Find The Best Gaming Laptop Under 300 – What Models Make The Difference?

When looking for a gaming laptop, you’ll find plenty of choices. Your budget is obviously one of the main considerations. These beasts can go up to $5,000 in price, while some of the heaviest system may easily weigh more than 20 pounds. The price shouldn’t put you off though. Believe it or not, you can find some of the best gaming laptops under $300 as well. Sure, they may not have all the bells and whistles associated with expensive models, but the overall gaming experience is what truly matters. At this point, no matter what the price is, your experience will be flawless.

Whether it comes to colorful styles and sleek designs, powerful parts or hefty prices, gaming laptops represent a niche on their own. They are part of a completely different category of computers and can easily outweigh the average laptop for everyday uses. They have become the turbo version of this industry and for a good reason. It makes no difference how demanding and sophisticated your favorite games are – chances are a good gaming laptop will raise to your expectations – high frame rates, smooth gaming experience and superior graphics.

Finding gaming laptops for less than $300 might look daunting at first. There are quite a few solid options to enhance your experience in this low priced segment. But then, each model comes with various specifications. There are things you might be thrilled to have, as well as features that won’t really make the difference. That’s what makes research so important. Most experts recommend going with top rated models, as there’s obviously something good about them or they wouldn’t sell. Once you have the list, explore each model and its features to make an informed decision.

But before going through the best sellers out there, take your time to understand important specs of cheap gaming laptops under $300.

What to Look for in a Gaming Laptop under 300 dollars

Graphics Card

The graphics card is the most important consideration in a gaming laptop. That’s where your money goes. Main options include NVIDIA and AMD, yet there are other alternatives as well. They’re not so popular and may not come from the best manufacturers in the world though. Don’t make the mistake of investing in two graphics cards. Sure, you can do that with a desktop if you properly ventilate it, but it won’t work with a laptop.

It’s worth noting that the power to price ratio lowers down as you go higher. For example, an extra investment of $50 in the less expensive range might provide the same boost as an extra expense of $200 in the top range.

Processor

Modern processors are easily able to tackle all the exquisite demands from gaming companies. As long as the model is rated to be a gaming laptop, you can count on a solid processor. There is one rule though. The later the release, the more efficient it is. However, you may not be able to tell the difference between the latest generation and the generation before. It’s probably insignificant.

Given the general purpose of this consideration, it makes more sense to send most of your money towards the graphics card, rather than the processor.

RAM

As a general rule of thumb, don’t settle for less than 8GB of RAM. This kind of memory should be enough for pretty much any game on the market today. However, if you play games, do plenty of video editing, run a few other applications and stream a video at the same time, you might want more – up to 16GB of RAM.

Keep in mind that the RAM can be upgraded later on. If you notice a significant difference between choosing the RAM upfront and upgrading it, then it might be worth upgrading it instead. It also gives you the option to do it only if you need it.

Keyboard and Touchpad

Plenty of people would rather focus on specs and performance, so they often overlook the keyboard and touchpad when choosing a $300 laptop – terrible idea. You’ll keep hitting those keys hundreds of times a day, so you better opt for something comfortable, good looking and durable.

The key travel must be higher than 1.5mm – even better if it’s higher than 2mm. In terms of performance, double check the anti-ghosting features. It means pressing more keys at once and getting them all register simultaneously. You’ll need this for special moves or key combinations.

SSD or HDD

More and more people turn to SSD when hunting a 300 dollar gaming laptop for a simple reason – faster means better. You want to keep up with the game no matter what, hence the necessity of extra speed. SSD is more expensive, so choose at least 1TB of memory if you opt for HDD.

What are the best selling items and what makes them so special?

Top 5 Gaming Laptops Under 300

1. Acer Flagship CB3-532 15.6″ HD Premium Chromebook

Acer is a front runner in terms of low cost laptops, whether it comes to laptops for everyday office use or for gaming. The successful manufacturer has also joined the gaming segment in the attempt to support gamers who cannot afford spending thousands on a smart device.

