The 5 Best Gaming Laptops Under $2,000 Reviewed
Shopping for a gaming computer can be overwhelming, especially when you start looking at price tags. While you may be tempted to invest in a desktop computer, the largest downside is that you can’t easily take it with you place. And while you may think gaming is a largely sedentary habit, not being able to bring your favorite games with you can be a big letdown on vacations, work trips, and more. Thankfully, gaming laptops bridge the gap between a standard laptop and a high-end desktop, allowing you to bring your favorite games with you wherever you go.
However, with so many gaming laptops on the market, it can be hard to find something that meets all your needs. Even with a price range up in the thousands, you may find yourself scratching your head when faced with page after page of specs, not to mention sorting through different graphics cards. That’s why we’ve taken the time to pull together the best gaming laptops on the market for under $2,000, so you can rest assured you’re getting the best quality laptop for your needs. But before we dive into the laptops, there are a few things to keep in mind while shopping for your next gaming powerhouse.
The first thing you should consider is the kind of games you’re looking to play. While a great gaming laptop should be able to run even the newest of games with ease, you want to make sure you have a good grasp of graphics quality and overall memory, so you don’t find yourself dropping frames or melting down your computer altogether. A good gaming laptop will have plenty of processing power, and a slightly bulkier build to ensure your laptop is built to last. It should also be fan-cooled. A gaming laptop without a cooling setup is asking for a disaster to happen, and fan-cooled laptops can help ensure you don’t accidentally melt your graphics card.
Another thing to keep in mind is the overall screen size you’re working with. While you want to make sure your laptop is reasonably sized for travel, trying to play newer games on a tiny screen can leave you frustrated, and take away from the overall experience. A great gaming laptop should have an HD display, not to mention an incredible graphics card built in to help you immerse yourself in the latest games. Unlike a desktop computer, laptops do not usually allow you to swap out your graphics cards when a newer version hits the market, so you don’t want to cut corners when it comes to your graphic quality.
Now that you have a general idea of what you’re looking for, let’s take a look at the best gaming laptops under $2,000 on the market today. We’ve scoured the internet, taking input from gaming websites, customer reviews, and more, to help narrow down your choices to the best of the best, so you can spend less time shopping and more time playing your favorite games. Without further ado, here are the best gaming laptops.
Best Gaming Laptops Under $2,000
1. ASUS ROG Strix G15
If you’re looking for one of the best gaming laptops on the market, this laptop fits the bill. From an exterior perspective, this laptop features RGB lights on the keyboard, as well as the exterior of the base. The individually lit WASD keys allow you to ensure you’re always hitting the right button inputs, no matter what game you’re playing. The 248C full HD display ensures that you see your favorite games as you’ve never seen them before, and the 16 GB DDR4 and one TB SSD mean that even the latest games play at pristine quality and speed. This laptop combines the practical applications of a gaming laptop, with the stylistic changes that make a gaming laptop stand out from the pack. The 15.6-inch total size means that you can bring this laptop with you wherever you go, while the ultra-thin edges on the scream mean that you get more total display space for the laptop size.
This laptop has over 300 positive customer reviews, and for good reason. As one reviewer noted, “Every single game I download and run at Max settings has performed just fine, absolutely amazing graphics, especially for the price. I’m thoroughly happy with my purchase.” Several customers also noted that the cooling system on this laptop kept the external chassis from overheating, a real must-have for any high tier gaming laptop, as excessive use can cause cheaper laptops to overheat or wear down over time. If you’re looking for an incredible gaming laptop that is well within your budget while performing exceptionally well, you’ll want to invest in the ASUS ROG Strix G15 (2020) Gaming Laptop.
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 with ROG Boost
- Intel Core i7-10750H
- 15.6" 240Hz 3ms Full HD IPS Display
- 16GB DDR4 3200MHZ RAM | 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD | Windows 10 Home
- Gig+ Wi-Fi 6
2. Alienware m15 R3
Anyone who knows anything about gaming laptops should recognize the brand name Alienware. This laptop sports the same 15.6 inch full HD green specs as many of the other laptops are list, as well as 16 GB DDR4, 512 GB SSD, and a combination of sleek design and performance that’s hard to pass up. One of the upsides of this laptop is that it prioritizes system cooling to ensure that your computer doesn’t overheat during marathon gaming sessions. If you’re looking to play some of the newer games coming out of the market, or just hoping to play some of your favorite games in ultra-graphic settings, ensuring that you have a good cooling system can make a huge difference in the performance of your computer.
