5 Best Gaming Laptops Under $700 ( 3050Ti & 1650GTX ) – 2022

No introductions. Let’s cut to the chase.

The best gaming laptop under 700 SHOULD have AT LEAST a 1650GTX.

Do not settle for anything less…

3050Ti are selling for 730 bucks. 1650GTX should be selling for much much less.

I don’t care what prices you’ve seen online, 1650GTX is a MUST.

In fact…

If you look long enough you might even find a 3050Ti laptop (although you will have to up your budget up to $720-730 for that. I’ll post that model last one in the list).

Choosing The Best Gaming Laptop Under 700

Anyways, a budget under 700 dollars can get you  +70fps on EPIC or ULTRA setting on most titles.

If you want to have that performance and maybe even squeeze a few more framerates, make sure you keep the following in mind when trying to find the best gaming laptop under 700 dollars :

GPU

First, the following are all the dGPUs you’ll come across under 700.
All of them are from NVIDIA , AMD GPUs are more expensive (ironically not very powerful).

500-550 dollar GPUs: MX150, MX250, MX350*, 1050GTX (2GB) -> Low – Med Settings
550-600 dollar GPUs: MX450 , 1050(4GB) -> Med – High Settings
600-700 dollar GPUs: 1050Ti, 1650GTX -> High To Ultra Setting
700-750 GPUs: 3050Ti –> Ultra Settings

Note: Those are the min and max prices you SHOULD be paying.

 

CPU
Isn’t nearly as important as GPU. Assuming you’ve found two laptops w different CPUs (same GPU):

Core i5 10500H = Core i5 11400H = Ryzen 5 5600H > Core i5 11300H = Core i5 11260H > Ryzen 4600H > Core i5 10300H > Core i5 9300H

If you ask me, it’s better to focus on RAM (upgradeability) and Display than CPU because performance differences above are MINIMAL.
You’re not going to find Core i7 or Ryzen 7 CPUs around 700 dollars.

RAM
All gaming laptops have at least one slot available for upgrade. The problem starts when the other RAM stick is soldered to the motherboard, if so it may be impossible to do the upgrade in dual-channel mode (which boosts fps anywhere from 5-20). You can read more about dual-chanel RAM for gaming here.

8GB vs 16GB RAM : 8GB is universal in this price range. You are not going to find 16GB unless you spend more than 700 bucks. You can always do the upgrade, it’s much cheaper. Just be sure to pick a model that’s EASY to upgrade. Bookmark my post how to upgrade RAM step by step so you can use it for any of the following laptops.

Storage
All laptops have the fastest storage device: PCIe NVMe SSD. The problem is space.
256GB: This is only good for 4 titles. As much as you’re going to get under 700.
512GB: You want to do the upgrade if you’re planning on installing games like CoD (~200GB). 
Display
IPS just gives you nice viewing angles, it doesn’t matter much.
FHD come by default on gaming laptops under 700.
Refresh Rate: 120Hz is not impossible to find under 700 but it’s quite rare.  More than likely you’d have to add 30 more bucks to get it. It just makes games look x2 smooth, it isn’t really affect performance nor is it going to up your skills.

MUX Switch
MUX Switches are extremely rare here. I’ve only seen one laptop with a 1650GTX that has some sort of “MUX Switch”. 

Top 5 Best Gaming Laptops Under $700

This list is reserved for laptops from 600 to 700 dollars.

There’s one 3050Ti laptop that may be just a bit over 700. If you have a budget way way below 700 bucks, check my post best gaming laptop under 600 where you MAY even find a 1650GTX laptop.

If your budget is even slightly over 700 dollars , you may want to look at my best best gaming laptops under 800. Just adding 50 more bucks could get you a 144Hz display with a 3050Ti.

The second section has a list of all the best gaming laptops under 700 I’ve found which are approximately ~30 from all brands like Dell, HP and ASUS. Only use it IF you can’t find the following models on stock. Although these laptops are meant for people in the United States, you can click the links and they automatically take you to the local store in your region


1. Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3

The Best Gaming Laptop Under 700 dollars

  AMD Ryzen 5 5600H

  8GB DDR4

  GeForce GTX 1650 4GB vRAM

  256GB PCIe NVMe SSD

  15.6” 120Hz Full HD IPS

  4.8

  2 hours

There’s an exact same model of this laptop (#5) with a 3050Ti which is just over 700, you may want to check that out before pulling the trigger on this one.

