It isn’t just about the GPU of course , CPU & RAM choices also help so before we get into the laptops I’ve chosen let’s go over all the specs that improve gaming performance.

GPU

These are ALL the dGPUs you’ll come across under 700.*

500 dollars GPUs: MX450,MX550 1050GTX (2-4GB) -> Low – Med Graphics
500-550 dollar GPUs: 1050Ti, 1650GTX –> Med graphics
550-600 dollar GPUs: 2050RTX -> Med & High graphics
600-650 GPUs: 3050Ti –> High & Ultra Graphics

*Numbers stands for the min and max prices YOU should be paying.

We’ll only list NVIDIA GPUs. AMD GPUs are more expensive (ironically , at least on laptops, not as powerful).

CPU
All games use multiple cores but you will always benefit from choosing the CPU with the highest clock speed. Not so easy to tell which has faster clock speed so use the following guide:

Ryzen 5 5500U<Core i5 1335U…Core i5 12450H<Core i5 12500H<Ryzen 5 6600H<Ryzen 5 7535H<Core i5 13500H<Ryzen 5 86490HS<Core i5 14450HX

*Performance gains between CPUs of the same color are MINIMAL. In most cases, it’s just better to make sure display stats are good (refresh rates).

If you want more details check my Ryzen vs Intel CPU Laptop Performance Comparison post to see the single-thread/multi-thread benchmarks of all current laptop CPUs

RAM
8GB vs 16GB RAM : Ideally you want 16GB RAM. It will boost performance in most games especially if its installed in dual-channel mode. Dont panic if you can’t find 16GB RAM out of the box, you can always upgrade RAM on your own: check my post how to upgrade RAM.

Dual-channel RAM: Installing RAM in DC mode increases fps by 5-15 depending on the game. Not all laptops support dual channel mode. You can read more about dual-chanel RAM here.

Storage
The fastest SSD is PCIe 5.0 SSDs but it’s not available on gaming laptops under 700. Either way, PCie NVMe generations have more or less the same performance for gaming, PCIe 4.0 or PCie 3.0 are enough. The problem for gaming is storage space:
256GB: Only good for 4 titles.
512GB: Ideal, can store approx 10 games. Not rare to find 512GB. If you can’t, just do the upgrade as shown here.

If you don’t know how much you’ll need , feel free to check my post: How much space for gaming.

Display
IPS & FHD are a must but virtually all gaming laptops under 700 will have it.
144 & 120Hz refresh Rate: This is very common under 700 as of early 2025.

MUX Switch

MUX Switches can increase GPU performance up to 20% but it’s extremely rare to find it on the GPUs we mentioned.

Top 5 Best Gaming Laptops Under $700

A few things to know:

This list has laptops with modern and reasonable GPUs for the price : 3050Ti, 2050RTX, 1650GTX, MX550 & MX450
I have omitted GPUs like the 1050GTX & MX350 and anything too weak to be useful in 2024.
Since this is stricly under 700 you may miss on better deals if you add a few more dollars so check my best gaming laptops under 800 too if you can up your budget a bit.

This is a short list but there’s an excel sheet with all the laptops I’ve come across

1. Acer Nitro V

Best Gaming Laptop ~ 700 – 4050RTX

Intel Core i5-13420H

8GB DDR5

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050

512GB Gen 4 SSD

15” 144Hz Full HD

4.6 lbs

2 hours

This 4050RTX laptop is around 720 dollars (as of early 2025), hopefully prices have not gone up too much.

GPU: 4050 RTX 6GB vRAM

Unlike the other GPUs we’ll go over (3050RTX, 2050RTX) this one has a different architecture so even at low wattages it runs quiet fast. It also has 6GB vRAM as opposed to 4GB thus is more suitable for much higher graphics settings and 1440p although 1440p gaming also needs a QHD (you may have to attach an external display if you want to play at 1440p).

CPU: Core i5-13240H

CPU is not from the latest generation from the Intel Series (that would be the 14th) however that should have MINIMAL impact on framerates across all games (perhaps 5-10fps at the most). Note that CPU is not nearly as important as having 16GB RAM (in Dual Channel Mode) or a GPU running at higher power (Wattage). If you want to know how it fares against other CPUs, feel free to navigate to the benchmarks: Ryzen 5 vs Core i5 CPUs.

But to keep it short and sweet, this CPU in single-threaded benchmarks is only surpassed by the 7th gen Ryzen 7, 8th gen Ryzen 7 and the 14th gen Core i5. It’s faster than all other CPUs found in this price bracket. Obviously, the recent Ryzen 7 and Core i7s will be faster but you won’t find them under 700 or even under 750 dollars.

