Gaming Laptops under $1,000

If you’re not looking to spend upwards of $2,000 on your next gaming laptop, we have some great options to recommend that won’t break the bank. Some are even under $1,000! If you’re looking to play games at their highest quality settings and resolutions, these are the best gaming laptops under $1,000 that you can buy.

2022’s best gaming laptops

These laptops will all give you solid gaming performance on a budget. If you’re looking for more specialized (and expensive) rigs, check out our list of Best Gaming Laptops. These are very popular for a reason – they’re priced to fit every budget and provide excellent specs. With these options it’s easy to find one that will suit your needs.

The Screen

A good gaming laptop needs a display with high refresh rates and low response times. It’s not that easy to find one in your price range—many displays max out at 60Hz. But MSI’s new GE66 Raider has a 144Hz screen, which means smoother motion for fast-paced games like Fortnite or Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Its 15.6-inch screen also supports Nvidia G-Sync technology for better picture quality when using an external graphics card.

Things to consider before buying a gaming laptop

The first thing to consider is how you plan on using your laptop. If you’re looking for something to browse social media while relaxing at home, a gaming laptop probably isn’t your best bet. A cheap consumer-grade laptop might be more your speed.

Processors & Graphics Cards

The CPU is arguably one of your computer’s most important components, but it’s easily one of the most misunderstood. CPUs are often judged solely on their clock speed (in MHz), which can be misleading. In actuality, a processor’s internal architecture and manufacturing process play a much larger role in performance than its speed does.

Storage space

You’ll need to have at least 500GB of storage space for all your games. If you don’t mind an extra digital download on top of that, try 1TB for all your games. That way you can quickly load up a game and be playing within minutes. The more storage space you have (up to 4TB) will increase your ability to install new games and store old ones as well.

RAM and Memory

The RAM or Random Access Memory is responsible for storing data temporarily as you are actively working on your laptop. As you open more programs and need to multitask, memory becomes crucial for overall performance. If you’re looking for a computer that can accommodate multiple programs at once without any lag or slowdown of its performance, then look for gaming laptops with at least 8GB of RAM.