Welcome to our guide to the best gaming laptops under $1500 based on raw hardware performance, consumer and professional reviews, design and raw gaming price to performance.
The gaming laptops under $1500 price segment represents some of the most expensive gaming laptops on the market with the latest hardware outperformed only by the highest tier gaming laptops. It also offers some of the best price to performance in the high-end gaming laptop market thanks to top tier dedicated graphics cards at extremely competitive prices.
Thanks to their powerful graphics cards sub-$1500 laptops also offer entry level VR ready capabilities. Here we have listed our top recommendations based on extensive research and hand picked comparisons of the current market leaders.
Best Gaming Laptop Under $1500 – Top Picks
1. MSI GL65 Leopard 10SFK-062 15.6-inch
The MSI GL65 Leopard 10SFK-062 is a bestselling gaming laptop under $1500 that packs some seriously powerful hardware and a high-quality 144hz screen along with some other nifty features including a per-key backlit keyboard and excellent thermal performance.
Hardware Performance
The included Nvidia RTX 2070 is capable of running almost all modern demanding games including the likes of the latest Call of Duty and even the performance-middling Cyberpunk 2077 on highest settings at a decent framerate around 60 FPS. Thanks to this performance older games will definitely be able to take advantage of its 144Hz screen as most games will run at above 100 frames per second allowing for much smoother gameplay. The Intel Core i7-10750H is also powerful enough to also ensure smooth day to day performance and multitasking with no bottlenecking and performance on par with most desktop-grade CPU’s.
Design, Build Quality & Portability
The build quality of the 10SFK-062, although relying on plastic construction for most parts, offers excellent thermal heat control in a compact design and comes coupled with a comfortable keyboard with per-key backlighting. Unless you are willing to look at laptops in the $1500 plus price range this laptop competes neck on neck with the best out there in terms of build quality. Weighing in at just over 5 pounds, it’s also not a heavy machine compared to the gaming beasts of yesteryear and at 1.08 inches the design is relatively compact.
Despite the great thermal control, the fans are reported to be noisy under load. Although this is almost unavoidable with most gaming laptops that have any kind of compact design, it’s certainly worth noting as the noise can be frustrating even when using headphones. Some reviewers have recommended disabling CPU boost mode to reduce fan noise as a lot of the heat generated is caused by average thermal design on the included Intel CPU, and overall its noise factor is among the lower-end compared to many competing models.
Speakers & Battery Life
Reviewers were critical of its built in speakers which are mediocre and won’t provide a great gaming experience at all. This may be a downside for those who would like to game on the move without an external pair of headphones or speakers.
Battery life is fairly average with users reporting between 3-5 hours of regular usage, though this is standard amongst most gaming laptops with this level of hardware. Expect this to be lost less while gaming.
Conclusion
Overall, if you are looking for a value for money gaming laptop under $1500 with a compact design, the MSI GL65 Leopard 10SFK-062 is an excellent choice thanks to its combination of raw hardware power and an intelligent design that doesn’t make too many sacrifices.
Pros
- High fidelity 144hz screen with good brightness
- Powerful next-gen Nvidia RTX 2070
- Powerful Intel Core i7-10750H CPU
- Comfortable keyboard with per-key backlighting
- Compact build design
- Good thermal heat control
Cons
- Mediocre in-built speakers
- Noisy fans under load
- Mediocre battery life
- Glossy finish can attract fingerprints
Specs
- Intel Core i7-10750H 2.6Ghz [View Benchmarks]
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 8GB GDDR6 [View Framerates]
- 16GB DDR4 2666MHz RAM
- 512GB SSD
- 15.6 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixels (IPS)
- Windows 10 Home
- 5 hours battery life
- 5.07 lbs
Summary & Score
Powerful Nvidia and Intel hardware combined with a high quality 144hz screen and premium build features make the 10SFK-062 a top value for money option in the high-end gaming laptop market, though don’t count on the on-board speakers for a great audio when gaming.
on Amazon.com
(as of 31-05-2023 19:20 UTC) Details
2. Razer Blade 15 RZ09-03287E22-R3U1 15.6-inch
The Razer Blade 15 RZ09-03287E22-R3U1 is top of its class when it comes to style and finish thanks to its lightweight unibody aluminium frame only found in top-tier high-end laptops. Its powerful hardware also won’t leave you wanting when it comes to raw performance thanks to the Nvidia RTX 2070 graphics card and Intel Core i7-10750H CPU. That said, the RZ09-03287E22-R3U cuts a few corners to achieve its thin design which may not suit all gamers.
Hardware Performance
As mentioned on other laptops, the combination of Nvidia RTX 2070 graphics card and Intel Core i7-10750H processor is powerful enough to cream through modern games on highest settings at framerates of around 60 FPS. Older and less demanding games will be able to take full advantage of the RTX 2070 firepower thanks to the 144Hz screen which will allow smoother gameplay for games running at above 60 frames per second compared to older 60Hz screens. In short, you will not be left wanting for a number of years to come with this hardware combo.
Design, Build Quality & Portability
The RZ09-03287E22-R3U1’s stylish thin and lightweight design is certainly the highlight of this machine. At only 0.78 inches thick and weighing in at 4.7 pounds, it provides an extremely portable gaming laptop experience that is also sure to turn heads at school or traveling. This is combined with a high quality aluminum unibody frame which ditches the plastic design found on many competing laptops.
