Sunday, November 17, 2024
Laptops

Best Gaming Laptops under $800 (4060RTX & RX 7600S) – 2025

The best gaming laptop under $800 should ideally come with either an RTX 4050 or RTX 3060 or even better a 4060RTX.

It’s going to be VERY difficult to find an RTX 4060 under $800 though.

As of early 2025, I was able to find only one (slightly over $800). 

Note that…

The RTX 3060 is a great option. It will significantly outperform the 4050RTX if running at a higher wattage. 

Now…

if your budget is between $750 and $800, you should be able to find a laptop with an RTX 4050.

If your budget is $700 to $750, you’re more likely limited to an RTX 3050.

In any case…

A budget under $800 should let you play most games at 100 fps on high settings and around 60-80 fps on ultra.

Best Laptop Specs For Gaming Laptops Under 800

Before we get to the laptops , let me talk about the hardware specs foudn under 800 and give you a few tips so in case the top choices are out of stock, you can get the best bang for your buck when buying another laptop.

When you buy a gaming laptop the most CRUCIAL concept is GPU WATTAGE . The Wattage (also called TGP) makes a HUGE difference in the performance. Read my article here to learn what GPU wattage means
 

GPU
Like I said , the top THREE GPUs under 800 support High & Ultra settings at 1080p, they are:

4060RTX: I’ve only seen the 75W version around 800. It’s significantly faster than the 4050RTX.
4050RTX: The 95W version is common under 800. The 115W will match the 3060RTX 85W or slightly exceed it.
3060RTX:  The 115-140W versions of the 3060RTX will outperform all 4050RTX versions. However, very very unlikely to find it under 800. 

3050Ti: Extremely common under 800. Performance is SIGNIFICANTLY slower than all three above. Supports high settings with decent framerates though.
1650GTX &2050RTX:  Both of these are last resort GPUs if your budget is well under 800 (600-700). Significantly slower than 3050Ti. Can only run games at med settings with high framerates.

GPUs to avoid: MX450,MX550, MX350 (Any MX GPU), 1050GTX, 1050Ti. All radeon GPUs except the Radeon Pro 5500M or the newest Radeon (though they are well above 800).

CPU
CPU isn’t nearly as useful as the wattage on GPU. When comparing two laptops, focus on the GPU with higher wattage. After that you can look at the CPU. Use the following guideline:

Ryzen 5 6600H < Core i5 12400H < Ryzen 5 7535H < Core i5 13500H < Ryzen 5 8645HS 

The above is a good approximation for single-thread performance. However, for a more comprehensive performance comparison, check out my post here.

RAM

8GB: Universal & enough for most games. Some games will not run optimally with 8GB. Ex: CoD: Warzone.
16GB:
This is today’s standard for gaming. Most laptops don’t have 16GB out of the box but you can always upgrade RAM on your own.

Dual-Channeled: When you do the upgrade in Dual-Channel mode, you can get an extra 5-15fps on most games and maybe even 20-25fps on some games (MOBA, low setting games). Check out  Dual-channel RAM for gaming to learn more.

Dual-Chanel RAM support: Having 16GB RAM in dual-channel mode will further increase framerates. Not all gaming laptops support dual-channel mode so check RAM set up before purchase

Storage
PCIe 5.0 NVMe: This the fastest generation. Performance gains over previous generations is only seen on games that require you to load lots of heavy files. Outside of that PCIe 4.0 and 3.0 have the same speed for gaming.

Size: it’s more crucial to focus on 512GB or 1TB storage drives as these allow for far more several games installed (10-20) than just a 256GB SSD (4-5). A more complete storage size guide for gaming is shown here.

Display

IPS FHD & QHD: Virtually all gaming laptops have a FHD IPS display.  A few rare laptops will have a QHD (2k resolution) in exchange of lower GPU performance (not worth it).
120-144-165Hz: 120Hz and 144Hz are common on laptops under 800 now. 

