you put an extra load, its memory reaches 5.00 GHz.
The working of your processor depends on how many cores you have. If your processor has more cores and threads, generally it delivers decent speed. You can comfortably multi-task when your processor has more cores. So 6 cores and 12 threads with a maximum memory of 5.00 GHz is more than enough for you.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 is its GPU, and it comes with a GDDR6 memory format of 6 GB. The DLSS 2.0 and Ray-Tracing feature is available in every GPU of the 30 series. So you can expect smooth gameplay on ultra-high graphics with this RTX 3060 GPU. While seeing the inside memory, you get high CUDA Cores with this GPU.
One of the best things about this laptop is its cooling system. Gaming laptops must have a good cooling system because they face huge loads when running games on ultra-high graphics. The cooling system of Acer Predator Helios 300 is outstanding.
It has dual fans that produce less noise and more airflow. You get a 4th Gen Aeroblade 3D fan that has a 45% improvement in airflow. When running games, these fans work best because the developers have left small holes on these fans’ right and left sides. So no heat can stay inside when you overclock your laptop or play games at ultra-high graphics.
So that’s how the cooling system of Acer Predator Helios 300 works. You get a 15.6-inch display screen with a 144Hz refresh rate and 3 MS response time. I’ve seen many professional gamers who recommend monitors with 3 MS response times. You don’t have to buy another monitor with this laptop because you are getting 3 MS by default.
The 512 GB M.2 NVMe SSD hard with 16 GB DDR4 RAM is a pretty high number for gamers. This RAM’s bus speed is 2933 MHz, and you get dual-channel memory. So if you want to upgrade the RAM, you can do it with ease.
It has a full-size keyboard with 4-Zone RGB backlit. The keys are soft and easy to press. You can comfortably play games on its keyboard. The DTS X Ultra Audio delivers immersive sound from its speakers. The volume is pretty good with bass.
This laptop’s battery timing is 3-4 hours on a complete charge. You get 3 hours and 14 minutes when you are playing games at max settings. It’s good, but Razer Blade 14 has more battery backup than this. So I can say its battery timing is average.
Pros:
- Immersive Sound
- Wi-Fi 6 and Killer Ethernet E2600
- 4th Gen All-Metal AeroBlade 3D Fan
- Average storage space with 2x M.2 Slots
- Full-size keyboard with 4-Zone RGB backlit
- 144Hz refresh rate with 300 nits of brightness and 3 MS response time
Cons
- Average battery timing when you put maximum load
Best Band-for-Your-Buck Gaming Laptop – ASUS TUF Dash 15
The ASUS TUF Dash 15 is a magnificent gaming laptop with an ultra-slim body and is lightweight. It is easy to carry, and it is made with high-quality material. Also, its performance is outstanding because it has an 11th generation processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU, and 512 GB M.2 NVMe SSD.
The 11th generation processor of the Intel series gives a slide boost in its performance because it has more cores and threads. When cores and threads are doubled, your performance speed gets doubled.
So this ASUS TUF Dash 15 has an Intel Core i7-11370H processor with a maximum memory of 4.80 GHz and 12 MB Intel Smart Cache. You get outstanding performance with this processor because its TDP frequency is only 35W. Processors with low TDP are good because, at extreme load, it doesn’t get heated. When the temperature remains calm, your performance increases drastically.
Professional gamers will be thrilled with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU. The introduction of NVIDIA’s 2nd Generation Ray-Tracing and DLSS technology in the 30 series shocked the gaming industry. This enhanced many graphics in games, and players appreciated this feature because they saw Full HD image quality.
So this RTX 3050 Ti is a 4 GB GPU that delivers high FPS with powerful titles. You can play numerous games at max settings and without any input delay. That’s only possible when your GPU memory is high.
Its storage space is 512 GB with M.2 NVMe SSD format, but its RAM is 8 GB. Still, the format is DDR4 with 3200 MHz bus speed. But 8 GB might sound awkward.
