Best Gaming Laptops under 1000

Best Gaming Laptop Under $1000

Gaming Laptops come in a great variety of options. From the budget builds to full blown monsters made to rock Crysis 3 on Full HD settings. If you know where to look, your gaming laptop under 1000 dollars doesn’t have to be a compromise. To help you make the best possible choice, we have lined up the very best machines money can buy.

#1 in our comparison is the MSI GX60. As gaming laptops are made by their graphics card, there is simply no competition for the MSI. The Radeon HD 8970M installed in this beauty is so much more advanced, it makes the competition look boring. #2 in our comparison is the Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p. Looking like an assassin in a business suite while packing some truly glorious tech, it is easy to see why this is a favourite amongst many gamers.

Learn More Below
  • MSI GX60 3Be-240US
  • Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p
  • Acer Aspire V3-772G-9829
  • MSI GE60 2OE-003US
  • Acer Aspire V3-772G-9656
MSI

MSI GX60 3Be-240US

Without a doubt the best machine in our test; the MSI GX60 sticks true to the legacy of the famed game engineers at MSI. The laptop doesn’t just deliver, it surpasses all expectations and offers exactly that which we have come to love from MSI: Maximum gaming performance. 

The MSI GX60 has the best gaming combination available: The AMD A10 processor & AMD Radeon HD 8970M graphics card. Where the processor was crowned the #1 gaming cpu by the experts at CPU-World, the graphics card is known across the world for its graphical talent. Being able to produce 40+ fps on ‘ultra’ in the most demanding games, means you will be able to play anything on max.

Lenovo

Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p

A favourite of many of the editors around the internet, The Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p is a fantastic looking device. Called an assassin in a business suit by our friends at PC Mag, the Lenovo hides the gaming power well under its business like exterior. 

Coming packed with a wondrous combination of technological highlights, the Lenovo has deservedly won over the hearts of many of its critics. The intel i7 2.4 GHz processor is simply great and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M Sli is a technological marvel. Placing two GT 755M’s together, allows the Lenovo to achieve results close to much higher end cards. Still coming slightly short of the graphics in the MSI GX60, the Lenovo missed the #1 spot by a hair. But it sure looks damn good being #2. 

Acer Aspire V3-772G-9829 Review

Acer Aspire V3-772G-9829

The Acer Aspire V3-772G-9829 is the bank account friendly option in our comparison. Coming in under 900 dollars, the Acer has the best value-for-money proposition next to our #1. But don’t let that fool you fool you about its performance. Even though it’s no MSI GX60, it carries enough performance to play most hi-end games of 2017 and 2018 on medium to high settings. 

Carrying the Intel Core i7-4702MQ 2.2 GHz as its CPU and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M as its GPU, the Acer Aspire V3 comes packed with sufficient technology to hold its own. True, it’s no competition for AMD Radeon HD 8970M in the MSI GX60. But at a 200 dollar discount compared to the number 1 in our comparison, we are sure that some gamers will appreciate the Acer for what it is: An economical option to play the latest games on medium to high settings and full HD. 

best gaming laptops 2018 under 1000

MSI GE60 2OE-003US

Striking the perfect 1000 USD mark, the MSI GE60 can be your affordable gateway into gaming without compromising a lot. Boasting the 2.4-GHz quad-core Intel Core i7-4700MQ processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX 765M graphics card, means performance. And weighing in at only 5.3 pounds and being 1.3 inches high, means that this machine combines performance and mobility well. 

Choose the MSI GE60 as your machine because it is sleek, performance with the best of them and hits the spot when it comes to pricing. 

Acer Aspire V3-772G-9656 Review

Acer Aspire V3-772G-9656

The Acer Aspire V3-772-9656 is the bigger brother of the #2 in our comparison. Built on the same platform and carrying the same processor, the Intel i7-4702MQ 2.2 GHz, the two are practically twins. The difference comes in when looking at the graphics card. Where the lighter version of the two uses the average NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M, the more premium brother uses steps it up a notch and carries the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760M. Whether the difference between the two cards is worth the extra 200 bucks, we are unsure off. If we would be spending just over 1000 dollars on a gaming rig, our money would go to the MSI GX60.

Top Gaming Laptops under 1000 dollars reviews

What are the best gaming laptops under 1000 dollars?

The MSI GX60 takes home the gold as most powerful and best gaming laptop under 1000 dollars. Well, almost under 1000 dollars. And this is all due to the monster of a graphics card installed in the MSI, the AMD Radeon HD 8970M. Being the only machine in this line up able to play Battlefield 4 for on Ultra Full HD settings while pumping over 35 frames a second, makes it the winner by miles. 