Top 5 Best Gaming Laptops Under 800 dollars

The following laptops have one of the following GPUs:  3060RTX, 4050RTx, 3050Ti followed by the 2050RTX and lastly the two most powerful laptops: 4060RTX & 7600S. 

If your budget is close to 800 I suggest you either buy the 3060RTX 140W below or the 4050RTX.

Note that the 4050RTX & 3060RTX are only a good choice if you plan on on playing very graphically demanding games at 1080p like Cyberpunk 2077 .

For games like WoW , LoL , Dota 2, Valorant, Counter Strike and any MOBA or FPS game (outside of Call of Duty) you may want to check cheaper laptops on my under 700 gaming laptops and under 600 gaming laptops posts OR check the 2050RTX laptop shown in this list. 


1. Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-527S

Best Gaming Laptop under 800 – 140W 6GB vRAM GPU

  Core i5 12500H

  16GB DDR4

 Â  3060RTX 140W 6GB vRAM

  512GB PCIe SSD

  15” 120Hz Full HD IPS

  5.51 lbs

  1.5 hours

This laptop was originally selling for around $1,000 or more on Acer’s official website, but it’s now available for under $800. As you’ll soon see, it’s worth every penny.

Yes, you read that right—it has a 140W power rating! Hopefully, it’s still in stock by the time you read this.

GPU: RTX 3060 with 140W TGP

Unlike the previous RTX 3060 models introduced last year, this version goes all out with the full 140W, making it vastly outperform GPUs like the RTX 4050 and 3050Ti.

The 3060 has significantly more CUDA cores than the RTX 4050 and the same 6GB of vRAM, so it handles 1440p gaming far better as well. However, given the lack of a QHD display and a lower-end CPU (which we’ll discuss soon), gaming is best kept to FHD.

Gaming Performance

For a quick look at its performance, check out the video below. Notice how most games easily run at ultra/high settings, pushing framerates well over 100

Title fps Settings Resolution Measured…
Cyberpunk 2077 ~67 Ultra FHD Exploring
Red Dead Redemption II ~60 Ultra FHD Exploring
Assasin’s Creed Valhalla ~72 Ultra FHD Exploring
Far Cry 6 ~79 Ultra FHD Exploring
God of War ~57 Ultra FHD Fighting
GTA V ~116 Ultra FHD Driving
Spiderman Miles ~87 Very High FHD Flying

If you compare the performance of the 3060RTX to the 4050RTX benchmarks (which I’ll show in the next review), you’ll clearly see that the higher-wattage 3060RTX (130W-140W) outperforms the 4050RTX. This is currently the best GPU option you’ll find under $800.

Of course, some extremely GPU-demanding games like PUBG, GTA V, and Battlefront 2 won’t hit 80+ fps on ultra settings, and that’s largely due to the CPU.

CPU: Core i5-12500H

This CPU isn’t exactly outdated—the 13th generation Core i5 models are currently the latest (with the 14th gen just starting to roll out). However, the i5-12500H can struggle to keep up with a 3060RTX running at full wattage.

I explain this more in another post on CPU bottlenecking: you won’t see the full power of the 140W 3060RTX unless you pair it with a faster CPU, like a Ryzen 7 or Core i7, which are generally outside this budget.

That said, a CPU bottleneck isn’t necessarily bad. While it prevents you from reaching the GPU’s full potential, this setup will still outperform other laptops under $800, even with the bottleneck.

Upgrades & Cooling 

This Acer Nitro model is different from the newer Acer Nitro releases with updated CPUs and a 4050RTX. Here, there’s only one RAM slot, so you won’t be able to take advantage of dual-channel mode. However, this typically only affects frame rates by about 5-10 fps. For storage, there’s one slot for a PCIe NVMe 4.0 SSD and another slot for a 2.5” SSD or HDD.

The single-slot design helps ensure there’s ample space for an effective cooling system (you can see the number of heat pipes and vapor chambers surrounding the CPU). This setup dedicates two large fans to both the CPU and GPU, which is essential when running the 3060RTX at full power.  This is an IDEAL cooling system given the power and wattage used on this laptop as explained in my post here.

