The 8 Best Gaming Laptops to Buy in 2018 for Under $1,000

The Lenovo Legion Y520 is powered by a 7th generation Intel Core processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics and has a 15.6-inch (1920 x 1080) HD display, as well as hybrid storage. Whether you’re using headphones or not, the inclusion of Harman Audio with Dolby Premium sound adds dual two-watt speakers designed specifically to immerse you directly into gameplay. The machine also has great customization settings, so you can choose your active keys,network priority and cooling features. Moreover, thermal engineering on the Y520 adds strategically placed fans and vents to keep hot air continuously moving out the underside of the laptop. As for dimensions, it's just 1.02 inches thick and weighs 5.3 pounds.

If you’re looking for a gaming laptop that’s equally capable of being an everyday productivity machine, check out the HP Pavilion Power 15. With powerful internal hardware, including a Core i7 processor, 12GB of RAM, 1TB hard drive and an AMD Radeon RX 550 graphics card with 2GB dedicated memory, this machine plays the latest games and can easily run reports for work. The four-pound device offers 10 hours of battery life and has a 15.6-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS anti-glare display that offers viewing angles of up to 178 degrees.

MSI’s GL72M 7RDX-800 gaming laptop offers an exceptionally powerful and beautiful machine that comes equipped a 17.3-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) HD display. Under the hood is an Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM, 1TB HDD and 128GB SSD for increased application loading time. Running NVIDIA’s GTX 1050 2G GDDR5 graphics card, the MSI is ready to handle high-definition games without batting an eye. You can even add up to two additional monitors for truly immersive gameplay (or multitasking) via the HDMI or DisplayPort connections. MSI also packed in Cooler Boost 4 tech that adds six total heat pipes among the GPU and CPU, so it handles the heat with aplomb.

The display on Dell’s i7559-5012GRY 15.6-inch 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels) gaming laptop has a 4K LED touchscreen that offers outstanding clarity with true-to-life colors. Beyond the display, the audio experience on the Dell is equally outstanding. Waves MaxxAudio Pro allows total control over the sound performance and it works even better when paired with the NVIDIA GTX 960M video graphics. Powering all of these features are a 6th generation Intel quad-core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 1 TB hard drive supported by an 8GB SSD for extra fast application loading. It weighs 6.1 pounds and has 10 hours of battery life.

With up to 12 hours of battery life on a single charge, Acer’s Aspire E15 gaming laptop is an excellent choice for gamers who are constantly on the move. Powered by a 7th generation Intel Core i5 processor, 15.6-inch Full HD widescreen display , 8GB of RAM and a NVIDIA GeForce 940MX with 2GB of DDR5 video memory, this Acer is a seriously capable mid-range gaming laptop. Extras such as 802.11ac wireless with MU-MIMO (multi-user, multiple input and multiple output) help increase network performance (up to three times faster), so you can maintain the strongest signal possible (this is especially important for online gaming). Even with the punchy on-board specs, Acer knows gamers love upgrades and the E15 has an accessible compartment underneath the laptop providing direct access to the SSD and memory, so you can easily install quick upgrades for faster performance.

For exceptional surround-sound audio, few laptops can compete with the Lenovo Y700, especially within a $1,000 budget. It features JBL dual-channel speakers with a Dolby Home Surround certification and a 3.0W subwoofer. For gamers and movie-buffs alike, this laptop is the ideal traveling media center.

Fortunately, the Lenovo Y700 isn’t just about sound quality. It features a 15.6in1920 x 1080 HD anti-glare display and NVIDIA GeForce 960M graphics card, ensuring sharp visual quality. As the battle on-screen heats up, your laptop will stay cool under pressure thanks to integrated thermal fans underneath.  Also, with a Core i7 processor, 1TB 5400 RPM storage, and a 256GB SSD hard drive, Lenovo guarantees a product with the processing power to handle your gaming needs. The laptop itself weighs 5.72 pounds and has a modest five-hour battery life.

The sleek-looking Acer Aspire VX 15 supports the company's TrueHarmony technology and Dolby audio premium sound, which means a well-balanced and surprisingly powerful audio experience. Fortunately, the sound isn’t the only thing noteworthy about the VX 15. Its Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, 256GB SSD and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti with 4GB of dedicated GDDR5 VRAM also make for terrific performance. A red backlit keyboard illuminates for easy visibility in both day and night conditions, while dual fans help maintain performance levels and eliminate the chance of the laptop overheating. It weighs 5.51 pounds and has up to six hours of battery life.

Dell’s Inspiron i5577 has 512GB SSD, which might not add as much storage overall as competitive models with 1TB of HDD space, but SSD performance far outpaces standard drive performance, so it's still an exceptionally attractive option. Other features include 16GB of RAM, an Intel Core i7 3.8GHz processor, NVIDIA’s GTX 1050 graphics card and a 15.6-inch Full HD display. Adding even more to the gameplay value is the inclusion of Dell’s MaxxAudio. Battery life is an underwhelming four to five hours and it weighs 5.7 pounds.