Wired rounds up the best cheap gaming laptops for 2026
Wired has tested a range of budget gaming laptops, naming the Lenovo LOQ 15, MSI Cyborg A15 and Alienware 15 as top picks while flagging weaknesses, chiefly screen color quality.
Tech outlet Wired has published a roundup of the best affordable gaming laptops available in 2026, comparing their performance, display quality and pricing.
The Alienware 15 was singled out as one of the more appealing models, praised for its attractive design, solid build and comfortable keyboard. However, it shares a display flaw with other budget models: colors appear desaturated and carry a greenish tint. The tested RTX 5050 configuration costs around $1,200, while a cheaper RTX 4050 variant with just 6GB of VRAM is available for $999, though it isn't recommended for demanding games.
The review also covers other budget options. The Lenovo LOQ 15 with an RTX 5060 posted the strongest benchmark results among the group in titles such as Cyberpunk 2077, Marvel Rivals and Black Myth: Wukong, while the MSI Cyborg A15 scored lower but comes at a lower price point.
Wired also looked at additional models, including the Lenovo LOQ 15 Essential Gen 11 and the Acer Nitro V 16, noting drawbacks such as dated hardware or underpowered chargers that throttle performance during gaming even while plugged in.
What to look for in a budget gaming laptop
The outlet advises paying attention to display resolution and refresh rate, the processor, the graphics card, and having at least 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. It notes that Nvidia's RTX 5050 and 5060 cards currently dominate the budget segment and are unlikely to be replaced before 2027, while cheaper laptops with older RTX 30- or 40-series cards are not recommended due to weaker performance.
