Best Gaming Laptops For Under 300 Dollars 2022

When there’s a mention of gaming laptops; our minds immediately think about $1000-$2000 price tags. And we’re right to think so. If you want to have a proper gaming experience on a laptop you may have to spend more than $1000 to play some of the AAA titles. But that’s not always the case if you’re willing to let go of some features and the hopes of getting a premium gaming laptop. 

Although it is unheard of, you can buy a gaming laptop for under 300 dollars in this day and age, crazy right? Pricey features like Aluminum construction, RGB keyboards, loaded specs, and high refresh rate screens are what you’ll have to let go if you want a gaming laptop under $300. We’ve researched quite a lot and have dug up some best gaming laptops for under $300. Take a look at what we’ve lined up for this guide:

So what exactly is a $300 cheap gaming laptop?

Given the limited budget, emphasis on the budget, it is really tough to expect some good things from a $300 gaming laptop. But rest assured, we are here to provide you with options that cost under $300 nevertheless. Setting your expectations according to a low budget is probably the first thing you should do. 

If you’re hoping that you’d get the latest and the most loaded specs under $300, you’d be wrong. Gaming laptops are super expensive and to get one under $300 is a tough job. We struggled to research cheap gaming laptops under $300. But, no one says you can’t game for $300. We’ve gone through what the market has to offer at the moment and we’ve created a list of what you should expect from a gaming laptop that costs under $300:

The Processor

If this were any other guide; we wouldn’t be having this conversation. We’d tell you to expect the latest and greatest from Intel and AMD. Turbo boost capable processors, massive cache memories, 5GHz clock speeds and so on. But not in this case. Under $300 you should expect an Intel Celeron N4000 or lower. 

To put it into simpler terms; expect a dual core processor that can ramp up to 1.6 to 2GHz max. There may be a few options from AMD but we struggled to find suitable ones under $300, but Acer still managed to pull through and their Aspire 5 A515 has an AMD Ryzen 3 3350U processor that runs at 3GHz. That might be a massive upgrade from other competitors but do keep in mind that the Aspire costs the highest in this bunch. 

The GPU

Well, for $300 you shouldn’t be expecting a GPU, at least not a dedicated one. All of our picks have integrated Intel HD graphics that can run some of the games like the MGSV Ground Zeroes, Wolfenstein, and The Saboteur. There might be a few other titles that these GPUs can run but don’t expect them to run AAA titles like the GTA V and Halo Infinite. Integrated Intel Graphics are not exactly built for gaming but if you had to, you can. Integrated Graphics utilize the RAM that the laptop has to help run your games. The Acer is the only laptop in our competition that has an actual dedicated GPU, the AMD Radeon Vega 6, but then again it costs more than the others. 

The RAM

For the memory, you should expect a 4 GB DDR4 stick to run your tasks. Anything bigger than 4 GB isn’t really possible at this price point but you can always upgrade to 8 GB later on. 4 gigs of RAM might not be enough for most AAA titles but it could possibly run some older games like we mentioned. The RAM is of course always upgradable so you’re not exactly stuck with 4 GB. 

Storage

The Storage is something that warrants the most compromise for under $300. All of our competitors have 64 GB and even 32 GB SSDs that are barely enough to run windows on. You definitely need to upgrade your storage if you want to game. 

The contestants with the biggest SSDs are of course the ones that cost the most; the Lenovo Ideapad 3 and the Acer Aspire 5. The Aspire actually has a proper NVMe SSD stick that is used in the latest gaming laptops. So, for storage you should expect 64 gigs.

The Display

Again, we naturally can’t expect manufacturers to put in full 15.6” screens that put out FHD resolutions with 144Hz refresh rates. But displays are something you can live with. Most of our competitors have gone for Touchscreens, and at this price point it makes sense. 

People aren’t buying these things just for gaming, but they’re also appropriate for everyday tasks. They’re small, easy to carry and since they don’t cost more than $300, you can use them in any way you like. So, expect something around 14” with an HD resolution. 

There is one good thing about these displays though; they’re all LED panels. LED panels are notorious for their sharp colors, their deep blacks and their efficient power consumption that really helps last them long on their batteries. Out of all our picks, only the Acer has an IPS panel that isn’t touch, and that is because it is a full 15.6” panel. So, you’ll have to choose between a touchscreen or a wide screen when it comes to the Acer Aspire 5.

