Modern gaming laptops are extremely fast, and to deliver the ultimate gaming experience, they make millions of calculations per second and use the latest hardware for graphics.
When shopping for gaming laptops, it’s easy to spend thousands of dollars, and you’ll find no shortage of expensive options. However, not everyone can afford the best laptops, and if you fall into this category, you should know that there are plenty of gaming laptops under $300 to choose from.
Since $300 is a small amount of money to spend on a gaming computer, you won’t be able to use it for the most demanding games, but it should provide enough processing power for a casual gaming experience.
What to Look For
When shopping for the best gaming laptops under $300, it’s important to get the greatest amount of value for the money spent. You should look for laptops that don’t come with extra features. The two major components for gaming are the processor and graphics card, and they’re responsible for running your favorite computer games.
The best system should be designed with a focus on these crucial components, and it should focus less on the components that aren’t as important.
For example, you don’t need a 1TB hard drive for a cheaper gaming laptop because a smaller hard drive can direct the money savings to the processor or graphics card. If $300 is all that you can spend, you should already be looking for a basic model, and you should avoid features that you don’t need.
To get the greatest gaming power, you’re looking for a basic model. Since you’ll be using the laptop for gaming, avoid products that have a touch screen. You might also want to consider something that has a solid-state drive, which is ideal for gaming.
Also, don’t worry too much about the size of the screen, as what you can do is connect the laptop up to a cheap 144hz monitor when you require a bigger viewing area for your gaming experience.
10 Best Gaming Laptops Under $300 Comparison Table
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 | ASUS L210 Ultra Thin Laptop | 11.6-inch display 4 GB of RAM 64 GB of onboard storage Only 0.7 inches thick | $$ |
 | 2017 Newest Premium High Performance ASUS 14 Eeebook | Intel Celeron Dual-core processor 4GB DDR3 RAM, 32GB Flash eMMC Storage Windows 10 Home Premium 64-bit | $$ |
 | HP 15.6inch Premium Flagship Laptop, AMD Dual-Core A9-9425 (Renewed) | AMD Radeon R5 Graphics 4GB RAM, 1TB HDD Integrated Webcam | $$$ |
 | Jumper Laptop | 13.3-inch display 1920 x 1080 resolution 8 GB of RAM 128 GB of traditional storage | $$ |
 | ASUS L210 Ultra Thin Laptop | Updated Windows 10 operating system One-year subscription to Microsoft 360 Personal Weighs 2.2 pounds | $ |
 | 2020 Newest Dell Inspiron 11 3195 2-in-1 11.6 Inch Touchscreen Laptop | 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD 1 HDMI output, 1 USB 3.0 port, 2 USB 2.0 ports, built-in media reader, audio jack AMD A9-9420e Processor | $$$ |
 | 2021 Newest Lenovo Ideapad 3 Premium Laptop | 8GB RAM 128GB 2242 NVMe M.2 SSD 14" display Typical 1366 x 768 HD resolution Intel Pentium Gold 6405U 2.40GHz dual-core processor | $$$ |
 | ASUS VivoBook E12 | 11.6-inch display Anti-glare screen 4 GB of RAM 64 GB of storage | $$ |
 | HP 14” Intel Celeron Laptop | 32GB of storage with an optional 64GB available 14” screen Compact and lightweight laptop | $$ |
Below, you’ll find reviews for 10 of the top gaming laptops under $300, and by selecting a product from the list, you can save time and money.
Best Gaming Laptops Under 300 Reviewed
ASUS L210 Ultra Thin Laptop
This ASUS laptop is one of the thinnest on the market. It’s beautifully designed and is compact enough to slip anywhere. Less than an inch thick, the computer uses innovative elements throughout.
Take, for example, the keys on the keyboard. They are flat and utilize scissor-style switches for minimal travel. Yet, they feel tactile and responsive. ASUS also uses a lay-flat hinge, allowing you to spread the device on a table to work how you like.