However, the laptops design is not without its flaws, the most prominent being that its body gets noticeably hot under load when gaming which can make gaming uncomfortable. The fans are also extremely noisy, usually the case for laptops that prioritize being thin and sleek over internal thermal heat management. If heat and noise are a sore point for you, then the Razer Blade 15 may not be your best option. Another sore point that left some users frustrated was the RZ09-03287E22-R3U1’s keyboard, which some described as mushy and taking some time getting used to.
Speakers & Battery Life
Despite the premium Razer Blade design, unfortunately speakers are also not a highlight for this laptop, with reviewers describing them as relatively soft and in many cases completely drowned out by fan noise. This may be an issue for those wanting to utilize this laptops portability to game on the move without external headphones or speakers.
Battery life is definitely a plus compared to many competing gaming laptops, with reports of battery life lasting up to 5-6 hours under normal use. Expect this to be as low as 1 hour of usage if gaming.
Conclusion
If portability and design flare are top priorities, then the Razer Blade 15 RZ09-03287E22-R3U1 is certainly ahead of the pack at its price, though if you plan on staying at home primarily and want to avoid excess heat and fan noise we’d recommend looking at alternatives.
Pros
- Stylish design
- Gorgeous 144hz display
- Lightweight and portable aluminum build
- Good battery life for a gaming laptop
- Powerful next-gen Nvidia RTX 2070
- Powerful Intel Core i7-10750H CPU
Cons
- Poor thermal control causes noticeable heat on laptop body
- Mushy keyboard
- Noisy fans
- Mediocre speakers
- Glossy finish can attract fingerprints
Specs
- Intel Core i7-10750H 2.6Ghz [View Benchmarks]
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 8GB GDDR6 [View Framerates]
- 16GB DDR4-2933MHz RAM
- 512GB SSD
- 15.6 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixels (IPS)
- Windows 10 Home
- 6 hours battery life
- 4.7 lbs
Summary & Score
The Razer Blade 15 RZ09-03287E22-R3U1’s stylish and thin aluminum design is ahead of its class and its powerful hardware will not leave you wanting more firepower, but if portability and style are not your top priority and you want to avoid noise and heat issues there may be better alternatives.
on Amazon.com
(as of 31-05-2023 19:24 UTC) Details
3. Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-52-710B 15.6-Inch
The Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-52-78VL is a well designed high-end gaming laptop with some impressive features and few drawbacks.
It hits just the right sweet spot when it comes to pricing, offering top of the range hardware at a cheaper price than most alternatives. On top of raw hardware power, its relatively thin and sleek design is topped off with an eye catching metal back finish.
Hardware Performance
The Helios 30 PH315-52-78VL’s hardware will be hard pressed to find a games that it can’t match, with framerates maxing out on most modern games at standard resolutions. Its 6GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics card is backed up by a 6 core 9th Generation Intel 9750H processor, a combination that most reviewers have found a hard time maxing out in terms of performance.
Design, Build Quality & Portability
Another highlight of the Helios 300 is it’s advanced thermal cooling, with better heat dispersion than competitors thanks to its fourth generation aeroblade 3D fan. That said, many users reported noisy fans so don’t expect anything close to quiet operation under load. As with most modern gaming laptops, the need for noise reduction has been trumped over opting for a thinner and lighter design instead.
Some users also complained about screen backlight bleed which could be especially a problem when in the dark. Additional bloatware is a last annoying drawback, though this can easily be uninstalled with a bit of work.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a high-end gaming laptop but still want the best deal possible, the PH315-52-78VL is hard not to consider thanks to its impressive design and hardware.
Pros
- Relatively thin design with metal finish
- Sturdy build quality
- Advanced cooling with no thermal throttling
- Value for money hardware and extremely powerful GPU
- Bright 144Hz display
- Above average speakers
Cons
- Fans noisy under load
- Unnecessary bloatware
- Screen backlight bleeding annoying for use in the dark
Specs
- Intel Core i7-9750H 2.6Ghz [View Benchmarks]
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB GDDR6 [View Framerates]
- 16GB RAM
- 512GB SSD
- 15.6 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixels (IPS)
- Windows 10 Home
- 6 hours battery life
- 5.07 lbs
Summary & Score
Despite a few minor flaws, the Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-52-78VL is an incredibly well designed laptop with the top value for money specs in its price range.
on Amazon.com
(as of 31-05-2023 19:16 UTC) Details
Additional Resources
If you are still on the fence about whether to make such a sizable investment in a gaming laptop our guide to the best gaming laptops under $1000 may offer some excellent other alternatives. If you’re on even more of a budget our guides to the best gaming laptops under $600 and best gaming laptops under $500 may also offer some excellent ideas on how you can save money in the short term before investing in a more advanced gaming laptop when the time is right.
In addition we recommend the following popular gaming laptop guides which may offer some additional top picks to choose from:
- PCGamer’s Gaming Laptop Guide
- TechRadar’s Gaming Laptop Guide
- PCMag’s Gaming Laptops Guide
- Tom’s Guide’s Gaming Laptops Guide
Conclusion
Overall the gaming laptops under $1500 price range offer some extremely high powered gaming machines that will usually be able to power even the most demanding games for some years to come. Due to the size of your investment, researching and picking the best laptop for your needs is more important than ever. We hope this list has provided a solid start on your journey to a new gaming laptop what will see you through many high-powered gaming sessions in years to come!
