It’s one thing to get a laptop for a fair price, and it’s another thing to get a top-performing laptop at a very pocket-friendly price.
But how do you decide the best budget laptop for you out of the numerous models available on the market without necessarily going overboard with your spending?
That is why we have made a compilation of the best gaming laptops under 300 dollars that will handle your basic computing needs and offer great value for your money when playing old games.
Best Gaming Laptops Under 300 Dollars
1. Lenovo Ideapad 130
Lenovo produces has a collection of budget-friendly and reliable laptops, and the Lenovo Ideapad 130 tops the list of these devices.
At 15.6 inches, this laptop is relatively lightweight and is perfect for small businesses and general computing works. This laptop comes with USB 3.0, USB 2.0, an HDMI port, an Ethernet port, and an SD card slot that you can use to connect your devices.
Also, you will be getting an optical drive that you can easily use to read and write CDs and DVDs. In terms of performance, the Lenovo Idea 130 is equipped with an AMD A9-9425U Dual Core 3.1 GHz Processor, 4GB RAM (can be upgraded to 8GB) that allows smooth multitasking purposes.
The Lenovo Ideapad comes with a battery life that can last up to 5 hours. This means that you do not need to worry about charging it every now and then, which makes it the perfect laptop to take with you on a short trip.
The Lenovo Ideapad 130 is the ideal laptop under $300 for students and anyone looking for a computer that can handle simple computing tasks.
2. Asus VivoBook L203MA
If you are looking for a good laptop that is under $300, the Asus VivoBook L203MA is another fantastic laptop that you should consider.
It comes in a gray color with an aluminum body to make for a very appealing look and appearance. It also comes with 11 inches of HD display that is quite beautiful and perfect for watching movies.
The Asus ViVoBook is powered by an Intel Celeron dual-core processor, and an Intel HD 600 graphics which makes the laptop capable of handling tasks like playing high-end games.
The laptop has 4GB of RAM and 64GB eMMC storage to save your relevant documents. It has a keyboard that is quite easy to type on because the keys are decently spaced.
It also has an inbuilt HD webcam for Skype that is quite smooth and also comes with speakers that you will enjoy, weighs just 2.2 pounds, which makes it easy to carry around.
If you are looking for a laptop with long battery life, then the Asus VivoBook L203MA will make a solid option because you will be getting up to 10 hours.
Considering the performance level and all the essential features that I’ve mentioned, I’m sure you will agree that this laptop is arguably one of the best that you can get for this price range.
3. Lenovo Chromebook C340
Are you looking for a convertible laptop that is under 300 dollars? If the answer is yes, you should check out the Lenovo Chromebook C340 because you can either use it as a laptop or a tablet. This fantastic laptop has an 11.6-inch HD IPS Multi-Touch display with a 1366×768 screen resolution.
The laptop comes in an aluminum body with a platinum gray color that gives it an exciting and professional look and a sturdy black keyboard that complements it.
The Lenovo Chromebook is powered by a dual-core Intel Celeron 400 processor with a 4GB RAM that ensures that you always have an exciting and smooth user experience.
To make it more appealing, you will be getting internal storage that is up to 64GB with integrated Intel UHD graphics 600.
It’s important to point out that the Lenovo Chromebook does not have an optical drive, but you will be getting all the necessary ports, including two USB 3.1 ports and two USB Type-C ports.
The laptop weighs 2.6 lbs and has a battery life that is up to 10 hours; this makes it perfect for anyone that loves traveling, and for students that are on a tight budget. Its versatility makes it one of the top picks of laptops that you can get under $300.
You can also check out the Acer Chromebook R11; this is another fantastic laptop with similar features. The Acer Chromebook is also a convertible type, It comes with an Intel Celeron processor and is powered with 4GB RAM that ensures that users can multitask effectively.
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4. Dell Inspiron 14 5481 Convertible Laptop
In this guide, the Dell Inspiron 14 5481 is simply the best 2-1 laptop that you can get under $300, either as a laptop or as a tablet. The laptop comes in highly durable plastic, and it’s the right one for those that like working while traveling.
It has a firm hinge that holds the laptop and allows you to bend it in whichever position you want and features a 14-inches touch display for a vibrant look and a resolution of 1366 by 768.
The laptop is perfect for watching movies, and it comes with a solid keyboard and a touchpad that is quite responsive.
The specification of the hardware is quite appealing, powered by an Intel Core i3 processor that is supported by a 4GB RAM and an SSD storage space of 128GB. Although the laptop will struggle to play most of the high-end games, you will still be able to play some touch-based games on it.
It has a battery life of 6 hours and comes with a Windows 10 operating system. If you are a student and you need a laptop to do basic computing tasks like taking notes in class, this laptop will be able to handle it smoothly.
5. Dell Inspiron 3000 15.6″ laptop
In terms of price, Dell Inspiron 3000 is the best that will deliver a high level of productivity and play. It was designed in a similar way to other Dell laptops that you’ve seen before. The Dell Inspiron is built with heat resistant material, which ensures that the laptop stays cool during long sessions of using it.
The Dell Inspiron 3000 is powered by an Intel Pentium Gold 5405U 2.3GHz Processor and 15.6 inches of LED-backlit display with a screen resolution of 1368 by 178 and an inbuilt webcam that you can use to Skype seamlessly.
Also, you will get a 4 GB DDR4 RAM that you can increase to 8GB if you want to optimize the laptop’s performance.
Other exciting features include a 128GB storage space to save your essential files and an Intel UHS Graphics 610 card that works with the processor to always deliver an amazing user experience anytime that you are using the laptop.
You will be able to play popular games like Counter-Strike, Minecraft and the other ones. Also, the inbuilt speakers are powered by Maxx Audio technology by Dell that will always deliver a fantastic gaming or movie experience.