Key Features:
- 11.6-inch display
- 4 GB of RAM
- 64 GB of onboard storage
- Only 0.7 inches thick
- Weighs 2.37 pounds
- Lay-flat screen hinge
- Touchpad doubles as a number pad
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
2017 Newest Premium High Performance ASUS 14 Flagship Laptop
The ASUS 14 inch laptop features an LED backlit display, and it displays content in 1080p Full HD. This laptop has no optical drive, but it’s equipped with a 720p HD integrated webcam. The 14-inch screen isn’t huge, but it’s enough to enjoy most games.
The ASUS 14 inch laptop comes with an Intel Celeron dual-core processor, which is the N3060 model. The processor has a 2MB cache, and although its base clock speed is 1.6Ghz, it can operate up to 2.48Ghz. This product has 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and for storage, it’s equipped with a 32GB eMMC storage unit.
For better connectivity, it supports an 802.11BGN Gigabit Wi-Fi combo, which is even capable of connecting via Bluetooth 4.0. The ASUS 14 Eeebook has several USB ports, and it even has a microSD slot that reads media card, which is compatible with digital cameras.
With a total weight of only 3.2 pounds, this laptop is easy to carry, and it comes with several inputs and outputs. It has an integrated webcam and features the Windows 10 operating system.
Key Features:
- Intel Celeron Dual-core processor
- 4GB DDR3 RAM, 32GB Flash eMMC Storage
- Windows 10 Home Premium 64-bit
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
HP 15.6inch Premium Flagship Laptop, AMD Dual-Core A9-9425 (Renewed)
If you are not too bothered about having a brand new gaming laptop, then you may wish to consider a renewed machine. You can find access to machines normally above this price bracket when new, if you are willing to look for something that has been reconditioned. Amazon are good in that they provide a 90 day renewed guarantee for peace of mind if buying one of these products.
With this renewed HP 15.6 inch Flagship Laptop you get some real bang for your buck. It is a little over budget but worth the extra few dollars in my opinion. The 15.6-inch display offers plenty of screen real estate for any game. The glossy screen looks good and presents content in vivid color.
The processing powerhouse hiding inside of the HP 15.6 inch Laptop is a 7th Gen AMD A9-9425 Dual-Core Processor with turbo up to 3.7GHz. This processor can handle a variety of mid-range computer games easily. The processor is complemented with AMD Radeon R5 Graphics, 4GB DDR3 RAM and a full 1TB Hard Drive. Plenty storage for all your games.
When combined, these components offer great multitasking and performance, and they’re suitable for PC games, music and videos. There is enough RAM to simultaneously run many applications, but it is older DDR3 RAM, so a little slower than the latest DDR4 RAM. It will allow you to keep multiple tabs open within your favorite browser and perform several tasks at once.
Unlike many of the others in this list, the HP 15.6 inch Laptop comes with an optical drive. There are also lots of ports including:
- 1x HDMI,
- 2x USB 3.1,
- 1x USB 2.0,
- 1x Headphone/Microphone Combo Jack,
- 1x RJ 45
- Integrated Webcam
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
Jumper Laptop
The Jumper laptop is a no-frills machine that can serve you well for most computing tasks. Powered by Intel processors, it’s a robust system with plenty and RAM and internal storage.
The best part is the large screen. It has a high-definition display that recreates colors accurately. Images are vivid and bright, making your media come to life.
Key Features:
- 13.3-inch display
- 1920 x 1080 resolution
- 8 GB of RAM
- 128 GB of traditional storage
- Windows 10 OS
- Slim and sleek design
- USB 3.0, SD card slot, and Mini-HD port
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
ASUS L210 Ultra Thin Laptop
Are you tired of dealing with a heavy laptop that is hard to carry? ASUS has you covered with this ultra-thin and lightweight laptop. The L210 has an Intel Celeron processor that responds faster than ever and 4GB of internal storage. With 64GB of flash storage, you get even more room to store apps and files. This 11.6” HD laptop comes loaded with Windows 10 to give you the most up-to-date operating system and comes with a one-year subscription to Microsoft 360 Personal, which lets you use Microsoft apps for free. As a thin and light laptop, it measures just 0.7 inches thick when closed and weighs only 2.2 pounds.
