Best Gaming Laptops Under $1500: A PC and Windows Laptop Perspective

Gaming has gotten to the stage that it allows people to calm down and remove their stress by playing their favorite online and offline games.

Games have made it much easier to relate and communicate through your inner-self. Hence, a gaming laptop is your ticket to a gaming experience that you can slide into a pouch and take it away anywhere.

The only problem is, it isn’t easy to pick the right product anymore.

There are hundreds of laptops with various specifications and combinations of CPUs and GPUs and many different implementations to get your mind around.

All of that means nothing a regular gamer without the knowledge of good computer parts.

For example, an Nvidia RTX 3060 gaming laptop can deliver an entirely different experience than another with a 3080 GPU.

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$1500 is a significant investment and can get you some decent hardware to boot. From powerful processors to fast refresh rate displays, these are just a handful of the things you can expect from this tier.

As for the performance? Well, expect to play all your favorite titles on max settings with not breaking a sweat. However, before we get to the products, let’s look at what you should expect from a laptop of this caliber.

What should you be expecting from a Gaming Laptop for under $1500?

These are few things that you could expect to see in your new laptop:

1. Performance

Perhaps the most critical place to start is the CPU and GPU. You can expect to see the latest generation Intel i7 or a Ryzen 7 processor and a dedicated NVIDIA GPU from the 3000 series that would last you a long time and run all your games and productivity applications with ease.

2. Storage & RAM

Crucial to your overall experience is RAM and storage (HDD or SSD). You will want to look for a laptop with a minimum of 8 Gigs of RAM, and anything more would be appreciated. DDR4 is the standard in 2021, and if you’re getting DDR5, go with it.

However, storage is an entirely different thing, and getting an SSD is best. And if you can also get – as an extra – an HDD with 1TB of storage, that would be even better.

3. Display & Build

This last decision mainly lies with how the brand develops or produces the laptop. If you’re attached to a series of products, it must be because the entire experience and the build and display take up a considerable chunk.

Still,  it’s worth noting that choosing a reputable brand with all-around excellent performance and reputation is a wise option.

Companies such as ASUS, MSI, and Razer are great companies that offer outstanding warranties and a better value with some beautiful build and fast refresh rate HD panels.

With a basic structure down for the expectations, let’s look at the best gaming laptops you can buy for around $1500:

1. Razer Blade 15 – Our Top Pick
2. MSI GF65 – The Close Second Best Gaming Laptop 2021 under 1500
3. HP – OMEN Gaming – The Best Budget Pick
4. GIGABYTE AORUS 15G – The Best Built Option
5. Lenovo Legion 5 – Most Portable Laptop under 1500
6. Dell G7 – The Lightweight Option
7. Acer Predator Helios 300 – Best Battery-Life Laptop
8. MSI GL65 – The Best Display Option
9. ASUS TUF Gaming – Runner-up Best Budget Pick10. Asus ROG Strix G – The Premium Gaming Choice

1. Razer Blade 15 – Our Top Pick for Best Gaming Laptop under $1500

Price: $1500

The latest variant of the Razer Blade 15 improves on one of our most favorite gaming laptop series. It has a gorgeous CNC-milled aluminum body, and it houses one of Nvidia’s latest RTX 30-series GPUs.

It also brings in an Intel 10th Gen CPU, and one of the best things about the Blade 15 is the variety of configurations it offers. From the GTX 1660 Ti to the RTX 3080, there’s a choice for almost everyone. It’s also one of the most beautiful gaming laptops around, with slim bezels and a compact body, making it our top pick for everyone.

Design

The slim profile and minimal aesthetic make the Razer Blade the perfect gaming machine for everyone. It doesn’t go all out on a gamer aesthetic, which makes it ideal for professional uses.

The display also provides a great refresh rate and HD resolution, bringing out decent colors and a great contrast and saturation profile.

Performance

The i7 processor and the 2070 GPU make all games and productivity run with ease. From streaming to editing, everything feels smooth and works flawlessly, and the battery life isn’t shabby either, making it the perfect machine to daily drive.

