If you are just a casual gamer or you just want to play games for fun then a gaming computer in the sub-$500 price range will be suitable. And on the market today, gaming computer models are very diverse in configuration as well as model or price. So choose products with such a limited price but still right with your needs and desires. Then take a look at our top picks and choose the right product for you.

Our Top Picks

The top choices for each were selected after extensive market analysis and product testing, and they are each mentioned below:

• Best overall: HP 14 Laptop

• Best performance: Lenovo IdeaPad 3i Laptop

• Best value: Acer Aspire 5

• Best budget: Dell Inspiron 15.6-inch

• Best premium: HP 2019 14" Laptop

Detail Reviews Of Top 4 Best Gaming Laptops Under $500

1. HP 14 Laptop

(Best Overall)

Reasons to buy 

• AMD Ryzen 5 5500U processor

• Under 3.5 pounds

Reasons to avoid 

• Weak configuration comes with a low price

Product's Summary

The HP 14 is the top pick in our list of laptops under $500. So what specific features does it have, let's find out. Firstly, this product comes with AMD Ryzen 5 5500U processor. With that, it comes with a 14-inch screen and weighs just under 3.5 pounds. They both offer pretty clear specs. And if you prefer a larger screen or a product with an Intel processor, this is a good choice for you. Next in terms of game performance, this product can help you easily handle less demanding games. And in general, you can only play games with lower settings or an acceptable frame rate.

2. Lenovo IdeaPad 3i Laptop

(Best performance)

Reasons to buy 

• Having an Intel Core i3-1115G4 CPU

• A 15.6-inch 1080P display.

Reasons to avoid 

• Weak Intel processor

Product's Summary

The next option on our list of tight-budget products is the Lenovo IdeaPad 3. Basically, it has quite similar specifications to the product reviewed above HP14. It has an Intel Core i3-1115G4 CPU along with a 15.6-inch 1080P display. These features are enough for you to play games that don't require too much. But if your purpose for buying the machine is just playing games, then you should not buy this product because its integrated graphics are weaker than HP14.

3. Acer Aspire 5

(Best value)

Reasons to buy 

• SSD 128GB and 4GB RAM DDR4

• An AMD Ryzen 3 3350U processor 

Reasons to avoid 

• 4GB of RAM

Acer Aspire 5 is the next option worth considering in the list of products under $500. This product comes with AMD Ryzen 3 3350U processor. Besides, it has Vega 6 integrated graphics along with 128GB SSD and 4GB DDR4 RAM. This is a product that lags behind the options above, however, it comes with a much lower price tag. Its downsides are that it only has 4GB of RAM, so you really can't ask for it too much in demanding games. So in short, choose it if you play games that are not too demanding.

4. Dell Inspiron 15.6-inch HD Touchscreen Laptop PC

(Best Budget)

Reasons to buy

• 1366 x 768 Screen

• Intel i5-7200U

• 2TB Hard Drive

• 8GB DDR4 RAM

Reasons to avoid 

• Weak game performance

Product's Summary

Moving on, Dell's Inspiron 3000 will be a great choice if you require a lot of storage. This product comes with 8GB DDR4 memory, 2TB hard drive and Windows 10 Home. These features are also well worth the money you spend. And it has integrated graphics that are good enough that you can play games with low to medium settings. However, in terms of game performance, this product certainly won't be able to match the products reviewed above. So if you don't play demanding games then this model will be fine.

FAQs

1. Is A Gaming Laptop Under $500 Worth It?

Of course, every product has a corresponding price. And you will get the features corresponding to the price you pay for them. The best gaming laptop too, will also have features that are only worth your money under $500. And for just under $500. We recommend choosing desktop products, this product is just not portable, everything is better than 500 dollars to buy a laptop. And if you want portability then consider our first two options.

2. Is 8GB RAM enough for gaming?

8GB of RAM is the bare minimum for any gaming computer. With such amount of RAM, you can play all kinds of games at stable, medium and low settings. And if you want to play higher quality games then you should consider the higher option.

3. Are gaming laptops worth it?

A gaming computer is really worthy and necessary if you are a professional gamer and have to travel a lot with this model. You can work and play games with it at the same time. However, if your main job is to play games, a gaming desktop will be much better and more stable.

The best portable gaming PC under $500 will be the one that offers an enjoyable experience for casual gamers. You can refer to our review options in the article above to be able to choose the right product for you.

Final Thought

These are the laptops that we believe are currently the best gaming laptops under $500 right now. We take into account the cost (a less expensive laptop wins over a more expensive one if the price difference isn't significant), comments from visitors, and availability.

Check out the list of all of our laptop reviews, arranged by price from low to high if you would rather make your own choice. The list only shows the results of the model we tested; for details on other variations, it is best to read the entire review. Keep in mind that the majority of laptops come in a variety of configurations.