Best gaming laptops under $1,000: Expert picks that won’t break the bank

If you’re a PC gamer, you know how expensive it can be. In addition to purchasing your favorite triple-A titles, you also need a powerful machine to run them on. When it comes to gaming laptops, it gets even more complicated, as it requires an intricate cooling system to handle the heat-generating components inside. Fortunately for you, there are some inexpensive options out there. In fact, when it comes to a sub-$1,000 gaming laptop, you don’t have to cut as many corners as you may think.

If you’re feeling totally lost, don’t worry–we did the hard work for you. The laptops below have been personally tested and vetted by members of the PCWorld team, so you know you’re getting a good machine. Just note that laptop prices can fluctuate, so our picks below may occasionally go over $1,000. For more recommendations on gaming laptops, see our roundup of the best gaming laptops across all prices, or take a look at our roundup of the best laptop deals.

Why you should trust us: Hey, it’s in our name! PCWorld prides itself on laptop experience and expertise. We’ve been covering PCs since 1983, and we now review more than 70 laptops every year. All of the picks below have been personally tested and vetted by our experts, who’ve applied not only performance benchmarks but rigorous usability standards. We’re also committed to reviewing PC laptops at every price point to help you find a machine that matches your budget.

Updated April 12, 2024: We updated our list of recently reviewed laptops, which lives above the testing section of this article, and tweaked our recommendations in the ‘What to look for” section.

Recent laptop reviews

• Dell Inspiron 14 Plus (2024): The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus laptop is a remarkably well rounded system, especially where battery life and price-to-performance ratio are concerned.
• Asus Zenbook 14 OLED: AMD’s Ryzen 7 8840HS powers the new Zenbook 14 OLED to strong benchmark results and long battery life.
• Lenovo LOQ 15: The Lenovo LOQ 15 offers good performance for the price, but the bloatware is annoying to deal with and there’s only one USB-C port.
• Lenovo LOQ 16: The Lenovo LOQ 16 has a lot to offer the casual gamer. The build quality is rock-solid and the screen is both fast and comfortable to use.
• Acer Nitro V 15: The Acer Nitro V 15 cuts a few corners, but delivers solid PC gaming performance at a very low price.

How we tested

The PCWorld team puts each and every Windows laptop through a series of benchmarks that test GPU and CPU performance, battery life, and so on. The idea is to push the laptop to its limits and then compare it against others we’ve tested. Below, you’ll find a breakdown of each test and the reasons why we run them. For a much deeper look at our review methodology, check out how PCWorld tests laptops.

Windows laptops

• PCMark 10: PCMark 10 is how we determine how well the laptop handles lighter tasks like web browsing, word processing, spreadsheets, and so on.
• HandBrake: HandBrake is more intensive than PCMark 10. It basically measures how long a laptop’s CPU takes to encode a hefty 30GB file.
• Cinebench: Cinebench is a brief stress test of the CPU cores. It does this by rendering a 2D scene over a short period of time.
• 3DMark: 3DMark checks if 3D performance remains consistent over time by running graphic-intensive clips.
• Gaming tests: We benchmark each gaming laptop using several titles.
• Video rundown test: To gauge battery life, we loop a 4K video using Windows 10’s Movies & TV app until the laptop dies.

What you should look for in a budget gaming laptop

When it comes to picking the right gaming laptop, it really depends on what you want to do with it. Do you plan on playing lightweight indie titles like Stardew Valley (no shade, I love this game) or something more visually demanding like Cyberpunk 2077? Are you going to use the machine for work as well as play? It’s possible to get reliable performance out of a gaming laptop that costs under a grand, but you’ll need to take a hard look at the individual components.

You don’t need a powerful GPU for something like Fortnite. You can run even most of the newest games very well at 1080p resolution with even entry level graphics cards if you don’t mind dialing down the in-game visual settings from Ultra to more-reasonable High to Medium settings. You’ll almost certainly need to do so to hit 60 frames per second in modern games on a gaming laptop under $1,000, but the good news is they should still look good, especially on a laptop display.

• GPU: The thing about the GPU is that it can’t be swapped out and upgraded later, so you need to be real choosy about which one you pick, as this component will determine how well your machine runs games. Luckily, you don’t need the best of the best to get reliable gaming performance. The GTX 1650 is an entry-level GPU that’s affordable and good enough for 1080p gaming with low-to-mid graphics settings. That said, expect lower frame rates on newer titles. If you’re looking for a bit more power, the more modern RTX 4050 and 4050 Ti are preferred options, and commonly found in gaming laptops under $1,000. These perform well at Medium to High settings at 1080p. You may occasionally find a deal on an RTX 3060- or 4060-powered laptop under $1,000, but they’re relatively rare, and your best option for 1080p gaming with few compromises.
• CPU: Like the GPU, the processor can’t be upgraded either, so you’ll want to be selective. For Intel, we’d recommend an 13th-gen Intel Core i5 or i7 or newer. For AMD, you’ll want to spring for a Ryzen 5000 or 7000. A processor with at least four cores is good, but six cores or more is better.
• RAM: You’ll want at least 8GB of RAM. If you can afford 16GB of RAM, it’s highly recommended. Memory is normally upgradable, so you can always swap it out and add more later on.
• Storage: Storage impacts how many games and applications you can install on your laptop. Like RAM, storage is often upgradable and can be swapped out later. However, you should aim for at least 512GB of SSD storage plus a hard drive, as AAA titles tend to eat up a lot of space. SSDs load games faster, as data is stored on chips rather than spinning disks.
• Display: 1080p is what you can expect at this price range, either with a 60Hz or 144Hz (preferred) refresh rate. Budget gaming laptops don’t always have the best displays, as that’s where manufacturers tend to cut corners to keep the cost low. If you’ve got a dim display, you can always pick up an external monitor to plug into it.
• Battery life: Generally speaking, gaming laptops are known for having poor battery life. That’s because they use a ton of power. They also tend to be heavier than other laptops because they need more space for heatsinks and other cooling components. Depending on the use, most will last anywhere from four to six hours on a single charge. That said, there are a few exceptions.

For a deeper dive into the nitty-gritty details, check out our guide on the specifications you want in a sub-$1,000 gaming laptop.