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If you are a pc gamer and are working with a limited budget, then you know how much $800 can stretch when you spend it right. The best gaming laptops under 800 can get you decent gaming performance, battery life, a good screen, and a form factor that is easy to transport.
If you’re in a bit of a hurry and just want a recommendation that checks all our boxes, we recommend the Acer Nitro 5. With its base 8GB of Ram, 256 NVME SSD, and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050, you have plenty of graphical power to play AAA game titles with great frame rates and graphical fidelity.
Shopping for the best gaming laptops under 800 dollars can be downright frustrating. There are virtually hundreds of options that don’t deliver on the quality, performance, or convenience you need for your day-to-day life. After all, most people don’t buy gaming laptops only for games. Things like squishy keyboards, bad trackpads, poor battery life, etc. are some of the compromises people deal with when they settle for a sub $1000 computer. A proper gaming laptop could cost $1500 or even $2000. This post is all about helping you avoid the common pitfalls and finding the best laptop for your money.
Review of the Best Laptops under $800
1. Overall Best for the Price – Acer Nitro 5 Gaming Laptop
The Acer Nitro 5 series has been the go-to gaming choice for budget gamers for years, and the latest refresh of this machine does not disappoint. It comes bundled with raw power and hardware high above its starting price and offers budget gamers everywhere one of the best deals available in the sub $1000 gaming pc market.
Key Features
- 10th Generation Intel i5-10300H processor
- RTX 3050 graphics card with 4GB of dedicated memory
- 1080p FHD screen with a 144hz refresh rate and 16:9 aspect ratio
- 7- hrs of battery life
- NitroSense UI for maximizing performance and power
The Acer Nitro 5 ships out with some of the best mobile graphics cards and processors on the market and delivers great performance, both in light multi-tasking, creative work, and intensive gaming. Expect buttery-smooth 60fps from most modern game titles coming out this year. You’ll be able to comfortably game on medium to high graphics settings, and thanks to the high-refresh screen, you’ll be able to squeeze every drop of the RTX 3060 that comes bundled with it.
The Nitrosense manager lends some much-needed versatility to the computer, and on power saver mode, with everything cranked down, you can expect 6-7 hours of battery life on everyday tasks like browsing, watching videos, and light software work, or even Zooming.
Pros
- High-performance graphics and processor
- Compelling Acer design
- Great battery life
- Fast and responsive screen
Cons
- Weighs 5 pounds
- Comes with 256 NVME SSD with slow transfer rates
- Loud fans
2. Best Chunky Gaming Laptop – MSI GF63 Gaming Laptop
The MSI GF63 Gaming Laptop is for shoppers who don’t mind a little extra weight for better performance. The MSI GF63 ships with up-to-date graphics cards, a great Intel i5 processor, and a vibrant screen but weighs 7.2 pounds before packaging.
Key Features
- 9th Generation Intel i5- 9300H
- GTX 1650 (Max-Q with 4GB of GDD5 Memory
- 256 NVMe SSD storage
- 1080p FHD 60hz screen
The MSI GF63 soars in all categories of creative work and gaming, from the top-notch performance to the battery life, bright screen, and potent MSI optimization software. Afterburner lets you squeeze out every last drop of performance from this large gaming computer and allows you to alternate between several modes to favor performance or battery life.
The plastic exterior might turn no heads, but very few other laptops can compete with the specifications for the price. And if you’re willing to compromise, lugging this laptop around shouldn’t pose too much of a challenge.
The internals of the MSI gaming laptop are also very accessible and encourage tinkering owners and making upgrades. The laptop uses dual-channel memory, and you can upgrade up to 64GB of RAM. It also has two storage slots– One for a second M.2 SSD and another for a 2.5 inch SATA drive or HDD
Pros
- Great performance
- High-quality display
- Good battery life
Cons
- Difficult to transport
- Overheats occasionally
3. Best compact laptop under 800 – Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3 Laptop
The Lenovo Ideapad 3 Gaming laptop takes the essential design and strong points of the Ideapad line and improves upon it with discrete graphics, a Ryzen 5600 H processor, and a snappy 120hz refresh screen for competitive gaming.
Key Features
- 4GB of GeForce GTX 1650 GPU
- 1080p 120hz IPS display
- 8GB of DDr4 RAM + 256GB M.2 PCIe SSD storage
- 2x2W speakers with Nahimic Audio for Gamers
- Backlit keyboard
- WiFi 802.1 ax and Bluetooth 5.0
- 720p HD webcam with microphone and shutter
- 8-hour battery life
Lenovo brings their best to the fore with the Ideapad. The powerful graphics card, snappy RAM, SSD storage, and 120hz 1080p FH D screen means you’ll be zipping through multiplayer environments, tackling highly demanding games with ease.
The great keyboard, beefy 8-hour battery life, and strong WiFi and Bluetooth also mean the Ideapad is flexible enough to be your work PC too. The lightweight chassis and stealth design that it will slip under the notice of all but the most perceptible.
As for problem areas like cooling and CPU performance, the new four heat sink and new thermal paste combination keep the pc steadily below 90 degrees on the most intensive tasks. The Ideapad runs on The Ryzen 5600 H, which is its most effective chip yet.
