While some people still prefer heavy desktop gaming rigs, a lot of people have switched to sleek gaming laptops. Thanks to the advancements in technology and the exponential pace at which processing power is increased every couple of years, high-end gaming is not only possible on a laptop, it is exquisite too.
Gaming laptops today don’t even have to ultra-heavy either and can be easily carried around, making gaming on the go more attractive than ever. The ultimate boon gaming laptops provide over PC gaming rigs is the portability factor. You can travel a lot and still not lose touch with your daily dose of head shots in Call Of Duty.
Many of these gaming laptops don’t require you to break the bank either. Here, we have compiled a list of the best gaming laptops under $1,000 that you can find on the market today.
Contents
Top 5+ Best Gaming Laptops Under $1000 of 2018
Last update on 2019-12-10 | Details
1. Dell Inspiron 15 i7559-763BLK
Affordable, beautiful Full-HD 1080p screen, faster storage with SSD.
Performance
The Dell Inspiron 15 7559 is an all-around great laptop. It has solid performance thanks to a blazing quad-core i5 processor with a clock speed of up to 3.2 GHz coupled with 8GB of DDR3 RAM.
Instead of a traditional HDD, it also has an ultra-fast 256 GB SSD that is much quicker in load times as well as boot times. The graphic card installed is the mighty NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M 4GB GDDR5
Screen
The i7559 comes equipped with a beautiful Full HD 1080p IPS screen that is perfect for gaming. It is also coated with a layer of Anti-Glare, so gaming in daylight does not look washed out. To make the package even sweeter, it also comes with a backlit keyboard.
Design
Design-wise, it is considerably dull in the realms of gaming laptops. But the solid build quality and decent design make up for that more than enough. With a price tag of just $779, the Dell Inspiron 7559 is one of the best gaming laptops available today for under a thousand dollars.
The Dell Inspiron 15 i7559 is one of the most affordable gaming laptops available. What’s more, its understated design and decent looks will even make for a good laptop for any work. It may not be the most powerful gaming laptop, but it’s certainly one of the best, everything considered.
- Intel i5-6300HQ 2.3 GHz Quad-Core (6M Cache, Turbo up to 3.2 GHz)
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M 4GB GDDR5
Last update on 2019-12-10 | Details
2. ASUS ROG GL752VW-DH72
Excellent performance, attractive design, stylish keyboard.
Performance
ASUS’s GL752VW-DH72 gaming-focused laptop comes with a monstrous Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.6GHz processor and 16 GB of RAM. Performance-wise, it is one of the most powerful gaming laptops available under $1000. It also has a fairly large 1 TB Hard Drive to satisfy your gaming needs.
For graphic performance, it comes with a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M 2GB VRAM gaming graphic card, good enough for running most games at a decent frame rate.
Screen
The screen is a 17.3 inch Matte FHD display with 1920 by 1080 resolutions. With a 157 PPI, The screen is average at best, but the matte finish is welcome.
Design
The bulky ASUS ROG GL752VW has a plastic finish whose brushed metal looks give it a more premium feel. It’s design and looks are clearly of a gaming laptop, and it will easily stand out in any place if you were to take it out.
The ASUS ROG GL752VW-DH72 is an excellent choice if you are looking to do some serious gaming on a portable device. The only area it lacks is regarding the graphic card. Luckily, you can spend a few extra bucks to buy the version with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M 4GB VRAM gaming graphic card for a $100 more.
- Powerful 6th-generation Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.6GHz. 16GB RAM; 1TB 7200RPM Storage.
- 17.3 inch Matte FHD display. 1920 by 1080 resolutions. NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M 2GB VRAM gaming...
Last update on 2019-12-10 | Details
3. Acer Aspire V12 Nitro Black Edition
Gorgeous design, excellent gaming performance, silent.
Performance
The Acer Aspire V12 Nitro Black Edition comes with an Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.6 GHz processor and 8 GB of RAM. Like the ASUS, it also comes with a massive 1 TB HDD drive that will be more than enough for your gaming needs.
Regarding visual performance, it has the powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M with 4GB GDDR5 VRAM card.
