For years, gaming laptops were either prohibitively expensive or wildly underpowered compared to a similarly-priced desktop. However, here in 2019, the gap between laptops and desktops has narrowed substantially. In fact, if you’re willing to spend $500, there are a bunch of great laptops you can get to play a ton of games on (as long as you’re not trying to play, like, Metro Exodus). Here are three of the best gaming laptops you can get for under $500, and they all have touchscreens.
HP Touch 15z Slim Laptop
For $419.99 (at the time of this writing), you can get a refurbished HP Touch 15z slim laptop with the following specs:
- 15.6 inch, 1366×768 touchscreen
- 16GB RAM
- 256GB SSD
- AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
- AMD Radeon Vega 8 Graphics
Now, first of all, keep in mind that this is refurbished (or “renewed”, using Amazon’s term). In other words, it should be as good as new, but you never know, and there is a tiny risk associated with refurbished laptops because they’re not right off of the factory line. Still, this is an incredible deal, especially since this laptop has double the RAM of the other two listed here, along with the best graphics capabilities.
Buy the HP Touch 15z from Amazon Renewed for $419.99 (at the time of this writing)
Dell Inspiron 15.6 inch HD Touchscreen Laptop
For $479.99 (at the time of this writing), you can get a Dell Inspiron 15.6 inch HD touchscreen laptop with the following specs:
- 15.6 inch, 1366×768 touchscreen
- 8GB RAM
- 256GB SSD
- Intel Core i5-7200U Mobile Processor
- Intel HD 620 Graphics
If you’d rather get a completely new laptop than take your chances on a refurbished one, this Dell Inspiron is an excellent choice. It has less RAM than the HP Touch 15z listed above, and it has integrated graphics instead of AMD Radeon Vega 8 graphics, but the integrated graphics it has are actually pretty solid. Again, you’re not going to be able to play the most demanding games with a laptop like this, but there are tons of less-demanding games that you’ll be able to play no problem.
Buy the Dell Inspiron 15.6 inch HD Touchscreen Laptop from Amazon for $474.00 (at the time of this writing)
HP Elite X2 1012 G1 Detachable 2-in-1
For $499.99 (at the time of this writing), you can get an HP Elite X2 1012 G1 Detachable 2-in-1 laptop with the following specs:
- 12 inch, 1920×1080 touchscreen
- 8GB RAM
- 512GB SSD
- Intel m7-6Y75
- Intel HD 515 Graphics
The HP Elite X2 1012 has the worst graphics on this list, as well as the smallest screen. However, it has double the storage capacity of the other two laptops, and its detachable 2-in-1 form factor might make it the best option for certain people. In other words, while this is the least powerful of these three laptops, it’s also the most portable and has the most flexible form factor.
Buy the HP Elite X2 1012 G1 Detachable 2-in-1 Laptop from Amazon Renewed for $499.99 (at the time of this writing)
At the end of the day, any of these three laptops will be good enough for most indie games as well as older big budget games. You won’t be able to play the newest, most demanding releases, but considering that they’re all full computers (instead of just gaming consoles) their gaming performances will be pretty good for the price tag. If you want a powerhouse gaming laptop, you can spend a few hundred (or thousand) more dollars so that you can play Gears 5 on max settings, but otherwise these three laptops are all great choices. Happy gaming!