Specifications:

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: Intel Core i7-10750H 6 Core
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
• Storage: 512 GB
• RAM: 16 GB
• Display: 15.6” FHD IPS display panel
• Resolution: 1920×1080
• Refresh Rate: 144 Hz
• Battery: 16 hours of standby time

2. MSI GF65 – The Second Best Gaming Laptop in 2021 under 1500

Price: $1425

With an impressive combination of 16 GB RAM, great build, and a beautiful vibrant 144Hz display, the MSI GF65 is an excellent contender for the best gaming laptop under $1500.

The Nvidia RTX 3060 has impressive framerates in gaming and a 10th Generation Intel Core i7 processor. It has powerful hardware to handle all professional applications you throw at it.

However, this laptop’s biggest downside is that it tends to get hot after any gaming session, leading to thermal throttling.

Design

This laptop comes with a sturdy metal build, and the keyboard has tactile, clicky feedback – perfect for gaming.

However, the trackpad is a weak point and would require you to have a decent mouse to play all your games.

The screen is an FHD IPS panel with a refresh rate of 144Hz and is equipped with a fast response rate and good brightness and viewing angles.

The colors are decent enough for gaming with saturation pumped up, but it is not accurate enough for professional graphic design work.

Performance

The performance is excellent and delivers on most aspects of gaming and productivity. It primarily holds up with the 144 Hz screen and efficiently runs all gaming titles at high to max settings. However, it can get a little hot with prolonged usage.

Specifications:

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: Intel Core i7-10750H
• Graphics: RTX 3060
• Storage: 512 GB
• RAM: 16 GB
• Display: 16:9 15.6″ FHD IPS Panel
• Resolution: 1920×1080
• Refresh Rate: 144 Hz
• Battery: 14 hours of standby time

3. HP – OMEN Gaming – The Best Budget Pick for Gaming Laptop

Price: $1060

The HP Omen is fast, durable, has excellent gaming performance, and provides a minimal all-black aesthetic, and feels sturdy and well-designed.

Competitive multiplayer gamers will love the fast 144 Hz FHD screen with quick response times, vivid colors, and impressive smoothness.

Even with the demanding applications, this laptop stays quiet and doesn’t get hot even after long gaming sessions.

It is the best laptop for Sims 4 or other similar games.

Design

The keyboard has a precise tactile keystroke and allows you to adjust the keyboard backlighting. The touchpad is responsive and comes with Windows precision drivers.

Its small bezels and compact body make for a great experience, and the budget price tag makes it that much better.

Performance

The HP Omen gaming comes equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 4800H CPU, 8 GB DDR4 RAM, and the Nvidia GTC 1660 Ti. It runs almost all the latest games smoothly on high graphics settings, and the fast 512GB SSD provides you enough storage for all your games, and you can easily upgrade the SSD for more storage – which is a big plus.

Specifications:

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 4800H (2.9 GHz base clock, up to 4.3 GHz max boost clock)
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
• Storage: 512 GB
• RAM: 8 GB
• Display: 15.6” Diagonal FHD IPS Anti-glare Panel
• Resolution: 1920×1080
• Refresh Rate: 144 Hz
• Battery: 10 hours of standby time

4. GIGABYTE AORUS 15G – The Best Built Option

Price: $1500

The Gigabyte Aorus 15G comes with a solid gaming performance at high graphic settings and delivers excellent specs and a beautiful body that feels modern and provides a clean minimal aesthetic.

The display is smooth with a 240 Hz panel which provides some of the best colors and saturation compared to the competitors. It also delivers excellent performance for city-building games such as City Skyline and has 32 GB of RAM, making it the best laptop for Roblox.

Design

The sleek body provides a beautiful design with a micro bezel screen which makes the body compact.

Its display and keyboard feel great but have an average trackpad which leaves a lot to be desired.

When it comes to battery life, you’ll have more than enough juice to last you all day without issues.

Performance

This is a solid gaming machine with impressive performance throughout all games. While it’s going to lag behind higher-tier laptops packing an RTX 3080, Gigabyte has still made a decent device with a 1080p panel and smooth frame rates in all the latest games.

The boosted Intel 5GHz processor helps run all games and productivity applications without any hassle and delivers a beautiful gaming experience.

