For those who love gaming but want to try something outside of the traditional console, finding the best gaming laptops under 1500 rig is important.
But while the large and spacious towers of gaming PCs can hold powerful components and leave plenty of room for ventilation, size isn’t everything. For those with space constraints of schedules that see them traveling often, bigger isn’t always better.
For those who want a combination of hardware capabilities and space-saving design, gaming laptops can be the way to go. They can be transported easily while still delivering where it counts – in performance. Despite their small size, gaming laptops with the right design can offer the tech specs needed to run modern games on high settings at high framerates while still staying cool and relatively quiet.
For the gamer who wants to see every pixel, shadow, and frame while having a setup they can take with them on a moment’s notice, a gaming laptop is the answer.
There are many best gaming laptops under 1500 to choose from – for the person looking to set their spending cap at $1,500, what are the best options?
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How We Choose Our Ratings
Finding the best gaming laptops under 1500 requires a good bit of research on the highest-performing components and the most well-received brands in the industry.
We choose our ratings based on the technical specs a laptop offers. Every gaming machine needs a proper combination of CPU, GPU, RAM, and even storage to deliver the best results. We analyze the parts themselves, as well as how they fit together to prevent issues like bottlenecking.
The brands themselves are also considered. While brand names alone aren’t necessarily indicative of quality, popular gaming laptop manufacturers have usually earned their place in the industry through a commitment to workmanship and customer service.
A combination of tech specs, brand names, and of course customer reviews help us determine the best gaming laptops under 1500 – here are our picks for the top nine.
Quick Comparison Table Of The Top 9 Best Gaming Laptops Under 1500
Laptop | Rating | Details |
---|---|---|
1. Acer Predator Helios 300 | ||
2. Eluktronics N870HP Pro-X | ||
3. ASUS ROG Strix GL702VS | ||
4.Lenovo Y700 -15.6 FHD | ||
5.HP High Performance 17.3” Full HD IPS Business Gaming Laptop | ||
6.MSI 15.6” 120Hz 3ms Premium Gaming Laptop | ||
7.Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming Edition 7565 Laptop | ||
8.CUK MSI PL60 Gamer Notebook | ||
9. SAGER NP7850 15.6” FHD IPS VR Ready Gaming Laptop |
Full Review Of The Top 9 Best Gaming Laptops Under 1500
1. Acer Predator Helios 300
The Acer Predator Helios 300 comes with an Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor. With four physical cores and eight logical cores using hyperthreading, this CPU can handle everything from intense gaming to multi-tab multitasking and more. It uses Intel’s 7th generation architecture and can achieve clock speeds of up to 3.8Ghz.
It also comes with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB model, supporting high-end gaming performance on very high settings. There’s also 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a 256GB SSD, as well as the PredatorSense gaming control panel allowing custom configuration of the laptop’s specs for precise performance.
Even the look is sleek – the laptop has a 15.6” full HD display capable of 1080p resolution and a stylish backlit keyboard emitting a red glow.
This one has it all – from the CPU right down to the storage drive, everything is built for speed. The PredatorSense customization option tops it off, giving users unparalleled control for the price.
Pros
Cons
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Best Quality | $$$ |
2. Eluktronics N870HP Pro-X
Eluktronics may not have the following of brands like Acer, but the N870 HD Pro-X has all the makings of a high-end gaming machine.
Like the Acer model above, this machine also combines the processing power of the i7-7700 HQ with the graphical capabilities of the NVIIDA GeForce 1060. The 17.3” display is great for immersive full-screen gaming, and a 256GB PCIe SSD and 16GB of DDR4 RAM come standard.
This machine is also customizable – users can choose multiple variations, swapping down to a 1050Ti GPU and 8GB of RAM if they’d like. There’s also the option to get a standalone 128GB PCIe SSD, or to go with the popular SSD/HDD combo of a 128GB SSD and a 2TB HDD for the perfect balance of storage and read speed.
With so many variations of this popular machine, gamers with varying technical preferences can find some version of the N870HP Pro-X to fit their needs.
Pros
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QUALITY | PRICE | OUR RATING |
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Best Quality | $$$ |
3. ASUS ROG Strix GL702VSX

ASUS has branched out from a motherboard maker to a full-service PC and laptop maker. Their ROG Strix GL702VS is ultra-thin and ultra-light, but it doesn’t skip on the hardware.
The Intel i7-7700HQ processor is clocked at 2.8GHz but can achieve 3.8GHz in turbo mode. This provides enough power to balance the high-end GPU. This model comes equipped with a GTX 1070 8GB model, offering gamers the chance to run the newest releases on some of the highest settings while still enjoying smooth framerates.
There’s also 12GB of DDR4 RAM and a pair of high-performance cooling fans to keep this powerful machine nice and chilled even during intense use. Finally, the computer offers a 128GB SSD and a 1TB HDD, allowing gamers to install their OS and games on the faster drive for better performance while still keeping plenty of storage for files.
This model from ASUS has got plenty of standard and video memory, as well as a combination of storage drives and fans to handle almost any task the user throws at it.
Pros
Cons
QUALITY | PRICE | OUR RATING |
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Best Quality | $$$ |
4.Lenovo Y700 -15.6 FHD
Lenovo’s Y700 – 15.6 FHD laptop offers a full HD display at 15.6” with the capability to run games at 1080p.
It comes with the sixth generation Intel Core i7 6700HQ with a clock speed of 2.6GHz capable of reaching 3.5 GHz with turbo boost. This provides the right balance for the GeForce GTX 960M 4GB GPU to prevent bottlenecking and maximize performance.
The Y700 has 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a good combination of storage. The 256GB SSD is a perfect home for the OS and gaming platforms like Steam, while the 1TB HDD offers enough space to store dozens of programs and thousands of files.