Comparison of the Budget Kings Laptops

Now that you’ve got the basic idea of what you should be expecting for under $300, let’s go over our picks for the best laptop for gaming under $300:

Lenovo Ideapad 3 81WA00B1US

Key Specifications

• Intel Pentium Gold 6405U Dual Core at 2.40GHz
• 4 GB DDR4 RAM running at 2400MHz
• Intel UHD Graphics 600
• 14” HD LED
• 128 GB SSD
• Windows 10

Overview

When it comes to cheap gaming laptops, or laptops in general, Lenovo and ASUS are the kings of the game. And this Ideapad 3 is no exception. Coming under $300, the ideapad has to offer a lot for it’s shocking low price tag. There’s a decent CPU in the ideapad; An Intel Pentium Gold 6405U Dual Core that runs at the highest clock speed in our competition at 2.40 GHz. 

The GPU isn’t bad either, Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 600 are enough to run some titles like the GTA IV, Wolfenstein, and Assassin’s Creed 2. There’s 4 gigs of DDR4 RAM that helps you multitask and game. The screen is a 14” HD LED, which isn’t exactly the best in the business. The storage is bigger than the competition as well; at 128 GB of NVMe SSD storage; the Ideapad outranks it’s contestants. Another good thing about the Lenovo Ideapad 3 is its OS, unlike our other contestants; the Ideapad runs on Windows 10. You can get one now for $300 on Amazon!

Deals

Buy Now from Amazon: $293

Rating

8.9/10

ASUS Vivobook L203MA

Key Specifications

• Intel Celeron N4000 running at 2.6 GHz
• 4 GB LPDDR4 RAM at 2400MHz
• Intel UHD Graphics 600
• 11.6” HD LED Touch Screen
• 64 GB eMMC
• Windows 10

Overview

The Vivobook is one the best selling ASUS laptops under the affordable laptops tag. This Vivobook L203MA follows the same recipe. There’s a budget appropriate Intel Celeron N4000 that runs at 2.6 GHz. The GPU is the same as its competitors; an integrated Intel UHD Graphics 600 chip that is capable of running titles like the GTA IV. RAM is again the exact same as the rest of our picks; at 4 GB DDR4. The ASUS has a small storage; a 64 gig eMMC flash memory. 

The Vivobook also takes the title of the smallest laptop; with an 11.6” HD LED TouchScreen, the ASUS Vivobook L203MA is one of the smallest in the bunch. A Touch Screen is a welcome addition as these laptops are versatile and are perfect for everyday use along with gaming. You can buy one for super cheap at Amazon right now at $117.

Deals

Buy Now from Amazon: $117

Rating 

8.5/10

Lenovo Chromebook C340

Key Specifications

• Intel Celeron N4000 running at 1.1 GHz
• 4 GB DDR4 RAM at 2400MHz
• Intel UHD Graphics 600
• 11.6” HD LED Touch Screen
• 32 GB eMMC
• Chrome OS

Overview

Lenovo’s C340 is a convertible ChromeBook. The C340 has a full 360 hinge that allows you to convert it into a tablet whenever you’re not gaming. There’s an Intel Celeron N4000 that runs at a low clock speed at 1.1 GHz. And like the ASUS Vivobook L203MA, the C340 also has a tiny 11.6” TouchScreen LED HD panel. There’s 4 gigs of DDR4 RAM, the same as the others. The GPU is again the same; an integrated Intel UHD Graphics 600 chip. 

The storage is super small, at 32 GB of eMMC flash storage the C340 will struggle to store games. The C340 has another quirk, the laptop runs Chrome OS rather than Windows. That means you can only run Android games on this thing. Android titles like the Asphalt 9 Legends, PUBG Mobile, and the Fallout Shelter are some of the games that the C340 can run. There’s a deal going on at Walmart that drops the C340’s price down to $193! That is a shockingly good deal and you can buy it now by clicking the link in the deals section.

Deals

Buy Now from Amazon: $250

Rating 

7.1/10

HP 14-inch Chromebook

• Intel Celeron N3350 turbo boot up to 2.40 GHz
• 4 GB LPDDR4 RAM at 2400MHz
• Intel HD Graphics 500
• 14” HD LED Touch Screen
• 32 GB eMMC flash memory
• Chrome OS

Overview

The HP 14 inch Chromebook is another addition to our Chromebook picks. And HP has done well. With an Intel Celeron N3350, it might not have the latest processor, but it can run it’s clocks up to 2.40 GHz on turbo boost, which is faster than some of its competitors. The HP Chromebook does have an older graphics chip when compared to the rest of the picks; with Intel HD graphics 500, it has the slowest integrated graphics chip in our competition. 

The RAM is again the same as the rest; a 4 gig DDR4 memory stick. The storage is small, at 32 gigs of eMMC flash storage. And again, the Chrome OS does limit you to playing Android games. The HP Chromebook does have an excellent battery life, and that is partly because of its power efficient display; A 14” LED TouchScreen panel that puts out HD resolution. You can buy one for $219 from Best Buy right now!