Specifications:

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: Intel Core i7-10870H
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
• Storage: 512 GB
• RAM: 32 GB
• Display: 15.6” FHD IPS Anti-Glare Panel
• Resolution: 1920×1080
• Refresh Rate: 240 Hz
• Battery: 18 hours of standby time

5. Lenovo Legion 5 – Most Portable Laptop under 1500

Price: $1280

The Lenovo Legion 5 comes with 16GB DDR4 RAM, a 512 GB SSD, and can handle extreme multitasking and demanding applications such as editing software.

Its AMD Ryzen 7-4800H processor is one of the best CPUs on the market and delivers you some excellent multitasking capabilities with decent headroom and battery life. This makes it the best laptop for Minecraft and similar gaming titles.

Design

With a chassis made of aluminum, holding the Lenovo Legion 5 provides you with a durable and premium impression and has an overall high-quality design.

However, the webcam placement comes with awkward viewing angles.

Performance

The included Nvidia GTX 2050 and the Ryzen 7 chip provide a smooth gaming experience with all games.

You’ll see it running most games smoothly but may have some issues with demanding games on ultra settings.

The 512 GB also makes up for a decent argument as it doesn’t allow you to store larger games without taking up all the storage.

Specifications:

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7- 4800H
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060
• Storage: 512 GB
• RAM: 16 GB
• Display: 15.6” FHD IPS Panel
• Resolution: 1920×1080
• Refresh Rate: 144 Hz
• Battery: 14 hours of standby time

6. Dell G7 – The Lightweight Option

Price: $1450

The Dell G7 offers decent 1080p gaming performance with configurations starting from around $1,000, and the battery is also impressive.

The improvement factor from its previous model comes with a slimmer, sleeker design and bezels. It’s a welcome to the toned-down aesthetic.

If you are in the market for a gaming laptop that feels professional and has an overall decent aesthetic, then this is the way to go.

Its display seems to be the only downside as it can feel a little dull, and the colors aren’t as great as the other gaming laptops on this list.

Design

The small compact design results in a lightweight body, and it can be felt when you pick it up the first time. Dell implementing a decent battery and a fast, efficient processor results in incredible battery life and can be used for an entire day without any issues.

The keyboard feels fantastic to type on, but the offset trackpad delivers a worse gaming experience.

Performance

The hexacore Intel processor can quickly boost up to 4.5 GHz that provides excellent gaming and productivity.

With a 1 TB HDD and 256 GB, storage options also bring a lot to the table by providing enough performance for all daily tasks.

The 1660 Ti can keep up with all new titles and offer you a decent framerate on higher graphic settings.

Specifications:

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: Intel Hexa-Core i7-9750H up to 4.5GHz
• Graphics: GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB
• Storage: 1 TB HDD + 256 GB PCIe SSD
• RAM: 16 GB
• Display: 15.6” FHD IPS Display
• Resolution: 1920×1080
• Refresh Rate: 144 Hz
• Battery: 10 hours of standby time

7. Acer Predator Helios 300 – Best Battery-Life Laptop

Price: $1500

We loved the previous Acer Predator Helios 300, so we couldn’t skip the current generation as the 2020 model Helios is back with a banger of a graphics card: the RTX 2060 Max-Q.

It also brings you to the territory of a sleeker form factor without raising the price significantly. The Helios 300 has a 140 Hz IPS screen with tiny bezels that make the device feel premium and sturdy.

The only drawback is the SSD capacity and the low storage it provides, as a couple of games can quickly fill it.

Design

The body can feel a bit heavy and chunky, but it still looks modern with the small bezels and impressive performance. The keyboard feels fantastic, and the trackpad isn’t bad either. These contribute to improving the laptop through a remarkable display and provides the best color and contrast for your games.

Performance

The i7 processor from Intel gives you enough performance for all single-core-related apps. You can also stream and game at the same time without any significant loss in quality.

The RTX 2060 is impressive as it can run all games without any issues. The remarkable battery life is also great to see, and it allows users to game longer without worrying about running out of gas.