Acer Nitro 5
PROS CONS
  • Full power 3060RTX ( 140W )
  • Spacious 1TB SSD
  • Faster than a 4050 laptops
  • SATA III connection for storage upgrade
  • Very Low Battery
  • Only 8GB RAM out of the box
  • DDR4 RAM
  • No support for dual-channel

2. HP Victus A14M

Best Gaming Laptop Under 800 – 4050RTX

  Ryzen 5 8645HS

  16GB DDR5 

 Â  4050RTX 95W

  1TB  PCIe NVMe SSD 

  15” 144Hz Full HD

  5.06 lbs

  2 hours

Under $800, the most powerful gaming laptops will have either a 4050RTX or a 3060RTX running at 85-95W (equivalent to a 100W 4050RTX).

I’m featuring the HP Victus here because it’s the best deal under $800 (priced around $730). It has a lot of extra features despite having a high-performance 4050RTX on board.

GPU: 4050RTX, 95W, 6GB vRAM

Typically, 4050RTX laptops are found in the $800-900 range, but the HP Victus at $730 runs the 4050RTX close to 100W, which is the ideal wattage for this GPU.

In theory, it can reach up to 115W with Dynamic Boost. However, for reasons discussed later, the 4050RTX generally doesn’t push past 95W in gaming scenarios.

Due to the more efficient architecture of the 40-series GPUs, pushing wattage beyond 100W doesn’t bring significant gains. You’ll get the full potential of the 40-series RTX GPUs with just 100W (or close to it).

This doesn’t hold for higher-end GPUs like the 4070RTX and 4080RTX, where increased wattage does provide a noticeable performance boost.

Now, let’s see what the 4050RTX at 95W (or 115W with Dynamic Boost) can deliver:

Gaming Performance: 4050RTX (95W)

I’ve included a video that also shows the performance of a lower-wattage 4060RTX, which will be helpful if you’re considering a laptop under $900 with a 4th-gen RTX GPU. The video highlights how crucial wattage is—and how lower wattage can cause a more expensive GPU to perform similarly to a much cheaper one.

Title fps Settings Resolution Measurement
God of War ~56 Ultra FHD Fighting
Witch 3 ~54 Ultra FHD Horde Riding
Far Cry 6 ~96 Ultra FHD Exploring
Red Dead Redemption ~55 Ultra FHD Horse Riding
Assasin’s Creed Valhalla ~77 Ultra FHD Exploring
CyberPunk ~51 Ultra FHD Exploring
GTA V ~92 Very High FHD Racing
Warzone 2 ~74 Extreme FHD Shooting

As seen in the video, the performance of this 4050RTX at 95W is comparable to the 4060RTX running at 45W, though still below the 140W 3060RTX.

In other words, save your money and skip the 4060RTX models running at lower wattages. That’s why I highlighted wattage as the single most important spec when shopping for gaming laptops!

CPU: Ryzen 5 8845HS

Most laptops with a 4050RTX will come with either a 12th-13th gen Core i5 or a 7th gen Ryzen 5. One of the main reasons I chose the HP Victus over other 4050RTX laptops under $800 is the CPU. It’s arguably the fastest for gaming among Core i5 and Ryzen 5 options.

If you check my posts on PassMark benchmarks comparing Ryzen 5 and Core i5, you’ll see the Ryzen 5 generally outperforming Core i5 in multi-threaded tasks while being on par or slightly lower in single-threaded tasks. Those benchmarks are for the 7th gen Ryzen 5, but this is an 8th gen Ryzen 5. Exact benchmark results for this CPU aren’t available yet, but based on the 7th gen Ryzen’s performance, there should be a noticeable improvement. You could get 10-15 extra FPS compared to other 4050RTX laptops with a Core i5 or 7th gen Ryzen 5.

Cooling & Upgrade Options

Like all recent Ryzen models, this one only supports DDR5, the fastest RAM available. What’s great about this model is that it’s already maxed out to 16GB in dual-channel mode, so there’s no need for upgrades! Dual-channel RAM setup gives an additional FPS boost in games.

