I've got my crosshairs on the best cheap gaming laptop of 2023 after testing three this year — and they're all under $1,000.
As a laptop expert, I put these gaming laptops through the wringer, testing every aspect that matters to gamers, from triple-A performance to battery life. The candidates for this year's best cheap gaming laptop crown are the HP Victus 16, the Acer Nitro 5 (now called Nitro V 15), and the MSI Cyborg 15.
According to my analysis, it's a toss-up between the HP Victus 16 and Acer Nitro V 15, but I don't believe in stalemates. One of 'em must reign supreme.
Let's dive into which gaming rig sits on the "best cheap gaming laptop of 2023" throne.
Which cheap gaming laptops did we test?
As mentioned at the outset, we tested the HP Victus 16, the Acer Nitro V 15, and the MSI Cyborg 15.
In the chart below, you'll find the processor and graphics for each laptop. You'll also see the scores for Geekbench 6 and 3DMark's Time Spy, which test for CPU and GPU prowess, respectively. (For the uninitiated, higher is better.)
All three laptops have an MSRP of about $999, so if you spot a higher price, wait for it to drop back down again.
Best cheap gaming laptop 2023: Performance
No gaming laptop escapes Mashable's lab without envelope-pushing benchmarks that make 'em sweat.
Cyberpunk 2077 test
I ran Cyberpunk 2077, one of the most graphics-intensive games, on all three laptops to test their internals' mettle.
The HP Victus 16, with an average frames per second (fps) of 95, edged out the Acer Nitro V 15's 92 fps score by just a few frames. Let's not even discuss the MSI Cyborg 15; it's not in the same league as the HP and Acer gaming laptops.
It's worth noting, however, that the number one spots changed when we re-ran the Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark with DLSS on. This feature uses AI upscaling to provide higher-quality imagery without putting too much computational load on the internals.
The Acer Nitro V 15 delivered a wildly impressive score of 123 fps. The HP Victus 16's uptick in performance was great, too, but less jaw-dropping with a score of 110 fps.
With DLSS on, the MSI Cyborg 15 caught up with its zippier rivals with a score of 113 fps. However, I'm placing a heavier weight on native rendering as opposed to DLSS, which means the HP Victus wins.
Best cheap gaming laptop 2023: Display
All three laptops make some sort of compromise with the display — and they won't win any awards with their screens. Brightness is lacking for the trio, but some are worst than others. Take a look at the brightness scores below (as claimed by their respective companies).
Acer Nitro V 15: 15.6-inches, 1080p, 144Hz refresh rate display at 250 nits
HP Victus 16: 16.1-inches, 1080p, 144Hz refresh rate display at 300 nits
MSI Cyborg 15: 15.6-inches, 1080p, 144Hz refresh rate display at 250 nits
With the HP Victus 16, you get a larger screen and it's a little brighter, too. A 50-nit delta may not seem like a lot, but trust me, I've observed the difference. The HP Victus 16's screen is better than all three.
However, I am not a fan of the Victus 16's massive chin.
Best cheap gaming laptop 2023: Battery life
It's no secret that gaming laptops often have terrible battery life, but there is one that outperforms all three. Take a look at the chart below.
The laptops couldn't seem to break the 2-hour mark on the PCMark 10 gaming battery test, but the HP Victus 16 lasted the longest on a single charge with a runtime of one hour and 56 minutes.
Keep in mind that if you're running less-intensive tasks, like browsing the web, the runtimes for all three should be much higher.
Which is the best cheap gaming laptop 2023?
The answer is HP Victus 16!
I'd also add that the HP Victus 16 has excellent thermals with relatively quiet fans. Same for the MSI Cyborg 15.
The Acer Nitro V 15, on the other hand, sounds like a lawn mower when pushed to its limits. Unless you want to wear earplugs while gaming, I strongly recommend the HP Victus 16 as the best cheap gaming laptop 2023. No, it doesn't have the bells and whistles of pricier laptops, like per-key RGB lighting, a bright display, and other goodies, but it provides excellent bare-bones features that outperform its rivals.
