While searching for the best gaming laptops under 500, you have to check all the features, including powerful specifications, sharp displays, and quick refresh rates that gaming laptops have to offer. Sadly, the most advanced gaming laptops are extremely expensive. You can spend a significant sum of money and receive an amazing machine if money is no object.
The finest gaming laptops are ideal for those of us who must, nevertheless, approach life more practically. Gaming laptops are computers specifically made for playing video games due to the rising popularity of video games. So, have gaming laptops that place a greater emphasis on graphic processing capability.
This review post will examine the best gaming laptops under $500. Even though every laptop has a varied performance, they can all play a wide range of games, enabling budget-conscious gamers of all skill levels to get a good setup.
Best Gaming Laptops under 500$
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R74Z Slim Laptop
A superb option for students and home or office users, the Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R74Z comfortably manages heavy tasks. The features are superb for the price, and there are reasonable upgrade possibilities for adding more storage or RAM and a respectable battery life.
On a budget, the Acer Aspire 5 Slim offers several high-end features. These are different from typical characteristics of low-cost gaming laptops, including a full HD screen and a backlit keyboard. The 4GB of RAM may leave you wanting more, but when everything is said and done, it represents a good compromise if you are searching for the best gaming laptops.
Key Specifications
- 256GB hardware
- 8GB RAM
- Windows 11 OS
- Integrated graphics card
- AMD Radeon graphics Coprocessor
- Up to 11 hours battery timing
- Backlit keyboard
- CPU model: AMD Ryzen 5 5500U
The most recent Acer Aspire 5 Slim model has an enormous 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display and 8GB of RAM. The laptop also has a 256GB SSD and Radeon Vega 6 GPU, so games should load and run rapidly.
Along with the complete keyboard and a row of number buttons, there is a roomy trackpad, a numeric keypad, and a numeric keypad on the right. The Acer Aspire also includes a USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 port, an HDMI port with HDCP support, Wi-Fi 6, and a battery life of up to 11 hours.
It should be sufficient to run games because it balances specs, battery life, and pricing.
Acer Aspire 5 15.6″ FHD Laptop
There are many great features on the Acer Aspire 5. To begin with, it has a highly streamlined and slim design. The laptop is barely 0.71 inches thick and only 4.19 pounds in weight. It is extremely portable due to this. Second, the images on the screen are extremely sharp and clear.
Thirdly, this gaming laptop’s audio system is quite powerful and crystal clear. Fourth, the laptop’s webcam is of excellent quality. Its pixels per inch measurement is 1280 x 720. The laptop’s battery life is excellent. On a single charge, it can operate for up to 7 hours.
For those searching for a strong and capable laptop, the Acer Aspire 5 is a fantastic option.
Key Specifications
- 8GB installed memory
- Windows 10 S operating system
- Comes in black and silver colors
- Acer Aspire series
- Integrated card description
- Integrated graphics coprocessor
- 1GHZ memory speed
- Chipset brand: Intel
- Processor: 4.1 GHZ Corei3_ 1115g4
- 512GB SSD hard drive
Acer Aspire 5 15.6″ FHD IPS Slim Laptop
There are more than 60 possible configurations of the Aspire 5 with various models and features listed on Acer’s US website, including 17.3-inch and 15.6-inch displays with AMD and Intel processors.
Since the Acer Aspire series is marketed as a better-than-average choice among inexpensive laptops, but with the features and performance you aspire to, the name has always been a bit of clever branding. Though it has only sometimes been successful, the corporation has consistently made wise economic decisions.
The most recent Aspire 5 has a decent amount of RAM, storage, and an Intel processor from the 12th generation to include it in the list of best gaming laptops. Although some functions are kept simple to keep costs low, they provide good performance and battery life.
Key Specifications
- 6 inches screen size
- 8GB RAM
- Windows 11 OS
- Intel UHD graphics
- 1 GHz CPU speed
- SSD hard disk description
- CPU model 11thGen core i3_ 1115g4
- 256GB SSD hard drive
- Processor count: 2
- Up to 8.5 hours of battery life
HP 14″ HD Display Laptop
It’s challenging to distinguish in a sea of low-cost and best gaming laptops with only the slightest spec differences. It has a complete set of ports, great overall performance, good battery life, a comfortable keyboard, and a responsive touchpad.
You should do so if you can purchase the Pavilion Laptop 14 for significantly less than the list price of the laptops under $500. Although the HP Pavilion won’t attract much attention, it’s a respectable-looking laptop for the money.
The all-silver design is more appealing in low-cost systems than in all-black gaming laptops. If you customize your own model on HP’s website, there are additional color choices. The display on this laptop, a full HD quality IPS panel, gives it its 14-inch dimension.
Despite the maximum brightness not being particularly brilliant, the quality is respectable for a system of this price. You can upgrade to a touch screen or a 400-nit option on HP’s website if you look at the customizable version of this gaming laptop.