Additionally, it comes with 1TB of storage out of the box—a solid setup for gaming.

As shown in the figure, there are two RAM slots, both upgradeable with no soldered memory. For storage, there’s an extra M.2 slot (PCIe NVMe 4.0) on the lower right.

 The cooling system could use improvement: the two fans are placed close to each other, and the CPU and GPU share only two heat pipes, which is more typical in entry-level laptops. While this laptop isn’t strictly entry-level, it would benefit from a better cooling system to keep temperatures down and prevent potential damage.

I recommend you to use this laptop on a hard surface and with a cooling pad during long gaming sessions, just to be safe.

HP Victus
PROS CONS
  • High Wattage 4050RTX (95W)
  • Cheapest 4050RTX Laptop
  • Spacious 1TB SSD
  • Dual Channel 16GB
  • Latest DDR5 RAM
  • Additional M.2 Slot for extra Storage
  • Latest & Fastest CPU: 8th gen Ryzen 5
  • Cooling system is mediocre
  • Will need to buy a cooling pad

3. Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3

Best Gaming Laptop Under 800 – 3050RTX

  AMD Ryzen 6 6600H

  16GB DDR4  

 Â  RTX 3050 4GB vRAM

  512GB NVMe SSD

  15.6” 120Hz FHD IPS

  5.1 lbs

  2 hours (gaming) – 4 hours (Light Tasks)

This laptop is significantly less powerful than the other two we’ve gone over so far. However, that also means it’s significantly cheaper. Most laptops with a 3050RTX will cost between $600 and $700. This is the price range to aim for—any higher, and you’re getting ripped off since you could find a 4050RTX for that much.

GPU: 3050RTX 4GB vRAM (85W)

It’s worth noting that there are actually three types of 3050RTX GPUs out there.

First, there’s the 3050Ti, which is faster for FHD gaming. Then, there’s a version of the 3050RTX with 6GB vRAM, which is more practical for 3D CAD software. For most FHD gaming, though, 6GB vRAM isn’t necessary (check out my post on vRAM usage in games). So, the ideal budget choice is the 4GB vRAM 3050RTX. Yes, it’s the weakest option, but don’t underestimate it. It’s still way faster than the 1650GTX or 2050RTX, which are cheaper but can’t handle FHD gaming at high settings quite as well—especially on more demanding games like Call of Duty or Cyberpunk at high settings.

Unlike the 1650GTX, the 3050RTX supports DLSS and RTX modes. The latter (RTX) is limited to lighter games due to the lower CUDA core count compared to higher-end RTX GPUs. It’s still handy for titles like Minecraft, though.

In terms of wattage, the 3050RTX generally runs at 75W-85W, with a few ultrabook models running it at a lower 50W

Gaming Performance

Title FPS Settings Resolution
Apex ~85 High 1080p
Assasin’s Creed Odyssey ~61 High 1080p
Cyberpunk ~40 Medium 1080p
Fortnite ~65 Epic 1080p
GTA V ~78 Very High 1080p
Witcher 3 ~57 Ultra 1080p
Warzone ~43 Ultra 1080p
Far Cry ~53 Ultra 1080p

You can still hit 40-50fps on ultra/epic settings in most games. However, for graphically demanding titles like Cyberpunk, you’ll likely need to lower the settings to avoid GPU bottlenecks and overheating. It’s best to stick to medium or low settings for these heavy games and go for high settings on less demanding ones.

RAM & Upgrades: 8GB DDR4

This laptop supports dual-channel RAM, with two upgradable slots—neither soldered to the motherboard. For storage, it comes with two slots: one is occupied by the default SSD, and the other is a SATA III 2.5” bay for an additional drive

Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3
PROS CONS
  • Dual-Channel Support
  • Additional 2.5” slot
  • 120Hz
  • 16GB RAM out of the box
  • Runs most games games at medium-high settings
  • Low Battery
  • DDR4 RAM
  • Heavy

4. MSI ‎Thin 15

Lightweight Gaming Laptop Under 800

  Core i5 12450H

  16GB DDR5

 Â  2050RTX 4GB vRAM

  512GB PCIe NVMe SSD

  15.6” 144Hz FHD IPS

  4.1 lbs

  4 hours

 

Alright, so this laptop’s all about portability and light gaming. If you’re in school or just need something lightweight that can also handle some gaming, this one’s worth a look. It’s got a decent battery, won’t weigh you down, and it’s not gonna wreck your budget either.

