Best Gaming Laptops under 1000, Best Gaming Laptop under $1000 (in 2020)

Best Gaming Laptops to Buy under $1000

Hello folks. Continuing with our weekly updates on the best products and deals especially from the Amazon stable we are happy to bring out our comparison of some of the best Gaming Laptops (12 in total) for 2020 and our top 5 picks out of these 12 so that you can decide which one is your favorite pick.
$1000 will get your entry level to even mid range gaming models and those which are good for both gaming as well as every day use. Some of these will be great in terms of the graphics capability, others in processing and multi-tasking, still others in storage, sound etc. We have there highlighted the pros and cons of these models as well as the actual variant of the laptops being compared.

And yes, we have rounded this up with a summary of the models across each feature which counts i.e Display, Processor, RAM, Graphics Card, Battery, Sound etc. so you can make the right purchase decision. Basically, you will get a comprehensive and detailed idea of which Gaming Laptop to buy under $1000.

Confession: We’ve not been very strict in the price range so 3-4 of these models may have prices $50-100 over $1000 but have still been included as Christmas deals etc. or the like may easily bring the price below $1000 or at the $1000 mark.

1. Lenovo Legion Y520

Variant: Core i7-7700HQ, 16GB RAM, 2TB HDD + 256GB SSD, 1050Ti 4GB

Overall Review
One of our Top 5 Picks.
Considering the price, it is a high performance reliable option for gaming. The key thing about this is heavy duty storage (2TB) and SSD for performance are available in the variants of this laptop.

Specifications of Lenovo Legion Y520 Gaming Laptop available under $1000

2. HP Pavilion Power 15

Variant: 15″ GTX 1050Ti Gaming Laptop, Intel Core i7-7700HQ Processor, 16GB RAM, 1TB hard drive, 128GB solid-state drive

Overall Review: An average contender, good for its price but if the display is really important, you may wish to look at other models as well. Apart from the display, great performance at the sub $1000 price.

Specifications of HP Pavilion Power 15 Gaming & multi-use Laptop

3. Dell i7559-5012GRY

Variant: 15.6″ UHD (3840×2160) 4k Touchscreen Laptop (Intel Quad Core i7-6700HQ, 8 GB RAM, 1 TB HDD) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M

Overall Review: The display is the best point of-course and has touch screen as well. You are also getting HDD and i7. Doesn’t have the best graphics chip but this is good enough for medium settings in most of the latest games.

Specifications of the Dell i7559-5012GRY Gaming Laptop available below $1000

4. Acer Aspire VX15

Variant: i7 7700HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, 15.6 Full HD, 16GB DDR4, 256GB SSD

Overall Review:
Rated to have a Good Audio and performance.
Scores well on the smaller as well as larger points.
Has good satisfaction scores from reviews on Amazon.

Unique Point:
You can easily open it up and install up to 32GB of memory or put in a 2.5-inch HDD with a free mounting kit from Acer.

Specifications

5. Acer Predator Helios 300 15.6 G3-571-77QK

Variant: 5.6″ Full HD, Intel Core i7-7700HQ CPU, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB SSD, GeForce GTX 1060 6GB

Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop

Acer Predator Helios 300 Keyboard

Overall Review:
One of our Top 5 Picks
The Acer Predator Helios is slightly better than the Acer VX15 or Acer Nitro for gaming and also for productivity and normal work. Processor, High RAM and high end graphics chip combine to provide powerhouse. HDD Storage can be added if needed.

Specifications

6. Dell Inspiron i5577-7359BLK-PUS 15.6-inch

Variant: 7th Gen Intel Core i7, 8 GB RAM, 1000 GB HDD + 128GB SSD, NVIDIA (GTX 1050)

Overall Review: The Dell Inspiron i5577-7359BLK-PUS can play modern games in full HD, and is fine for daily tasks. It has a good battery life and is reasonable. Overall, a good option on all parameters for entry level or casual gamers – 60fps achieved on games. If you want better graphics or display, look at the Acer Aspire / Nitro or other brands with better graphics card and display.

Specifications

7. Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-55WL

Variant: Intel Core i5-7300HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, 15.6″ Full HD, 8GB DDR4, 256GB SSD

Overall Review:
One of our Top 5 Pick
If you are more focusing on gaming than everyday use and looking for budget laptop picks, this could be the one for you. For everyday use, just add extra HDD or SSD if required. The display can be a little dim but better than many other models out there in same price range Lot of choice as it has entry level variants as well as higher end variants. Pretty similar to Acer Aspire VX 15 but quite cheaper and hence in our top 5.

