Gaming isn’t a poor man’s hobby, rather it requires a proper gaming rig that costs you thousands of dollars. That, for a student, is off the charts, but a hobby is a hobby, and a gamer understands it pretty well. Don’t worry, here we have handpicked the Top 3 Best Budget Gaming Laptops for Students in 2024 and promoting Gaming on a Budget.
Laptops are becoming more and more famous alongside Gaming Rigs because of their versatility and portability. Now, in 2024, we have brands properly focusing on segments that are less expensive, perfect for students, and can run mostly all the games in low to medium graphics.
These Laptops have dedicated RTX GPU, powerful CPU, better Cooling Systems (which the laptops suffered from), DDR5 RAM, and NVME M.2 SSD. All of this, with a 4 to 6 Hour Battery Power suitable for a Student.
You can utilize the opportunity to also Game, Study, and Work side-by-side on the same Budget Gaming Laptop for Students. Let’s jump to the Top 3 Best Picks below.
Lenovo LOQ 15 – RTX 4050 – Ryzen 7 7840HS
Lenovo is considered one of the best medium-segment Gaming Laptop competitors in the market, and with the release of their Lenovo LOQ series, they are pushing into the lower bracket market as well.
Lenovo LOQ 15 is a perfect mixture between their Aspire Series (lower budget bracket), and Legion (medium to high-end budget bracket), bringing you the best of both worlds, lower pricing, and higher performance.
One thing that catches the attention of Lenovo LOQ 15 when compared with the new Nitro V 15 is that it has a higher build quality, and a premium touch and feel, which isn’t typically found in similar segment Gaming Laptops.
Gaming Performance – (CPU, GPU, RAM, SSD)
This specific model of Lenovo LOQ 15 is the top pick for our Best Budget Gaming Laptops for Students because it comes packed with a 135W RTX 4050, having 6 GB Memory.
On top of that, the new Ryzen 7 7840 HS has 8 Cores, and 16 Threads, beating every other Intel CPU in this Budget Gaming Laptop series.
You can increase the RAM to 32 GB, but the basic model comes with 8 GB RAM, and it is DDR5, with a speed of 5600 Mhz.
The same goes for the SSD, as all of the models come pre-packed with NVME M.2. You can pump it to 1 TB, but it depends on your budget and what you truly need.
Display (Resolution, Size, IPS, Brightness, Refresh Rate, Ratio, NTSC Color Accuracy)
Lenovo LOQ 4050 Ryzen 7 is a pure Budget Gaming Laptop that is also great for Students, it has a 1920 x 1080 Resolution and a display size of 15.6 inches.
It comes packed with an IPS Panel that has an Anti-Glare coating on top, a peak Brightness of 350 nits, and an aspect ratio of 16:9.
Moving onwards, it provides you with a true 144Hz Refresh Rate, which is perfect for Gaming, as Gaming Laptop Displays matter most in competitive games. But, the only drawback here is its Color Accuracy, which is only 45% NTSC, just like others in the market.
Connectivity (Ports, USBs, Ethernet, Bluetooth, Fingerprint, etc.)
Lenovo LOQ Ryzen 7 4050 is a perfect choice for Students who want to do Gaming on the side, and it is proven by the connectivity choices here, as you get:
- 1 USB 2.0
- 2 USB 3.0 – Gen 2
- 1 USB Type C 3.2 – Gen 2 – 140W Max Power Delivery, Display 1.4, Data Transfer
- 1 HDMI 2.1
- 1 Ethernet
- 1 Headphone combined Microphone Jack
- 1 Power Connector
Battery
Lenovo LOQ RTX 4050 Ryzen 7 has a 60Whr Battery that charges to 30 percent in 10 minutes, and 70 percent in 30 minutes, thanks to the 170W Power Adapter.
Expansion
- 2 M.2 SSD Slots supporting a maximum of 1 TB
- 2 RAM Slots that support a maximum of 32 GB combined
Pricing
You might be wondering if a Laptop with all of these top-tier Budget specs, and Quality design in a Laptop will cost you a ton of cash, but that is not the case here.