Performance

As a benchmark, let’s use a very very graphically demanding game like CyberPunk. This laptop supports Cyberpunk at 1080p on ULTRA settings at almost 60fps. This may not be mind blowing but considering that the game is running in a very fast paced environment such as in racing with the higehst settings its still pretty good and far better than the other laptops shown will give you.

Note that it’s important to compare performance in equal environments. The other laptops with weaker GPUs may have similar framerates perhaps in very quiet static environments which requires a lot less GPU resources.

RAM & Upgrades

This laptop has dual-channel RAM, and the 8GB stick installed isn’t soldered in, so you can easily add another 8GB stick to make it 16GB. Sims 4 usually won’t use more than 8GB, but having 16GB means you’ll have plenty of RAM for any multitasking you want to do while playing.

Storage-wise, there are two slots: one PCIe slot taken by the default SSD, and a free 2.5″ bay where you can add another SSD or HDD (up to 1TB), which is great if you need extra storage.

2. Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3

Best Gaming Laptop under 700 – 3050Ti

AMD Ryzen 5 6600H

8GB DDR5

RTX 3050Ti 4GB vRAM

256GB PCIe SSD

15” 120Hz Full HD

4.96lbs

5 hours

This is the second fastest laptop of this post. There are no laptops with GPUs faster than the 4050RTX under 700 dollars.

If this runs out of stock and you want a 3050RTX please keep the following in mind:

GPU: 3050Ti RTX 4GB vRAM

There are THREE types of 3050RTX GPUs: The 4GB vRAM version, the 6GB vRAM version and the 3050Ti version (this model). Out of the three, the fastest one is the 3050Ti version because it runs at higher clock speeds. The 6GB vRAM version may be more useful for 3D work and 3D Animation (or game development) though while the 4GB vRAM is a good budget option for gaming.

All three GPUs however support RTX & DLSS mode , the latter can boost framerates depending on the game (15-20fps) if you go to the graphics settings.

They all run pretty much at the same wattage (85W) so no need to check for TGP before purchase. Most will lack a MUX switch as well. This model does not have a MUX Switch by the way.

Lastly, you may also come across a much cheaper option (2050RTX), we’ll go over that GPU soon but know that the 3050Ti is approximately ~60% faster.

Let’s see how that translates to games:

I’m only testing Call of Duty in the video above but notice how despite running at ultra settings it easily reaches 80fps while playing ONLINE. If you click on the video link, you will get redirected to you tube you can click on my channel to see the 3050Ti performance with other games like WoW, Sims 4, CS 2, Fortnite, OW 2, etc.

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 6600H

Note that the laptop I tested was running on a Ryzen 5 5600H and this model Im featuring here runs on a Ryzen 5 6600H. You can expect at least 5 more framerates on CoD and 10 more framerates on less graphically demanding games running at Epic/ultra.

RAM & Upgrades: Dual Channel?

I have upgraded the Ryzen 5 5600H model myself and added a an additional SSD and an additional RAM stick on two of my posts here: How to Upgrade RAM and Storage. The cooling set up and RAM/Storage set up is pretty much the same for the Ryzen 5 6600H model as shown below:

There’s TWO slots for storage: A M.2 slot for a PCIe NVMe SSD and a 2.5” slot for a SATA III SSD. There are TWO RAM slots, none of them are soldered, so upgrading RAM in dual-channel mode is possible.

Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3
PROS	CONS
Supports High & Epic settings at 50fps Runs most games at 90fps (High) Dual-Channel Support Two Slots for storage 120Hz refresh rates 3050Ti GPU	Poor Battery Low Storage Only 8GB RAM out of the Box

3. MSI Thin 15 B12UCX-2041US

Gaming Laptop Under 700 – 2050RTX

Core i5 12450H

8GB DDR5

RTX 2050 4GB vRAM

1TB PCIe NVMe SSD

15” 144Hz FHD

5.1 lbs

2 hours

If your budget is well below $700 and closer to $600, you should start considering laptops with a 2050RTX. These laptops are the next most powerful option after 3050Ti laptops.

Now, let’s take a look at their performance:

GPU: 2050RTX 2GB vRAM

The 2050RTX is faster than the 1650GTX (despite having the same vRAM) but slower than the 3050Ti. It falls significantly behind the 3050RTX; however, it still supports most games at 60fps on medium settings. Since it’s based on the Ampere GA107 architecture, it includes tensor cores, meaning it supports DLSS. This allows for potentially higher frame rates if the game supports DLSS mode.

