Best Gaming Laptops Under $800: Complete Reviews

By now most of us are aware that not all games and software require a fabulous gaming rig of ultra-super performance. Most games are playable at decent qualities with laptops having far lower specs built at an affordable price. In this post of Best Gaming Laptops Under $800 we will introduce and review a few of the best chosen in the said price range, which will surely meet your budget gaming requirements.

Dell Inspiron 15 Vs ASUS ROG G531GT– Best Overall Pair of Gaming Laptops Under $800

Specifications for both

Dell Inspiron 15	ASUS ROG G531GT
CPU: 7th-genIntel Quad-Core i5-7300HQ 2. 50 GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 3. 50 GHz	CPU: 9th Gen Intel® Core i7-9750H processor,6 cores
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 with 4GB GDDR5	GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB
RAM: 8GB DDR4 2400MHz	RAM: 8GB
Storage: 1TB HDD @ 5400 RPM	Storage: 512GB SSD
Screen: 15. 6- (1920 x 1080) IPS panel	Screen: 15. 6″ (1920 x 1080) IPS panel
Dimensions:10.8 x 15.2 x 1 inches	Dimensions: 14.2 x 10.8 x 1 inches
Connectivity: 802. 11AC Wireless LAN, Bluetooth 4. 2, Dual Band 2. 4&5 GHz	Connectivity: Bluetooth,802. 11AC Wireless LAN
Ports: 2-in1 media card Reader and 3 USB 3. 0,USB type C,HDMI 2.0, SD card slot , a headphone/mic jack.	Ports: 3 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 HDMI,a headphone/mic jack.

Performance

Since this is the key aspect where everyone is focused about, kicking off the review for Best Gaming Laptops Under $800 with the performance deemed appropriate. Testing games such as shadow of the tomb raider, Far cry 5, GTA V, Ghost recon with the Asus Rog, the following analysis can be obtained. At Full HD and very high settings all are playable at a maximum of 40-50 fps.

At Full HD and medium settings 50-70+ fps can be obtained. At Full HD and low settings frame rates can go as 100+ for some, while the others remain in the 60 range, and some remain in the higher range around 80 fps.

For the Inspiron games like bioshock infinite, Overwatch, Dirt 3 can all be run at native 1080p and high settings with high frame rates as 120+. Also in real world benchmark tests, it can stream multiple 1080p videos without flinching. It also performed well in the high-end benchmark software like Geekbench 4 scoring 13,000+.

Performance for graphics is not as good as some of its competitors in the benchmark tests, nevertheless you can still have some quality gaming. However what must be mentioned is that in the Cinebench test Asus scored way higher than the Dell. What’s special about this laptop is the ability to perform in VR. It can run many VR games without any compatibility issues due to its build.

Battery life and Heat

Both laptops aren’t that good performers in this department though. When the battery is tested for different functions such as web surfing, gaming ,video streaming the Asus rog lasted less than its competitors like the acer nitro 7.Actually for web surfing and streaming it was somewhere around 4.5 hours. The Inspiron can however survive an extra hour longer for real world functions battery runtime.

When it comes to heat generated with the Asus rog, if all cores are used at 100% assuming for some Software that demands high threading power, temperature can run as high as 95 degrees. It gets warm with gameplay but not scorching hot. The same has to be stated for the Inspiron, where it stays below 95 during multi-functions.

Design and Ports

Design of the Asus is visually similar to your typical gaming laptop prototype but it lacks a web-camera which is strange. The keyboard and the touchpad has a good feel and a decent layout with RGB beneath it. All the ports are located at the back and the left side. Also the absence of a fingerprint reader is quite notable. Dell on the other hand possesses a good design with the backlit number pad in red. And the plastic touchpad has a better feel. But the extra speed boost is the USB type-C and the SD card slot.

Conclusion

Well there you have it! First comparison for Best Gaming Laptops Under $800. Performance wise both the laptops are quite in parallel, although in some criteria such as ports and build the Dell Inspiron seems to be ahead, although the fan noise is loud in some games. And the Asus has the SSD helping in quick loading for games. Nevertheless both the laptops have won the hearts of many budget PC gamers.

