Best Gaming Laptops Under $600 in 2022 – Top Budget Picks!

Gaming laptops are a tricky business.

It’s not hard…finding a gaming laptop that can fulfill every desire. But, everything changes when it comes to staying within a budget. Finding a laptop with the specifications you need, at an accessible price can turn into an impossible mission.

And you’re not alone.

It may happen that you end up never upgrading your computer because it seems impossible to find one that will upgrade your gaming experience at a reasonable price. Most of them require you to drop a couple of thousands.

It’s also very common that gamers end up buying the cheaper gaming laptop they can get their hands on, just to find out that its features don’t match their expectations.

These are just a couple of many reasons for which we decided to write about the subject. We’ll show you gaming laptops under 600 that will improve your gaming experience and more.

Things To Consider For Best Gaming Laptops Under $600

• Battery life goes a long way…sometimes

We’re pretty sure you’d be looking for a desktop computer if you weren’t thinking about taking your laptop traveling…or just going to bed with it.

Maybe you’re a light gamer and enjoy relaxing time in bed after a long day of work. Or maybe, you’re looking for a laptop that will be your companion when meeting your friends turns into a gamers’ night.

Either way, you’ll want to check the battery specs of your future purchase.

The kind of relationship between you and your future gaming laptop doesn’t really matter, as long as you know which is the computer that can keep up with your pace.

Most portable computers you’ll encounter will give you an estimate of how long they can last without needing a recharge or to be plugged in. But this amount of time is based on certain criteria that, usually, doesn’t take gaming into account.

• Gaming is a laptop’s cardio

The heavier the games you’re engaging in, the more power and memory space your laptop will need to run it.

In most scenarios, this will translate into a shorter lifespan of unplugged battery life. When you see a laptop’s battery life advertisement, think that you’ll have to cut that number in two, or even three, when calculating how long your laptop can go when gaming.

Why is the design of your gaming laptop so important?

• It’s not just about the bling

Gaming computers’ keyboards are more than just for show.

Yes, it looks cool. Red or green lights illuminating your control center tints the gaming experience and helps the immersion process into the world of real gamers. But these lights do more than make you look like a real gamer. They help you win.

Let’s pretend your gaming sessions occur mostly at night. And if we’re being 100% honest, that’s a very probable scenario. Even if you know your way back and forth your keys, you will be able to see them, they’re your pathway to winning your game.

A backlit keyboard will be a must for most gamers, and we’re pretty sure once you try it, it’ll be on your check list too.

• NanoEdge is just a fancy name for slimmer frames

NanoEdge displays are a label you’ll be hearing a lot, especially when looking for a laptop to enhance your gaming and overall multimedia experience.

Whenever you hear this word just think of the piece of material surrounding your screen, that is your bezel. The thinner your bezel, the more expansive the visual experience becomes.

NanoEdge, or slim bezels, should definitely be on your secondary features list when looking to buy a new gaming station.

Best Gaming Laptops Under $600 in 2022

1. ASUS TUF – Best Gaming Laptop Under $600

Gaming laptops are not hard to come by. But a gaming laptop with the perfect specs that fits in a tight budget, now that’s a unicorn.

You’re lucky the rules of the real world don’t apply to this laptop. You can have it all. You don’t have to sell your soul to the devil.

IPS Screen Display

NanoEdge design brings a new concept when it comes to experiencing visual content in this world. You get to see so much of your screen that it’ll look like an extension of reality.

This type of LCD display allows a deeper immersion into your games. It offers consistency of movement and color when you change the angle from where you’re watching your screen from.

Optimized Portable Power

Many gaming computers out there forget that the world is also a battlefield. This computer is not only designed to optimize your visuals and enhance the way you perceive gaming graphics.

The NVIDIA GeForce Experience makes sure that the hardware also improves its performance, so that your computer keeps up with your gaming scenarios and your multimedia content.

SenseMI Technology

This cutting-edge technology from AMD allows the processor to learn from you. As you interact with your computer, the processor studies from your actions as a user. This never ending allows for customized user experiences.

The Ryzen processor optimizes the computer’s performance based on your personal needs. The efficiency of your laptop will depend on the applications and games you work with.

Specifications

• Brand: ASUS
• Operating System: Windows 10 Home
• Processor Type: AMD Ryzen 5
• Screen Size: 15.6 inches
• RAM: 8 GB

2. Lenovo Ideapad L340 – Play Games Seamlessly

Reality is relative and science has proved it.

Then, why are we still spending more when we can improve and customize our gaming experiences without compromising our wallets?

Try it all and do it all with a laptop that brings your wildest ideas and fantasy worlds to life.

GeForce GTX 1650

You’ll understand why gamers can spend hours immersed in a completely different world and feel that time in reality has stood still.