The CB3-532 model comes with a decent 15.6 inch screen. The display carries the anti-glare technology, so it can easily handle games in all kinds of light. Moreover, it’s HD WLED and comes with a resolution of 1366×768. It’s not the largest display on the market, but its middle size makes it suitable to all kinds of games.

Interested in talking to your team mates in real time? Whether you do it in game or through various messengers, the ComfyView Technology HD webcam provides a clear image, even in relatively low lighting conditions.

In terms of performance, you can count on Intel Celeron Dual Core N3060. The processor comes with 1.6GHz of power. While a professional gaming laptop can provide more than that, this is a low cost model that can still support most games. The $300 gaming laptop offers a smooth gameplay and no lag, yet it’s important to avoid running other applications while you play.

While the 1.6GHz power is standard, you can boost it up to 2.48GHz. You have 2GB DDR3 RAM memory, as well as 16GB flash SSD. It’s more than enough for any game out there, yet you may not be able to have too many games at the same time stored on the laptop.

As for connectivity, you can count on Bluetooth 4.0, 2 USB 3.0 slots and WI-Fi. The laptop runs on Google Chrome OS and comes with a 7 hour battery life. It’s quite portable due to its lightweight profile too – 4.3 pounds only.

Features

2. HP 14-Inch Chromebook HD SVA

HP doesn’t fool around when it comes to performance and quality. While it’s more commonly known for high-end laptops, it has also joined the low cost segment with a few solid laptops to take the gaming experience to a new level.

This model is one of the best gaming laptops under 300 – not only because of the price, but because of its overall specifications too. It features an Intel Dual Core Celeron N2840 processor, as well as Intel HD Graphics – ideal for demanding games as well. It has 2.16GHz of power and 1MB of cache.

Other than that, it comes with 4GB SDRAM, as well as a solid 16GB eMMC flash memory. It doesn’t have an optical drive though. However, the available space is enough for literally any game out there. But then, if you want to store more games at the same time, you might need to clear some space occasionally.

The display measures 14 inches. It’s in the low-middle range, yet it won’t affect the gaming experience too much. Fortunately, it comes with HD SVA BrightView WLED technologies, as well as a maximum resolution of 1366×768. The webcam carries the HP TrueVision HD quality standards and features a built-in microphone too.

The Intel HD Graphics On processor is based on shared video memory. It’s suitable for games, video and photo editing, as well as most Internet based activities. Stereo speakers come to enhance your gaming experience too.

As for connectivity, you can count on a solid 802.11ac (2×2) and Bluetooth 4.0 combination, a USB 3.0 slot, 2 USB 2.0 slots, an HDMI port, a headphone jack and a microphone jack. The 300 gaming laptop is based on Google Chrome OS and weighs 3.7 pounds, so it’s easy to carry around. Its battery can go for around 9 hours.

Features

3. Acer Chromebook 14″ Display

Acer’s laptops are better known for the impressive battery life, yet they also feature a series of specifications that can make your gaming experience more intense. This model comes with a blazing fast processor – Intel Celeron N3160 quad core and 1.6GHz.

It may not be the most powerful gaming laptop on the market, but it can certainly provide a good value for money in this range. Proportionally, the ratio for power and price is hard to beat. It might take a few extra seconds to boot or load a sophisticated game, but that won’t affect your use.

It has 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM, which is more than enough to ensure a smooth game play and no lag at all, regardless of how demanding the game is. Sure, you may not be able to play a sophisticated game while running a few other applications, editing videos and playing some music. But then, do one thing at a time and you’ll be surprised by how well this laptop can handle it.

The 14 inch LCD display is superior to other displays in this segment. It comes with a top 1920×1080 resolution in full HD. The image is crystal clear, while small details are visible and easy to spot.

