6 Best Gaming Laptop under 800 (October 2023)

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If you are in the market hunting for the best gaming laptop under 800, this list is going to help you in every possible manner. We have done all the research work for you and come up with this freshly curated list of the best affordable gaming laptops under 800.

Affordable gaming laptops don’t mean poor or compromised performance. These gaming laptops under $800 come with solid hardware including RTX 30 series GPU, DDR5 RAM, super fast SSD, and a high refresh rate display. You will be able to run every AAA gaming title with the utmost fun.

Best Gaming Laptop under $800 in 2023

Below are some of the best gaming laptops you can buy under $800. For your convenience, we have also mentioned the quick pros and cons of these laptops so that you can get a quick overview at just a glance.

If there is room to extend the budget, you should also check our guide on the best gaming laptop under $1000 as well as the best gaming laptop under $1500 that will definitely give you a premium, high-quality gaming performance.

1. MSI GF65 Thin 10UE

MSI GF65 is a complete package in itself. For its price, I think MSI GF65 deserves your attention. Under the hood, it runs on a 10th Intel Core i5, a 6-core processor coupled with 8GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB SSD. What makes this configuration interesting is the 6GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Graphics card.

RTX 3060 is a powerful graphics card that also comes with Ray tracing cores and DLSS. The gaming performance on MSI GF65 is pretty smooth and it can easily run all sorts of gaming titles on medium to high graphics settings. You can also use this laptop for streaming. To render high frame rates pushed by RTX 3060, MSI GF65 also comes with a 144hz display.

The 15.6-inch Full HD display is enough for gaming. However, it only covers 45% NTSC color gamut which is not an ideal color coverage for creative tasks like photo editing, video editing, or any other tasks where color plays a prominent role but the good news is, the screen is good enough for gaming. For better visuals and colors, you can always connect a gaming monitor. Here are the best gaming monitors for RTX 3060 for an enhanced gaming experience.

For connectivity, it has HDMI (supports 4K @60hz), USB 3.2 Type-C port, a USB Type-A port for connecting other peripherals, and also got 3.5mm gold plated headphone jack. The keyboard has a single-colored backlit which looks decent during late-night gaming sessions.

Also See: Why My Twitch Streaming is Lagging

The only downside I found about MSI GF65 Thin is its build quality. It is all plastic and the trackpad is also small in size. The trackpad sometimes flexes while exerting pressure for a click. Who uses a trackpad for gaming anyway? Here are best gaming mouse under $50 for precise, faster gameplay.

Overall, it has a solid gaming performance and decent build quality. If you are in the market looking for the best gaming laptop under 800, MSI GF65 Thin should be on your radar.

Buy Now: Amazon

2. HP Victus

HP Victus is a beast gaming laptop that you can get in 2023. It comes with the perfect balance of price and specs which makes it the best gaming laptop under $800.

For starters, it comes with an AMD Ryzen 7 8 core processor which handles everything without any kind of lag. Coupled with 16GB DDR4 RAM and 4GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050Ti GPU, there is nothing you cannot play on HP Victus. RTX 3050Ti is very similar to RTX 3060 and it also comes with Ray tracing cores, DLSS and Nvidia Max-Q for the best possible gaming performance.

For storage, we have 512GB SSD which is enough for gaming and you might need to connect an external HDD if you are into video editing, music production, or any other task that involves heavy data files. For gaming as well as for regular usage, a 512GB SSD is good to go.

Also See: Best Laptop for Music Production

Talking about the display, it has a 15.6-inch Full HD 1920x1080p resolution IPS display that has 100% sRGB color gamut coverage and 300nits of peak brightness. The edge-to-edge display not only looks premium but also helps in providing an immersive gaming experience. The keyboard is backlit but it is classic white backlit, nothing fancy in here.

If that was not enough, HP Victus also comes with HDMI 2.1 port that allows you to enjoy 4K 120FPS gaming on an external 4K monitor. Here are the best 4K HDMI 2.1 monitors you can connect to this laptop for 4K gaming at 120 frames per second and enjoy smooth gaming at 4K resolution. Other than that, it also comes with a USB Type-C SuperSpeed port, USB Type-A, 3.5mm headphone jack, RJ-45 Ethernet Port, 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack and even a Media card reader.

