The Amazing Gaming Laptops You Can Buy With $800

Normally you have to dig deep into your pockets if you’re looking for a great gaming laptop that can play all the latest titles but sadly not all of us can or want to spend thousands of dollars on a PC. If you specifically have an $800 limit in mind and would like to make the most of your money, then read on as we’ll be highlighting a range of excellent options that should feature in your shopping list.

Best Value

HP Pavilion 15-cx0056wm

The Pavilion series hit the shelves a little over two dozen years ago with the company looking to provide a specific PC brand to appeal to the corporate world. It succeeded in being the gold standard of professionalism reserving a place atop desktops across organizations everywhere at a time when PC gaming meant Super Mario and Solitaire. Fast forward to the present generation and the mammoth games of these days have required computers to have a lot more in their locker to toe the line. Hence the HP Pavilion 15-cx0056wm was born.

Not to be outdone, this laptop comes with the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti card that muscles aside demanding tasks with ease aided by 4GB dedicated GDDR5 RAM and 8GB DDR4 RAM. An Intel Core i5-8300H makes up the processor while storage duties are delegated to a 7200 rpm 1 TB SATA hard drive. The aforementioned processor can be bolstered to 4 GHz from a base frequency of 2.3 GHz when push comes to shove.

If the limited battery life is no bother, then this laptop fits the bill both quite literally and in terms of performance. For $700 and some change to spare, HP over-delivers with powerful video finesse and immersive sound quality not forgetting a meticulous design that is as just as appealing as the actual horsepower. A dash of light green across the keyboard and ports offers a welcomed break from the overflowing black.

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ASUS TUF Gaming Laptop FX505DY-ES51

Stability and durability are this TUF’s stand out factors providing years of service and hours of harmless gaming which are only limited by how long you’d like to keep at it. This is made possible by a highly effective cooling system that consists of dual fans and dust protection features for large surface area cooling and safe dust expulsion. The other reason for this longevity also lies in the use of military-grade components built for the long haul.

A like-for-like exchange of its similarly named predecessor which slots in at number three on this list, the FX505DY-ES51 takes on an all AMD path as opposed to the former that plays it safe with Intel and Nvidia. The AMD hardware on offer includes a Ryzen 5 3550H processor which resides alongside a Radeon RX 560 graphics card equipped with 4GB GDDR5 RAM which holds its own surprisingly well.

A massive gaming chassis is often synonymous with a similarly sized receipt, but this ASUS breaks away from that narrative providing both aspects in opposite measures. It’s hard to fault the all-plastic exterior and the fairly average display considering the price tag, but it’s extremely easy to applaud the respectable specs which also comprise a 256 GB SSD and 8GB DDR4 RAM.

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Top Picks

ASUS TUF Gaming Laptop FX504GM-WH51

The ASUS TUF bloodline is born of a desire to deliver the modem gaming rig with the ultimate machine bringing together accessories from various industry specialists. Consequently, every part that makes up the whole is of the highest caliber including the one-of-a-kind dual fan and anti-dust technology which enables rapid airflow and safe cooling guaranteeing years upon years of operation.

A vast high definition screen spanning 15.6 inches provides much in the way of picturesque backdrops with an Intel Core i5-8300H taking care of the performance side of things amassing accelerations of up to 3.9 GHz. Memory obligations are assigned to 8 GB DDR4 RAM and GeForce GTX 1060 3GB GDDR5 RAM while mass storage entails a solid state drive of 256 GB.

It is with good reason the WH51 features across the interwebs when you look up great mid-range gaming laptops, and that reason comes in the way of a highly impressive Nvidia GTX 1060 and 1080p IPS display. You’ll hardly find a present age game that’s beyond its ability with the only chink in the armor being a rather short battery span.

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Lenovo Legion Y530

There’s no shortage of pro-gamers who absolutely worship the Y series which has earned recognized courtesy of sterling performance and unrivaled longevity. Latest off the conveyor belt, the Legion Y530 has ample hardware to go toe-to-toe with the very best.

An 8th generation Intel Core i5-8300H ensures it merits the recognition as does the GTX 1060 Nvidia graphics card that is quite prevalent across top-notch brands. Its 6GB dedicated GDDR5 RAM, 8GB DDR4 RAM and a processing boost amassing 4.0 GHz see that no franchise proves too much to handle as it toys with resource-sapping franchises such as GTA 5 and FIFA 19 while storage is well taken care of by a 256 GB SSD.

You’ll have to cough up an extra $100 for the Legion Y530 which exceeds today’s budget by that amount, but it really pays back every penny in kind. The decent but could-be-better display might not paint that picture at first, however, the state-of-the-art components that offer herculean gaming power certainly do. What’s more, the lovable design is also easy to fall in love with although Legion is often not praised for its rugged outlook.