Specifications:

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: Intel i7-10750H
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB
• Storage: 512 GB
• RAM: 16 GB
• Display: 15.6” Full HD 3ms IPS Display
• Resolution: 1920×1080
• Refresh Rate: 144 Hz
• Battery: 20 hours of standby time

8. MSI GL65 – The Best Display Option

Price: $1395

The MSI GL65 is one hell of a machine with impressive features such as a sleek body and robust components.

It destroys all games with no issues and performs exceptionally well on all productivity-related applications.

The RTX 2070 GPU also helps it achieve its best with newer ray-tracing titles and is the best laptop for World of Warcraft players.

Design

The modern aluminum body looks sleek, and the slim bezels make the laptop look good in all aspects of life and be used professionally.

The display provides a 144 Hz refresh rate that makes all games smooth and encourages e-sport gamers to game on the go. Not to mention the panel also is bright enough for outdoor usage with impressive bright colors and contrast.

Performance

The boosted i7 processor can easily reach 4GHz speeds, accompanied by the 2070 GPU, making everything buttery smooth.

From gaming to professional editing, everything runs smoothly and can last you the entire day on a single charge if used moderately.

However, it does get a little hot if used for prolonged gaming or editing sessions.

Specifications:

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: Intel Core i7-10750H
• Graphics: Nvidia RTX 2070
• Storage: 512 GB
• RAM: 16 GB
• Display: 15.6” FHD 3ms Thin Bezel Display
• Resolution: 1920×1080
• Refresh Rate: 144 Hz
• Battery: 14 hours of standby time

9. ASUS TUF Gaming – Runner-up Best Budget Pick

Price: $1050

The Asus TUF Gaming is still one of the best budget gaming laptops, around under $1500, mainly due to the processor and GPU selection it provides.

This device performs admirably on all tasks and delivers some excellent gaming experience throughout all new games.

Its Nvidia GTX 1650 isn’t anything groundbreaking, but it can still run most games on medium to high settings making it a great budget-friendly choice for everyone.

Design

The laptop comes with a durable bulky body and doesn’t bring in any deck flex, and the modern slim bezel display is just the cherry on top.

If you’re looking for a well-built budget gaming laptop, this won’t disappoint you, and the keyboard is another crucial highlight that will make all typing and gaming experiences better.

Performance

The 9^th gen Intel CPU can feel a bit dated but trust me, it still performs well and keeps up with the newer products while gaming.

The single-core performance it delivers is some of the best and will allow you to run all applications with ease. The GPU also comes in handy and provides excellent support in all GPU accelerated tasks and applications.

Specifications:

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: Intel Core i7-9750H
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650
• Storage: 1 TB SSD
• RAM: 16 GB
• Display: 15.6” Full HD IPS-Type Display
• Resolution: 1920×1080
• Refresh Rate: 144 Hz
• Battery: 12 hours of standby time

10. Asus ROG Strix G – The Premium Gaming Choice

Price: $1330

The ROG Strix G makes incredibly appealing choices throughout its specs. It feels like Asus has been hard on work with this one and turned up everything to the max.

From the overclocked CPU to the impressive GPU, everything is specifically chosen to make this gaming laptop a beast of a machine. All games run smoothly, and the incredible keyboard makes it superb for shooter and builder games and is primarily the best laptop for Fortnite.

Design

The ROG Strix G leads on to its name and fully incorporates a red and black gamer aesthetic with RGB lighting all around.

It is appreciated by many but loses all viability on professional scenarios. Hence, it is strictly built for gaming, and it shows excellent performance and a fantastic display panel to boot.

Performance

The i7 chip from Intel helped deliver some excellent performance with most games on high to ultra settings but is sometimes limited due to some thermal throttling.

The fans also ramp up considerably to keep the RTX 2060 GPU cool enough so that everything runs smoothly. Other than that, everything works wonderfully, and this is a beautiful machine that wouldn’t disappoint.

Specifications:

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: Intel Core i7-9750H
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060
• Storage: 512 GB
• RAM: 16 GB
• Display: 15.6” IPS Type Full HD Display
• Resolution: 1920×1080
• Refresh Rate: 120 Hz
• Battery: 16 hours of standby time

And there you have it, the best 10 laptops under $1500 you can buy right now.

Now it’s your turn, will you buy any of these choices, or did we miss one? Let us know in the comments.

Happy gaming!