The GeForce GTX 1650 powered by NVIDIA is the engine behind graphics so smooth it’ll be hard to tell fiction from reality. As you enjoy winning the game, GeForce takes care of bringing it to life.

Dolby Audio System

You don’t have to attach a soundbar to your laptop to get top-notch acoustics from your games. Integrated Dolby technology guarantees that the audio of your gameplay goes hand-in-hand with the action.

There’s very few laptops within this price range that will let you experience the best of both worlds.

Gaming Mode

You’re more in control than ever.

If you’ve made it all the way here it’s because you want a gaming computer. How about a computer that lets you switch to a mode designed to enhance your experience. Choose the quick user mode as soon as you’re ready to blast the action.

Well, it’s something unique, pleasing and extra-ordinary in our opinion. Yeah, we usually include such laptops under 800 dollar budget but as it was fulfilling all ideal requirements of under 600 dollar range, so we included it here in this list.

Specifications

• Brand: LENOVO
• Operating System: Windows 10
• Processor Type: Intel Core i5
• Screen Size: 15.6 inches
• RAM: 8 GB

3. HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop – Best For Unbeatable Gaming Experience

Have you ever felt so alive when watching a movie that you get the impression you’re living it?

You shouldn’t have to spend heavy bucks when replicating that feeling with your games. This is why Pavilion is here to offer you transport into a different dimension without ripping you off.

VR Ready

You won’t be able to get your hands on many computers that are ready to teleport you into another dimension for this price.

This laptop was designed so you can pair it with VR headsets to live your games, not just play them.  

This computer is VR ready. Are you?

Thermal Cooling

Temperature control doesn’t get enough attention in laptops within this range, and you should be extra cautious about it.

Overheating is one of the most common hazards gamers experience. The heavier the game, the more your processor and your overall system are working. This laptop maximizes the way the air cools your computer for a never ending gameplay.

Embedded B&O Tech

Why is no one asking for high quality audio systems in laptops?

Technology has come way too far, and we’re still not getting higher-end acoustics when enjoying our favorite games.

You’ll say goodbye to saturated sounds and unbalanced frequencies. This Danish technology will deliver the best possible audio you can get in the market.

Specifications

• Brand: HP
• Operating System: Windows 10 Home
• Processor Type: Intel Core i5
• Screen Size: 15.6 inches
• RAM: 8 GB

4. ASUS VivoBook F512 – Best For Multiplayer Gaming

Get more than what you pay for.

This sleek Asus will walk with you to work without being a burden, and it’ll power your professional life. When night falls, this slim laptop will turn into your tool for defeating your enemies.

More Screen

An 88% screen ratio. You wouldn’t have thought it possible.

A slim bezel wasn’t enough. The designers have taken visual immersion to another level with a display that takes over your entire computer.

The edges of your screen will be seemingly lost in your surroundings. You’ll feel you’re being transported into a different dimension through the NanoEdge display.

On-the-Go Gaming

You don’t necessarily have to work remotely to be called a digital nomad.

We all live, work, play, and move with our technologies by our sides. And your enhanced gaming experience should be no different.

Forget about carrying extra weight. You can take your gameplay with you with this laptop that doesn’t even reach half of the weight some of the heavy duty gaming computers have.

Connect to the World

The plethora of connections this laptop offers is prize-worthy.

You name the port you need, this laptop has it. You can do so much more than carrying your game station with you. You can connect it to the entire world.

Take advantage of all the USB, HDMI ports as well as the memory slots this slim design has to offer. You won’t find many like this.

Specifications

• Brand: ASUS
• Operating System: Windows 10 Home
• Processor Type: AMD Ryzen 5
• Screen Size: 15.6 inches
• RAM: 8 GB

5. Asus X512DA – Best Budget Gaming Laptops Under $600

Flashy and chunky laptops are not for everyone, and they usually mean spending more.

This discrete design allows you to use a laptop for your everyday tasks. But we all want more. You’ll be able to take your daily computer and turn it into an action-packed tool in a split second.

AMD Radeon Vega 8

You might’ve heard about this AMD processor without knowing it was being named.

This GPU is designed with Vega architecture. It can offer stable and good performance, which is why it’s perfect for gamers thinking about taking their games everywhere with them.

These types of processors are the best ones out there if you’re looking to improve your gaming experience without overstepping your budget limit.

1920 x 1080 Resolution

Not every gamer who wants to upgrade their visual experience is ready to spend thousands of dollars on a laptop.

This shouldn’t keep them (or you) from enjoying full resolution experiences.

This is one of the highest display resolutions you can get your hands on for this price. You won’t only see an improvement in your game scenarios, but in every streaming moment.

Dedicated Graphics Card

These kinds of cards or GPUs allow a more efficient processing of visual content on your computer.

