The Best Cheap Gaming Laptop Computers 2012
By thooghun
The hunt for gaming laptop computers
You might be surprised at how affordable slick gaming laptops have become. This will be the first of many laptop gaming reviews, where I will scan and research the best offers in terms of performance, price and presentation (what I will call the three P's). Here is a breakdown of what I will be looking at when selecting candidates.
Performance: The purpose of buying a gaming laptop is its ability to play the games you want them to. Unfortunately, many laptops are sold by way of their gaming tag, and fail to deliver the goods. I will look at what these laptops can play and more importantly, how well.
Price: The relationship between price and quality is not always linear. What we are looking for here is value for money.
Presentation: Is the laptop aesthetically pleasing? Perhaps this is personal pet peeve, but if I buying something powerful, I want it to look powerful. Other factors which influence the presentation review are internal factors such as OS, features and peripheral devices.
System specs
- Box Contents - Acer Aspire AS7551G-5821 Notebook, 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (up to 2.7-hours), AC power adapter; Software Bundle - Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
- AMD Phenom II Quad-Core N930 2.0GHz Processor
- 2MB Cache, 1333MHz FSB
- 4GB (4096MB) DDR3 Dual-Channel 1066MHz RAM (8GB max.)
- 500GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Acer Computer Aspire AS7551G-582
After having made a colossal slip-up on my last recommendation, thanks to some intrepid and knowledgeable visitors I've amended this entry and included the vastly superior Acer alternative.
Performance 8/10
Athlon's AMD Phenom II Quad-Core N930 2.0GHz Processor is a very fast processor for a supposedly low-end system. In a passmark benchmark, this chip outstripped the Intel Core2 Duo T9600 @ 2.80GHz (a $340 alternative) and performed admirably against its competitors. The inclusion of 4GB (4096MB) DDR3 Dual-Channel 1066MHz RAM, upgradeable at any time to 8GB, makes playing high requirement modern games an absolute breeze.
Price 10/10
At less than $900, it is an absolute bargain. There is very little to add.
Presentation 6/10
While I love the 17.3 Inch widescreen display, the overall aesthetics are somewhat bland. Dark and simple. There's nothing much to whoop about here, but then again, there's nothing to cry about either. For the price, you can't expect a highly customized product.
Click for more info
 | Amazon Price: $688.88 List Price: $679.99 |
System Specs
- 1.8 GHz AMD Phenom II P820 triple-core processor
- 4 GB of installed DDR3 RAM
- ATI Radeon HD 4250
- 320 GB SATA hard drive
- Up to 3.8 hours of battery life
LED TruBrite 14-Inch Disply
(new) Toshiba Satellite L645D
(Updated November 26, 2010) With the advent of the Christmas season, and gathering feedback from the comments, I've decided to include another bestseller, the L645D. Wielding a "hug me" sign, a tight-fitting $500 price, this Toshiba model is about as cheap as it gets, albeit retaining some of the hallmarks of a top-notch gaming diva.
Performance 7/10 (Given the price!)
The 1.8 GHz AMD Phenom II P820 triple-core processor for those who are more in tune with the two core i3-330M, and is perfect for lowering power consumption and keeping the heat down while providing a good (not supreme) gaming performance.4 GB DDR 3 onboard RAM (expandable to 8) is also included, which is enough to run pretty much anything smoothly. The ATI Radeon HD 4250 graphics card shares memory anywhere in between 256MB to 1917MB, but try as I might I cant help but feel this is the Achilles heel of this model.
Price:10/10
Dirt cheap! But bear in mind there are quite a few models at the price range. This was my suggestion, but feel free to have a peek.
Presentation: 8/10
Typical Toshiba black finish you might say, and indeed you are partly right. But Toshiba seem to have gone to lengths to let the reader no this isn't just black, but Helios Black.
System specs
- 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 Processor
- 4GB Memory (upgradeable to 8GB)
- 500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive
- 18.4" Display, NVIDIA GeForce GTS 210M Graphics, Harmon Kardon Speakers Included
- Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), *2 Hours 40 Minutes of Battery Life
1.Toshiba P505
One reason why many gamers turn their shoulders on laptops as a platform is that their can't stand the restrictive monitors. Let's face it, playing on a 10 inch screen will never be incredibly immersive. This rig provides an exceptional 18.4 inch screen, making it as large as many LCD and CRT monitors. The downside to this is obviously mobility as it may be unsuited to long journeys.