Screen
The 15.6-inch display is Full HD with 1920 by 1080 resolution and is kind enough to not use an external display for your gaming. It’s not outstanding, but it’s good for a laptop in this range.
Design
Incredibly sleek and eye-pleasing aesthetics! It’s also unbelievably thin and light for a gaming laptop. Acer threw in an excellent backlit keyboard as well, and there is even an attractive red line that lights up under the silver “Acer Aspire V Nitro” logo under the monitor.
The Acer Aspire V12 Nitro Black Edition, like the Dell Inspiron, comes with a beautifully understated design. It also has some solid gaming performance. Thin, light, affordable and well-spaced, it’s an all-rounder. The only place where it could do a little better is concerning battery life, where it currently falls short. Apart from that, you can’t go wrong with the V12 Nitro.
- Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.6 GHz (6MB Cache)
- 8GB DDR4 Dual-Channel Memory,1TB 5400RPM Hard Drive
Last update on 2019-12-10 | Details
4. MSI GE62 Apache Pro-004
Unique design, brilliant keyboard, fast.
Performance
The MSI GE62 Apache Pro-004 laptop comes with the latest generation Intel Core Core i7-6700HQ Quad Core Processor (2.6-3.5GHz) and 16 GB of DDR4 RAM. The storage capacity is plentiful, thanks to a 1TB HDD. It is not lacking in power by any means and consequently, the system is incredibly smooth and fast.
The NVIDIA Geforce GTX960M 2G GDDR5 takes care of gaming performance well enough.
Screen
It comes with a superb Full HD screen with 1920 by 1080 resolution. The pixel density may not be as good as you’d expect for a 15.6-inch screen but the matte IPS screen by LG Phillips is relatively bright and also has a decent color gamut.
Design
Encased completely in black, the GE62’s upper surface of the base unit and the covers are finished in brushed metal. The hinge quality isn’t really up to the par as it is a little flimsy. Overall, the chassis is lightweight and also makes one stylish looking gaming laptop.
The MSI GE62 Apache is a relatively slim and lightweight 15.6-inch gaming laptop. Although it’s on the bulky side, it does prove its merit regarding performance. It also has a keyboard that would make gamers drool over it; the triple-SSD SuperRAID, a multi-colour backlit SteelSeries keyboard.
- Processor: Intel Core Core i7-6700HQ Quad Core Processor (2.6-3.5GHz)
- RAM: 16GB (8GB*2) DDR4 2133MHz | Hard Drive: 1TB (7200RPM)
Last update on 2019-12-10 | Details
5. Dell Inspiron 15 i7559-2512BLK
Fast, elegant, beautiful Full-HD 1080p screen, loads of storage.
Performance
The Dell Inspiron 15 i7559-2512BLK is a higher-performance version of Dell’s i7559 series. It has a much faster i7 6700HQ 2.6 GHz Processors, compared to the i5 one in the 763 BLK model. However, the speed boost it gains regarding processing power is somewhat balanced out by a slower 1 TB HDD, compared to the ultra-fast 256 GB SSD.
Dell has still packed in a 8 GB SSD which will certainly help in boosting boot times and general operations. Meanwhile, the RAM and the graphic card are the same; 8GB DDR3 and NVIDIA’s mighty GeForce GTX 960M 4GB GDDR5
Screen
It comes equipped with a beautiful Full HD 1080p IPS screen that is perfect for gaming. It is also coated with Anti-Glare, so gaming in daylight does not look washed out.
Design
Design-wise, it is considerably dull. But the solid build quality and decent, elegant design make for an understated, yet cool look. If you are a looking for a gaming laptop that doesn’t sound like an alien’s workstation, this is the one for you.
For an i7 processor and NVIDIA’s 4GB GeForce GTX 960M graphic card, this is one of the best deals you can get for just $799. The combination of the i7 processor, 8GB of RAM and the 4GB graphic card make this a killer laptop for hardcore gaming.
- Intel Quad Core i7-6700HQ 2.6 GHz Processor; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M 4GB GDDR5
- 8 GB DDR3L SDRAM
Last update on 2019-12-10 | Details
6. ASUS ROG GL752VT-DH71
Beastly performance, outlandish design, the cool gaming keyboard.