You can check the specifications for all lenovo gaming ideapad models here.

Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3 BenchMark: Ryzen 5 4600H + 1650GTX

Title FPS Settings Resolution Instance
The Witcher ~55 High FHD Walking
Horizon ~42 High FHD Walking
GTA V ~65 Ultra FHD Racing
Forza Horizon 5 ~63 High FHD Racing
Fortnite ~73 High FHD Walking
Far Cry ~42 High FHD Forest walking
Apex Legends +62 High FHD Roaming
Valorant ~123 High FHD Combat
Warzone ~52 Normal FHD Roaming

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600H

Like I said, in this bracket, the Ryzen 5 5600H is going to be the best cpu for gaming. Even though it has less clock speed performance than the equivalent Core i5 11300H, the difference is minuscule and the ryzen 5 cpus have better multi-core performance hence it outperforms the core i5 CPUs on games that are HEAVILY multi-threaded, the most obviosu one being Warzone.

GPU: 1650GTX 

As far as I’m aware the GPU here is not downclocked  and it’s not a Max-Q version. It is the full blown 1650GTX. That means it’s going to be faster than the GPUs found on models that are thin and more compact like the MSI GF63 thin we’ll go over. This is a very important point here if you are shopping for another 1650GTX laptop since this may only be available in the US, be sure to check whether or not it’s the “nerfed” Max-Q version you’re getting.

RAM: 8GB (Up to 32GB) Dual Channel?

The cooling thing about this lenovo ideapad is that RAM can be upgraded in dual-channel mode because both RAM sticks are separated from the motherboard, none of them is soldered so you can either buy another RAM stick with the same specs or buy two RAM sticks with the same specs to make it 16GB in dual-channel mode, this should give you 10-15 fps in games on Fortnite (depending on settings).

I have written a post here on how to upgrade the RAM in dual-channel mode with this exact same model but you can use it for any of the laptops in this list.
 

As a bonus, storage can be easily upgraded too. You have two choices for upgrade: the M.2 SSD slot or the SATA III slot.

Again I have upgraded this exact model’s storage and you can read all about it here in this post : How to Upgrade Storage

Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3 – 1650GTX Model
PROS CONS
  • Full powered 1650GTX
  • Easy to upgrade RAM & Storage
  • 120Hz Display
  • Dual-Channel Support
  • Runs most games at least on HIGH settings
  • Best multicore CPU
  • Very Poor Battery
  • Average speakers
  • USB ports only one side

Buy Now


2. MSI GV15

Best Gaming Laptop Under 700 – Core i5

  Core i5 11400H

  8GB DDR4

   GeForce GTX 1650 4GB vRAM

  256GB PCIe SSD

  15.6” 144Hz Full HD TN

  7.4 lb

  4 hours

This should be your second choice after the Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3. It’s going to be sligihtly slower despite the core i5 11400H being a tad faster than the AMD Ryzen 5 5600H.

Here’s the fact sheet of this exact same model. I

f you go through all the reviews on this list including the list in the second section, you’ll find out this is indeed the best gaming laptop under 700 so grab it if its on stock and save yourself hours of research.

MSI GV15: Gaming Benchmarks

Title FPS Settings Resolution Instance
Star Wars Jedi ~56 High FHD Combat
Assasin’s Creed ~30 High FHD Combat
Cyberpunk ~32 High FHD Walking
Resident Evil ~50 High FHD Combat
Guardians of the Galaxy ~45 High FHD Combat
Forza Horizon 5 ~42 High FHD Forest walking
Elden Ring ~49 High FHD Combat

CPU: Core i5 11400H

This is a six-core CPU just like the Ryzen 5 5600H and has better single-core clock speed performance that means you’re going to get more framerates on a few games provided all other specs are equal (same GPU, same RAM set up, settings). 

However, multi-core performance is still a tad slower than the Ryzen 5 CPUs:

Taken from notebookcheck

That means you’re going to get slightly slightly less fps on multi-threaded games.

GPU: 1650GTX (Max-Q)

Unfortunately, the 1650GTX does not run at full power and this is the reason why the performance is less than what you get out of the Lenovo Idapad Gaming 3. Now this isn’t a significant loss, it can still hit around 50-60fps on most games at high settings and it’s definitely going to be faster than the lower GPUs: 1050GTX and MX450 you find under 700. 

The pros of having a Max-Q is that they may last longer since temperatures aren’t dangerously high all the time and they also make laptops a lot thinner (there’s less space required for a cooling system that can support a max-q GPU).