One of the upsides of this laptop is that it doesn’t look like a gaming laptop, meaning that you can easily use it for other projects like photo or video design, without feeling like you’re lugging around a tricked-out gaming computer. While this might not be a big deal to you, it is always nice to be able to bring a high-powered laptop to a work meeting without feeling like your rainbow keyboard is distracting from the overall presentation.
It is worth noting that intense gaming sessions may still cause this computer to ramp up in temperature, as one reviewer noted, “Fantastic product, handles everything you can throw at it with ease. Beautiful screen, the keyboard is nice and responsive as well. The only concern is the heating. To play some high-end games at max graphics quality it is imperative to have it on the full speed settings for the fan. CPU temps even with this sometimes high north of 100 Celsius. Recommend buying a cooling pad for extended gaming sessions. Otherwise, 10/10.” Still, if you’re looking for a powerful computer to take on even the most intense of games, invest in the New Alienware m15 R3 15.6inch FHD Gaming Laptop.
- High-end materials like magnesium alloy, copper and steel provide a premium, lightweight and performance-driven gaming experience with iconic AlienFX lighting
- 144Hz 300nits 7ms Full HD for smooth, high-speed motion graphics
- Alienware Cryo-Tech optimizes component cooling, which maximizes overall performance and keeps your laptop cool to the touch
- FHD display with 7ms response time, 800:1 contrast ratio, 144Hz refresh rate and 300-nit brightness for pulse-racing gameplay
- At just 4.65lb and under 20.5mm, the new Alienware m15 is the thinnest laptop in Alienware history—even lighter and leaner than our previous m15
3. Lenovo Legion 7i
We know that Lenovo isn’t exactly the first name you think of when you think of a gaming laptop, but this laptop is here to change all that. This laptop features 16 GB ram, one TB SSD, an RGB backlit keyboard, and a full HD 144HD screen, all of which means that you’re getting one powerful laptop for an affordable price. This laptop is sleek, thin, and lightweight, things that you don’t always get out of a gaming laptop. The most interesting thing about this laptop is the directional keys and how they are set apart from the rest of the keyboard, allowing you better control over traditional games than some other laptops on the market. While the WASD keys aren’t highlighted like on some of the other laptops on this list, the overall design of the keyboard allows you to ensure you’re hitting the right input every time, no matter what game you’re playing.
One of the upsides of this laptop is that it doesn’t look like a gaming laptop, which means that you can easily bring this laptop with you into work meetings, or on the go, without feeling like you’re about to enter an esports tournament. This laptop features an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q Graphics card, allowing you to play your favorite games on max graphics settings, allowing you to experience your favorite games in a whole new light. Since this laptop is brand new for 2021, there aren’t a ton of customer reviews yet, but the overall construction and quality of this laptop speak for itself. If you’re looking for a gaming laptop under $2000 that can play the latest and greatest games without overheating or slowing down, you’ll want to invest in this incredible computer.
- 【Memory and Storage】16GB high-bandwidth RAM to smoothly run multiple applications and browser tabs all at once; 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 Solid State Drive allows to fast bootup and data transfer
- 【Processor】10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750H 2.60GHz Hexa-Core Processor (12MB Intel Smart Cache, up to 5.0GHz), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q 8GB Graphics
- 【Screen】15.6" Full HD LED-backlit (1920 x 1080) 144Hz HDR400 IPS Display 500 nits
- 【Ports and Operating System】2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x Thunderbolt 3 Type-C (Thunderbolt, DisplayPort, USB 3.2, HDMI), 1 x USB-C (DisplayPort 1.4, USB 3.2 Gen 1), 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x Combination Audio Jack, 1 x RJ-45 Ethernet Connector; Intel Wi-Fi 6 Wireless-AX + Bluetooth 5.0 Combo; Windows 10 Home 64-bit
4. ASUS ROG Zephyrus S
Yes, we did add another ASUS to our laptop list, and for good reason. This laptop is 15.6 inches, with a 144HZ full-HD screen, 16 GB DDR4, and 512 GB SSD. While that puts it a little bit under some of the other stats on this list, this laptop features a lower placed keyboard and side-oriented trackpad for better response time playing your favorite games, although we would recommend getting a mouse for some of the more popular games on the market, including FPS. The highlighted WASD keys allow for better accuracy, while the lightweight design of this laptop ensures but you can bring it with you wherever you go, while still boasting the processing power of a mid-range desktop gaming computer. We can’t emphasize enough how lightweight this laptop is, weighing in and under 5 pounds, and thanks to the military-grade magnesium alloy body of this laptop, you don’t feel like you’re missing out on any durability to get this lightweight design.