The card is independent from your CPU. This means they will also have an exclusive memory space so the GPU takes visual data in a more productive way. The result is faster and better quality graphics.

Specifications

• Brand: ASUS
• Operating System: Windows 10
• Processor Type: AMD Ryzen 5
• Screen Size: 15.6 inches
• RAM: 8 GB

6. HP 14 Laptop

$600 is a good budget to start off with if you’re looking forward to buying gaming laptops! HP 14 is actually one of the better options out there, because of the kind of configuration it brings to you. While HP has their ‘Omen’ series of laptops out there for hardcore gamers, those who are into lightweight gaming might actually want to consider using this laptop as a great device for entry-level gaming. This is a laptop which is actually pretty good for part-time gamers and for those people who like to play an occasional game or two to bust some stress.

Specifications: CPU/GPU/RAM/Storage

Featuring the AMD Ryzen 5 5500U processor, the HP 14 delivers quite a power-packed performance – and even at peak processing, it does not heat up so much, which is one of the best things about this laptop. The processor draws little power from the battery and makes sure you get a decent battery life as well. This is a very well-balanced choice of processor which makes it a great general purpose-cum-gaming laptop. The graphics coprocessor also comes from AMD, which is AMD Radeon Graphics – while it hasn’t really been specified which exact GPU is used here, it is good enough for basic gaming, as well as for video editing purposes.

Besides the power-packed CPU and GPU, the RAM and storage space here are also pretty decent. The laptop provides users with 256 GB of SSD storage, which is actually better compared to having an HDD-tech based storage system. Furthermore, there’s 8 GB of RAM in the laptop, which gives you just about enough memory to multitask with ease as well as play all your favorite games. 

Design and Display

In terms of design, this is a standard HP laptop which comes in the ‘natural silver’ color that the company uses across so many other devices that they make. There’s nothing about the design  that really stands out and you’d see pretty much the same kind of a build-in most HP laptops today. The laptop makes use of a well-spread keyboard which is extremely comfortable for typing, and there’s a trackpad in the middle which is also pretty comfortable to use. The laptop measures 12.76 x 8.86 x 0.71 inches, which is pretty slim, and weighs about 3.24 lbs. 

The laptop makes use of a 14 inch HD IPS anti-glare display which offers a maximum screen resolution of ‎1920 x 1080 pixels. The display here is pretty good – making for a great device for watching content as well as one that suits gamers. While HP could’ve added a little larger display here and 14 inches is somewhat small for gaming, you actually get a good output so that’s sort of balanced out. The colors are pretty vivid and bright and you can use this outdoors or in brightly lit conditions as well. Lastly, the display also makes use of extremely slim micro-edge bezels, which makes sure you get a large screen-to-body ratio. 

Battery Life, OS, and Other Features

As we pointed out earlier, the processor is very gentle on the battery – giving you a long-lasting battery life of up to 9 hours and 45 minutes on average usage. Upon lightweight gaming, too, you are expected to get somewhere around 4 hours which is a pretty good number for a gaming laptop. Additionally, the laptop also makes use of quick charging technology, giving up to 50% charge in just 45 minutes. It makes use of the Windows 11 Home OS, which is the latest Microsoft operating system out there – future-proofing you!

Summing up, HP 14 is a great multi-purpose laptop. You can use it for your daily office work, as well as for browsing emails and checking social media. It is a good device to run all the software you might need, including some for basic photo and video editing. In addition to all of this, you can use the device for gaming as well, as this is one of the best gaming laptops under $600 that you can get hold of in 2022.

Key Features:

• Runs on the AMD Ryzen 5 5500U + AMD Radeon Graphics
• 8GB RAM + 256GB SSD storage space 
• Runs on Windows 11 Home OS 
• 14-inch Full HD IPS anti-glare display

Specifications:

• Brand: HP
• Operating System: Windows 11 Home
• Processor Type: AMD Ryzen 5 5500U
• Screen Size: 14 inches
• RAM: 8 GB

How to choose your 600 dollar gaming laptop

• A powerful processor on a budget

Believe it or not, when spending heavy bucks on the bigger more flashy computers, you’re hardly spending on the looks of your new laptop.

Most of the heavy-duty laptops charge for the internal hardware. Processors that can keep up with what’s needed to keep AAA and new generation games running flawlessly and with the responsiveness peaking.

Most top-of-the-line computers use Intel processors. These have been the ones prioritized for ages until other manufacturers decided to step in.

You can find the same processing power and responsiveness in AMD processors. Just like Intel ones, these are more than suitable for every kind of gamer.

Before going processor-hunting, take a look at the games you play on your computer. How heavy the game and its graphics are will determine the capacity of the processor you’ll need.