Display: 120Hz vs 144Hz

Unlike the lenovo ideapad gaming 3 though, this laptop has more refresh rates. There’s little difference between the two but it’s REALLY rare to find this much refresh rate under 700. You’re also aren’t likely to hit 144fps or even 120fps with ANY 1650GTX on High settings unless you’re playing MOBA games so it should not be a MAJOR reason to pick this one. Only buy it IF the lenovo ideapad 1650GTX model is out of stock and IF the last laptop on this list is out of your budget.

MSI GV15 Thin Laptop
PROS CONS
  • Thin & Lightweight (relatively speaking)
  • Supports up to 16GB RAM
  • Supports most games at high settings.
  • High clock speed performance CPU
  • Cool temperatures
  • 144Hz display
  • Max-Q 1650GTX
  • Lack of Dual-Channel Support

Buy


3. Lenovo Ideapad L340

Best Gaming Laptop Under 700 – Fastest 1650GTX 

  Core i5 9300H

  8GB DDR4

   GeForce GTX 1650

  256GB PCIe SSD

  15.6” 60Hz Full HD IPS

  7.78lb

  7 hours

This laptop is a lil’ old (it’s got a slightly older CPU) despite that it still performs BETTER than the MSI GV15, almost as good as the Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3 and you can find well well under 700 dollars.

Lenovo L340: Gaming Performance

The benchmarks above are specific to the Lenovo L340. I’ve ran those benchmarks myself you can see the results down below:

Game FPS Graphics Display
WoW 72 Ultra FHD
CoD 52 Ultra FHD
Minecraft +390 Fancy FHD
The Sims ~103 Ultra FHD
Dota ~112 Ultra FHD
League of Legends  114 Ultra FHD
Counter Strike:GO 105 High FHD
Fortnite 62 Ultra FHD

CPU: Core i5 9300H vs Core i5 10300H

The Core i5 9300H on this laptop is two generations older than what you get on the MSI GV15, despite that, it is pretty clear performance is equal or higher than even the Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3. That’s because the diference in CPU performance (at least for gaming) between all these CPUs are really small especially when you have a dedicated GPU which will do all the heavy lifting.

GPU: 1650GTX (No Optimus)

The reason why this laptop is just as fast or even faster than both models on some games is because the 1650GTX is not MAX-Q’d and in fact it’s boosted by 15-20% because it DOES NOT HAVE OPTIMUS on it. Having no optimus means the GPU is not “nerfed” as in the case of MOST gaming laptops with a 1650GTX like the Lenovo Ideapad. No Optimus is the same as having a MUX Switch which I talk about in my post here.

That’s the reason why this laptop despite being “quite older” and consequently FAR CHEAPER can match the performance of some of the modern 1650GTX laptops.

RAM & Storage: 

The real bummer about the lenovo L340 is that the 8GB RAM stick is soldered to the motherboard. If you have RAM soldered to the motherboard on a laptop that means dual-channel won’t work. There’s a free slot open for upgrades (you can upgrade it to 16GB) but the fact that it’s on another location inhibits any DUAL-CHANNEL action. 

The positive side is that storage can be upgraded in two ways too, through the M.2 Slot or through the 2.5” Bay Sata connection, you can only use either but since SSDs can now support up to 2TB of storage, you can install as many games you’d like once you do the upgrade. 

Lenovo L340
PROS CONS
  • Sort of Lightweight
  • RAM & Storage can be upgraded
  • Highest performance 1650GTX GPU
  • No Optimus
  • Great Cooling System
  • Sleek subtle design
  • Lots of ports
  • Runs most games on high and some on epic
  • Extremely Cheap
  • No Dual-Channel support
  • Slightly old Core i5 CPU
  • Low Storage Space out of the Box

4. MSI GF63 Thin

Best Gaming Laptop Under 700 – Cheapest


  Intel Core i5 9300H

  8GB DDR4

   GeForce 1650GTX

  256GB NVMe SSD,

  15.6” 60Hz Full HD IPS

  6.61lbs

  5 hours

This is going to be the cheapest laptop on the list, much cheaper than the Lenovo L340 in fact. Of course that comes with the downside of being the weakest 1650GTX laptop on the list, despite that it’s still got a 1650GTX outperforming MX450 laptops which are selling for about the same price.