Lenovo LOQ RTX 4050 Ryzen 7 7840HS costs around 1000 Dollars, and it was on a sale recently that minimized the amount to around 900 Dollars, which is an incredible deal if you want to get a Budget Gaming Laptop as a Student.
Alternative
There are two other popular choices you can go for if you want to stay around the 700-dollar range. These models of Lenovo LOQ include 3050/3050 Ti and have Core i5 13420H/13500H.
Nitro V 15 – RTX 4050 – Core i5 12500H
Acer’s Nitro series has always been a Budget to Medium market share holder in the Gaming Laptops series. While you can enhance the specs of Nitro to meet the top shelf of the Budget series, it remains within a Budget, due to the low-quality plastic, the thick look, and the branding itself.
With the release of Acer Nitro V 15, all of this has changed, and even in 2024, the new series is staying relevant for the Budget Gaming Laptop segment. The new Nitro has been rebranded with a stylish “N” Logo that represents Nitro, a sleek look that is different from the previous Nitro’s bulky design, and powerful specs.
If you are looking for the Best Budget Gaming Laptop as a Student in 2024, then Nitro V 15 is definitely in the Top 3 choices. Let’s get to the details below.
Gaming Performance – (CPU, GPU, RAM, SSD)
This specific model of Nitro V is the top pick for our Best Budget Gaming Laptops for Students because it comes packed with a 75W RTX 4050, having 6 GB Memory.
On top of that, it has a Core i5 – 12500H CPU that packs 12 Cores and 16 Threads. It is not on the Level of Ryzen 7 in Lenovo LOQ, but this version gets less hot and saves a ton of Battery Life.
You can increase the RAM to 32 GB, but the basic model comes with 8 GB RAM, and it is DDR5, with a speed of 5200 Mhz.
The same goes for the SSD, as all of the models come pre-packed with NVME M.2 Gen 4. You can pump it to 2 TBs, but it depends on your budget and what you truly need.
Laptops and Gaming Performance depend on these tweaks related to the SSD and RAM you choose, but for a budget, the 8 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD work just fine.
Display (Resolution, Size, IPS, Brightness, Refresh Rate, Ratio, NTSC Color Accuracy)
As Nitro V 15 is a pure Budget Gaming Laptop that is also great for Students, it has a 1920 x 1080 Resolution and a display size of 15.6 inches.
It comes packed with an IPS Panel that has an Anti-Glare coating on top, a peak Brightness of 275 nits, and an aspect ratio of 16:9.
Moving onwards, it provides you with a true 144Hz Refresh Rate, which is perfect for Gaming. But, the only drawback here is its Color Accuracy, which is only 45% NTSC, just like others in the market.
Connectivity (Ports, USBs, Ethernet, Bluetooth, Fingerprint, etc.)
Acer Nitro V 15 4050 Core i5 is a perfect choice for Students who want to do Gaming on the side, and it is proven by the connectivity choices here, as you get:
- 2 USB A 3.2 – Gen 2
- 1 USB Type C 3.2 – Gen 2
- 1 HDMI 2.1
- 1 Ethernet
- 1 Headphone combined Microphone Jack
- 1 Power Connector
Battery
Acer Nitro V 15 4050 Core i5 13th Gen has a Power Adapter of 135 W and a Battery Power of 57Whr. In 15 minutes, you will have around 20 percent Battery, and in half an hour, you will get to 50 percent. It takes much more time to charge completely in contrast to Lenovo LOQ, because of Nitro V’s 135W Adapter.
Expansion
- 2 M.2 SSD Slots supporting a maximum of 2 TB – 1 Gen 4 M.2 NVME and 1 Gen 3 M.2 NVME
- 2 RAM Slots supporting a maximum of 32 GB combined
Pricing
So, Nitro V 15 is not in any case equal to the Lenovo LOQ we mentioned above in our Top 3 Best Budget Gaming Laptops for Students, but it isn’t left far behind and also costs less.
Nitro V 15 with 4050 and Core i5 13420H costs you around 800 Dollars. There are sales here and there that can minimize the price to 700 Dollars, which is an incredible deal if you are a Student on a Budget, and want to play Games on your Laptop as well.