Key Features:
- Updated Windows 10 operating system
- One-year subscription to Microsoft 360 Personal
- Weighs 2.2 pounds
- Measures less than one inch in size when closed
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
2020 Newest Dell Inspiron 11 3195 2-in-1 11.6 Inch Touchscreen Laptop
The Dell Inspiron 11 3195 2-in-1 is close enough to $300 that we had to include it in this list. With a 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) touchscreen display, it offers modest screen real estate for any game and packs inside incredible value for money.
This laptop comes equipped with an AMD A9-9420e processor with dual cores, 1.8 GHz with turbo up to 2.7gHz. For gaming, it comes with AMD Radeon R5. For memory, the Dell Inspiron 11 3195 2-in-1 comes with 4GB DDR4 RAM and 128GB SSD for storage.
The operating system in this laptop is Windows 10 Home, and there is plenty of ports and connections to make this a very versatile machine. There is:
- 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 port
- 2 x USB 2.0 ports
- 1 x HDMI 1.4
- 1 x MicroSD Card Reader
- Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
For the budget, this is a great little gaming machine and should handle most mid-spec games on a medium loadout.
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
2021 Newest Lenovo Ideapad 3 Premium Laptop
When discussing the top gaming laptops under $300, we can’t forget about Lenovo. Although the latest Ideapad 3 comes in a little over budget, this tiny powerhouse is well worth the extra few bucks. The 8GB DDR4-2400 SDRAM is great for gaming and for multitasking. Also, the 128GB 2242 NVMe M.2 SSD provides lightning fast storage memory. The USB 3.0 ports allow for fast transfer if connecting external SSD’s for added gaming storage.
In terms of processing power, the Intel 6405U 2.40GHz Dual-Core Processor will provide the power to casually play many games, but again remember with low budget comes compromise. This processor is about the equivalent of a 7th Gen i5 for perspective. The operating system out of the box is Windows 10 S but this is upgradable for free to Windows 10 Home if desired.
The 14 inch display on the Lenovo Ideapad 3 is a 1366 x 768 HD, Non-touch display with anti-glare. For connectivity, this gaming laptop comes with 2 x USB 3.0 ports, 1 x USB 2.0 port, 1 x HDMI and a standard 3.5mm audio jack.
Key Features:
- 8GB RAM 128GB 2242 NVMe M.2 SSD
- 14″ display Typical 1366 x 768 HD resolution
- Intel Pentium Gold 6405U 2.40GHz dual-core processor
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
ASUS VivoBook E12
The VivoBook from ASUS is not going to handle tough tasks like music or video production. But for the basics, it’s top-notch. This laptop is meant to be an Internet-connected machine. With most services running entirely online, having decked-out specs is no longer necessary. The VivoBook is a great example of what Internet-focused devices are capable of.
Key Features:
- 11.6-inch display
- Anti-glare screen
- 4 GB of RAM
- 64 GB of storage
- Windows 10 S
- Includes 32 GB SD Card
- USB-C port
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
HP 14” Intel Celeron Laptop
From work to school, this compact HP laptop can handle anything that you need. It uses Windows S 10 to provide the best and fastest operating system around and comes loaded with a handful of useful apps. With an 11.6” screen size, this laptop is small enough that it won’t take up much desk space but is large enough to see documents and videos with ease. You get 32GB of built-in storage and a 64BG memory card to expand your storage. Compatible with both Zoom and Google Classroom, this HP laptop helps you get work done in a flash. It comes with built-in Bluetooth for using the computer with other devices.
Key Features:
- 32GB of storage with an optional 64GB available
- 14” screen
- Compact and lightweight laptop
- Uses Windows S 10 as an updated operating system
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
That brings our Best Gaming Laptops Under $300 guide to a close. It’s important to have your expectations set in line with your budget when looking for gaming machines in this range. But when budget and expectations are aligned it’s amazing what you can find!