GPU: 2050RTX (30W) 4GB vRAM

Alright, so the 2050RTX here is running at 30W, which is pretty much standard (and max) for this GPU in most laptops. There’s no MUX switch, but honestly, it’s about as good as the 1650GTX with 4GB vRAM. This thing’s solid for MOBAs and FPS games, but don’t expect it to breeze through Cyberpunk or The Witcher on high settings—those games are just way more demanding

Title FPS Settings Resolution
Horizon Zero Dawn ~44 Medium 1080p
GTA V ~100 High 1080p
Forza Horizon 5 ~61 Medium 1080p
Far Cry 6 ~46 Medium 1080p
The Witcher 3 ~59 High 1080p
Cyberpunk 2077 ~49 Low 1080p
Warzone ~74 Low 1080p
Fortnite ~65 Normal/Low FHD

Most games (outside the super graphically demanding ones) can run on High settings. For the more intense games, you’ll get decent performance on Medium. For example, Fortnite should actually run at higher framerates, but in this benchmark, it was set to DirectX 12 with Epic view distance, and everything else was on low/normal.

RAM & Upgrades: 8GB DDR4

The installed RAM is DDR4, and unfortunately, no DDR5 support here—this motherboard just doesn’t have the option. You can, however, set up dual-channel mode since there are two RAM slots, and both are upgradable.

On the lower left, you’ll see a 2.5” bay for adding a SATA III SSD if you need more storage, and right above that, there’s an M.2 slot for a PCIe NVMe SSD.

Cooling System

There’s a single fan, and the heat pipes are shared between the CPU and GPU, with small heatsinks on each. This setup is fine for a GPU like the 2050RTX, which doesn’t need a ton of cooling. Just don’t push the GPU too hard otherwise there will be a GPU bottleneck: temperatures will rise and performance will decrease due to Thermal Throttling.

 

Acer Aspire 5
PROS CONS
  • Dual-Channel Support
  • x2 Storage slots
  • Lightweight
  • Decent Battery
  • Runs games at medium settings for less than $700
  • 60Hz display (low)
  • no DDR5 support

5. ASUS TUF A16

Best Gaming Laptop Under 800 – 4060RTX

  Ryzen 7 7735HS

  8GB DDR5

  Radeon RX 7600S

  512GB PCIe SSD

  16” 165Hz Full HD+ IPS

  4.85 lbs

  3 hours

 

There are no 4060RTX laptops under 800 as of early 2025. The closest one to 800 having both a 4060RTX and a 13th Core i7 is around 850 dollars shown in this link.

In this review, I want to talk about an alternative to the RX 7600S that’s more likely to be under 800 though and as you’ll see soon has almost the same performance. 

GPU: 4060RTX vs RX 7600S

Without a doubt, the 4060RTX is the strongest GPU on this list. But how does the RX 7600S compare?

For starters, it has the same amount of VRAM, though we can’t just compare core counts since the RX 7600S uses AMD’s architecture, which is based on shaders. So, let’s turn to benchmarks to see how they stack up:

From the video, you’ll see both GPUs perform pretty closely. However, keep in mind the 7600S is a slightly ‘nerfed’ version of the full 7600XT, which is expected to come out in 2025 and will likely be more powerful. The RX 7600S, even at a lower power, holds its ground against the 85W 4060RTX. This is roughly in line with the 3060RTX but with added benefits: newer architecture, better efficiency, and improved ray tracing (RTX) performance.