This is the perfect gaming laptop at this price segment. The price is a little bit ($$) more than $800 but it totally worth the buck. Whether it is display, gaming performance or durability, there are no compromises. It checks everything that you might be looking for in the best gaming laptop under $800 in 2023.

Buy Now: Amazon

3. Dell G15

Dell G15 is another viable option you can consider under $800. It runs on the 12th Gen Intel Core i5 12500H 12-core processor. While other gaming laptops are offering DDR4 RAM, Dell G15 boasts 8GB DDR5 RAM coupled with a 4GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card. The whole hardware is pretty good for its price. The 12 Core i5 processor with RTX 3050 and DDR5 RAM are enough to run all sorts of AAA gaming titles at the right graphics settings.

For storage, it only comes with 256GB SSD which is not sufficient considering the size of AAA gaming titles. There is another variant of Dell G15 that offers 512GB SSD but it costs ~$100 more than this 256GB variant. If there is room to extend the budget, you should consider at least 512GB SSD.

Dell G15 display is a 15.6-inch Full HD anti-glare display with a 120hz refresh rate. The display covers a 45% NTSC color gamut which is decent. The gameplay is enjoyable on this display but it is not suitable for any kind of color-related tasks. You can always connect an external monitor for better colors and visuals. If you are looking for affordable monitors, check out this guide on the best gaming monitor under 300.

Fortunately, Dell G15 also comes with an HDMI 2.1 port for 4K 120FPS gaming, a USB Type-C port that also supports DisplayPort, a USB 3.2 Type-A port, an RJ-45 Ethernet Port, and a 3.5mm headphone combo jack.

The keyboard of the Dell G15 is also backlit. The whole design is very impressive and it does give gaming laptop vibes. The whole chassis is made of plastic and it weighs ~5.891 lb (2.6 Kg).

In a nutshell, the Dell G15 is a value-for-money gaming laptop that comes with enough hardware required to run AAA gaming titles. If you are someone who stores data on your laptop for creative or work purposes, make sure you grab the 512GB SSD variant but if you are someone who likes to play 1 title at a time, 256GB SSD is enough for that depending on the gaming title you are playing.

Buy Now: Amazon

4. Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3

Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has similar specs to Dell G15 but instead, it came with AMD Ryzen 5 processor whereas Dell G15 offers an Intel Core i5 processor. Both processors are similar in terms of performance. Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 also comes with 8GB DDR5 RAM coupled with 4GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 and 256GB SSD.

In terms of gaming performance, IdeaPad Gaming 3 performs pretty smoothly. You can easily get 100-110FPS on GTA V while First Person Shooter games like Valorant, and CSGO can easily give 150FPS on recommended graphic settings. However, the laptops start to struggle when you run high graphic intensive games like CyberPunk 2077. The frame rate goes to 30-40 FPS but after turning on the DLSS, it goes up to 50FPS which is still low but playable.

The display is also similar to Dell G15 which is 15.6-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080p resolution IPS display with a 120hz refresh rate.

Talking about the design of the laptop, it is sober and there is nothing extremely fancy on it. The exhaust vents at the back have a blue accent color and are also quite big in size which aesthetically looks good and gives it a bold profile. The keyboard has a white backlit but the key travel is low.

For best gameplay, you can always connect tkl mechanical gaming keyboard which occupies less desk space and feels good. For an even smaller size gaming keyboard, you should check our recommendation for the best 60 percent gaming keyboard.

Moving on to connectivity ports which are crucial for connecting monitors, gaming keyboards, mouse, LAN cable, headphones etc. For display, it has HDMI 2.0, a USB Type-C port (supports DisplayPort & Power Delivery 3.0) and for other peripherals, it has a USB Type-A port, an RJ-45 LAN port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Considering the price of IdeaPad Gaming 3, you can definitely consider this laptop as your next purchase. If you want to connect an external monitor for 4K 120FPS gaming, better go with Dell G15 as it offers HDMI 2.1, and IdeaPad Gaming 3 only comes with HDMI 2.0 port. In a nutshell, IdeaPad Gaming 3 is a well-built and value-for-money gaming laptop that checks almost everything you might be looking for in the best gaming laptop under $800.

