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…
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):
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.
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).
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.
| Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3 – 1650GTX Model | |
| PROS | CONS |
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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:
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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
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- 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.