Alternative
There are two other popular choices you can go for if you want to stay around the 600-dollar range. These models of Nitro V include 2050/3050 and have Core i5 13420H.
However, we wouldn’t suggest sacrificing 100 Dollars and getting 2050 or even 3050, when you can get an RTX 4050 that equals or beats 3060 in performance.
HP Victus 16 – RTX 2050 – Ryzen 5 7537HS
HP Victus isn’t a laptop one would recommend when going around the 800 to 1200-dollar budget segment, but HP Victus 16 with RTX 2050 and Ryzen 5 7537HS is a deal one can’t miss.
It has a good build quality that looks spectacular on the outside but has a bit of wobble and bends here and there, which is found in nearly all Budget Gaming Laptops around the segment.
If you are a Student who is on a very low Budget and still wants to play your favorite video games, then this Budget Gaming Laptop is the right pick for you.
Gaming Performance – (CPU, GPU, RAM, SSD)
This specific model of HP Victus 16 is the cheapest option in our Top 3 Best Budget Gaming Laptops for Students because it comes packed with RTX 2050 4 GB.
On top of that, it has a Ryzen 5 7535HS that packs 6 Cores and 12 Threads. It is not on the Level of Ryzen 7 in Lenovo LOQ, and neither is the Core i5 in Nitro V 15, but the HP Victus makes up for all of this in the price.
You can increase the RAM to 32 GB, but the basic model comes with 8 GB RAM, and it is DDR5, with a speed of 4800 Mhz.
The same goes for the SSD, as all of the models come pre-packed with NVME M.2 Gen 4. You can pump it to 2 TB, but it depends on your budget and what you truly need.
Display (Resolution, Size, IPS, Brightness, Refresh Rate, Ratio, NTSC Color Accuracy)
HP Victus 16 is a pure Budget Gaming Laptop that is also great for Students, it has a 1920 x 1080 Resolution and a display size of 15.6 inches.
It comes packed with an IPS Panel that has an Anti-Glare coating on top, a peak Brightness of 250 nits, and an aspect ratio of 16:9.
Moving onwards, it provides you with a true 144Hz Refresh Rate, which is perfect for Gaming. But, the only drawback here is its Color Accuracy, which is only 45% NTSC, just like others in the market.
Connectivity (Ports, USBs, Ethernet, Bluetooth, Fingerprint, etc.)
HP Victus 16 2050 Ryzen 5 is a perfect choice for Students who want to do Gaming on the side, and it is proven by the connectivity choices here, as you get:
- 1 USB Type C (Display, Sleep/Charge)
- 2 USB Type A
- 1 HDMI 2.1
- 1 Ethernet
- 1 Headphone combined Microphone Jack
- 1 Power Connector
- WiFi 6
- Bluetooth 5.3
Battery
The HP Victus 16 2050 Ryzen 5 has a Battery of 52.5 Whr and charges 50 percent in 30 minutes due to its HP Fast Charging and 150-watt adapter.
Expansion
- 2 M.2 SSD Slots supporting a maximum of 2 TB
- 2 RAM Slots supporting a maximum of 32 GB combined
Pricing
If the Lenovo LOQ 15 and Nitro V 15 are out of your range and you still want to play Games on your Laptop while Studying, then the HP Victus 16 with RTX 2050 and Ryzen 5 is the best value for money.
You can get this model of HP Victus 16 for around 600 Dollars depending on the sale and where you are from. You can even get it for around 500 Dollars, which is bang for your buck.
The Verdict
It is 2024 and if you are a Student on a Budget who wants to take his/her Laptop on the go, and still want to play Video Games, there is nothing to worry about. The Top 3 Best Budget Gaming Laptops for Students are the Lenovo LOQ 15 with RTX 4050/Ryzen 7 7840HS which costs you around 850 to 1000 dollars, Nitro V 15 with RTX 4050/Core i5-13420H which costs you around 750 to 850 dollars, and finally, we have the HP Victus 16 with RTX 2050/Ryzen 5 7537HS which costs you around 500 to 650 dollars.
