Silly smartphone app games are enough to keep some people content. But for those who are serious about gaming or who love those high definition resolutions nothing less than a good quality gaming laptop will suffice.
In this laptop buying guide, we are going to have a look at some of the best gaming laptops under 1200 that you can get right now.
We compared all their leading features, pros, and cons so you can pick the one that suits your gaming cravings to perfection.
These gaming laptops are not just great in terms of design and features, they are also all affordable and perfect for HD gaming.
In A Hurry? Here Are Our Top Picks…
The 10 Best Gaming Laptops under 1200 to Buy Right Now
Today you can shop from a huge variety of gaming laptops in a wider range of brands than ever before.
We scouted through markets to find the best laptops under $1200 that are portable and perfectly suited for smooth gameplay at any given spot.
Here is a quick look at the best laptops to buy right now.
1. The Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop
Specifications:
This gaming laptop by Acer is ideal for serious gamers who love quick-paced games and brilliant graphics.
At 9.2lbs the laptop is not the most portable. It has a very stylish overall look and the keypad has backlight features with a number pad.
The large 15.6” screen is glorious and the laptop comes with a Windows 10 Home operating system which makes it practical for more than just gaming.
This laptop offers smooth gameplay thanks to its huge 16GB DDR4 Ram and 6GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti graphics card that ensures that your games will be vivid.
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Specifications:
This Dell laptop is another good pick if you are looking for something durable that is practical for HD gaming.
The laptop has a stylish design and its large 15.6” screen is perfect for gaming. At 8.6 lbs it isn’t the lightest laptop but still portable.
It also comes with a Windows 10 home operating system so you can use it for work as well as playing.
The laptop is great for HD gaming because it has 16GB DDR4 RAM and a large NVIDIA GeForce graphics card as well as dual fan cooling system is included in the design.
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Specifications
This laptop by Asus is a good budget option if you want a work laptop that can be used for gameplay.
The laptop has a huge 17.3” screen but despite this, it is still very light and portable at just 5.7lbs. It comes with Windows Home that is ideal for using apps other than games.
The laptop has an 8GB DDR4 RAM and Nvidia GeForce 4GB graphics card.
This speed and graphics card offers smooth play but might be a bit slow for those huge quick paced games.
It is, however, good enough for most types of games and can be upgraded.
The laptop also has a backlit keyboard with number pad which is ideal for work and gameplay.
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This laptop by MSI is very popular because it offers gamers everything they need for thrilling gameplay.
The laptop has a large 15.6” screen, a beautiful design and it comes with Windows 10 Home.
At 8.25lbs it isn’t very light but it is still portable enough to take along on your trips.
The laptops ideal for gaming because it has a huge 16GB SO-DIMM RAM and it is fitted with a huge 6GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 graphics card.
The backlight keyboard is also nice for gaming but it doesn’t include a number pad which can make some games a little bit tricky.
A gaming console can be a handy investment with this laptop.
The laptop also has lots of USB ports which make information transferring very simple.
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Cons
Specifications:
This is one of the best 2-in-1 Laptops Under 700 Dollars to buy right now. The laptop is very affordable and ideal for students who need something that allows them to enjoy occasional gameplay while they study or work.
The laptop comes with a large 15.6” screen and at just 5.05lbs it is very portable and easy to carry with you.
A Windows 10 Home operating system is also included with the laptop.
The laptop offers 8GB DDR4 RAM and comes with an AMD Radeon Vega 8 graphics card.
With this speed and card, you can enjoy most types of games although the graphics card might not offer brilliant visuals when playing huge games.
The laptop also comes with a backlight keyboard complete with a number pad that is ideal for work and play.
Pros
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This gaming laptop is also a good pick for serious gamers who need something sturdy and affordable.
The laptop has a large 15.6” screen that is ideal for gaming. It also offers a beautiful design and it comes with Windows 10 Home operating system so you can use it for more than just gaming.
The laptop is great for gaming since it is fitted with 16GB DDR4 RAM and it has a relatively good NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card that enables most types of HD games to run very smoothly.
It can become a bit hot with excessive gameplay but this problem can easily be solved by investing in a cooling pad for your laptop.
It also offers lots of USB ports and it is very light and portable at just 5.3 lbs.
The laptop does not come with a number pad which means you might want to look into buying a gaming console if you are serious about getting good gaming performance.
The keypad is however very smooth and elegant for work and play.
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If you love Lenovo and need a laptop that offers a 180 degrees hinge then this is a great one to consider.
The Lenovo Ideapad L340 is one of the best gaming laptops under 1200 dollars because you can also use it for work.
It comes with 8 GB memory that is perfectly suitable for loading those large HD games you love so much.
The quality NVidia graphics card also ensures that your laptop will offer the smoothest possible gameplay and the large keyboard with backlit and number pad is ideal for gaming.
The laptop comes with Windows 10 which also makes it practical for completing assignments or office work projects.