ASUS TUF Dash 15 has Enhanced Cooling with 5 Pipes, 4 Fan Outlets, and 83-Blade Fans. Its 5 Pipes are enough to handle the burden of overclocking. You can fearlessly play games at max settings because of its powerful cooling system.
Its battery timing might shock you, but I am revealing the truth. You get 16.6 hours on video playback, and while gaming at maximum settings, you get 8-11 continuous hours. Plus, it has a C-Type Charging Pin that charges your laptop’s battery to 50% in just 30 minutes.
So what more do you expect from ASUS? This beast gaming laptop comes on a slightly lower budget. ASUS has packed these features at a fair price.
In its connectivity, ASUS has given a Thunderbolt 4 port. You get 40 Gbps transfer speed, plus 2 monitors display simultaneously, and that’s the power of the Thunderbolt 4 port.
Pros:
- Lightweight
- Thunderbolt 4 port
- C-Type Charging feature
- Made with strong material
- 16.6 hours of battery backup
- Fast charging (50% in just 30 minutes)
- Outstanding cooling system with 5 heat pipes
Cons
- Low RAM, but the latest format of DDR4 with 3200 MHz bus speed
ASUS ROG Strix Scar 15
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 15 is another budget gaming laptop packed with strong metal and a Full HD Display Screen. Its processor competes with the 3 laptops I mentioned earlier, but its GPU cannot win from them, so that’s why I mentioned it on the 4th spot.
Its processor competes with the previous laptops, and here’s how:
It features Intel’s 10th-generation Core i7-10875H processor with 8 cores and 16 threads. When gamers look at a gaming processor, they only look at the cores, and if they see a processor with 8 cores, they blindly accept it without any questions asked.
The base frequency of this laptop’s processor is 2.30 GHz, but its turbo frequency is higher than previous models. You get a turbo frequency of 5.10 GHz, which is the highest to date.
With this 5.10 GHz number, you can comfortably handle a wide range of tasks. You were not expecting its refresh rate to be so high. A Full HD IPS Display Panel and a 240Hz refresh rate are included. Having a high refresh rate on an IPS Display Panel is necessary to fearlessly play games in direct sunlight.
I have listed a laptop whose GPU is from the 20 series, competing with the 30 series. Its GPU is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super, and its memory is 8 GB GDDR6. The memory specs are good because this GPU can run big games at maximum settings, but low DLSS and Ray-Tracing performance are the only issues. Since the launch of the 30 series, NVIDIA has improved DLSS and Ray-Tracing, but the 20 series GPUs have low-quality Ray-Tracing. Therefore, the 20 and 30 series differ only in that aspect.
Several games, including Apex Legends, CS GO, PUBG, F1 2019, and several others, can be played at max settings without a worry. When the RTX (Ray Tracing) is on, there will be no input delays and no drops in FPS. However, the image quality won’t be very high because the DLSS and Ray-Tracing features of the RTX 20 series aren’t that good as RTX 30 series has.
It has 16 GB DDR4 RAM with 3200 MHz bus speed and 1 TB M.2 NVMe SSD hard. So you get enough storage and high RAM for maximum performance. But I want to mention its cooling system.
The cooling manuals of ASUS ROG Strix Scar 15 are far better than other laptops, and here’s how:
This laptop comes with ROG Intelligent Cooling Thermal System with Thermal Grizzly Liquid Metal Thermal Compound. The ROG Intelligent Cooling Thermal System is famous because it doesn’t allow any heat to stay inside your laptop.
When you have this ROG Intelligent Cooling system, there is no chance that your power component’s lifespan reduces because no heat can stay inside your laptop. That’s the best feature for gamers, and you can fearlessly play games at max settings without heat issues.
Another good thing about this laptop is its ROG Keystone II feature. The ROG Keystone II feature saves your settings, and you can carry this tiny object with you. Well, that’s a long study, and you should search on Google for this to get complete information.