If you play light-weight games to have a little entertainment in your spare time, then you don’t have to go all-out and spend on the fastest possible processor.

However, if your games are harder to run, and the graphics need more power to run without delays and lags, look on the higher end of the spectrum.

• Take into account a discrete GPU

In case you don’t know, a discrete graphics card or GPU is what we call the cards that are not integrated with the laptop’s processor.

Discrete GPUs are also called independent. Because they’re separated from the processor, they also have memory space dedicated solely to processing digital information of the graphic content on your computer.

Independent GPUs make the process of reading and transferring this kind of data more efficient. If your computer will be your gaming buddy, you want to opt for one with a discrete GPU.

Taking care of your gaming laptop before it arrives

• Delivery Services

This is a point that not many users mention when reviewing gaming laptops, yet it’s one of the most important aspects when you’re buying your gaming computer online.

Going through the process of finding the perfect gaming computer for you can go to waste with a single bad choice: Retailers.

Pay attention to online reviews complaining about the state in which the products arrive, systems that don’t work as soon as they’re out of the box, and problems with contacting the seller.

These issues are mostly common with online buyers, and it’s likely that you’ll be an online buyer as well.

Taking care of your laptop starts when choosing the buyer. Always go for reliable and trustworthy retailers, or even better: Choose to buy directly from the manufacturer.

If some issues were to arise at one point, it will always be easier to talk to the manufacturer directly. Once you’ve purchased from an unofficial retailer, getting to talk customer support and dealing with warranty coverage can turn into a hassle.

FAQs

1. Is it cheaper to build a gaming laptop?

There’s two answers to this question. Short term, building your own gaming computer can be the cheapest solution. However, in the long run, buying one can not only last you longer, but there’s a high possibility it’ll be more reliable in the end.

2. How much RAM do I need for gaming?

The majority of gamers out there will tell you 16 GB as a standard answer. Nevertheless, the right amount of RAM will depend solely on the games and tasks you expect your computer to run. 8 GB is a good starting point for any computer. If you’re looking to run heavier games, you can always upgrade your laptop’s storage capacity.

3. Are gaming laptops a waste of money?

Yes. Gaming laptops can do so much more than enhance your visuals and offer smoother graphics transitions. These computers usually have more processing power, which allows running heavier programs and multitasking as well.

4. Can I find good gaming laptops under $600?

Yes, it is quite possible to get hold of good gaming laptops under $600. These won’t really be devices that will get you playing the top-end games on high resolution settings, but they are just about good enough to get you started with your gaming needs – and allow you to have a lightweight to moderate gaming experience. If you aren’t really a hardcore gamer and just want to play games on your laptop for a few hours on a frequent basis, you might want to get hold of these gaming laptops under $600 as you can find many good options. Do make sure to check out our list and reviews above for more details on this. 

5. Where to buy the best gaming laptops under $600?

While you can find quite a few gaming laptops under $600 at your nearest retail store or a shop that sells consumer electronic items, we strongly recommend Amazon. This is because the Amazon web store has the largest collection of such laptops, and generally offers you better deals and discounts compared to regular physical stores. Besides that, when you buy from Amazon, you actually get a much better return and replacement policy than buying from a standard store, which is something that makes these purchases truly lucrative. 

6. How to keep a gaming laptop cool?

Gaming laptops are great for a lot of things, but the biggest concern that many gamers have with them is that they tend to heat up quite a bit when you are performing processing intensive tasks such as, well, gaming. In order to keep your gaming laptop cool, you might just want to add a cooling pad underneath it, which is a set of extra cooling fans which ensure that all the heat is dissipated from the laptop. Besides that, sometimes just ensuring that the vents of your laptop are clean does the trick because dust and dirt can cause the vents to choke, thereby trapping the heat inside them. If nothing works, we strongly recommend turning the air conditioning on!

7. What is the ideal screen size for a gaming laptop?

This actually depends on the kind of games that you enjoy playing. However, 14 inches is a little too small for most gamers – so we recommend getting at least a 15.6 inch laptop, which is also the most common screen size and is generally accepted as the standard size for a gaming laptop. However, for an enhanced gaming experience, you might actually want to get hold of a laptop that offers you a screen size of 17”. Larger screens give you a better view and are particularly useful in MMORPG games where things are generally a little scaled down anyway. 

Bottomline

We bet you didn’t think you had these many options.

Take another look at some of the secondary specs we’ve mentioned when you’re about to choose your portable gaming station.

Remember, think of your requirements instead of looking for the flashiest and biggest gaming computer in the market. It’ll save you more time and money than you could imagine.

When deciding on the best gaming laptop under 600, we recommend you consider adding the ASUS TUF to your finalists.

Trust us, you won’t be disappointed.

Finally, trust your instincts. They’ll show you the right way.