CPU: Ryzen 7 7735HS

Another highlight of this laptop is the Ryzen 7 7735HS, the most powerful CPU in this lineup (though there are faster options out there, this one is tops here). A strong CPU is essential here, as it prevents GPU bottlenecks, allowing the RX 7600S to really flex its potential during gaming.

Upgrades & Cooling

The cooling system is well-designed: two dedicated fans for the GPU and CPU, large heat pipes running across both, big vapor chambers, and plenty of open space for heat dissipation around the components.

For upgrades, it supports dual-channel RAM with two free slots. There are also two storage slots, both compatible with PCIe NVMe 4.0 SSDs, giving you plenty of options for upgrades

ASUS TUF 16
PROS CONS
  • Latest AMD RX 7600S GPU
  • RAM installed in Dual-Channel
  • 144HZ display
  • Runs most games at Epic or Ultra
  • x2 M.2 SSD slots
  • Latest Ryzen 7 CPU
  • Heavy
  • Very Low battery

How to Buy The Best Gaming Laptop Under 800

If you don’t like any of the laptops above or they’re simply out of stock here are the two ways to find more ‘worthy’ choices:

1. Makea List of all laptops under 800

This is the most efficient method and the method I used to find the 5 laptops above, the problem is that it takes time.

Simply list all laptops under 800 ignoring the overpriced ones and those with no dGPU. List all the specs in different colums and prices in the last column as shown in my document below:

Another cool thing about this method is that you can get insights on how much a laptop should cost and how much more storage (or better RAM/Display) affects the total price. Ex: A 144Hz display may add 50 dollars to the overall cost whereas an old generation CPU may make a laptop much cheaper (ironically with the same performance as recent CPUs in most cases).

This method’s time consuming unfortuantely. If you are in a hurry, use the following method:

2. Get all the hardware part prices and add it to a total cost, then compare.

Not a fool proof price but it can definitely tell you right away whether you’re getting ripped off or you’re getting a good deal.

Of course, if you find rare hardware under 800, you can discard all methods and just buy it. Let’s say you find a 4060RTX GPU on a 750 dollar laptop…there’s no need to research that much. You’d just need to check reviews whether said laptop is defective or not, then buy it if there are no proble,s

How do you get the prices of CPUs and GPUs?

For recently released hardware, you can go the manufacturer’s websites: AMD, NVIDIA, Intel  etc to get the prices.

If the hardware has been released several months ago, then you’ll have to do a search query on google to get the prices from other sellers.

What I’ve done with the prices below is send emails to the manufacturers to get the current prices so you can safely use the prices you’ll find on the tables below.

How do you get the prices of all other parts (SSD, RAM, Display, Chasis,etc)?

This is actually much easier. Just go to a webstore like Ebay, Alibaba or Amazon. Use those three for different parts.

Amazon: you can find the prices of SSDs, RAM & and anything that’s mainstream to sell (WiFi Card, battery etc).

Alibaba & Ebay: you can get the prices of laptop parts that you don’t normally see on stores: Displays, motherboards, chasis, etc. 

Anyways…

here are the prices I’ve gotten with the previously mentioned methods:

GPU

The desktop GPU versions are basically the same used in laptops for most GPUs like the 1650GTX, 3050Ti and beyond so googling the prices or even going to the manufacturer’s site will work.

GPU Cost($)
1650 150
2050RTX 170
3050RTX 180
3050Ti RTX 180
3060RTX 250-300
4050RTX 250
4060RTX 300
RX 7600S 300

*The 3060RTX is not exact as of 2024, you can use the average 270.

CPU

AMD vs Intel

It’s difficult to tell which CPU is faster for a certain game. I will make a separate post soon but you can use benchmarks to get an estimate. Games today are both multi-core and single-core so results may vary depending on the game test, you may get more framerates with Ryzen (more multicore) or more framerates with Intel (higher single clock speed). We are concerned with prices so we’ll leave that topic to another post.

Prices

As of 2024, I’ve taken out outdated CPUs and focus on the recent ones. I’ve also omitted CPUs you will most definitely will not find under 800 anytime soon. 