Pros:
- ROG Keystone II feature
- A high refresh rate of 240Hz
- 30-Day of XBOX Games Pass
- 3 M.2 NVMe Slots for easy upgrades
- ROG Intelligent Cooling Thermal System
- 66Wh battery providing 5-6 hours backup
- ROG Aura Sync System With Per-Key RGB Keyboard, Logo, and Light Bar
Cons:
- A little bit expensive
Best Cheap Gaming Laptop – Acer Nitro 5
The Acer Nitro 5 is the best cheap gaming laptop you can buy. The Acer Nitro 5 has a 15.6-inch display, and its other variant offers a 17.3-inch display, but a 15.6-inch display is great because it has a refresh rate of 144Hz and a Full HD Widescreen with an IPS display panel.
This refresh rate is suitable for 1440p gaming, and its processor is an AMD Ryzen 5 4000-series CPU with 6 cores and 12 threads. Its GPU is an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650. Although the 1650 lacks certain features found in RTX 20- and 30-series cards including Ray-Tracing, the Nitro 5’s low price tag more than compensates.
The laptop has 8GB of DDR4 RAM. With its 256GB SSD, the Nitro 5 has a slightly smaller storage space than others. A hard drive with the latest format won’t do you much good unless you have a lot of storage capacity. For this laptop to be perfect for gaming, you will need to upgrade the storage section.
Its cooling system also competes with the ROG Intelligent Thermal Cooling. Every brand has its label. The cooling label of Acer Nitro 5 is Acer Cool Boost Technology. You get twin fans and dual exhaust ports that keep your laptop’s temperature cool through this technology. So expecting a high-end performance without heating issues is recommended.
The last thing is its battery timing. On average, you get 5-6 hours, but when you’re playing games at maximum settings, you get 3 hours and 50 minutes to 4 hours and 23 minutes. That’s what several gamers have experienced with this Nitro 5 laptop.
Pros:
- Excellent battery timing
- Twin fans with dual exhaust ports
- 2x M.2 NVMe slots for easy upgrades
- Full-size keyboard with 4-zone RGB backlit
- 144Hz refresh rate with Widescreen IPS display panel
Cons:
- Only 256 GB storage space (slightly lower for gaming)
Cheapest 120Hz Gaming Laptop – Lenovo Legion 5
The Lenovo Legion 5 features reasonable specs were high and a budget price tag. You get a machine with a 15.6-inch display screen and 120Hz refresh rate. Its full high-definition 1080p IPS display delivers deep colors and slim bezels.
When colors are deep, and bezels are slim, you get an eye-candy view. Gamers who play games in groups can benefit from this because sometimes teams with groups have to sit outside the room, where this IPS panel helps with its wide viewing angles.
You get an AMD Ryzen 5 4000-series processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU, and up to 64GB RAM/2TB SSD storage space for performance specs. These numbers are good, but the GPU series has dropped.
The AMD Ryzen 5 4600H processor has 6 cores and 12 threads. Your base clock is high when you have Ryzen processors, and that’s good because if your base clock is higher, you don’t come in overclocking phase quickly. This processor’s base clock is 3GHz, and the max boost clock reaches 4GHz with 8MB cache memory.
That’s good for gamers because its base clock is higher, and the TDP value is lower. Processors with low TDP value produce less heat, and that helps the gamers. When we look at the GPU of Lenovo Legion 5, we get an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti, and in its benchmarking, some big titles appear.
Your F1 2021 runs at 120 FPS on high settings. Monster Hunter Stories 2 runs at 68 FPS on 4K results, and Days Gone runs at 60 FPS on ultra-high graphics. I think now you’ve understood that this GPU with its 4GB of DDR5 vRAM is still capable of running big titles smoothly.
Its battery timing is 5 hours, and Legion Coldfront 2.0 is its label of cooling. The Legion Coldfront 2.0 feature delivers outstanding cooling to your laptop. The high RAM, large-capacity SSD models are great for gaming. At least you can expect maximum performance from these components.