Key Specifications
- 8 GB RAMA
- Model: Ryzen
- Windows 11 S OS
- AMD Radeon graphics coprocessor
- Integrated card description
- Silver color
- 16 GB RAM DDR4
- 256GB SSD flash memory size
- Solid state hard drive interface
Lenovo – IdeaPad Flex 5i – 2-in-1 Chromebook
The Lenovo Flex 5i is a more economical 2-in-1 form factor for Chromebook enthusiasts and is the convertible version of our favorite IdeaPad 5i. This laptop stands out as an impressive all-arounder, offering some good components at a very affordable price, especially for the best gaming laptop searchers.
The 13-inch touchscreen is the first highlight after the Intel CPU. It has IPS panel technology and Full HD resolution. Because the IdeaPad is a “Flex” variant, the screen is attached to the chassis and can be used in full Tablet mode.
The display on this laptop, a full HD quality IPS panel, gives it its 14-inch dimension. Despite the maximum brightness not being particularly brilliant, the quality is respectable for a system of this price.
This Lenovo is worth the extra money since it is just superior. Thanks to the metal lid and soft-touch plastic chassis, it boasts a more premium appearance and feel. It is only marginally bigger than 11.6-inch devices, such as those used by school districts.
Key Specifications
- Abyss blue color
- Integrated description card
- Core i3 CPU model
- Chrome OS operating system
- Intel UHD coprocessor
- USB hard drive interface
- Series 2021
- 53 Pounds item weight
Touch Screen Laptop, 2 in 1 Windows 11 Yoga Laptop
Nothing is more portable than a tablet, which is why many gaming laptops buyers place a premium on portability. The most popular gaming laptops of today frequently serve as both tablets and laptops thanks to touch screens and support for a pen or stylus.
There are several upgrades in the Yoga 9i model, even though its predecessor, the Yoga 7i, is a good laptop. The Yoga 9i includes a bigger trackpad, a webcam with 1080p resolution, a rotating sound bar, and improved internal parts.
The Lenovo Yoga 9i has excellent visuals in every other aspect as well. The laptop’s corners and edges are similarly made of aluminum, but they are bright and resemble a material called chrome in which you can see your reflection.
Because of the keyboard’s tiny concavity, the keys can’t touch the screen and won’t scratch it. This is a fantastic feature with an OLED 4K display. However, the battery mode does not support the HDR mode. The delivery scope also includes an input pen. However, the case is no longer used for storage.
Key Features
- CPU model: Celeron N
- Available in gray color
- 16 GB RAM
- LeadBook T5 series
- Windows 11 OS
- HD Audio
- Metal body
- Convertible 2-in-1
- Intel UHD Coprocessor
- BD-R optical drive type
- Item weight: 2.2 pounds
Lenovo IdeaPad 3i 15.6″ FHD Laptop
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3i is not listed on the manufacturer’s website. The IdeaPad Gaming 3 is a low-cost gaming laptop with an Intel Core i5 processor and a 15.6-inch full HD screen. The IdeaPad 3i offers adequate speed and features as an online- or homework-ready desktop alternative for best gaming laptop buyers, while it could be more powerful and exciting than other budget models.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3i’s small weight is the first thing you notice about it. It feels like it weighs nothing, even though it only weighs 1.6kg. And you wouldn’t hesitate to throw it in your bag as you head to the gym, your local coffee, or work. But it’s not too small; at just more than 32 by 24 cm, it’s a good size for both work and play.
On the plus side, there is a real shutter on the integrated 0.3MP webcam, and the touchpad is a good size. If you’d like, you can safely sign in with Windows Hello using the webcam. The lid can be rotated 180 degrees, laying flat with the keyboard, even though the laptop cannot be opened with one hand.
Key Specifications
- Intel core i3 CPU model
- 8GB installed RAM
- Windows 11 OS
- Intel iris Xe Graphics
- Integrated card description
- 512 GB hard disk drive
- Lenovo Ideapad series
- 3 GHZ processor
- PCIE*4 hard drive interface
- Item weight 3.75 Pounds
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14 Laptop
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is one of the greatest and best gaming laptops currently available if there is one thing to take away from this review. You’ll definitely get the most for your money with a Lenovo laptop. Similar laptops from Dell Inspiron or HP Pavilion are in Lenovo’s IdeaPad series.
The IdeaPad 3 14 is a mid-range laptop that costs around $500 and comes equipped with an AMD Ryzen 5 5500U engine, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, and 256GB of SSD storage. There isn’t much RAM or storage space available out of the box.
The processor is the main attraction here, and the smaller numbers are standard for laptops in this price range. Even though the 5500U is based on the older AMD Zen 2 architecture, AMD’s Ryzen mobile CPUs have evolved into powerful chips in recent years, and silicon still performs well.
There is no discernible lag while using the six-core, 12-thread processor for basic Internet and word processing tasks.
