5 best cheap gaming laptops in 2022

Specifications are often overestimated when choosing a PC, but not when it comes to gaming systems. Buying a cheap gaming laptop is definitely a case where you have to get the most out of it with the least amount of money without sacrificing your gaming experience. It’s a careful balance, though, as doubling your RAM or getting a better graphics card will hit your budget. The closer you get to the $1,000 price point, the more likely you are to get more than the basic specs of a gaming laptop: be it a newer processor or 16GB of RAM or a solid-state drive. 512GB. However, if you’re looking at every dollar, you’ll have to do with those bare minimum specs.

Two other important considerations are weight and battery life, both of which are not distinctive features of gaming laptops. The laptops on this list fall on either side of the 5-pound mark, but if you plan to carry your laptop around often, a lighter system might be more important to you. You shouldn’t expect miracles when it comes to battery life either, as more powerful components pushed to the max by PC games will chew through a single charge. However, if it’s important to stay unplugged for as long as possible, the Acer Nitro 5’s superior battery count should be taken seriously.