Connectivity is classic – no fancy ports. However, you can count on 2 USB ports and an HDMI port. The laptop features a webcam and has a microphone port too. In terms of storage, you can count on 32GB. Again, just like the resolution, its storage space dominates this category of laptops for gaming.

The laptop runs with Google Chrome OS. Whether or not you are used to it, you’ll have to login to your account (or create one first if you don’t have) and all your details will be there. Using it is piece of cake and doesn’t require any previous experience.

Features

4. Lenovo IdeaPad Laptop

Coming from a reputable manufacturer and providing the possibility of multiple upgrades as you order, the IdeaPad model from Lenovo can easily become the best 300 dollar laptop on the market. It features a classic screen of 15.6 inches. It’s ideal for pretty much any game out there, especially due to the efficient LED back light. It has a resolution of 1366×768. It’s not the most impressive one on the market, but it can certainly handle most games out there.

The laptop is powered by an AMD A6-7310 processor – 2GHz, AMD Radeon R4. It’s a bit more than what other good gaming laptops in this segment have, so everything will load a bit faster. In terms of memory, you can count on 4GB of RAM. Again, it dominates this segment. Game play will be extremely smooth. Furthermore, you can run multiple apps at the same time, handle demanding websites and run heavy software with no issues at all.

The storage space goes up to 500GB. Sure, you can use memory cards or external drives, but you’re less likely to need any of these upgrade options. Unless you like storing plenty of games and films on your laptop, 500GB can match your necessities.

Connectivity is not to be overlooked either. You have one HDMI port, 10/100 Ethernet, one USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.0 port and one microphone-headphone combination. The audio system is quite impressive for a laptop. Plus, the webcam is clear and allows you to have proper live chats with your gaming team members or friends.

Lenovo’s best gaming PC under 300 runs with Windows 10 64-bit. Despite its performance feature, it only weighs 4.85 pounds. The average battery life is not too impressive though – 5 hours only, especially if you play continuously.

Features

5. Acer 15.6″ Chromebook

With a solid battery life and just enough power to support most games out there, this model from Acer is among the best rated laptops under $300. After all, you don’t need to spend thousands for a gaming laptop. All in all, it comes with a classic 15.6 inch screen – more than enough for most games. It can support a maximum resolution of 1920×1080 in the 16:9 aspect ratio.

Not only your games will perfectly match the screen, but you will also enjoy a dramatic experience when watching movies. The screen features Acer’s anti-glare technology. It can take bright light with no issues at all, yet you might have some issues if you keep it in direct sunlight. Sure, it comes with the Zero Air Gap Enjoy screen clarity, which will make an effort to provide clarity and colors in direct sunlight too, but it’s just not worth pushing its limits.

Acer’s model is based on the popular Intel Celeron processor – 1.6GHz of power. Unlike other top gaming laptops in this segment, it comes with up to 8 times more power than some of its competitors – not less than 16GB of RAM. Your gaming experience will be extremely smooth. Plus, you can also run multiple applications at the same time. In terms of graphics, you can count on a powerful HD Graphics 400 co-processor.

As for storage space, you have 16GB. You don’t need massive storage space to enjoy your favorite game. But then, it’s worth noting that you can’t store too many modern games at the same time, so you’ll have to clear some space every once in a while.

Connectivity is not to be overlooked either – USB 3.0 and wireless 802.11ac. The webcam is clear too, while the touchpad is larger than in other similar models.

All the extra power certainly adds to the weight though. This cheap gaming PC under 300 is heavier than its competition – 6.4 pounds.

Features

Conclusion

Bottom line, searching the best gaming laptops under 300 can give you some hints about what to expect from this segment. Obviously, none of these models will compare to the high-end models out there, whether it comes to the overall design or performance. However, if you’re not overwhelming your laptop with too much data and you use it responsibly, it can easily handle most games out there.

It’s important to analyze your needs and perhaps your favorite games too. Find out what kind of performance requirements they come with, then match them to the specifications of these laptops. That’s the optimal way to make an efficient decision.