Deals

Buy Now from Best Buy :$219

Rating 

7.8/10

ASUS Chromebook C423NA

Key Specifications

• Intel Celeron N3350 running at 2.1 GHz
• 4 GB LPDDR4 RAM at 2400MHz
• Intel HD Graphics 500
• 14” HD LED Screen
• 32 GB eMMC flash memory
• Chrome OS

Overview

Another entrant from ASUS is it’s Chromebook C423. The C423 is a beautiful laptop that has a lot to offer for its $199 price tag. The C423 has an Intel Celeron N3350 just like its competitor from HP. The GPU is again the same as its HP competitor; an integrated Intel HD Graphics 500 chip. A 14” HD LED attractive screen is integrated into the C423. 

The storage is small; at 32 gigs of eMMC flash storage. The C423 is one of the best looking contestants in the competition and it is priced at the second lowest tag; at $129, it is a total bargain of a gaming laptop. Of course, the Chrome OS will limit you to playing android games like the Asphalt 9 Legends and PUBG mobile. You can buy one now from Amazon.

Deals

Buy Now from Amazon: $129

Rating

8.6/10

Acer Aspire 5 A515

Key Specifications

• AMD Ryzen 3 3350U with Precision Boost up to 3.5 GHz
• 4 GB LPDDR4 RAM running at 2400MHz
• AMD Radeon Vega 6 Mobile Graphics
• 15.6” HD IPS display
• 128 GB NVMe SSD
• Windows 10

Overview

The Acer Aspire 5 is by far the most loaded and the most powerful laptop of the bunch. But, it does cost the most, it crosses over $300 budget by just a few dollars but it is nonetheless the highest priced of the bunch. But those extra dollars do get you decent gaming specs. The processor is an AMD Ryzen 3 3350U that can ramp its clock speed up to 3.5 GHz. The RAM does stay the same; at 4 gigs of DDR4 that runs at 2400MHz. 

The Aspire is the only laptop in this competition that has a dedicated GPU; here, an AMD Radeon Vega 6 mobile graphics GPU chip is there to ensure that you run decent titles, like Overwatch, GTA V with low settings and CS:GO. The Display is a proper 15.6” display that can put out HD resolution. The design is attractive and minimalist. The Aspire 5 also has a proper 128 GB NVMe SSD that would be perfect for gaming.

Deals

Buy Now at Amazon: $382

Rating 

9.4/10

Now that you have an idea of what your $300 can buy you, here what you should look for in your $300 gaming laptop options:

What should you look for when buying a $300 gaming laptop?

So now that you’ve seen what the market has to offer for $300 these days, you should have an idea of what you’re going to get. But, this guide is to help you decide the best gaming laptop for under 300 for you. Here’s what you should look for in a gaming laptop that costs under $300:

Performance

The first thing you should look for in a cheap gaming laptop is its performance. Since all of our picks are offering CPUs along the lines of Intel Celeron N4000, that can run up to 2.4 GHz. This is the best you could get for $300 and would provide you with a budget appropriate gaming experience. So, avoid anything that has a lower CPU than this. 

The biggest RAM you can get under this budget is 4 GB DDR4, and again, it’ll provide you with a gaming experience appropriate for $300. All of our picks have a 4 gig DDR4 stick and you shouldn’t go for anything less than this or else you’ll struggle to run anything. To sum up the performance category; the minimum CPU is the Intel Celeron N4000, and 4 gigs of DDR4 RAM. There is an exception for the N3550 Processor that has turbo boost, you can go for it.

Screen

The screen shouldn’t really be a factor that should be considered when buying a $300 gaming laptop. But a terrible screen could ruin your whole experience. If we look at our picks, all of them offer HD resolution screens, and that is the lowest you should go for. Don’t buy a laptop with a resolution lower than 1366 x 768. 

The refresh rate is definitely not a factor here so don’t worry about it. Finally, the size. This is something that is completely up to you, if you want something compact and super portable, go for a smaller screen. And if 14” is the right size for you, go for that. Some of our picks have a Touch Screen and that again is your own choice, it won’t affect the performance of the screen so if you prefer a TouchScreen you can go for it.

Storage

For $300, you won’t get a big enough storage. But as this is a buying guide, you should go for something with at least 128 gigs of SSD storage. As for Chromebooks; you can either go for 32 GB or 64 GB, try and go for 64 GB if you’re going to be running a lot of games. You might be wondering why Chromebooks have a smaller storage? The reason is that Chromebooks have a lightweight OS that doesn’t take up a lot of space like Windows does, it is essentially an Android based OS.

Graphics

We kept the Graphics for the last as this is something that would require a compromise given the $300 budget. For this price tag, you should go for at least an Intel UHD Graphics 600 integrated chip in your $300 gaming laptop. Anything lower than the 600 chip would be terrible at running even the most basic games. If you can expand your budget by a few dollars, we recommend you go for the Acer Aspire 5 as it’s the only cheap gaming laptop that has a dedicated Vega 6 mobile graphics chip.