This laptop post hundreds of positive reviews, with one such satisfied customer noting, “I’d recommend this laptop to those who’d want portability and ability to play almost all new major games on the market right now with at least medium settings and high FPS.” A couple of reviewers did note that this laptop tends to run a little on the hot side, and the battery brick on the charger is a little larger than they would have liked, still this is an incredible laptop for all of your gaming needs.
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 8GB (Base: 1080 MHz, Boost: 1305 MHz; TDP: 90W)
- Intel Core i7-8750H Hexa-Core Processor
- 15.6” 144Hz 3ms IPS-Type Full HD (1920x1080) Display
- 16GB 2666Hz DDR4 | 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD | Windows 10 Home
- 0.62” thin, 4.6 lbs. Ultraportable military-grade magnesium alloy body gaming laptop with premium metal cover
5. MSI GS65 Stealth-006
This gaming laptop’s claim to fame is its ultra-thin design, which is hard to find in many high-end gaming laptops. Like many of the other laptops on this list, this gaming computer comes in at 15.6 inches, with 144 HD full HD display, 16 GB DDR4, and 512 GB SSD. What that means is, you get a high-quality laptop at a reasonable price point. As with any thin gaming laptop, you do need to consider the cooling capabilities of your computer before committing to a marathon gaming session. It may be worth looking into a cooling platform for this laptop, should you be looking to take on some of the more intense games on the market, but with a price point that comes in easily under budget, you have plenty of room for customization with this computer. This laptop features an oversized trackpad, a responsive keyboard, and an understated design that allows you to easily sneak your favorite gaming computer into professional meetings, without feeling like you are announcing your hobbies with bright RGB lighting.
This laptop also boasts hundreds of positive customer reviews, from professional gamers to those just looking for a powerful computer to take on their photo editing software with ease. As one enthusiastic customer reported, “I have now owned this laptop for about a month. I spent a long while looking for that holy trinity of gaming laptops: thin, powerful, and good battery life…My last laptop was probably twice as heavy and had been worn out so badly that the moment it was unplugged, it would die, so this is quite a step up. Unboxing the laptop and setting it up, I was very impressed.” Overall, while this laptop is a little on the lower end of gaming laptops as far as this list goes, it’s hard to pass up the incredible price point and equally impressive specs that this laptop offers. If you’re looking for a high-quality laptop well under budget, invest in the MSI GS65 Stealth-006 15.6″ 144Hz Ultra-Thin and Light Gaming Laptop.
- Display: 15.6 inches Fhd, Anti Glare Wide View Angle 144Hz 3ms 72 percent NTSC
- Processor: Intel Core i7 8750H 2.2: 4.1GHz
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6G GDDR6
- Memory: 16GB (16G*1) DDR4 2666MHz, 2 Sockets; Max Memory 32GB
- Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD.Audio:Nahimic 3
Is a $2,000 gaming laptop worth the price?
$2,000 is no insignificant amount. So is the money well spent on a high end gaming laptop, or is it better spent on a less expensive model? Watch this video to see some of the benefits of more expensive 240hz gaming laptops:
Conclusion
Whether you’re looking to invest in the latest and greatest in gaming laptops, or are just trying to figure out the difference between the myriad of graphic cards on the market, we have countless professional articles to help you navigate the oftentimes confusing world of technology. No matter what you’re shopping for, are informative articles help you shop with confidence, so you can rest easy knowing you’re getting the best tech for your buck.