Specifications

8. ASUS ZX53VW-AH58 15.6-inch

Variant: GTX 960M 4GB, FHD, Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 8GB DDR4, 512GB SSD

Overall Review: The ASUS ZX53VW-AH58 is a budget range gaming laptop well under $1000 infact close to the $700 mark. We’ve included this as an example of base spec model which still works well for gaming, giving 30fps -40 fps at many mid range settings. Even with a 6th gen chip and lower RAM etc., this seems to deliver both multi-use tasks and casual gaming needs.

Specifications of ASUS ZX53VW-AH58 gaming laptop

9. Dell Inspiron i7577 5241BLK-PUS Gaming Laptop with GTX1060

Variant: 7th Gen Intel Core i5-7300HQ, GTX 1060 6GB Graphics, 8GB Memory, 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD, 15.6-inch.

Overall Review: Great for both gaming and every day use. Has garnered good reviews on Amazon.
One of our Top 5 Picks.

Unique Points
Dell Inspiron i7577 is among the few gaming laptops in $1000 price range that comes with the GTX 1060 Max-Q GPU. 6GB graphics RAM also powers it a little extra. And it also has both SSD and HDD providing for storage as well as speed.

Specifications

10. Lenovo Y700 17.3″ Full HD Gaming Laptop

Variant:Intel Core i7, 16 GB RAM, 1TB HDD + 256 GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, Windows 10

Overall Review: Featured as one of the reliable models with a bigger screen size and still affordable for gaming with much of the high performance specs. It is over / around a thousand bucks to be honest, but an overall unique pick.

Specifications

11. MSI GL72M 7RDX-800 17-Inch Gaming Notebook

Variant: i7-7700HQ GTX 1050 2G 8GB 128GB SSD + 1TB SteelSeries Red KB

Unique Point:
The laptop also lets the user change the entire gaming configuration on the laptop varying from green, comfort, and sport. As the names suggest, they deliver the appropriate performance to power consumption mix. Included as one of the few 17 inch mid range models available in this budget.

Overall: If you have the budget to spare and looking for a 17 inch model, maybe the Lenovo Y700 will be a better pick due to a better graphics card, more well known name and overall peace of mind. But if you’re looking for strictly under $1000, I don’t think you’ll find a 17 inch gaming model with better specs than this.

Specifications

12. MSI GL62M 7REX-1896US

Variant: Quad Core i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4G Graphics, 8GB DRAM, 128GB SSD + 1TB Hard Drive

MSI GL62M one of the best Gaming Laptops

Overall:
One of our top 5 picks
Perhaps the best one for gamers if not too finicky about powerful batteries.
Even does other video editing, normal use tasks extremely well and reliable.

Specifications of MSI GL62M 7REX-1896US Gaming Laptop:

How the Best Laptops under $1000 compare against each other on specific features ?

Under $1000 Gaming Laptop Benchmarks Comparison

Have a look at some benchmarks for the above discussed laptops. We will keep adding and updating it from time to time as more data comes in. Most of the data is collated from review sites and industry leading blogs.

Note: On all of these benchmarks, the higher is better except in case of Color Accuracy (Delta E ) column.

Note: Heavy use battery does not mean heavy gaming as with heavy gaming on battery alone, the fps could go down due to bios etc. settings plus the battery for almost any of these laptops will only last 2-3 hours max. Heavy use battery could include some light gaming but mostly browsing, maybe light video editing etc. or office etc. apps. Similarly for medium use of battery.

What factors to look for when buying a Gaming Laptop in the under $1000 range ?

The Base specs we prescribe for medium Gaming with medium settings, casual gaming
• 7 Gen i5 or i7 processor
• SSD is preferable but not critical
• 8 GB RAM. If you have a low budget you NEED NOT go for 16 MB RAM especially if the laptop allows easy RAM upgrade , which most of these do.
• 4GB – GTX 1050 / GTX 1050Ti / GTX1060 (GTX 960 M also works fine)
• Cooling Fans which work well (reviews should not indicate high overheating)
• Good IPS display with anti-glare.

Most of the above models satisfy these criterion – but you have to decide whether you are loooking for a multi-use laptop with occasional gaming or gaming focused laptop. Depending on that you can forgo features like extra storage or very high RAM for a higher end graphics card OR go in for a gaming focused laptop such as MSI GL62M .

Let us know your thoughts or which laptop you purchased finally. Happy Shopping !