Also, you will get all the essential ports and slots that you can use to connect your laptop to your devices and an optical drive for burning CDs and DVDs.
The Dell Inspiron 3000 comes with a fantastic battery life that will last up to 6.5 hours when fully charged, comes with Windows 10 operating system, and a 12 months warranty cover.
The Dell Inspiron is the best budget laptop that you can get under $300 that you can fully trust to give you that high level of performance; the only drawback is that it weighs 4.8 lbs, some of which might find a bit heavy to carry around.
6. HP 14z Laptop
Beautifully designed with amazing features, the HP 14z comes with a powerful AMD Ryzen 3 dual-core processor supported with an inbuilt Radeon Vega graphics.
This stylish laptop is one of the best gaming laptops that you can get under $300. If you are a fan of computer games, especially the old ones with decent graphics, you should consider this laptop, although some new games will not run smoothly.
The HP 14z comes with a 14-Inch HD WLED-backlit display and a decent screen resolution that delivers satisfactory picture quality. It also has high-quality speakers that you will quickly fall in love with.
The laptop has 8GB of RAM and 500 GB of hard drive storage that you can use to save all your documents, files, and other important files. Let me also point out that the battery can last up to 6 hours, which is quite decent, and it weighs 3.1 lbs, which means it will be easy to carry around.
Overall, this laptop is a good one for general computing tasks and playing games. I believe it will be perfect for college students, although the price is a bit higher than $300. I’m sure you won’t regret it.
7. Acer Swift 1
Acer Swift 1 is a fantastic lightweight notebook that most people will find useful, especially college students and business people. If you are searching for a compact laptop that will smoothly handle tasks like taking notes, writing papers, and surfing the web, you should check out this amazing laptop.
The Acer Swift 1 has an attractive design and comes with a 14-Inch Full HD LED-backlit display with 1920 x 1080 screen resolution, which makes it unique.
The laptop weighs less than 5 pounds, and it’s powered by an Intel Pentium Silver N5000 Quad-Core processor with a 4GB DDR4 SDRAM and a 64GB eMMC storage space. These are features that you will hardly get in a laptop that is under $300.
The Acer Swift 1 comes with the widely accepted Windows 10, and the hardware specifications make it possible for apps to run smoothly on the laptop. Because the battery life can last for 6 hours, this laptop is a good one for anybody that needs a laptop for general computing tasks.
8. Acer Chromebook 514
Acer Chromebook 514 is considered to be one of the most sophisticated and attractive Chromebook that you can get under the $300 price range.
It comes with a 14 inch Full HD IPS LED Display with 1920 x 1080 screen resolution that produces an amazing gamut of colors and a vibrant picture quality.
Powered by the decent Intel Celeron N3350 dual-core processor with integrated HD graphics, and paired with integrated Intel HD Graphics 500, with a RAM of 4GB, 32GB of internal storage and 100GB of Google Drive storage which all works together to give you enough power to multitask smoothly.
The laptop comes with Goggle’s Chrome OS, which has an impressive 5 seconds booting time. In terms of extra features, it comes with the essential ports and slots, a USB 3.0, and an HDMI port placed on either side of the laptop.
Another exciting feature that comes with the Acer Chromebook 514 is the speed of the Wi-Fi, which has been proven to be 3x faster than the regular laptops you will find around.
The battery of the laptop can last for 12 hours, which is quite impressive, and it weighs 3.0 lbs making it portable enough to carry anywhere and also makes it the perfect Chromebook for students and business people.
There are other Chromebooks that are worth mentioning, including the Acer Chromebook 11, if you want something small, and you can also check out the Acer Chromebook 15 that comes with a larger display and can be a better option for home and office uses.
9. HP 14z 14″ Touch Screen Laptop
HP 15z 15.6 Touchscreen Laptop is the all-purpose and also the best touchscreen laptop that you can get within the $300 price range. This stylish laptop comes with a lot of powerful hardware features that you will love.
The HP 14z is powered by the newest Core i3 quad-core processor and 4GB DDR4 2400MHz RAM and storage space of 128GB SSD, and this makes the laptop to be able to handle major computing tasks that require a lot of power.
It comes in black color and has a firm textured lid, which makes it possible to hold it with one hand. The HP 14z has a 14 Inch HD LED touchscreen (multi-touch) display with 1366×768 screen resolution, which is perfect for running day to day computing tasks.
Other exciting features of the laptop include an AccuType keyboard that is quite easy to use to type, important ports like USB, HDMI, RJ45 Ethernet port, and a memory card slot. The battery can last up to 5 hours, which is decent but not encouraging if you like working while traveling for long hours.
10. Asus Chromebook C202SA-YS02 Water Resistant
This is the last laptop on my list, and I consider the Asus Chromebook C202SA to be one of the most versatile and rugged laptop in the market right now.
This laptop comes with a water-resistant body, which means you can basically use it anywhere. The keyboard is also spill-resistant so you can drink your coffee beside it while typing.
You will only need to pay $210 to get this laptop, so you will still be able to save from your $300 and spend it on something else. In terms of hardware, the Asus Chromebook C202SA is powered by Intel Celeron Dual Core N3060 and paired with 4GB RAM with flash storage of just 16GB but comes with a memory card slot if you will need to expand the memory.
Apart from the impressive hardware specifications, the Chromebook is quite beautiful. It comes in dual-tone silver and dark blue color finish. It weighs 2.2 lbs with a battery life of 10 hours, which makes the laptop perfect for anyone.
Conclusion
These are my top picks of the best laptops that you can get with a budget of $300. I can assure you that these laptops are the newest models of the popular and reliable brands.