Here’s what you can expect from the 2050RTX’s performance. You can find plenty of benchmarks on YouTube, but its performance is very similar to the 1650GTX I benchmarked here.

Below the performance of a 2050RTX on a laptop (taken from youtube benchmarks):

Title	FPS	Settings	Resolution	Instance
OW 2	~73	High	FHD	Shooting
Valorant	~120	High	FHD	Combat
Warzone	~65	Low	FHD	Combat
Fortnite	~48	Medium+Epic	FHD	Running
CS 2	~76	Very High	FHD	Scouting
Cyberpunk	~32	High(DLSS OFF)	FHD	Driving
Far Cry 6	~63	Medium	FHD	Walking

There’s a noticeable drop in performance compared to the 3050Ti. However, the 2050RTX can still deliver 60 to 80 fps as long as you lower the settings. For example, while the 3050Ti can run Far Cry 6 at 70fps on High settings, the 2050RTX comes close to that frame rate if graphics are reduced to Medium. The main reason for this is that the 3050Ti has more CUDA cores and higher overall power, allowing it to handle more demanding graphics settings.

For FPS (first-person shooter) games, with the exception of graphically demanding titles like Call of Duty, achieving 60fps at high or even very high settings is still easily doable.

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 vs Core i5

Below you can see the performance of the Core i5 13500H and how the CPU (Core i5 12450H) of this laptop stands relative to it. Now… Ideally, you want to pick a Core i5 13th gen CPU but that is currently impossible to find under 700 with a 2050RTX GPU.

Although most games run faster (more framerates) with CPUs that have higher clock speed (performance) , there are many games now that run higher with CPUs that have better multi-core performance.

7th and 6th gen Ryzen CPUs are known to have better multi-core performance than Intel CPUs though and single-thread performance (assuming generations are equivalent 7th gen Ryzen = 13th gen Core i5) is almost the same as shown in my post here so yeah they’re definitely a better choice than this Core i5 12500H.

Although beware that you won’t get that much performance gain from those but yeah you’ll get around 5-10fps extras with the recent Ryzen 5s and the slightly faster 13th Core i5.

RAM & Upgrades: 8GB RAM (Dual-Channel Available)

Below is the MSI Thin with the 2050RTX taken apart. You can clearly see that the two RAM slots are located close to each other, and there are no soldered RAM sticks on the motherboard.

This means you can either add an additional 8GB RAM stick to bring it to 16GB in dual-channel mode or leave it as it is for single-channel RAM.

Note that the RAM stick you need to use is DDR4 RAM. If you’re looking for a laptop that supports DDR5, you’ll need to opt for one with a 7th-gen Ryzen CPU, as those CPUs exclusively support DDR5. DDR5 significantly improves gaming performance, and enabling dual-channel mode can further boost this performance—potentially by around 20fps, depending on the game. Keep in mind that the tested games for this laptop used DDR4 RAM in dual-channel mode.

Additionally, there is an extra slot for an M.2 SSD. Right above the installed SSD, there’s another slot for a PCIe NVMe SSD. However, you can only use one of these slots, not both simultaneously. The ideal choice would be to add a PCIe NVMe SSD stick, as it doesn’t require a caddy for installation.

MSI Thin 15
PROS	CONS
Cheapest 2050RTX laptop Supports dual-channel RAM Supports mostly medium to high settings Portable & Thin 144Hz display Additional storage Slot Decent battery	None

4. MSI GF63 Thin

Gaming Laptop Under 700 – 1650GTX

Core i5 10300H

8GB DDR4

GTX 1650

256GB PCIe SSD

15.6” 60Hz Full HD IPS

4.1 lb

3 hours

Now… this MSI comes with a 1650GTX, and let me be clear: this should be your last resort if your budget is under $700. You’re much better off prioritizing one of the two laptops I’ve already highlighted above—ideally, the one with the 3050Ti.

GTX: 1650GTX 4GB vRAM

The 1650GTX isn’t bad—in fact, it’s not far behind the 2050RTX in terms of performance. I still game on a laptop with a 1650GTX (ASUS TUF) myself, and it holds up for most games. However, it’s nowhere near the performance of a 3050Ti.

If you want to squeeze out extra performance and get closer to a 2050RTX—or even rival the 3050Ti—you’ll need a laptop with a MUX switch or one that has Optimus disabled. Either option can give you about a 20% boost in GPU performance.

Unfortunately, the model I’m featuring here doesn’t have a MUX switch, nor is Optimus disabled. On top of that, it’s the Max-Q version of the 1650GTX, which is slightly weaker than the standard 1650GTX. So, why did I even include it? Simple: it’s dirt cheap.