Performance 7/10
The adaptable NVIDIA GeForce G 210M scores very well on traditional gaming benchmarks. In terms of benchmarking performance the card rivals the Radeon HD 4570, which is no mean feat. For those of you who are accustomed to the curse of integrated graphic cards (a hallmark of laptops), know that salvation is here: crowned by NVIDIA's guarantee that the 210M offers 10 times the performance of integrated graphics solutions.
Other upsides are the high performance RAM, which exceed virtually ever game prerequisite on the market and the on-board dual core processor similarly should prove a boon when gaming.
Price 9/10
At around a thousand dollars this laptop is an exceptional catch, providing you realize just how big it really is! (11.6 x 17.4 x 1.6 inches ; 8.7 pounds) With an amazon review selection which is entirely positive, and 60% of reviews awarding the product 5 stars, you can't go wrong.
Presentation 6/10
The case is elegant and simple. I would have loved more customization options, so if black and silver isn't your thing then you'll probably need to skip this model.
System specs
- 2.0GHz Intel Core2 Quad Q9000 Processor
- 4GB System Memory (up to 8)
- 320GB Hard Drive; Dual Layer DVD Burner
- 17.0" Display; Dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M - SLI Enabled
- Windows 7 Home Premium Operating System (64-bit)
 | Amazon Price: $3,199.95 List Price: $2,379.99 |
Alienware M17x
Alienware is a brand that is instantly synonymous with gaming. Their rigs are build from the ground up to appease even the most critical and hardcore gamers. The problem with this is simple: The price. For years my trips to Alienware's website were filled with both excitement and hopelessness. One the one hand, the superb quality and guaranteed gaming platform, and on the other the steep prices. Where laptops usually ranged from $2000 and up.
The M17x is a new Alienware offer that seems to bridge the price gap, offering a high-quality system at a manageable price.
Performance 9/10
At first glance, the system specs seem to a little low, despite the relatively cheap price. I will openly state that it is absolutely possible to get the same rig specs for less. But this remains an Alienware through-and-through. The M17x is guaranteed to function perfectly. Components are chosen carefully, not only on the basis of their factory specs, but on long-term performance, conflict reduction and quality. To anyone who hasn't previously owned an Alienware, it is difficult to put into words. Specs aside, this beast is built for gaming -- and that's exactly what it does.
Price 6/10
At around $1900 Alienware fans will likely jump for joy. Others might, justly, find the price too high for their tastes. If super cheap is what you are looking for, feel free to skip to the next offer.
Presentation 10/10
A beautiful anodized aluminum case, a large 17inch HD display (with a superb 8ms response time), face recognition with all round fantastic looking peripheral support and a great looking and highly function backlit keyboard. It doesn't get better than this folks.
Comments
Thank you Rgarnett for stopping by! Hope I can be of some use :D
I like the criteria you used to judge these laptops, and I believe you did a good job.
thanks for the beautiful post
I would recomend going for the i-3 processor. I have the i 7 in my desktop and it rocks games. The i-series are hyperthreaded quad cores so they actualy act as 8 cores.
Thanks for the comments guys
John, thanks for the heads up!
Very nice review. You present the information in a clear, logical way. I appreciate your effort on this hub, it should be helpful to a lot of people who are laptop shopping.
surprised you did not include any system with an AMD processor, they are far better in terms of value for money. The GTS 210M has very very poor performance when it comes to gaming. Even the HD 4570 is not good. Check out the Acer Aspire AS7551G-5821, its performs pretty well with a 2.0GHz quad core phenom 2 and a 1GB 5650 graphics card with 400 shaders.
I think you have messed up the performance part of the Gateway NV7915u. It has onboard graphics, GTX 260s are graphics cards not memory cards, which are NOT on the gateway. Hence, its again a very poor performer when it comes to gaming.
Thanks for the tips Rajan, I'm going to look into it
i need this info, so if i want to buy a new laptop for gaming i am have reference
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell... i found all of your suggestions kind of ooooffff. here is my idea of a Super gaming PC
Acer Aspire AS5740-6491
2.63 GHz intel core 5
4GB RAM
500GB HDD
4 USB, HDMI , Memory, Firewire
5.1 channel surround sound
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD 0MB dedicated
Windows 7 home Premium 64-Bit
6.2 LB 15.6" VGA (1366x768) HD
Sorry but the last comment i made didnt have the price included and the price is
$700.00
Hi IT, AS5740-6491 is a great cheap option, although I'm a fan of larger screens! but yes, at 600-700 it is great.