While not as robust as the ones listed above, this laptop is also a little more affordable. At just over $1,000, it’s a solid machine balancing performance and affordability.
Pros
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QUALITY | PRICE | OUR RATING |
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Best Quality | $$$ |
5.HP High Performance 17.3” Full HD IPS Business Gaming Laptop
Business and gaming have a lot in common – they both require good hardware setups to handle performance-intensive tasks.
That’s exactly what the HP High Performance 17.3” Full HD IPS Business Gaming laptop offers. With its seventh generation i7-7500U processor’s 2.7 GHz clock speed (3.5 GHz with turbo) it can handle work and play alike.
The Radeon R5 M430 GPU with 2GB of dedicated VRAM offers enough power to support many modern games on some of the highest settings. The standard model comes with 16GB of RAM and an impressive 1TB SSD – that’s a lot of storage space at a very high read speed.
Users can upgrade to 32GB of RAM if they choose, or even go down to a 512GB SSD or even choose between a 128GB or 256GB SSD with a 1TB HDD.
It may not have the graphical components of some other laptops on this list, but the combination of a high-capacity SSD with a fast processor and plenty of RAM more than makes up for it.
Pros
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QUALITY | PRICE | OUR RATING |
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Best Quality | $$ |
6.MSI 15.6” 120Hz 3ms Premium Gaming Laptop
MSI delivers a powerful gaming laptop just under the $1500 limit. Not only does it have a 15.6” FHD display capable of 1080p resolutions, but the wide view screen stops over 90 percent of glares.
The processor is an i5-7300 HQ, with four physical cores clocking in at 2.5 GHz standard. The GPU is where the laptop really shines – a GTX 1070 with 8GB of GDDR5 VRAM can handle even the most intense games, and the machine also comes with 8GB of DDR4 standard memory.
The storage drive is a 256GB SATA, saving space while providing a combination of room and speed. Finally, the keyboard offers per-key RGB lighting options to really give this laptop a sleek look.
It may not have the processing power of some other laptops in its price range, but the powerful GPU and well-rounded features make this offering from MSI a great one to consider as the best gaming laptops under 1500.
Pros
Cons
QUALITY | PRICE | OUR RATING |
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Best Quality | $$$ |
7.Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming Edition 7565 Laptop
This 2018 model from Dell offers a good combination of processing power, plenty of memory and storage, as well as a robust GPU for high-end gaming performance.
While the included Intel Core i5-7300 HQ isn’t as capable as some other processors in the best gaming laptops under 1500, it makes up for it with a powerful NVIDIA GTX 1050 TI 4GB video card. It also has an impressive 32GB of RAM standard, making it suitable for gaming and even light video editing or 3D rendering. 16GB and 8GB models are also available for those who don’t think they need as much memory.
A 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD come standard, providing the perfect balance of read speed and storage capacity. Buyers also have the option to double their HDD capacity if they choose.
It’s heavy on memory and customization options – Dell’s 7565 gaming laptop offers plenty of processing power and all-around specs to handle almost any gaming need.
Pros
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QUALITY | PRICE | OUR RATING |
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Best Quality | $$$ |
8.CUK MSI PL60 Gamer Notebook
Another offering from MSI, this gaming notebook comes with a dual-core i7-7500U processor capable of hyperthreading and 2.7GHz speed (3.5GHz turbo).
The GPU is an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 2GB GDDR5, powering 1080p graphics on the 15.6” full HD display. The keyboard is lined with silver and backlit with a white light.
There are two options buyers can choose from in terms of memory and storage. The higher option offers 32GB of RAM, a 250GB SSD, and a 1TB HDD. The other option also includes a 1TB HDD but comes with 16GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD instead.
CUK notebooks may not have as big of a reputation as certain other brands, but the MSI name carries a lot of weight. Combined with a solid array of specs and multiple sales options, this makes the PL60 gamer notebook a good choice for the best gaming laptops under 1500.
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Best Quality | $$ |
9. SAGER NP7850 15.6” FHD IPS VR Ready Gaming Laptop
Though the brand may not be the most recognizable, this laptop offers a great combination of specs perfect for the gamer who wants performance.
The machine comes with the Intel i7-7700HQ, a quad-core processor capable of hyper threading and robust enough to handle high-end gaming and multitasking alike. The GPU is a GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5, matching up well with the CPU and allowing for high-settings gameplay at smooth framerates.
The computer is also equipped with 16GB of DDR4 RAM, a 250GB SSD, and a 1TB HDD. Finally, a multicolored backlit keyboard gives this machine the impressive looks to match the power.
Though the lesser-known brand leads to fewer user reviews, the components used in this machine represent a finely tuned gaming laptop capable of handling even the most machine-melting new releases.
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QUALITY | PRICE | OUR RATING |
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Best Quality | $$ |
Buyer’s Guide: Finding the Best Gaming Laptops Under 1500
These are just some of the most popular and capable gaming laptops in the less-than $1500 price range. But for the buyer who is narrowing down their options or even considering keeping their search going, what should they look for?
The first is a good CPU. Laptop processors are a bit different than PC processors, so it’s a good idea to look for a quad-core if possible. However, a strong dual-core model with hyperthreading and an impressive clock speed can still be a good option.
The GPU is an obvious frontrunner for the most valuable component in a gaming laptop. Some sites provide users with the chance to check a GPU’s performance and see how it handles on various games. The rest of the hardware affects this too, but it’s a good idea to look for something with at least 2GB of dedicated VRAM.
Since games are intense applications, especially on high settings, gamers should ensure they have at least 8GB of RAM to run the game and any necessary support applications. Finally, don’t overlook the value of custom lighting – it may not be a requirement for the best gaming laptops under 1500, but it is a very cool visual effect!