MSI GF63 Thin: 1650GTX Laptop BenchMarks

Game FPS Graphics Display
Watch Dogs Legion 46 Medium FHD
Valorant 135 Highest FHD
Wild Hunt 51 High FHD
PUBG 81 High FHD
Horizon Zero 35 High FHD
GTA V 70 High FHD
Warzone 62 Normal FHD
Fortnite 48 Epic FHD

GPU: Max-Q 1650GTX + Optimus

This is the weakest 1650GTX online due to both having Optimus which reduces GPU performance by 15% and because it is “undervolted” “nerfed”, it is the Max-Q version. Do note that ALL gaming laptops with a 1650GTX, as far as I’m aware, have Optimus so this 15% GPU performance loss is almost universal. The Max-Q further reduces GPU performance however not to the point of it being slower than MX450 laptops.

If you checked the video, you’ll notice most games run at leasst on High settings, the most hardware demanding ones like CyberPunk & Horizon Zero will only run at Medium settings. Just so you can have an idea how hardware demanding those games are, look at the framerates for Fortnite this laptop outputs on the HIGHEST of the highest settings.

RAM & Storage

There is support for Dual-Channel Mode, both RAM slots are exposed to be next to each other once you open the case. There’s also TWO slots for SSD upgrades.

The only issue is that it only comes with 256GB out of the box which is what you’ll generally find on 1650GTX laptops under 700 with the sole exception of the Ideapad 3.

MSI GF63 Thin
PROS CONS
  • Thinnest & most lightweight gaming laptop
  • Good Cooling System
  • Lots of ports
  • Runs most games on high settings
  • Cheapest 1650GTX Laptop
  • Dual-Channel Support 
  • Storage upgradeable
 

  • Old generation Core i5
  • Max-Q 1650GTX
  • Very low battery

5. Lenovo Ideapad

Best Gaming Laptop Around 700

  AMD Ryzen 5 5600H

  8GB DDR4

   3050Ti 4GB vRAM

  512GB PCIe NVMe SSD

  15.6” 120Hz Full HD

  4.96lbs

  2 hours

Since the 12th generation of Intel CPUs and 6th gen Ryzen CPUs have been out for a while now, the prices of 3050Ti laptops with 5th gen Ryzen and 11th gen Intel core CPUs have been dropping over time.

Despite that, you aren’t likely to find this laptop under 700 until perhaps 2023. The best you can hope for is for this laptop to be around 720 bucks, it’s still a HUGE upgrade to the 1650GTX as you’ll see next.

Gaming Performance: 3050Ti + Ryzen 5 5600H

Title FPS Settings Resolution Instance
Star Wars Jedi ~56 High FHD Combat
Assasin’s Creed ~30 High FHD Combat
Cyberpunk ~32 High FHD Walking
Resident Evil ~50 High FHD Combat
Guardians of the Galaxy ~45 High FHD Combat
Forza Horizon 5 ~42 High FHD Forest walking
Elden Ring ~49 High FHD Combat

GPU: 3050Ti 85W

As you can see on the benchmarks even the most GPU demanding games can run ~40-60 on the super high settings.

In fact, some games like Fortnite, which you can check on my best laptop for Fortnite post where I review this exact same model on the game, can run on Epic Settings. 

You’re going to get the exact same performance out of every 3050Ti laptop though so you might as well buy the cheapest one. All 3050Ti laptops lack a MUX Switch and all of them run at the same wattage (85W). There’s a software on this one that the first laptop doesnt have though: Lenovo Vantage which gives you three modes of power for the 3050Ti. The Overclock mode (makes the 3050Ti run at 85W) but it really gets the fans loud you will have to use headphones.  Performance mode works well on most games you lose some framerates in exchange of lower temperatures and more quiet fans.

RAM & Storage

This is basically the exact same model that was shown above except that it has a 3050Ti GPU in it so storage and RAM upgrade options are the same. You can add an additional SSD either through the Sata III connection or the M.2 Slot. RAM is dual-channel as well and supports up to 32GB. 

Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3 3050Ti
PROS CONS
  • Dual-Channel Support
  • 512GB SSD out of the Box
  • Lenovo Vantage Software for GPU power control
  • Overclock mode : runs the 3050Ti at 85W
  • Very efficient fans
  • 120Hz display
  • Loud Fans
  • Lacks USB ports on the left side
  • Very very low battery

How to Find The Best Gaming Laptop Under 700

This section is going to help you find the best gaming laptop under 700 in case all the models above are out of stock or if you happen to read this post several several months later:

  1. The most efficient ways is to compile a list of every gaming laptop under 700 dollars found on line with the specs nicely listed in columns like on this list I made: gaming laptop under 700 dollar list. Which is actually how I narrowed it down to the 5 laptops on the list.
  2. A much clever way to do this is to add up all components to a total price quickly then compare that number to the total price of a laptop you’ve found.
    1. This is pretty much like building a desktop but backwards.