So, now that you’ve narrowed down your options; have a look at our recommendations and conclusions for the best laptop for gaming under 300:

Conclusion

To make it easier for you, we have selected the best of the best that range from the Cheapest gaming laptop, to Best Performance, and finally, TechyWired’s choice for the best 300 dollar gaming laptop. We have elaborated a great list of gaming laptops which all are under 300 dollars, pros and cons, and a detailed review as well for all of these models.

Buyer’s Guide

Cheapest Gaming Laptop under $300

The cheapest gaming laptop we’ve ever come across in our list of recommendations, has to be the Lenovo Chromebook C340. Chromebooks are one of the best options you could go for when you want to game for super cheap. And the Lenovo C340 follows the Chromebook recipe. It has an Intel Celeron N4000 that runs at a super low clock speed at 1.1 GHz. 

The C340 is focused more on providing a full day of gaming rather than performance, and it’s battery does last a full day. The C340 is a convertible, the screen has a 360 angle which can turn the Laptop into a tablet and you can take full advantage of its 11.6” HD LED TouchScreen. The Lenovo C340 has a 4 GB DDR4 RAM stick. The Embedded MultiMediaCard storage is limited to 32 gigs. 

And as this is a Chromebook, the Chrome OS can comfortably run on the limited storage. The build quality is solid and the hinges are super smooth. You can run some of the latest Android games like Asphalt 9 Legends, PUBG mobile, and Fallout Shelter. The Lenovo Chromebook C340 is a great choice for you if you’re strapped for cash and want something super cheap. Walmart is offering this thing for $193 and you can buy one now directly. 

Buy Now from Walmart

Best Performance

The title for the best performer has to go to the Acer Aspire 5 A515. And even though it does cross over our $300 budget by a few dollars, it is a worthy contestant given the immense value for money it provides. If you’re willing to spend a couple of more dollars on your gaming laptop; we couldn’t recommend the Acer Aspire 5 more! The Aspire 5 has an AMD Ryzen 3 3350U that can Precision Boost its clock speed up to 3.5 GHz. 

That is way more powerful than our other picks. The RAM does stay the same at 4 GB DDR4. But the storage, this time around, is a proper 128 GB NVMe SSD that is perfect for gaming. And not to mention, the GPU is a dedicated AMD Radeon Vega 6 Mobile Graphics processor that can run some pretty power hungry titles like the GTA V and Overwatch. The Aspire 5 offers great value for your money and spending a few more on this laptop is well worth it. The microphone is super clear and the display is a wide 15.6” HD IPS panel. The Acer Aspire 5 also comes standard with Amazon Alexa Integration. 

Buy Now on Amazon

TechyWired’s choice

We struggled to choose the best gaming laptop under $300 at first but we realized that the Lenovo Ideapad 3 was the clear winner here. For $300, the Ideapad 3 has a lot to offer. Unlike its competitors, the Lenovo Ideapad 3 has an Intel Pentium Gold 6405U Dual Core processor that runs at 2.40 GHz. 

This does provide the Ideapad 3 with a bit of an edge when it comes to CPU performance. The RAM is again, the same as the others, with 4 gigs of DDR4 memory. Storage however unlike most of its competitors is a proper NVMe M.2 128 GB SSD. The graphics processor; Intel UHD 600, even though integrated, does provide a decent experience when compared to its competitors. A 14 inch HD resolution LED is present in the Ideapad 3, which, if we’re being honest, could’ve been better. 

The Ideapad also has a great keyboard and is super comfortable for extensive uses. The laptop does lack a USB-C Port. But for what it costs; it can run titles like GTA IV, Wolfenstein, and Assassin’s Creed 2 on low settings. So, when it comes to buying a cheap gaming laptop under $300, TechyWired recommends the Lenovo Ideapad 3 81WA00B1US. 

Buy Now from Amazon

FAQs

Can I run games on Chrome OS?

You can run any Android games you like on Chrome OS but titles like the GTA V are not playable on Chrome OS, you need a gaming laptop that runs Windows to play those games. But yes, you can run games on Chrome OS, just the ones that run on Android.

Are $300 gaming laptops reliable?

Reliability isn’t determined by the price. If the laptop has decent build quality it will be durable and reliable. It doesn’t matter if it costs $300 or $1000, reliability would still be another discussion. So look for a decent build quality before purchasing a gaming laptop if you’re concerned about the reliability.

Can I expand eMMC storage on my gaming laptop?

Unfortunately, eMMC storage is a permanently integrated storage type that is not upgradable if you want to expand your storage. You will have to use external storage solutions like a USB drive or an external SSD. So no, eMMC storage is not expandable.

Hi there! If you guys enjoyed reading our article, Do share it among others