So where can we cheaply buy the Toshiba P505? I like the screen.
i love Toshiba P505 and am really wondering to buy this laptop as soon as i can. Thanks for the great information
Guy, I like to take Toshiba P505, my favorite laptop. Thanks for sharing.
To clear up what John stated above, the i series are NOT all quad processors. In fact, two out of three are not. Only i7 is quad. i3 and i5 are both dual. The threading really depends on what you're talking about for an application as to whether or not it's even relevant. The N930 in the Acer mentioned in this article smokes both i3 and i5 competition in everything but apps that only use one core (due to Intel speed boost).
impressed. I seldom play games. but I like toshiba laptop as well as your explanation.
Thanks for the reviews. I tend to find I pop a mouse into the laptop anyway when I playing FPS type games as I just cannot get the hang of the touchpad for aiming!
Really very cheap thes are.
Here are some sure performers for the VERY price conscious individuals out there just like me... all characteristics accounted for (i.e: battery life, portability, screen size, build quality, weight, price/projected performance, AMD/Intel option, Graphics capabilities, and individual benchmarks of each component)
:
Acer Aspire AS7551G-5821 AMD Phenom II Quad-Core N930(2.0GHz) 17.3" 4GB Memory 500GB HDD ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650
Acer Aspire AS7551G-5407 AMD Phenom II Triple-Core N830(2.1GHz) 17.3" 4GB Memory 500GB HDD ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650
Acer Aspire AS7741G-5877 Intel Core i3 350M(2.26GHz) 17.3" 4GB Memory 320GB HDD ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650
Acer Aspire AS7741G-3647 Intel Core i5 450M(2.40GHz) 17.3" 4GB Memory 500GB HDD ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650
Acer Aspire AS5551G-4591 AMD Turion II Dual-Core P520(2.3GHz) 15.6" 4GB Memory 500GB HDD ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650
HP Pavilion DV7-4060US AMD Phenom II Triple-Core N830(2.1GHz) 17.3" 4GB Memory 500GB HDD ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650
~~~~~~~~~
Granted it may look like I'm a ATI fanboy but for the 600-800 price range of all these, the nVidia option was much more expensive then anything else i found, and didn't offer the same or as much performance/dollar compared. Other options like a larger or smaller screen size took a increased price hit based on either a different class of components or a "portability" factor of smaller and even less powerful setups.
All these products can be easily found online and are fairly new in the market line up. All offer great basic and expandable options and are surely a considerable cheap desktop alternative. For those who want to get out and still enjoy having the capabilities without breaking the bank.
Gaming Laptops Equipped with powerful desktop processors, big high-res screens, beefy graphics chips, and plenty of memory, the best gaming laptops let you play any game on the go.
to: Mike
my God, you posted some DAMN good laptops there! i found this one from newegg and it can play starcraft 2 and other games on high settings with no lag, as most of the reviewers had mentioned. this is the item number: N82E16834115792 if you guys find a better deal than that, hit me up please :O)
To: Leo
lol, that reference number is actually to the very first laptop i had listed. I did a little more digging, just on CPU type, The Turion II wont offer you as much power as a i3 (330, 350 models). But is no deal breaker based on its new even lower power consumption. Giving you a slightly longer battery life even in multi-threaded apps.
Have also found the i5(dual core) even compared to the Phenom II (triple, and quad core) to be better, power consumption is relatively the same. i5 has WAY better single-threaded capabilities(which 80% of the time anybody will be doing), and produces less heat. And based on updated benchmark results(Models: i5 M 450@2.53Ghz, i5-450M@2.4Ghz) is on par or just above the (Phenom II quad core N930 model). Cost about the same, and i5 will execute and process your activities faster.
Unless your going to be using 4-core threaded apps, I see no justification in bothering with the higher core laptop models powered by AMD. My advise is to spend the extra money and get an i7 model if you are. They leap over the competition as the i7 model CPU's don't start to show up on the benchmark chart WAY up over, currently the fastest (Quad-core model which is the N930) by AMD.
for cheap gaming, there's an acer that i was going to get, 2.2 ghz dual core, 3gb ddr3 1333mhz ram, 512mb video card. it'll run pretty much any game out there low settings, but just get ready to upgrade in a couple of years
BULL! best gaming computer you could get is a desktop (nothing too modern)that will only cost you up to $900 max. Laptops have more problems than a desktop as well and they are more expensive for a worse experience. Trust me, go with a desktop!!
