5 Best Gaming Laptops Under $1000: Asus, Acer, Lenovo, and MSI

If you have a decent budget and don't want to deal with buying separate parts and building your own PC, consider purchasing one of the 5 best gaming laptops under 1000 dollars on this list.

PC gaming can be a pretty expensive hobby. With new games getting more and more graphically intense, you need to invest a lot of money into buying the latest and greatest hardware in order to get the best possible experience out of these titles. Also, you need to take a lot of things into consideration if you plan on building a custom PC from scratch.

List of the 5 Best Gaming Laptops Under $1000

All of the problems that come along with building your own gaming PC can seem pretty overwhelming when you are new to the world of gaming. However, these gaming laptops can solve most of your problems!

1. ASUS TUF Gaming
2. Acer Nitro 5
3. Lenovo Legion 5
4. ASUS ROG
5. MSI GF65 Thin

These beasts pack a lot of power in extremely thin and light packages that you can carry around with you anywhere you go. While there are many high-end options available in the market, today, we’ll be taking a look at some entry-level gaming laptops. These laptops are reasonably priced under $1000 USD, and they are perfect for someone who is new to PC gaming.

While $1000 might not feel like entry-level pricing, it's important to note that higher-end laptops can go for $2000, $3000, $4000, and more!

1. ASUS TUF Gaming

If you are just looking for the best performance you can get while staying close to the limit of 1000 USD, then the ASUS TUF Gaming laptop is definitely the best pick for you. While respecting your budget, you can get TUF Gaming Laptops with a variety of GPUs, up to an Nvidia RTX 2060.

This means that you will be able to take advantage of Nvidia’s new raytracing technology.

Also, you can get better FPS in the games that support DLSS.

The number one reason why most of the consumers might be interested in this laptop would be its Ryzen 7 AMD CPU, which is way more powerful compared to its Intel alternative. This CPU will not only save your battery life, but will also let you maintain a better workflow.

2. Acer Nitro 5

The Acer Nitro 5 is a direct competitor of the previous entry above in terms of price and performance. Just like the ASUS TUF Gaming laptop, the Acer Nitro 5 also has various models with different GPUs, up to an Nvidia RTX 2060.

This means that you will be able to enjoy raytracing and DLSS in your games. This small beast rocks a powerful 9th Gen Core i7 CPU, so it will be able to handle all of your tasks quite easily.

Acer Nitro 5 is a literal bang-for-buck as this laptop is built with durability in mind! Sadly, the placement of the fans on this laptop is not ideal, so it does tend to run a bit hotter as compared to the other options on the list. Nevertheless, it remains one of the best gaming laptops under $1000 currently available on the market.

3. Lenovo Legion 5

Lenovo is not really a very big name in the world of high-tier gaming laptops. However, if you are just looking for a budget gaming option, then this company has a lot to offer.

While the Lenovo L340 deserves to be on this list as well, I decided to go with the Lenovo Legion 5 because of its better price-to-performance ratio.

This laptop comes packed with an AMD Ryzen 7 4800H CPU, which gives it an edge over all the Intel options on this list.

The GPU you get with the Lenovo Legion 5 is a 1660ti, which is a pretty good budget option. Sadly, this is not an RTX GPU, so the performance in games is definitely not going to be as good as the previous two options on the list. You should go with this option if you are looking for something that is a good fit for an office environment as well.

4. ASUS ROG

The higher-tier models of ASUS ROG are definitely some of my favorite gaming laptops of all time. While this lower-tier model lacks quite a bit in terms of performance, it is still the best option in the entire list if you are looking for something with the best design and build quality.

The ASUS ROG comes packed with a powerful 9th Gen Core i7 CPU that makes it an ideal laptop for productivity.

The Nvidia GTX 1650 GPU on this thing is not as powerful as compared to all the other options on the list.

However, it should serve you well if you just want to play some less-demanding titles. If you want the most premium laptop that fits your budget, then you should probably consider the ASUS ROG.

5. MSI GF65 Thin

Now, let us talk about the best gaming laptop under $1000 on this entire list. While the MSI GF65 laptop does not come with an RTX GPU, it is still my favorite entry-level laptop because of its sleek and portable design.

The MSI GF65 Thin is the lightest laptop in this catalogue, and it comes packed with an incredibly powerful CPU and GPU.

This laptop contains a 9th Gen Core i7 CPU, which is perfect for all kinds of users. The GPU in this thing is a GTX 1660ti, which is just slightly less powerful as compared to the RTX 2060. Sadly, you only get a single-channel 8 GB RAM with this beast, but you can upgrade it pretty easily.

If you are looking for a long-lasting and well-balanced laptop, then the MSI GF65 Thin is the pick for you.

We hope our list of the best gaming laptops under $1000 can help you find an option that suits your gaming needs. If you didn't find anything you liked here, or want something at a lower price range, be sure to check out our other laptop lists:

1. Gaming Laptops Under $800
2. Budget Gaming Laptops Under $500