The specs do great at making the IdeaPad 3 a surprisingly good performer the upgraded RAM and memory certainly help. Connectivity comes in the form of one HDMI port, 3 USB ports, a LAN jack, wi-fi, and Bluetooth. Graphics are nicely handled by an AMD Radeon Vega 3 GPU. Under-the-hood features include an AMD Ryzen 3 3250U CPU, 8GB RAM, and 128GB SSD storage. The IdeaPad 3 sports a rather flimsy feeling plastic chassis, but the thin bezels greatly enhance the 15.6-inch TN HD panel (1366 x 768 resolution). The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15.6-inch is a great example of a sub-$500 laptop that does TN right for a respectable gaming experience. While a TN display will not have the vivid colors and wide viewing angles of an IPS (In-plane Switching) panel, it will have better refresh and response times. Sub $500 laptops will generally opt for the cheaper display technology which more often than not means a TN (Twisted Nematic) display. When it comes to gaming, response time is key because if your display is slow, you’re dead. Once you've gotten to the end, you'll have more than enough knowledge to choose one of the best gaming laptops under $500. We've included some key features and other notes for you to consider in this list. Because we’re ever-helpful, here’s a list of the best gaming laptops under $500 to assist you in your search. The next step is choosing the one that will work for you. Despite the increase in laptop pricing due to the unprecedented demand as a result of COVID-19, you still have options when searching for the best gaming laptop for under $500.īut, what type of machine will you get for under $500? As long as you have realistic expectations of what sub-$500 will get you and what that type of gaming such a laptop will be able to handle, there are plenty of choices out there. If your gaming Jones is more suited to the light or entry-level types of games, you will find that you won’t have to break the bank when looking for a gaming laptop. Being able to play games on a laptop doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to have to spend a lot of money.