Second in our comparison is the Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p. Offering the more multimedia focused processor, the Intel Core i7-4700MQ 2.4 GHz, it is a more versatile machine. On top of that, it’s Italian supercar like chassis is sure to win over many hearts. It’s dual graphics card setup (NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M Sli) is a technological marvel but still comes up short in comparison to the all-powerful AMD Radeon HD 8970M of the MSI GX60. 

If you are looking for a full blown gaming monster, there is only one option: the MSI GX60. If you are looking for a more versatile machine that looks like a billion bucks while still offering you enough technology to play on high settings, then the Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p is a great choice.

 

CPU

The Central Processing Unit (or CPU) is the brain of the laptop. Being extremely important for multimedia creating performance and multitasking, it is an important feature to consider when choosing your system. Especially if you plan to use your gaming laptop under 1000 dollars for purposes such as AutoCAD, Photoshop or Video Editing, make sure to think twice about your choice of CPU. 

Where the MSI GX60 carries the 2.5 GHz AMD A10-5750M, and the competition carries the Intel Core i7 4700MQ, the expert sources at CPU-Boss tell us that the i7 has the AMD A10 beat. Being both quad core processors, the i7 outperforms the AMD A10 in benchmark tests using both all cores and a single core. So when it comes to multimedia and everyday tasks, the i7 is your man. Opinions start to vary however when it comes to gaming, with many people preferring the AMD A10 for its gaming performance over the i7. 

 

GPU

Far more important for our great gaming laptops under 1000, is the Graphics Processing Unit (or GPU). Responsible for the creation of the desired graphics, it is not be underestimated how important the choice of GPU is. Both for gaming and watching of DVDs, Blu-ray or other HD movie material. And when it comes to GPUs, there is only one true winner in this comparison: AMD Radeon HD 8970M.

The MSI GX60 wins this comparison with miles ahead of the competition, because of its price winning GPU. The AMD Radeon HD 8970M is so powerful, it should actually be compared with more more capable cards than the competition comes packing with here. Comparing the HD 8970M with the other cards of the comparison on basis of the independent figures by CPU Boss the truth becomes obvious:

 

Overall Score

  • AMD Radeon HD 8970M (MSI GX60): 8.8
  • NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M Sli (IdeaPad): 8.2
  • NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M (Acer): 6.5

 

Gaming Score:

  • AMD Radeon HD 8970M (MSI GX60): 8.5
  • NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M Sli (IdeaPad): 8.2
  • NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M (Acer): 6.5

 

Computing Score:

  • AMD Radeon HD 8970M (MSI GX60): 9.6
  • NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M Sli (IdeaPad): 8.2
  • NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M (Acer): 6.4

 

Benchmarks Score:

  • AMD Radeon HD 8970M (MSI GX60): 8.5
  • NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M Sli (IdeaPad): 8.3
  • NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M (Acer): 6.8

 

These numbers are nice, but can be somewhat vague for some. To give you a direct comparison of how these cards will influence your gaming performance, check out the benchmark tests on Battlefield 4 (Ultra settings) by Notebookcheck:

  • AMD Radeon HD 8970M (MSI GX60): 37.7 frames per second
  • NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M Sli (IdeaPad): 31.9 frames per second
  • NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M (Acer): 13.0 frames per second

 

To give you an idea what to look for, a frame rate under 30 fps is considered damaging to the experience. So in short, the MSI GX60 is different from the competition in the fact that is has a monster GPU. If you want to select your machine on gameplay performance, choose the MSI GX60. 

 

Screen size

There are two screen sizes on the top gaming laptops under 1000 in our comparison. Either a 17.3 or 15.6 inch screen. The number #1, #2 and #4 have the 15.6 inch version and the #3 and #5 carry the 17.3 inch option. As all come with the 1920x1080 full HD resolution, it is very much a personal choice. Where the 17.3 inch offers more theatrical drama, the 15.6 inch offers more battery life and more mobility. There is something to be said for both. If you ask us, good gaming laptops under 1000 dollars are not made by the screen size, but by the graphics card powering the screen. 

 

Categories

If you have slightly more to spend than 1000 USD on your favorit gaming station, make sure to check out our comparison of the best machines under 1500 dollars. If the opposite is your situation and you find yourself strapped for cash, head over to our comparison of the greatest gaming stations under 600 dollars or 800 dollars.

 

Conclusion

There lie three very good options before you. The Acer Aspire V3 offers you a great multi-talented processor, a very decent graphics card, a 17.3 inch full HD screen and 200 dollars price difference. The Lenovo IdeaPad Y510P looks most impressive than a ninja businessman while offering very solid gaming performance. And the MSI GX60 offers you the very best in gaming performance available at roughly 1000 USD. What is more important to you?