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Dell Inspiron 15 7000

Dell is quite the underdog in the gaming world but, credit to them, they’ve stayed above the waters of competition with exemplary upgrades on underachieving models and new releases of better performing makes. The Inspiron 15 700 is definitely an inspired invention which takes into account the plight of the average gamer who can’t afford the privilege of decadent gaming but would very much like a slice of that cake nonetheless.

It might not look like much at first with its bland visual appeal yet it’s a classic example of “don’t judge a book by its cover”. The Inspiron 15 700 goes one better than many of the members of this list availing a highly-sought after Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 which brings to the table 6 GB of dedicated RAM to add to 8GB of DDR4 RAM. Also on that table is a 1 TB HDD coupled with 128 GB SSD and an Intel Corei5-7300HQ that can be cranked up to 3.5 Hz in the heat of titanic loads.

This Inspiron’s shortcomings are a rather heavy architecture, a display that is sufficiently alright but not great and a price that is over $800. Notwithstanding, its selling points entail an above-average battery juice for extended use and a history of handling overbearing contemporary games without breaking a sweat. The 7th generation processor housed within can be viewed adversely by some, but it balances performance and affordability to great effect with that fact only a minor blimp on its credibility.

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Best Design

ASUS VivoBook S S410UN-NS74

The VivoBook series is never lacking in eye candy, but there’s more than meets the eye to this laptop which is primarily meant to tackle strenuous gaming like a pro. A team of 5,500 experienced engineers around the world plus an insatiable thirst to stay ahead of the wave of technological revolution is the main reason why the ASUS name continues to soar to ever greater heights.

Its 14-inch full HD screen is kinda humble for a gaming laptop, something it makes up for with its rich gamut of colors which affords quality over quantity providing an immersive visual lure. The 256GB SSD, 8GB DDR4 RAM, NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics 2GB GDDR5 RAM, plus an eighth-generation i7-8550U makes sure you have all the tools you need to take on unforgiving games.

The VivoBook S sacrifices performance to some extent opting for a more compact GeForce MX 150 when pacesetters are imploring four figure Nvidia cards. That sacrifice is channeled into a light-weight and slim design, however, don’t get it twisted, this laptop is no slouch in gaming adeptness. Undoubtedly though, the premium styling is its most appealing aspect.

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MSI GV62 8RD-034

MSI certainly needs no introduction having carved out a reputation as producers of renowned gaming brands the market has ever seen. Potent GPUs and CPUs have become a trademark and the GV62 doesn’t deviate from tradition pairing a high-ranking Nvidia card with the latest in Intel processing. The two fundamental ingredients for creating the perfect PC console.

The laptop comes off as a tad muscular with a domineering obsidian layout brightened up by a crimson-lit keyboard and hues of similar accents which take up the minority of occupancy. For all its sturdiness, you’d expect a massive overall weight yet it only stands at 4.8 pounds which is impressive for its size. More importantly, its masculinity extends beyond the housing as a riveting GTX 1050Ti Nvidia GPU keeps gaming at the highest possible level.

An alluring 15.6-inch display, A dedicated GTX 1050Ti Nvidia GPU 4GB, 8GB DDR4 RAM, a 128GB SSD + a 1TB HDD and a Core i7-8750H processor of the eight generation makes up the rest of the MSI’s CV. It’s safe to say you couldn’t ask for more once you factor in its attractive persona as well.

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Honorable Mentions: Other Gaming Laptops Under $800

Dell G3 15

The G series by Dell is yet to disappoint so far providing consistent quality over the years without choking out your wallet. Hit after hit has cropped up from the G family, but the G3 15 is arguably one of their greatest ever creations. It’s at the top of its lineage in terms of pricing, and it’s also not too far off from the pinnacle where it matters most.

At the heart of the motherboard lies 8GB of DDR4 RAM for adept multitasking carried out by a solid quadcore Corei5-8300H processor that swats away anything thrown in its path. The state-of-the-art GTX 1050 card which comes with an exclusive reserve of 4GB means it is not one to cower under the challenge of demanding franchises. Be it the overwhelming adventure of Battlefield V or the PC-shattering racing escapades of Forza Horizon 4, nothing is out of reach for this Dell.

Don’t let the calm slim exterior fool you as the reserved Dell G3 15 packs a mean punch underneath as disclosed above. That also encompasses speakers of a head-nodding caliber, a 128GB SSD and a 1TB HDD pairing respectively, and a commendably durable battery. It is almost perfect albeit for the constricted keyboard and somewhat uneventful display.

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These aforementioned laptops are living proof- not living but proof nonetheless- that $800 affords a decent caliber of gaming companions. Sure they might not be the fastest or the most powerful or the most “good-looking” in the market but, for that price, they are certainly at the head of the line as far as affordable, yet still-great gaming goes. Anyone of them makes for a more than worthy console to take on daunting games of the present.