@ Anon - Well of course a desktop is going to be the "best" gaming computer experience. But, thats NOT what this article or comments are about. It's simply the Best (Laptop), based upon price/performance/function/features/style... Theres a reason why there are many types of computers...
Given your price of ~"$900 max" also include, possibly a (17.3" LCD screen, 6-12 Cell Li-Po battery, Components for gaming, and portability that also has a light enough weight factor that you can carry where-ever you go all in one package)? Maybe for some folks, they might not even have a desk... would we like to account the cost of that as well?
My guess is most likely NOT.
When all you need is a "lap" for what were referring too...
Judging by the lack of your knowledge why this article was even created, I think you should redirect yourself back to school. Maybe learn a little more about "reading comprehension". *respect* But, there are other main articles for what your talking about... Stick to them...
Thank you Mike, that comment slipped right by ;)
$1,069.60 is 10/10 price? damn you and your high salaries!
Hey st mr, I have no idea why but prices have risen slightly on Amazon's side, perhaps due to the holiday season.
well nice post a good reference for people looking for a good laptop for gaming
Very good post. I keep this noted. Thanks.
Good guide, the best cheap gaming laptop for me are
* Laptops with ati 5650($600-$800)as Acer AS7551G-6477 17.3-Inch Laptop (Mesh Black)
* NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M Laptops ($600-$800)as ASUS G51VX-RX05 15.6-Inch Laptop (Refurbished)
Im surprised you didnt mention the iBuyPower laptops $999 running for a very good gaming laptop $814 i think for a little less RAM but it ranges from i5 560m to i7 640m, good RAM, hard drive, and overall laptop http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Battalion_101_B5130 shown there if you want to check it out for mabye there other more pricey one using everything a desktop uses. May i add that both have fingerprint scanners just thought that was kinda cool but then again im young and i fall for those things but overall great pcs for the price!!! =D
I am not a fan of gaming on laptops, better to play on your desktop. No need to take your games everywhere (unless of course you are an addict - then what you need is a life). But if I had to, Alienware always makes cool stuff. So that would be my #1 choice.
well dude ur pretty mean I'm looking for a laptop around 300-500 dollars I want it to play minecraft pretty good hopefully u guys know way that is well if there isn't a good laptop for that price range than do u have ant suggestions for a desktop? thanks
p.s I want it to run minecraft pretty nicely srry if this is a little too much to ask
Yeah, laptops are still too much expensive for gaming. Laptops are not fully developed yet, thats why they cost too much. I've just bought PC components separately from newegg and it cost me only 1,200$ and ive built the computer myself. It's powerful enough to handle nowadays games with gtx 580 and i7 2600k processor and im satisfied.
For buyers: there is no way we can assess the gaming potential of a notebook if one does not consider the video card. Also, don't stop at the specs, find a review by someone who has actually tested the notebook with games.
im sorry but it says CHEAP in the title NOT 700 QUIDS WORTH any chance of a 1 under 400
Hi Alex, I've written articles about laptops under $100 as well :)
Hey, does anyone know where I could purchase the Acer Aspire AS7551G-5821 at a cheap price? :3
This toshiba laptop is pretty cheap considering it has NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M. http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/toshiba-satellite-
Although I don`t as much as most people about laptops I do know that comes down to the graphic card and compared to the P505 I think it might be better. I plan on getting so I hope it`s good.
I think you did a good job with your comparisons, but please, for goodness sakes, spell check! For someone so in tune with technology, you seem to have forgotten that little feature of any writing application out there today!
I'm a college student and a bit of a gamer. I want a cheap, light, yet powerful laptop. I need it for school and play. The few games I play are like SecondLife. My desktop wouldn't even run it. Any suggestions?
NEVER buy anything computer related on amazon unless there is a massive sale, st mr. Newegg all the way. also I am in the firm belief that there should be a good, cheap gaming laptop out there SOMEWHERE, but I have never been able to find one. This guide helped me find a good handful, so now I can be on my merry way to college with a computer I can game on, as well as take to class.
rgarnett 23 months ago
I appreciate you posting this. My laptop, currently is not playing what I want it to play. So thanks! I will definitely look into these, they look like a sure bet to play the stuff I have in mind. :)