Pros:
- Excellent battery timing
- Full-Size Keyboard with TrueStrike technology
- Legion Coldfront 2.0 cooling feature (Pretty Impressive)
- Legion TrueStrike Keyboard with soft-landing switches delivers hair-trigger inputs
Cons:
- Average webcam
- No SD card reader
Best Affordable 144Hz Gaming Laptop – Dell Gaming G3
After mentioning few other brands, let’s jump to a laptop whose manufacturers are veterans. Dell is a famous and ancient brand with tons of gaming laptops, LED monitors, and several other electronics. Its gaming laptops like the Dell Gaming G3 are also famous performance-wise.
The first thing is its display screen, and you get a 15.6-inch view from its display screen. The refresh rate is 144Hz, and it’s good for 1080p gaming. You get 300 nits with this 144Hz refresh rate, and the panel is IPS as well as anti-glare.
It has a dual-fan cooling system with enough heat pipes to maintain the temperature. Your laptop’s performance increases when your processor, GPU, and SSD memory are the latest, but temperature plays a vital role in the performance, and no one takes care of it. You must have a good cooling system to take your gaming to the next level. Dell G3 Gaming makes it easier for you.
You’ve got a choice of processors including the Intel Core i5-10300H, Core i7-10750H, and i7-10870H. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU with 4GB of DDR6 vRAM is a beast gaming GPU that runs numerous games on maximum settings.
You can outfit the Dell Gaming G3 with up to 16GB of RAM and as large as a 512GB SSD. The M.2 NVMe SSD’s read and write speed is slightly higher than a typical SSD or old days hard disk drive. You can perform various operations on M.2 NVMe SSDs. The multitasking feature becomes easier with this M.2 NVMe SSD.
Pros:
- 5 hours battery timing
- 144Hz refresh rate with anti-glare IPS display
- Charging completes faster because of the Power Adapter
- 512GB of storage space with M.2 NVMe SSD type hard drive
Cons:
- A little bit heavier to carry
Best Wallet-friendly Gaming Laptop – Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
We’re mentioning another laptop from the Lenovo brand. Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is its name, and it’s a budget-friendly gaming laptop with tons of features.
Its first feature includes a full HD 1080p display screen having a 120Hz refresh rate. You’ll see a crystal clear view in games because you can still see the 1080p screen on this laptop.
Calculating its performance specs, you get an AMD Ryzen 5000-series CPU with 6 cores. Still, it’s good for gamers. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti is a 4GB GPU that comes with this laptop. The Legion 5 has GTX 1660 Ti, but this one has 1650 Ti; both have almost the same working, but 1660 Ti’s performance is higher. Still, you’re able to play big titles because GTX 1650 Ti is a great graphics card or GPU.
Its CUDA cores and boost clock are both surprisingly high. You can play GTA 5 on ultra-high graphics without a single input delay. There are several other titles that you can run on max settings.
The 8GB DDR4 RAM with 2933 MHz with a 256GB standard SSD is a very good number for gamers. Its battery timing includes 9 hours, and gamers dream of having a gaming laptop with 9 hours backup.
It has Wi-Fi 6 that delivers 2.4Gbps speed, so if you’ve got a great gaming router, you’ll enjoy low-lag, low latency gaming. Its Ethernet port gives 2.5Gbps speed, and gamers who play games online can benefit from this port.
Pros:
- Lightweight
- 9 hours battery timing
- Numerous USB 3.0 ports
- Wi-Fi 6 and latest Ethernet Port
- Full-Size Keyboard with blue-backlit
- 1080p 120Hz IPS display
Cons:
- Only a GTX 1650 Ti GPU
Best Cheap Gaming Laptops – Final Thoughts
So gamers, how do you feel? Which laptop did you like? We’ve mentioned every single feature of these laptops, and I think you’ve read enough. Now it’s time to decide which laptop you are going to order. For more portable gaming, check out the best handheld gaming PCs on the market.
Your turn: What affordable gaming laptops do YOU recommend in 2021?
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