Name Price*
Ryzen 5 5600H 180
Ryzen 5 6600H 230
Ryzen 5 7535HS
270
Core i5 11300H 200
Core i5 11400H 200
Core i5 12500H 250
Core i5 13500H 300
Core i5 14450HX 350
Ryzen 7 8745HS 350

*As of 2024 Q1 Though you won’t find these prices listed anywhere , they are taken from manufacturer’s email exchange and some are taken from the desktop version (prices calibrated to the laptop versions).

RAM

RAM prices depend on speed, generation and brand. These are the average prices of RAM though manufacturers will most definitely use the cheapest versionf for each type of RAM.

Name DDR4 DDR5
16GB 60 80
8GB 30-35 45
4GB 15-20 30

Performance between two different brands is nearly the same although manufacturers will say otherwise. If the speeds & generation are the same, then the performance will be the same.

Storage

Unless you’re going to a laptop like the Acer Aspire 5, storage soldered to the motherboard is rare. (The Acer Aspire is a thin portable laptop yet storage is not soldered). They’re mostly soldered on thin ultrabooks. Thus for gaming laptops figuring out the cost of storage is easy. We are ignoring any storage set up that has an HDD, they’re extremely rare if you’re looking for modern laptops.

You’ll only find them on older machines which should be MUCH cheaper than the modern versions.

PCIe NVMe 4.0 (x4 lanes) Price
128 GB  ~25$
256GB  ~25$
512GB  ~35$
1TB  ~55$

Note that you’ll only find PCie NVMe SSDs pre-installed on gaming laptops. SATA III slots are almost always never used out of the box.

Display

All gaming laptops with dedicated GPUs now have IPS displays so the question is whether or not they have QHD resolution and high refresh rates. Most laptops will have FHD. QHD will add A LOT to the overall price and UNLIKELY to be found on the powerful gaming laptops with high-tier GPUs (they’re found on business books or those laptops with low-tier GPUs).

Display  Price ($)
60Hz IPS TN 15” 40
60Hz IPS FHD 15” 40
120 Hz IPS FHD 15” 70
144 Hz IPS FHD 15” 80
360Hz IPS FHD 15” 120-150

120Hz & 144Hz are now pretty common on gaming laptops. It’s going to be uncommon to find 60Hz displays unless you go for low-tier GPUs (way below 800 dollars).

Additional Parts

– Battery
– Keyboard
– Mousepad
– Motherboard
– Power supply and chord
– Chasis & Shell
– WifiCard, etc.

All parts above will average to a total of 150 bucks. The total price may be higher if the chasis & shell are made of aluminium (most gaming laptops use plastic). Lastly, if you find a  cool RGB keyboards on a laptop, you can use the total price to be around 200-250 (depending on the keyboard). You’re not going to find RGB keyboards under 800 dollars so don’t worry about it . Just use 150 dollars for the remaining parts.

EXAMPLE: Gigabyte AORUS 799$

Display: 15” 360Hz –  $150
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 – $250
CPU: Intel Core i5-12500H – $250
RAM: 8GB DDR5 RAM $45
SSD: 512GB $35

All other parts: $150

250+250+150+150+80=$880
Laptop sells for $799


Comments?

Please leave a comment below if you have any questions, recommendations for gaming laptops under 800 OR if any of the laptops run out of stock and you’d like more suggestions.

Author Profile

Miguel Salas
Miguel Salas
I am physicist and electrical engineer. My knowledge in computer software and hardware stems for my years spent doing research in optics and photonics devices and running simulations through various programming languages. My goal was to work for the quantum computing research team at IBM but Im now working with Astrophysical Simulations through Python. Most of the science related posts are written by me, the rest have different authors but I edited the final versions to fit the site's format.

Miguel Salas

I am physicist and electrical engineer. My knowledge in computer software and hardware stems for my years spent doing research in optics and photonics devices and running simulations through various programming languages. My goal was to work for the quantum computing research team at IBM but Im now working with Astrophysical Simulations through Python. Most of the science related posts are written by me, the rest have different authors but I edited the final versions to fit the site's format.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *