Best Gaming Laptops Under $1,500 (2026)

What are the best gaming laptops under $1500 in 2026?

Summary

Gaming laptops cost more in 2026. Tom’s Hardware says the market below $1,000 “has effectively been decimated” and expects most gaming laptops under $1,500 to use an RTX 5050 or RTX 5060; Tom’s Guide tells buyers to expect to pay more than $1,000 for a current gaming laptop, even at the entry level. The picks below are the laptops testing outlets recommend in that range, named in the configurations they tested. [src3, src17]

The MSI Katana 15 HX B14W is the top pick because three outlets put it first among budget gaming laptops: Tom’s Hardware (4 out of 5 for its RTX 5050 model, $999 as tested), Tom’s Guide (4 out of 5, from $1,284 with a QHD screen) and GamesRadar+ (4.5 out of 5 for its RTX 5060 model). Every test found its screen dim, and PC Gamer, which rates the RTX 5060 model 69/100, calls $1,800 for it in the US “absurd”. Check the configuration: the B14W is also sold as a Core i9 / RTX 5070 model that none of these outlets tested. The listing we link is the RTX 5050 1080p model Tom’s Hardware tested, which showed no in-stock offer in our check on 2026-10-11. [src1, src2, src3, src4, src5, src6, src7]

The Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 10 (RTX 5060) is the value pick: PC Gamer calls it “the best budget gaming laptop of this generation” for its RTX 5060 performance, and IGN calls it the best gaming laptop under $1,500. The reviews split on its price and screen, though: Tom’s Hardware says the $1,299.99 it reviewed it at “should be a non-starter” and that nearer $1,000 “many of its sins could be forgiven”, and PCWorld, which reviewed it at $809.99 on sale, recommends it only with an external monitor because of ghosting. [src8, src9, src10, src12, src13]

The Acer Nitro V 16 AI (RTX 5050) stays the budget pick: PCWorld names it the best gaming laptop under $1,000 and Tom’s Guide calls it “the poster child for ‘good enough’ gaming on a budget”. The Amazon listing we link had no purchasable new offer in our daily checks through 2026-10-09; that is an availability note, not a change to the ranking. [src14, src15, src16] Two more laptops stay as alternatives: the Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 10, for its OLED screen, and the Acer Nitro V 16S AI (RTX 5060), this card’s previous top pick, which only Tom’s Hardware among the outlets we read has tested. [src5, src17, src18, src19, src20, src21]

Six laptops have left this card. The HP Omen 16, MSI Vector 16 HX AI, ASUS ROG Strix G16 and the RTX 5070 version of the Acer Nitro V 16S AI were each above $1,500 in our check on 2026-10-09. The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 (RTX 5070) and TUF Gaming A14 (RTX 5060) listings had no offer that day, and the tests we could read are of other configurations: PC Gamer’s TUF Gaming A16 has an RTX 5050, and the TUF Gaming A14 on Tom’s Hardware’s list is the RTX 4060 model. [src1, src8]

Top 5 Models Compared

The Price column is the price of the Amazon listing each Buy link goes to, from our daily check, except for the Legion 5i, whose link goes to Lenovo’s US store and shows the reviewers’ prices; the configuration a store sells can differ from the one the outlets tested (see each pick’s section). Live price and stock are in the picks table above.

Best for Each Use Case

Top Pick: MSI Katana 15 HX B14W — Check price

Tom’s Hardware names the Katana 15 HX its best budget gaming laptop. [src1] Its review unit had a Core i7-14650HX, an RTX 5050 at 115W maximum graphics power, 16GB of DDR5-5600, a 512GB SSD and a 15.6-inch 1920x1080 144Hz screen, and cost $999 as configured. It ran Shadow of the Tomb Raider at 91 fps on the highest settings and lasted 6 hours 1 minute on battery. Tom’s Hardware gives it 4 out of 5 and notes that the SSD, RAM and Wi-Fi card can all be replaced. Its drawbacks are a “washed out, dim display” that measured 257.2 nits and 69.3% of the sRGB gamut, a keyboard that can get hot and a 720p webcam. [src2] Tom’s Guide calls the Katana its best gaming laptop for value and gives the B14W 4 out of 5. It tested the RTX 5050 model with a 2560x1440 165Hz screen, which starts at $1,284, measured 159 fps in Counter-Strike 2 at 1440p, and praises the screen’s colour accuracy, but measured only 262.2 nits of brightness and 5 hours 9 minutes of battery life. [src3, src4] GamesRadar+ gives its RTX 5060 / QHD unit 4.5 out of 5 and calls it “the best budget rig I’ve tested so far”; it beat the similarly priced Acer Nitro V 16 AI for GamesRadar+’s best cheap gaming laptop. The nearest US configuration GamesRadar+ could find (RTX 5060, 1TB) was $1,499.99, and it warns that the cheapest configurations are hard to find because most retailers stock the RTX 5070 models. [src5, src6] PC Gamer dissents. It rates the RTX 5060 / QHD model 69/100, finds the screen underwhelming and its GPU often running at about half of its 115W limit, and calls $1,800 for that configuration in the US “absurd”, pointing to Asus’s TUF Gaming A16 and Lenovo’s Legion 5 as better buys. [src7]

Check the configuration. The B14W is sold with an RTX 5050, RTX 5060 or RTX 5070 and a 1080p or QHD screen. Tom’s Hardware saw the Core i9-14900HX / RTX 5070 / 32GB / 1TB version on Amazon at $1,679 when it reviewed the RTX 5050 model, but none of the outlets above tested it. [src2] The Amazon listing we link is the configuration Tom’s Hardware tested (Core i7-14650HX, RTX 5050, 16GB, 512GB, 1080p 144Hz); it showed no in-stock offer in our check on 2026-10-11. Best you can buy today: the Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 10 below, $1,299.99 in the same check.

Best Value: Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 10 (RTX 5060) — Check price

PC Gamer names the LOQ 15 Gen 10 its best budget gaming laptop, citing “the chart-topping gaming performance of the RTX 5060 at the heart of this LOQ system, when put against all the other RTX 5060 machines we’ve tested”. It lists the laptop at around $1,300 and has seen it drop to about $800. [src8] Its review unit (Ryzen 7 250, RTX 5060 at 115W, a single 16GB stick of DDR5-5600, a 512GB SSD, a 15.6-inch 1080p 144Hz IPS screen and a 60Wh battery) scored 81/100. PC Gamer praises the graphics card, the screen and the build quality, and criticises the single-channel memory, the small SSD and a battery that lasted 89 minutes in its gaming test. [src9] IGN calls the LOQ 15 AMD Gen 10 the best gaming laptop under $1,500 for buyers who can stretch to that range, with mediocre battery life and a screen that peaks around 300 nits as the trade-offs. [src10] IGN’s review, of the RTX 5050 model, scores it 7 out of 10. [src11] Two outlets are cooler. Tom’s Hardware (3 out of 5) found it often faster than other RTX 5060 laptops thanks to its 115W graphics power and praises the display, but says the $1,299.99 it reviewed it at “should be a non-starter for the features that you get”; nearer $1,000, “many of its sins could be forgiven”. It lasted 6 hours 50 minutes in Tom’s Hardware’s battery test. [src12] PCWorld (2.5 out of 5) saw “serious ghosting and blurring” on the screen, in games and on the desktop, and recommends it only for use with an external monitor; it reviewed it at $809.99 on Lenovo’s site against a $1,299.99 list price. [src13] Buy it on sale. The Amazon listing we link is the AMD model PC Gamer, Tom’s Hardware and PCWorld tested: Ryzen 7 250, RTX 5060, 16GB and a 512GB SSD. It was in stock at $1,299.99 in our check on 2026-10-11.

Best Budget: Acer Nitro V 16 AI (RTX 5050) — Check price

PCWorld names the Nitro V 16 AI its best gaming laptop under $1,000: “If you want to get the most gaming performance possible for under $1,000, the Acer Nitro V 16 AI hits all the right notes.” [src14] PCWorld’s review unit is the configuration we link (ANV16-42: Ryzen 5 240, RTX 5050 8GB, 16GB, a 512GB SSD, a 16-inch 1920x1200 180Hz IPS screen, a 76Wh battery, 5.38 lb). It averaged 72 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p on the Ultra preset without DLSS and ran for more than 12 hours in PCWorld’s video battery test. PCWorld calls the Ryzen 5 240 “among the least capable in AMD’s line-up” and the speakers terrible, gives it 3.5 out of 5, and says it “is worth an extra half-star when on sale below $700”; it lists an $899 MSRP and $629 to $799 typical retail. [src15] Tom’s Guide also gives the same configuration 3.5 out of 5 and calls it “the poster child for ‘good enough’ gaming on a budget”. It lasted 12 hours 54 minutes in Tom’s Guide’s web-surfing test but about 2 hours when gaming; Tom’s Guide found the 512GB SSD small for a gaming laptop and the colour gamut mediocre, and reviewed it at an $849 MSRP. [src16] Availability: the Amazon listing we link had no purchasable new offer in our daily checks through 2026-10-09; that is an availability note, not a change to the ranking. Best you can buy today instead: the Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 10 above, in stock at $1,299.99 in our check on 2026-10-11. Below $1,000, see the gaming laptops under $1,000 card.

Best Screen: Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 10 (RTX 5060, OLED) — Check price

GamesRadar+ names the Legion 5 Gen 10 its best value gaming laptop and gives it 4.5 out of 5: it “sneaks an OLED display into a price tag that sits well below the rest of the premium market”. It says an RTX 5060 build costs anything from $1,300 to $2,500 depending on the processor. [src5] Its review unit had a Core i7-13650HX, an RTX 5060, 16GB, a 1TB SSD and a QHD+ OLED 165Hz screen; GamesRadar+ praises the screen, the chassis and the ports, and warns that the screen is very reflective. [src19] PC Gamer tested the same processor and graphics (one 16GB stick of DDR5-4800, a 15.1-inch 2560x1600 165Hz OLED) and rates it 76/100: “The most beautiful screen you’ve seen for sub 1.5K? Also tick.” Its one big complaint is the single-channel memory, which hurts in memory-bandwidth-heavy games and tasks; it lasted 64 minutes in PC Gamer’s gaming battery test. PC Gamer lists the US model, which has a Core i7-14700HX, at $1,499. [src20] Tom’s Guide tested the same Core i7-13650HX / RTX 5060 configuration and gives it 4.5 out of 5 and its Editor’s Choice award: “gorgeous OLED panel, solid mid-range performance and impressive value for money”, with poor battery life and loud fans against it. It lists it from $1,249 and notes that the US model has a Core Ultra 7 255HX. [src21] GamesRadar+ adds that the Legion 5 Gen 10 is a better fit than the MSI Katana 15 HX if you prioritise screen quality. [src6] Where to buy: Amazon had no listing of the reviewed configuration we could use, so the link goes to Lenovo’s US page for the Legion 5i Gen 10 (15-inch, Intel), where you choose the configuration; pick the RTX 5060 with the OLED screen to match what the outlets tested.

Best with 32GB of RAM: Acer Nitro V 16S AI (RTX 5060) — Check price

Tom’s Hardware names the Nitro V 16S AI its best budget gaming laptop overall, for buyers “willing to trade off some gaming performance for a bright and colorful screen and a ton of ports”. [src17] Its review unit is the configuration we link: ANV16S-41-R2AJ, with a Ryzen 7 260, an RTX 5060 at 85W, 32GB of DDR5-5600 on two sticks, a 1TB SSD and a 16-inch 1920x1200 180Hz IPS screen, at 4.55 lb and $1,299.99 as configured. It measured 391.8 nits, lasted 10 hours 17 minutes in Tom’s Hardware’s battery test and has a microSD slot and fast storage; against it are gaming performance at 1080p that “lags its price-competitive peers” because of the 85W GPU, a 720p webcam and bloatware. Tom’s Hardware gives it 4 out of 5 and calls it “by far a more complete package” than the faster, RTX 5070-powered MSI Katana 17 HX when display, audio and build quality count. [src18] Tom’s Hardware’s budget guide says it typically sells around $1,500; it was $1,399.99 from Amazon.com in our check on 2026-10-09. [src17] It is an alternative rather than a ranked pick because only one of the outlets we read has tested it.

Key Market Trends (2026)

• Memory prices pushed gaming laptops up: Tom’s Hardware says components have become more expensive and “the market below $1,000 has effectively been decimated”; Tom’s Guide tells buyers to expect to pay more than $1,000 for a current gaming laptop, even at the entry level. [src3, src17]
• The RTX 5050 and RTX 5060 define this price band: Tom’s Hardware expects most gaming laptops under $1,500 to use one of the two. [src17]
• The same GPU performs differently in different laptops: Tom’s Hardware found the LOQ 15’s 115W RTX 5060 often ahead of other RTX 5060 laptops and the Nitro V 16S AI’s 85W one behind; PC Gamer found the Katana 15 HX’s 115W RTX 5060 often running at about half of that. [src7, src12, src18]
• Single-channel memory is common at this price: PC Gamer criticises the single 16GB stick in both the LOQ 15 Gen 10 and the Legion 5i Gen 10. [src9, src20]
• OLED now costs under $1,500: Tom’s Guide lists the RTX 5060 Legion 5i Gen 10, with a 2560x1600 165Hz OLED, from $1,249 and PC Gamer at $1,499 in the US. [src19, src20, src21]
• Configurations vary by country and store: GamesRadar+ found the cheapest Katana 15 HX configurations hard to find, with most retailers stocking RTX 5070 models, and PC Gamer found its RTX 5060 model about $500 dearer in the US than in the UK. [src6, src7]

Important Caveats

• Stores sell configurations the outlets did not test: the MSI Katana 15 HX B14W is also sold as a Core i9-14900HX / RTX 5070 / 32GB model, and the Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 10 with a Core Ultra 9 and an RTX 5070. [src2, src5] The Katana and LOQ 15 listings we link are the configurations Tom’s Hardware and PC Gamer tested; the Legion 5i link goes to Lenovo’s US page for the model, where you choose the configuration. Check the GPU, processor, memory and SSD before you buy.
• Battery figures come from different tests — Tom’s Hardware’s and Tom’s Guide’s web tests at 150 nits, PCWorld’s video loop, PC Gamer’s gaming test — so compare a laptop’s numbers within one outlet, not across outlets. [src2, src4, src12, src15, src16, src18]
• Gaming on battery is short: Tom’s Guide got about 2 hours from the Nitro V 16 AI and a low-battery warning after just over an hour of Cyberpunk 2077 on the Katana 15 HX, and PC Gamer measured 89 minutes on the LOQ 15. [src4, src9, src16]
• Several of these laptops ship with a 512GB SSD and 16GB of memory, sometimes on one stick. Both can be upgraded, but IGN notes that RAM is so expensive that upgrading a budget gaming laptop soon seems unlikely. [src11, src12, src16]
• Prices on this page are dated; the live price and stock for each linked listing are in the picks table at the top.