If you’re willing to spend more, you can get a more powerful version of the 1650GTX. But at that point, you’re already in the price range of laptops with a 2050RTX, so it makes more sense to go for the newer and more capable GPU.

The advantage of this Max-Q version is that it’s more efficient—it uses less power, has longer battery life, generates less heat, and comes in thinner, lighter designs. If portability and longevity matter more to you than raw gaming performance, this might still be worth considering.

Gaming Performance: 1650GTX

For highly graphically demanding games like RDR2 or Cyberpunk, you’ll be fortunate to reach 60fps even on Medium settings. For FPS shooting games, high graphics are supported with 60fps. Overall, it’s a noticeable downgrade from the 2050RTX.

If you can find the Lenovo L340 (Has a 1650GTX – shown in my youtube channel) at a significantly lower price than the 2050RTX we listed (laptop before this one), it could potentially outperform it. However, as of Q1 2025, the MSI GF63 Thin remains the only model cheaper than the chapest 2050RTX.

RAM & Storage:

The upgradeability and the RAM and storage setup on this laptop are essentially the same as the MSI GF63 Thin Laptop with the 2050RTX. It has two slots for RAM, neither of which are soldered to the motherboard, and they support DDR4 3200MHz RAM sticks, making dual-channel configurations possible.

For storage, there are two NVMe connections and one SATA III connection, which can accommodate either an HDD or an SSD.

MSI GF63 Thin – 1650GTX Model
PROS	CONS
Lightweight RAM & Storage can be upgraded Dual-Channel Support Additional storage support Sleek subtle design Runs most games on high & medium	No MUX Switch/ Has Optimus Enabled Outdated CPU Max-Q 1650GTX Not much cheaper than the 2050RTX model

5. ASUS ZenBook 14

Best Gaming Laptop Around 700

AMD Ryzen 5 5500U

8GB DDR4

MX450 2GB vRAM

256GB PCIe NVMe SSD

14” 60Hz Full HD

2.62lbs

5 hours

While you can find cheaper laptops that support games at low settings, they won’t have a dedicated GPU and may overheat significantly during gaming. This is because the CPU and iGPUs (integrated GPUs) in these laptops are not equipped with proper cooling systems to sustain high clock speeds for extended periods.

If you plan on doing any kind of gaming (regardless of settings), prioritize getting a laptop with a dedicated GPU, even if it’s outdated. A dedicated GPU will make a huge difference by taking a significant load off the CPU (and the cooling system/fans).

GTX: MX450 2GB vRAM

The model featured here has an outdated GPU, making it the cheapest on the list. However, it’s not as outdated as you might think. It’s essentially the predecessor of the MX550, and since there hasn’t been any significant change in architecture compared to the MX450, its performance isn’t far behind.

Like any non-RTX GPU, it lacks DLSS mode and RTX capabilities. Additionally, its 2GB vRAM limits it to being more efficient for games running at low and possibly medium settings at 1080p resolution.

There’s no need to worry about wattages or MUX Switches here either—MX450 laptops all perform similarly. While some may run at slightly lower wattages, this is rare. This particular laptop runs at the maximum wattage typically found with MX450 GPUs: 25W.

Below is the performance of the MX450 across various games:

Title	FPS	Settings	Resolution	Instance
Star Wars Jedi	~35	Medium	FHD	Combat
Horizon Zero Dawn	~33	Low	720p	Combat
Cyberpunk 2077	~34	Low	720p	Walking
The Witcher 3: Wild hunt	~28	High	FHD	Combat
Assasin’s Creed	~51	Low	FHD	Combat
Hitman 3	~40	Low	FHD	Walking
GTA V	~53	High	FHD	Driving

Most of the games tested were graphically demanding, and as long as resolutions were set to low, FPS ranged from 30 to 50. Although playable, these framerates are quite low. If less graphically demanding FPS (first-person shooters) or MOBA games (like Dota 2 and LoL) were tested, the framerates would be much more acceptable. In summary, both the MX450 and MX550, or any laptop with 2GB vRAM, are best suited for less graphically demanding games.

RAM & Storage

Below is the RAM and storage setup of one of the ASUS ZenBooks with an MX450 GPU. Note that the RAM is soldered to the motherboard. The finger in the image points to the battery connection, but to the right, you’ll see four chips—those are the RAM. This means RAM upgrades are not possible. You’re stuck with 8GB DDR4 running at 3200MHz. Additionally, there’s only one SSD connection (an M.2 slot), which is already occupied by the default storage. However, you can replace the SSD if you want to increase storage.