Key Features
- 14 inches screen size
- Abyss blue color
- 256 GB installed memory
- Windows 10 OS
- AMD Radeon graphics coprocessor
- 1 CPU speed
- Ideapad 3 14 series
- Integrated card description
- 8 DDR4 RAM
- Solid state hard drive interface
- 1 Pound item weight
Newest HP Laptop Computer
The quad-core Intel Pentium Silver N5000 SoC is designed particularly for low-cost notebooks and as an alternative for best gaming laptops. It uses the Gemini Lake platform and operates at a frequency of 1.1 to 2.7 GHz.
The device uses a 14 nm manufacturing process, just like its Apollo Lake forerunner, although it has slightly better processing cores, twice as much L2 cache, and a partially integrated WiFi chip. The processor has four CPU cores, a DirectX 12 GPU, a DDR4/LPDDR4 memory controller, and four CPU cores. Since the SoC is physically attached to the motherboard, it cannot be changed.
The Pentium Silver N5000’s redesigned CPU architecture and 200 MHz faster boost clock result in marginally greater CPU performance than the previous Pentium N4200. The single-thread performance is substantially less than that of the more expensive Core Y CPUs.
The CPU performance should be enough for simple tasks like wearing office attire and browsing the web while engaging in moderate multitasking.
Key Specifications
- Premium HP 15.6 laptop
- 8 GB RAM
- CPU model: Pentium N5000
- Windows 10 OS
- Integrated card description
- Intel UHD graphics coprocessor
- 128 GB hard disk drive
- 6 inches screen size
- 7 GHz memory speed
- 11 hours battery life
- DDR4 memory type
Acer Aspire 5 A515-57-53T2 Slim Laptop
Acer wants to increase the performance of its Aspire 5 to better compete with IdeaPad 5s and other best gaming laptops. It is coupled with an Intel 12th-Gen ULV processor. This might compete with existing common notebooks and gaming laptops that use Zen 3.
Any Ryzen Zen 3 notebook can compete with the Acer Aspire 5’s Intel 12th Gen processing power. Its G series variant, which includes NVIDIA RTX graphics, can also serve as an entry-level gaming laptop.
If you like a portable computer that is both light and thin and can be used for Gaming, this update is fantastic. This specific SKU is powered by the 12th Gen Intel Core i5 1235U and Integrated 10 Core/ 12 Thread processor.
In addition, it has a 15.6-inch FHD 60 Hz display, 512GB SSD, and 8GB of RAM. The Aspire 5 is of good quality at first glance. The medium-grey surfaces look fantastic with the trendy design. But if you look closely, you’ll see that just the lid is composed of metal.
The Aspire 5’s chassis isn’t the strongest compared to other laptops in this class. But this feature is negligible if your aim is to search for the best gaming laptops.
Key Specifications
- Acer A515-57-532T2 series
- 6 inches screen
- 8 GB RAM
- Core i5 CPU model
- Windows 11 OS
- Integrated card description
- 4 GHZ CPU speed
- Intel Iris Xe graphics coprocessor
- 512 GB Flash memory size
- Corded electric power source
- SSD Hard drive
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, modern i5 processors with integrated graphics are the best gaming laptops for the gaming professional. If you are looking for the best gaming laptops, you will be surprised to know that searching for a tablet or a console would be best.
But not now; you will get the best gaming laptops in this range after reading this post. Unfortunately, there are only a few options to go for if you are looking for a gaming laptop under $500. You can still choose from the above gaming laptops list per your requirements.
However, you must first understand the type and difficulty of the Game you want to play on the selected laptop. Overall, it is complex to fit everything into a small laptop and attempt to strike a balance between specifications like processor and graphics on a tight budget.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Which I5 Is Best For Gaming?
A Core-i5 processor is typically required for a gaming laptop. It is popular among budget-friendly gaming laptops and has sufficient processing power for light to medium Gaming. However, Core-i7 is advised if you want to play graphically demanding games or enjoy a seamless experience.
According to this review post, the Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R74Z Slim Laptop is one of the best laptops at under $500. Secondly, the Lenovo Idea Pad 3 14 Laptop is also one of the best laptops for gaming.
The best thing about these gaming laptops is that you can upgrade their RAM if needed, but at your own risk. The convenient keyboard and keypad of Lenovo Idea Pad 3 make it more efficient to use for gamers.
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R74Z has an AMD Ryzen 5 5500U processor, one of the most considerable and popular processors for the high-end gaming experience.
Is An i5 Processor Good For Gaming?
Absolutely, yes! i5 processors are more than enough to enjoy a high-end gaming experience. You don’t need to switch to i7. The reason is that an i5 processor is reliable, affordable, and suitable for low to medium-level Gaming.
Do I Need i7 Or i5 For Gaming?
By the game you wish to play. Most productivity gaming laptops with discrete graphics chips designed for business and general computing, like the ones in the list above, can play some games. The games they play will only be a select few, usually on low settings.
Even though the i5 is ideal for Gaming, you can still move to the i7 processor if you want upgraded options. On the other hand, the i7 processor is always recommended for high-end and professional-level gamers. So, there is no need to go for i7 if you are an intermediate-level gamer.