Performance
ASUS’s slightly more powerful take at a pro-gaming laptop, the ASUS ROG GL752VT-DH71 is an even more outlandish beast than its sibling. While it comes with the same 6th-generation Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.6 GHz (up to 3.50GHz) and 16 GB DDR4 RAM, it adds 128 GB PCIeG3 x4 NVMe SSD along with the 1 TB 7200 RPM HDD as well.
Moreover, the graphic card has also been upgraded to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M w/ 3GB VRAM
Screen
The screen is a 17.3 inch Matte FHD display with 1920 by 1080 resolutions. With a 157 PPI, The screen is average at best, but the matte finish is welcome.
Design
Designed like a laptop from the outer world, it is one of the unique laptops we have seen in a while, even for a gaming laptop. It comes with a unique thermal design that will stream the dust from the laptop into a dust-release tunnel to increase the overall stability of the machine.
Considerably bulky, it has a plastic finish whose brushed metal looks give it a more premium feel. The laptop has also embedded the backlit anti-ghosting gaming keyboard.
The ASUS ROG GL752VT-DH71 is a beast, inside as well as outside. It is also priced as a beast and is one of the priciest gaming laptops in our list.
- Powerful 6th-generation Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.6 GHz (up to 3.50GHz). 16 GB DDR4 RAM. 128 GB PCIeG3...
- 17.3-inches Matte IPS FHD display, 1920 by 1080 resolution. NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M w/ 3GB VRAM...
Last update on 2019-12-10 | Details
Things to Consider When Buying A Best Gaming Laptop
There are a ton of stuff you have to consider while buying a laptop, especially for gaming. The ability to do high-end gaming adds a whole new dimension to choosing a laptop. Not only does it need to pack a hefty punch to deliver satisfactory performance, but it also needs to be able to have the battery juice to last long enough to justify buying a laptop over a PC gaming rig.
Here is a list of things that you need to consider before choosing a laptop for gaming.
Hardware Specifications
This is the most important part of a laptop for gaming; hardware specifications. It needs to be able to deliver performance without sacrificing on frame rate or even battery life. You have to consider the processor, the available RAM and also the pre-installed graphic card. The storage capacity is also crucial as most games today are around 20-30 GBs.
Last but not the least, you also have to consider if the laptop has the capability to be upgraded regarding RAM/graphic card to keep up with newer and more advanced games.
Operating System
If you are buying a laptop for gaming, you need to decide which operating system you should go with. For most games, Windows is easily the best choice.
The bigger question is, which version of Windows? Windows 7 Home or Windows 7 Pro are the best choices, overall. Windows 8.1 isn’t considered a worthy upgrade over 7 and while Windows 10 is a better operating system than 7, it has some driver issues with newer games.
Build Quality
Gaming laptops don’t necessarily have to be sleek or light enough as most of your time will be spent with them lying on a desk. Most of them are bulky and made of plastic. For once, laptop manufacturers let their designers run wild with ideas, and the end results are some unique designs.
Battery Life
The whole point of a laptop is to be able to last long without being stuck to a plug in a wall. Gaming laptops need to have a bigger battery pack to balance the high load that games inflict on the computer’s internals.
However, if you plan to mostly use the laptop at your home or a place where charging is not an issue, you can opt for better performance in exchange for a worse battery life.
Screen Resolution
The screen resolution is also of incredible importance. There is no use of a good processor and graphic card if your laptop’s screen does not have enough pixels to handle that level of quality. Make sure to have a screen with an HD resolution.
Verdict
PC gaming may still be more expensive for most people, but thanks to the pace of technology’s advancement, it is not as expensive as it once was.
Our list comprises of some of the best gaming laptops available under $1,000. As you can see, there is an abundance of choices for gaming laptops in this range. While Dell and Acer prove that gaming laptops can still work as great machines for anything other than games, ASUS and Apache go the other way by making tools specifically designed for gaming.
Be it well-planned multiplayer shootouts in Overwatch or ravaging through GTA V in a nitro-fitted car, these laptops should be more than enough to keep you entertained.
