Finding a budget gaming laptop that isn't a waste of your money is a seriously difficult task, so it's helpful to know what you shouldn't spend on certain specs.
It's easy to end up paying more than you should for a gaming laptop that doesn't have a decent price-to-performance ratio. A great example is the Acer Nitro V 15, which has a starting price of $1,049, higher than any budget-conscious gamer should be paying considering its specs.
The Nitro V 15 includes an Intel Core i7-13620H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. Only the maxed-out configuration includes 1TB of storage, for a total of $1,349.
Laptop Mag recommends avoiding gaming laptops with less than 1TB of storage in 2024, and that's especially true if the price tag is over $1,000 and paired with an RTX 4050 graphics card. If you're paying $1,000 or more, you will get far better value (and performance) out of a gaming laptop with an RTX 4060 GPU, meaning you should probably skip the RTX 4050 entirely.
However, gamers on a budget may be looking for something under $1,000 and wondering if the RTX 4050 is a worthy runner-up to the 4060. At the right price, it's possible. I'd also recommend considering a handheld gaming device at this price point, like the Asus ROG Ally, but if you need a device for work or school as well as gaming, one of the best cheap gaming laptops could be the right choice.
I found a few RTX 4050 laptops under $800 that offer a solid price-to-performance ratio. If your budget absolutely cannot exceed $1,000, these gaming laptops are a good place to start.
1. HP Victus 15
The Victus line-up is HP's budget-oriented range of gaming laptops, but they can offer some seriously good value for your money.
The AMD Ryzen 5 8645HS model is an especially good deal. While the CPU could be better, it offers a beefy 32GB of RAM and a full 1TB of storage, better than most other gaming laptops at this price. That's enough for at least a few large AAA games, no storage upgrade necessary.
We haven't reviewed this specific model, but Laptop Mag gave its big sibling, the Victus 16, a praise-worthy 4-star review with similar specs. Victus laptops tend to have more minimalistic designs than many other gaming laptops, which makes them especially well-suited for gamers who want to bring their laptop to work or school.
2. MSI Thin 15
The MSI Thin 15 makes a solid entry-level or budget-friendly gaming laptop with its relatively lightweight design (4.1 pounds) and decent specs, especially if you can find it on sale. For example, the Core i5 model is down to just $599 at Best Buy for Black Friday which is a bargain.
While 512GB of storage is less than we typically recommend, the MSI Thin has multiple storage slots so you could upgrade it with an aftermarket SSD or HDD if you're willing to put in that extra time and effort.
Even if you're not interested in upgrading the storage, this could be a good starter laptop for someone who is new to PC gaming or if you simply don't mind only having a few large games on your laptop at a time.
We haven't reviewed the MSI Thin 15, or any MSI Thin gaming laptop, so we cannot vouch for the quality outside of its price.
3. Asus TUF Gaming A15
The Asus TUF Gaming line-up is another budget-friendly range of gaming laptops that can offer a good price-to-performance ratio in the sub-$1,500 price bracket. They have a unique industrial aesthetic that stands out from most other gaming laptops, too.
The TUF Gaming A15 has only 512GB of storage, but it's paired with a solid Ryzen 7 processor. It's an especially good deal at this sale price of $799 for Black Friday. It's also worth noting that this model has a second SSD slot, so it is possible to upgrade the storage with an aftermarket SSD.
Keep in mind that we haven't reviewed this model, although laptops like the Asus TUF Gaming A14 have done well.
Outlook
These three budget-friendly gaming laptops may not be the most powerful on the market, but they can be good options if your budget is below $1,000. They're far from the only affordable gaming laptops around, though.
For example, the Dell G16 (7630) is available for under $1,000 and includes an RTX 4060 along with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. You can check out even more highly-rated, budget-friendly options in our guides to the best gaming laptops under $1,500 and the best cheap gaming laptops.
Regardless of the laptop you decide to buy, the important thing to remember is you shouldn't buy a gaming laptop with an RTX 4050 GPU for more than $800. It simply isn't worth it, especially with RTX 50-series gaming laptops right around the corner.
When those laptops launch, the price of RTX 4050 and RTX 4060 gaming laptops will drop, opening up even more budget-friendly options. So, your best bet is to either wait or spend your money wisely and choose an RTX 4050 laptop under $800.
