Budget gaming laptop. Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15.

Best budget gaming laptop in 2021

Everyone’s choice for a good budget gaming laptop will differ but one important factor for everyone is getting value for money. How much money you have to spend would determine what laptop you can afford.

If money is no issue, then there are limitless possibilities in terms of a budget gaming laptop. Since most gamers are price sensitive then you would be looking for a laptop that delivers lag-free performance without breaking the bank.

Best budget gaming laptop

The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15 is simply the best gaming laptop for its price. Coming in at $699 on Amazon, the laptop definitely isn’t cheap but in today’s market it definitely isn’t something to scoff at. It comes with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600H working in unison alongside the GTX 1650.

The laptop also sports 1 x 8GB 3200mhz DDR4 RAM (upgradeable up to 64GB total). It has a 256GB M.2 SSD storage (upgradeable with an empty NVMe PCIe M.2 slot or space for a 2.5” SSD or HDD). You get a 45Wh battery, an IPS 120hz display for your competitive edge and great viewing angles.

If you want some extra pop, it even comes with a white backlit keyboard. Another thing you probably wouldn’t expect on such a budget gaming laptop is an actual webcam that also has a privacy shutter.

There are downsides to the budget gaming laptop however as it has to make up for its affordability somewhere. The screen can only do 250 nits of brightness and can only last around 5 hours on the little battery. The i/o is limited but it does have a 3.2 USB type-c port alongside the other 2 USB A ports.

Budget gaming laptop specifications

Full spec list:

Processor: AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600H Processor (3.30 GHz, up to 4.20 GHz Max Boost, 6 Cores, 12 Threads, 16 MB Cache)
Operating System: Windows 10 Home 64
Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 4GB
Memory: 8 GB DDR4 3200MHz
Storage: 1 TB 5400 RPM HDD + 256 GB PCIe SSD
Display: 15.6″ FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, anti-glare, 250 nits, 120Hz
Camera: 720p HD
AC Adapter: 135W
Keyboard: Backlit – White – US English
WLAN: 802.11AX (2 x 2) & Bluetooth® 5.0
Warranty: 1 Year Depot or Carry-in
Battery Up to 5 hours (45W battery) *
Rapid Charge Pro (up to 50% in 30 minutes)

Buying options

There are a few buying options. You can purchase from a range of online retailers as well as direct from the manufacturer. Prices differ because of the size of the SSD, so don’t think that Amazon has the cheapest option. Carefully review specs before making your purchase.

Amazon: Starting at $680.07 (AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600H – NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 – Memory – 256GB SSD – Shadow Black)
Best Buy: Starting at $779.99 (AMD Ryzen 5 5600H – NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 – 8GB Memory – 512GB SSD – Shadow Black)
Lenovo: Starting at $889.99 (AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600H – NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 – Memory – 1TB SSD – Shadow Black)
B&H Photo Video: Starting at $699.99 (AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600H – NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 – Memory – 1TB SSD – Shadow Black)