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MSI GF63 Vs Asus TUF FX505DT– Best Gaming Laptops under $700

Specifications for both

Performance

As anticipated the Asus kicks-off some serious juice when the SSD, GTX 1650, CPU and the IPS panel are combined together. When it comes to Full HD gaming performance, games like Far cry 5 managed to top up 40+ fps and Metro exodus managed to hit 30 fps. It will not give 120 fps at ultra-settings for sure but I’d say this is pretty decent.

Also with CS:GO, Fortnite, Rainbow six siege it achieved 109,112,96 frame rates respectively at max, very high and medium. And using in the performance mode is what most experts recommend since it won’t produce a loud fan noise. You can say it’s a little better than half the performance of the Razer blade 15 for both gaming and CPU performance.

When we talk about the MSI it will definitely fulfill your real world functions such as web browsing and streaming for lengthy sessions. When it comes down to gaming this will definitely be a worthy competitor for the Asus. Games like Far cry 5,shadow of the tomb raider reach between 40-50 fps at Full HD. If you wanna play games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at 60+ fps consider compromising the resolution.

Battery life and Heat

MSI battery power is 51W which means it lasts for about 5 hours at mid-brightness and that’s the average value for all these mid-range gaming laptops. Gaming sessions last around 1 hour at maximum brightness.

The average surface temperature is about 24 degrees celsius which is pretty fine. The CPU and GPU heats up to 70-80 degrees celsius during intense gaming sessions and when higher processing power is required. This is quite normal. For the Asus it can last up to 3 hours on average on most gaming sessions with good gaming settings. However it does get a little hot on the right side during intense usage. But the coolants do their job right nonetheless.

Design and Ports

The Asus has the similar TUF series design, and has a matte design on the lid. Aluminum looks repeated on the plastic. Keyboard has RGB backlighting and can be customized with the software. Air vents are behind the chassis and the bottom. Trackpad is not that bad although at times it does lag a bit. Not to mention the pre-installed Asus software to monitor CPU,GPU temps, fan speeds, RGB etc. All the ports are on the left side. However it has no card reader, Thunderbolt or Display port.

MSI on the other hand has a good screen to body ratio and a thin bezel design with a good IPS panel. Design is not that fancy but lightweight and extremely portable. RGB backlit keyboard has a good feel but the same can’t be said for the touchpad for it’s not that responsive. Ports are located both on the left and right side. This too doesn’t possess a SD card reader but the type C kind of makes up for it. No thunderbolt port as well.

Conclusion

Both the laptops have their own pros and cons. To start off neither has an off the chart sort of battery life, but they are not that bad, Although critics complain that the Asus lacks more in this criteria. When it comes to the audio quality though MSI is behind the Asus.

Nevertheless if you are looking for 1080p gaming at 60+ frame rates for as many games as allowed both these serve well. They possess all the ports required on a regular basis and keyboards are quite user-friendly , design is not stunning but creditable. Undeniably both the laptops qualify for Best Gaming Laptops Under $800, delivering awesome performance.

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Best Gaming Laptop under $500– Bonus tip

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14″ Laptop

• CPU- AMD Ryzen 5 3500U
• Radeon Vega 8 GPU
• 8GB DDR4 RAM
• 256GB SSD
• 14-inch Full HD
• Bluetooth 4.1, up to 2×2 Wi-Fi 5, three USB ports, and HDMI

Since 500 qualifies as under 800 we thought of adding a bonus for Best Gaming Laptops Under $800. Lenovo Ideapad is a great gaming laptop under $500 without a second thought. The AMD 5 355U is a great CPU, even better than the intel i3- 8145U. This laptop is most recommended because of its powerful Vega GPU for $500. You can play many modern AAA titles at decent settings with this configuration.

League of Legends, FIFA 20 can be played at good frame rates in ultra settings configuration. The narrow bezels on either side makes for a sturdy design. And it weighs only 3.30lbs. The material tends to retain a bit of fingerprint though. The connectivity is plenty though it lacks a USB-Type C.

The keyboard is good for gaming and has nice tactile feedback. No backlight though. The laptop speakers provide a good all around sound. However the battery life isn’t all too great. Allowing only 2 hours during gaming sessions. And the color average is below average which isn’t an issue with gaming though.

Nonetheless the Lenovo Ideapad is a great gaming laptop under $500. A powerful processing and graphical unit enhances the cost-effectiveness.

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