The only downside to this laptop is that it doesn’t have too many USB ports and it is a bit pricy compared to others around the same price category.
Pros
Cons
Specifications:
This laptop is a bit pricy but it is still one of the best gaming laptops under 1200 dollars and well worth the buy considering its extreme specs.
If you are looking for something that is flashy in style and function then this is the right laptop to buy.
The MSI Leopard includes a huge 16GB memory card that is perfectly suitable for loading large HD games.
It also includes a quality NVidia graphics card that offers an additional 6GB RAM.
This memory card ensures that all of those high graphic games will run smooth and very fast.
The laptop can also be used for work since it comes with Windows 10 Home.
The 15.6 inch screen is big enough for easy viewing and the screen offers brilliant visuals for those times you might want to enjoy streaming.
The only downside to this laptop is that more USB ports would have been preferable.
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Specifications:
The Asus Tuff is another good pick if you need something functional and affordable that you can use for work and gameplay.
This laptop includes a small, yet sufficient 8GB RAM memory. While this isn’t the biggest memory card, it is still plentiful for streaming content and for playing your favorite HD games.
The graphics card only offers 4GB RAM memory but it is a quality NVidia card which makes it terrific for most modern games with HD graphics.
This laptop is ideal for work because at just 4.85 pounds it is light enough to take along wherever you go.
Its Windows 10 Home operating system and various USB ports also make it a very practical tool for getting work and assignments completed with ease.
It is perfect all-round gaming and work laptop to buy if you love something functional.
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Specifications:
This Asus TUF laptop offers a very interesting design and it is perfect for gamers who need a tool that they can also use for work.
The laptop is available at a good price and it includes a sufficient 8GB RAM card that will ensure smooth running speeds on all of your apps and even on larger HD games.
The laptop will offer smooth and fast gameplay because it is also fitted with a good NVidia graphics card with 4GB RAM.
A bigger graphics card or memory card would have been great but this laptop still won’t have any trouble with modern games and HD content.
You can also use this laptop for everyday office work. It comes with a Windows 10 Home operating system and it offers quite a lot of USB ports to enhance your flexibility in the office.
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Buying Guide to Find Best Gaming Laptops Under 1200 Dollars
With so many wonderful gaming laptops to choose from, it can be hard to establish the best gaming laptop under 1200 to buy.
Well, if you are not sure which one to pick then perhaps this guide can help you decide;
The Budget Option
The Acer Nitro 5 15.6” FHD Gaming Laptop is one of the most affordable gaming laptops on our list with the 2019 Asus TUF 17.3” FHD Gaming Laptop not far behind with basically the same features and a better graphics card.
The Best for HD Gaming
If you are looking for the laptop with the best performance then it is best to invest in laptops with 16GB DDR4 RAM and up that has good quality graphics cards.
We recommend the Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop, MSI GF65 Thin Gaming Laptop, 2019 Asus ROG 15.6” FHD Gaming Laptop and Dell G5 15” Gaming Laptop since they all have good graphics cards and lots of RAM.
If you have the money to spare then you should consider investing in the Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop.
This laptop includes 16GB memory RAM and has a 6GB NVidia graphics card. It is sure to give you the best possible performance when it comes to enjoying those large games.
The Overall Best
Overall we have to recommend the Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop and MSI GF65 Thin Gaming Laptop as our top picks.
Both of these offer 16GB RAM and they both have superb quality graphics cards.
The Acer Predator laptop has a slight lead over the MSI laptop thanks to its advanced cooling technology.
If the Acer Predator is out of your reach, you can also consider the MSI GP65 Leopord.
This one also features 16GB RAM and a quality 6GB graphics card and it is available at relatively the same price range.
The Best for Work and Play
If you need a quality piece of office equipment that you can also use to enjoy your favorite HD movies or for gaming then you can consider any of the laptops on our list.
All of these are perfectly equipped for gaming and they all are suitable for general office and admin tasks.
We especially recommend a more budget-friendly laptop with lots of USB ports if you are planning on working with your laptop.
These laptops typically are used more often, they travel a lot and you use them along with various tech accessories such as headphones, memory sticks, memory cards, and additional screens.
A more affordable laptop is usually recommended for work because they experience more wear and tear and the chances of dropping your laptop during frequent use are so much higher.
There are quite a few quality laptops available on our list that is perfect for work and play.
We recommend the Acer Nitro 5, The Acer TUF, Lenovo Ideapad L340, and the Acer TUF A15 because they all are relatively affordable yet practical for gaming.
The Acer Nitro 5 and Acer TUF might be a slightly better pick than the Acer TUF 15 or the Lenovo L340 because they have more USB ports which make them more practical for office use.
Conclusion
We hope that this guide helped you find the best gaming laptops under 1200 so you can play to your heart’s content no matter where you might find yourself.
And if you are also looking for other great tech gear then you should hop over to some of our other product reviews where you can check out other great quality products.