Pros
- Power-efficient chip
- Great power management
- Great overall performance
- Stealthy design and lightweight form factor
- Affordable pricing
Cons
- 256 GB PCIe SSD provides too little storage
- Does not come with a performance optimizer
4. Best looking Gaming Laptop under 800 – Hp Pavilion 15.6″ Gaming Laptop
The Hp Pavilion gaming Laptop is a tried and trusted option in the budget gaming category. It comes with a familiar but trusted green and black 5-pound chassis, a base but potent graphics card– the GTX 1650– and the most power-efficient processor currently available on the market.
Key Features
- AMD Ryzen 5 4600H processor
- 8GB of DDR4 Ram
- 256 SSD
- 4GB of GeForce Nvidia GTX 1650.
- 1080 FHD IPS display.
The latest refresh of the HP Pavillion gaming laptop focuses on improving the specification and performance of the previous-gen with a faster Ryzen processor, a new GTX 1650 graphics card, and a snappy new WiFi card. The system runs well on Windows 10 and 11 and performs well enough in creative, processor-hungry tasks like video editing, compiling, animation, etc.
It is featherweight with an overall weight of 4.41lb, and the crisp IPS screen makes it great for design and colorwork.
Pros
- Snappy AMD Ryzen processor
- Powerful graphics card
- Cool design and aesthetics
- Great price
Cons
- 2-hour battery life
- 60Hz screen
Things to consider before buying a gaming laptop under 800
Shopping for a great gaming laptop on the internet can be frustrating and confusing, especially with the sheer volume of great options available. The specifications and features can blur, and you might end up settling for a product that does not provide the best value for the purchase. Here are the major things to keep your eyes on when you’re looking for the best gaming laptops under 800 dollars.
CPU
While the CPU takes the backseat in performance gaming discussion, it is essential to finding the best laptop under 800 dollars. A good processor means your computer will be excellent at multi-tasking and perform well during processor-heavy tasks like video rendering.
You want the laptop you choose to have:
- High core count (preferably 6-12)
- Great base and boost clocks speed (2.4 GHz to 4.3 GHz)
- A low to medium-powered TDP (up to 100 watts)
- A recognizable brand (Intel or AMD)
- Recent generation (9th to 11th for Intel and 4th Gen Ryzen for AMD)
If you’re a creator as well as a gamer, every core and generation count, and so you want to prioritize the best possible specifications you can find on your budget.
GPU
GPU or graphical processing units/ cards are responsible for rendering intense graphical tasks like games and textures. In nearly all cases, the highest specifications and the newest graphics card deliver the best results.
This guide recommends various versions of entry-level Nvidia graphics cards geared towards performance.
The The1650 card is an entry-level GPU from Nvidia’s10 series line, and it will get your respectable performance on most modern-day triple AAA titles. It is a more potent entry-level card from Nvidia’s new RTX line that focuses on pushing better performance, color, and environmental detail with Ray tracing technology. They’re one of the best cards, and entry-level gamers might hope to find.
What about suffixes like Ti and Max-Q?
If you spot Max-Q on a graphics card, it means you’re using a slightly less powerful version of the graphics card. Max-Q graphics cards are usually found in thin and light laptops to save space and power. Ti versions of popular graphics cards are upgrades from the base version of the graphics card. A 1650 Ti is about 10-20 percent more powerful than a base GTX 1650 and so on.
Given a choice, you should always opt for the best specifications you can reasonably find under 800.
Storage capacity
Computer storage comes in all formats, but the two major ones you’ll find on most modern Pcs and laptops are SSDs and HDDs. SSDs are the top choice for most modern pc manufacturers because they are faster, more durable, great for multi-tasking, and give you better frame rates in games. HDDs are more robust, cheaper but are more prone to failure.
Naturally, SSDs should be your first choice when you’re shopping for a gaming laptop. However, because you’re limited to a budget of $800, you’ll mostly find Pcs with a default storage of 256 SSD (and a secondary 2.5-inch bay for hard drives or a second SSD).
Opt for an expandable storage bay if you can get it, but note that not all SSDs and HDDs are created equal. You want NVMe or PCIe SSds with high read and write speeds out of the box.
Display
Your laptop display should be your priority after CPU, GPU, and Storage. It’s how you experience your game, and ideally, you want a display with a high refresh rate, decent real estate, and (15.6 inches at least) good color accuracy. The Acer Nitro checks all those boxes, but it’s not the only option you have. Any display with a 120 Hz refresh rate is fast enough also. A color-accurate display not only ensures your game looks great, but also means you have a better screen to consume and create content.
WiFi, Bluetooth, and connectivity
Decent WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, and A ports are all quality of life specifications that might not directly impact your game performance but can impact your overall enjoyment of the computer. Keep an eye on them when you’re shopping.
Battery Life
Gaming Laptops, even at the $3000 price point, are known for their bad battery life but don’t take that as an indication to settle for sub 2hr on casual tasks. The best gaming laptops under 800 should be able to last over an hour for gaming and at least 4-8 hours for browsing, content consumption, and general work.
Conclusion
Good gaming laptops are hard to find at every price bracket without lengthy research and product comparisons. Luckily, we’ve compiled the best gaming laptops under 800 that provide the best value and performance for the price. They are also great for everyday tasks, general work, and content creation.
1. Overall Best for the Price – Acer Nitro 5 Gaming Laptop
2. Best Chunky Gaming Laptop – MSI GF63 Gaming Laptop
3. Best compact laptop under 800 – Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3 Laptop