My recommendation? If you’re going to buy this laptop, don’t bother with upgrades. It’s not worth risking the warranty, and the design is quite thin, making upgrades difficult.

Only buy this laptop if you need something very portable that can also handle occasional gaming.

ASUS Zenbook 14
PROS	CONS
Extremely lightweight 512GB SSD out of the Box Great Battery Cool temperatures Good for school, work + gaming Silent fans	RAM is soldered No additional storage Supports low settings

How to Find The Best Gaming Laptop Under 700

Use this section if all laptops above are out of stock and you have no access to them (they’re listed for an american audience). There are two ways go to about this:

1) COMPILE A LIST OF EVERY GAMING LAPTOP UNDER 700

This is the best way to go about this but it’s very very time consuming. I have made a list myself, as of Q1 2024, and reduced it to a smaller list in this link: gaming laptops under 700. You are welcome to use it.

Note that the list has taken out laptops that are overpriced (Ex: a 2050RTX selling for $689 whereas most 2050RTX sell for around 600) and also taken out older models (1050GTX are too old and only as powerful as MX GPUs or integrated GPUs).

2) CALCULATE THE TOTAL PRICE OF A LAPTOP

This is method is faster. Let’s say you come across a laptop you like at your nearest local store but want to know if the prices makes sense or not. You simply add up all the laptop parts to a total price and compare it to the retail price.

This may sound too difficult and time consuming but don’t worry I’ll simplify it and give you the prices of individual parts so you can do it on your own without doing much research.

If you’d like to verify these prices you’ll have to contact manufacturers or estimate them based on the prices of all laptops. The sources of these prices are Intel, AMD, Amazon, Ebay & Aliexpress I’ll explain how I got them as I go over each part.

GPU

The prices of GPUs are easy to find out because they’re not that different from desktop GPUs. Most of the time the desktop version is used on laptops with a few changes (wattage,form factor,etc). They’re basically the same hardware they just have been stripped of their power supply so they are underclocked to run at low power which is safer for the limited space on laptops.

Name	USD
1650	150
2050RTX	170
3050RTX	~180
3050Ti	~180

CPU

For the prices of CPUs, you’ll have to contact manufacturers or estimate the price based on all the prices of all laptops. I have done the work for you.

Intel	Price (USD)
Core i5-1035G1	180
Core i5 -1115G7	200
Core i5 9300H	180
Core i5 8300H	170
Core i5 10300H	180
Core i5 10500H	180
Core i5 11300H	200
Core i5 11200H	200
Core i5 11400H	200
Core i5 11500H	200
Core i5 12500H	250
Core i5 13500H	300
Core i5 14450HX	350

AMD	Price (USD)
Ryzen 5 3550H	200
Ryzen 5 4600H	200
Ryzen 5 5600H	200
Ryzen 5 6600H	230
Ryzen 5 7535HS	270

RAM

RAM & Storage prices can be obtained from any webstore like Amazon.

The prices of RAM will depend on brand and size but we’ll choose the cheapest (since manufacturers buy a large supply they get the cheapest prices).

Soldered RAM: Very rare to find soldered RAM. It’s a lot more common on thin ultrabooks.

RAM/Price	DDR4	DDR5
16GB	60	80
8GB	30-35	45
4GB	20	30

Storage

Virtually ALL gaming laptops (laptops with dedicated GPUs) or even all modern laptops will have a PCIe NVMe SSD pre-installed as storage. If you find a laptop with TWO storage devices, it is very very likely they’re both using a PCIe connection , this means that the SSD is also PCIe NVMe so you can use the following prices.

Name	Price(USD)
128 GB PCIe NVMe	25
256GB PCIe NVMe	25
512GB PCIe NVMe	35
1TB PCIe NVMe	55

Display

Sites like AliExpress sell components separately for repairing purposes.

Display	USD
60Hz IPS 1366×768	40
60Hz IPS FHD	40
120 Hz IPS FHD	70
144 Hz IPS FHD 15”	80

I’ve used Ali express to get the current prices.

Other Small Parts

By this I mean all the other material that makes up a laptop besides hardware: keyboard, chasis, battery, etc.

You can get the prices of each on Ali express and then estimate the average:

For laptops with MX GPUs (MX450, MX350,etc) is about 100 USD.
For laptops with other GPUs it’s about 150 bucks.

EXAMPLE: HP Victus 15 – 3050Ti Model

Display: 15” 144Hz – $80
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 – $180
CPU: Intel Core i5-12500H – $250
RAM: 8GB DDR4 RAM $35
SSD: 512GB $35

All other parts: $150

Estimated Price = $730
Retail Price = $655

Comments

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Author Profile

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.