Buy Now: Amazon

5. Acer Nitro 5

Acer Nitro 5 is another brilliant gaming laptop under 800. It runs on a 12th Gen Intel Core i5 12500H processor coupled with 8GB DDR4 RAM and 4GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU. This gaming rig is ready for all sorts of gaming and other day-to-day tasks. The 8GB RAM is decent but if you could update it to 16GB RAM, it can do wonders for you.

We have already discussed RTX 3050 and its Ray tracing cores, and DLSS support. You can run every AAA gaming title at the recommended graphics settings. For display, it has a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display. The 144hz refresh rate makes sure you never miss a single frame and gives you smooth, fluid gameplay. The first-person shooter games are a breeze on this display.

For connectivity, it has a couple of ports including HDMI 2.1, USB Type-C (with DisplayPort), Thunderbolt 4, RJ-45 Ethernet port, USB 3.2 Type-A ports, and a 3.5mm headphone jack which is enough for connecting other gaming peripherals.

The red backlit keyboard looks good and doesn’t pinch in a dark room. The build quality of Acer Nitro 5 is decent and there is nothing fancy in terms of design. It weighs around 5.51 lbs (2.5 Kg) which is not the lightest gaming laptop but easy to carry in a backpack.

If you are looking for the best gaming laptop under 800 with RTX 3050, 12th Gen Intel Core i5 processor and all the latest connectivity ports, Acer Nitro 5 is good to go. For even better performance, you can update the RAM to 16GB which will definitely enhance the overall gaming performance.

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6. HP Victus (with Intel Processor)

Although I have already mentioned another HP Victus that came with an AMD Ryzen 7 processor but it costs a little more than $800. If you don’t want to overspend and want a gaming laptop under $800, this variant will make more sense to you.

It offers a 12th Gen Intel Core i5 12500H 12 Core processor with 8GB DDR4 RAM and 4GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050. For storage, it has a 512GB SSD. The rig is pretty standard in this segment. The 12-core processor is definitely a good thing. You will have smooth multi-tasking as well as gaming performance. The 8GB RAM is enough for most AAA gaming titles but if you feel like it’s lagging, you can always upgrade to 16GB and it will work like a charm.

The whole design of the laptop is similar to the HP Victus mentioned above. It is sober and decent-looking with good build quality. There is not much flex in the plastic and it feels durable. The keyboard is backlit as well and keys actually have better travel distance which feels good while using it.

For display, it has a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS Display with a 144hz refresh rate. The colors are accurate and viewing angles are also great for IPS panels. The bezels are quite thin from the sides which also gives you an immersive, wide screen to look at while gaming or even while watching a movie or video.

HP Victus also has the latest HDMI 2.1 port, USB Type-C SuperSpeed, USB Type-A SuperSpeed port, RJ-45 Ethernet Port, and 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack. Running on Windows 11, HP Victus is the best gaming laptop under 800. You can get a well-balanced gaming laptop without surpassing your budget.

Buy Now: Amazon

Best Gaming Laptop under $800: To Summarise

There you have all the viable options if you are in the market looking for the best gaming laptop under 800. Most gaming laptops in this price range will offer you an Intel Core i5 processor or AMD Ryzen 5 processor. Make sure you get the latest 12th Gen 12500H Intel Processor or at least the 6th Gen AMD Ryzen 5 processor. Anything above that is a steal under 800.

Moreover, when it comes to Graphics Cards, which are crucial hardware for gaming, make sure you get at least RTX 3050. Do not fall for GTX 1650 in exchange for 32GB RAM. You can upgrade the RAM anytime but you cannot upgrade the GPU of your laptop. RTX 30 Series also makes your laptop future-proof. The latest games are coming up with Ray Tracing as well as DLSS for enhanced gameplay and RTX 30 Series supports both.

One more thing that is overlooked by many people is the HDMI version. If you want to connect an external monitor for 4K gaming and you are planning to get an HDMI 2.1 monitor for that, make sure you grab the laptop that also comes with an HDMI 2.1 port.

HP Victus, Acer Nitro 5 and Dell G15 are the best gaming laptop under 800 in 2023. These gaming laptops offer the best value for money and if you are getting them in sale at a discounted price, just grab any of them and call it a day.