The problem with the latter method is that they don’t really sell laptop parts like the chasis, keyboard, displays individually so you can’t really get down the prices.

Luckily, some sites like AliExpress sell components separately for repairing purposes. You can also get the price of the average motherboard on Ali express.

As for RAM & Storage, that can be easily obtained through Amazon’s search bar. 

The problem starts when you want to know the prices of CPUs and GPUs found on laptops….

Sometimes you can find CPU prices from the official AMD and Intel sites but they’re usually listed for a limited time. I’ve done that work for you below, you will have to find the prices on Ali Express or Amazon for all other parts!

GPU

The following prices are taken out of the desktop variants. This also works because the reality is that they’re the same hardware, the GPU on laptops just lack more space and have been stripped out of their power supply so they can be underclocked to run at lower power.

Name USD
1650 240
1050 ti (2-4GB) 115-165
1050 ~100
3050Ti 250

CPU

On desktops GPUs are usually paired with a very limited number of CPUs. For Ex: you will never have to add a Core i5 1035G1 with a GTX 1650, they combination is never found on laptops. 

Thus a lot of these prices may become useless if you’re looking at a 1650GTX laptop, these prices are useful if you want to find laptops well below 700 dollars. 
The prices were also taken out of Intel & AMD Official sites when they were available.

Intel Price (USD)
Core i5-1035G1 297
Core i5 -1115G7 297
Core i5 9300H 250
Core i5 8300H 250
Core i5 10300H 250
Core i5 10500H 270
Core i5 11300H 309
Core i5 11200H 309
Core i5 11400H 309
Core i5 11500H 309

 

AMD Price (USD)
Ryzen 5 3550H 200
Ryzen 5 4600H 250
Ryzen 5 5600H 310

 

RAM

The prices of RAM sticks depend on the brand and the type.

Type: the latest is DDR5 but it’s only available on laptops with 12th gen Intel Core CPUs & 6th gen AMD Ryzen CPUs. You are only going to encounter DDR4 types at least during 2022.

Soldered RAM: Must still be added to the total price.

Assume minimum prices here because manufacturers buy RAM by the thousands.

DDR4 Price (USD)
16GB 60
8GB 30-35
4GB 20

Storage

Type: there are several types of SSDs but virtually 99% of gaming laptops will only have the PCIe NVMe Type. You MIGHT find a SATA II + 1TB HDD set up though once in a blue moon.

Name Price
128 GB PCIe NVMe 30
256GB PCIe NVMe 40
512GB PCIe NVMe 64
256GB SATA III 50
1TB HDD 50

Note that any Storage drives attached to the motherboard must also be added separately.

Display

The most common set up is a 60Hz IPS FHD.  Last year it was very uncommon to get a 120Hz display under 700, this year the prices are significantly lower. Only 144Hz displays are really expensive right now.

Display Specs USD
60Hz IPS 1366×768 40
60Hz IPS FHD 50
120 Hz IPS FHD 70
144 Hz IPS FHD 15” 100

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.

Based on my experience the minimum prices for all these parts together is about 100 dollars for laptops with MX GPUs (MX450, MX350) and 150 bucks for laptops with a 1650GTX or 3050Ti.

The Maximum price is about 200 bucks which you only add WHEN YOU KNOW the chasis is of high quality, they keyboard is fancy,etc. Usually for laptops over 1000 dollars, it doesn’t apply here.

 

EXAMPLE: MSI GV15

Core i5 11400H ~ 310
1650GTX ~ 240
8GB RAM ~ 35
SSD ~ 40 
Display ~ 100
Other small parts~ 70 (The price here is reduced due to the GPU being Max-Q)

Total: 750 + 45 = 795

Laptops sells for 750 bucks (or 639 USD).

Comments

Laptopstudy.com takes your input very seriously. If you have any questions or if you still can’t decide which one of the best gaming laptops under 700 to pick because you have a particular GAME in mind, please leave a comment below.  If you have any suggestions to improve this post or just about anything else to say you can also leave a comment below.

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 *

Show Buttons
Hide Buttons