Last update on 2024-04-05 / As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more about us.
Alienware is a very well-known brand of gaming computers. Every year, Dell releases new laptops and desktops for gamers, and older versions become cheaper.
In this article, we will check some Alienware laptops you can pick up for under $1500 to play current games.
Is Alienware good for gaming?
Alienware is a premium brand under Dell which comprises powerful computers made for gaming. Alienware is more than good for gaming. You can pick any of their currently available laptops or desktops and play all the recent games with high performance.
While Alienware laptops are very powerful for gaming, they on the other hand are not cheap. These are made for gamers who can afford a bit more than a basic machine.
Picking up an Alienware should compensate though, as Dell gives plenty of support for users, and each Alienware machine has preinstalled software that lets gamers tweak many aspects of their gaming experience.
If you still want to buy Alienware but want to spend a little less, there is one model in which the basic version ships for less than $1500.
Check Alienware VS Asus Gaming Laptops
What is the downside of a cheap gaming laptop?
If you looked at the prices of Alienware and cheaper alternatives and are considering picking up the alternative, then you might be thinking if there are downsides. Well, there certainly are.
For one, cheap gaming laptops won’t let you upgrade the CPU and GPU when you feel they can’t handle the job anymore. You might now think “that is standard for laptops, anyway”.
However, newer versions of Alienware and other gaming laptops already let users change the CPU and GPU.
Another known fact about gaming laptops is that they get hot too easily and become noisy during long gaming sessions.
Even if you clean your laptop fully and change thermal paste, some brands still don’t have a good enough cooling system. In any case, the best thing you can do is getting a cooling pad or heat extractor.
The most obvious downside is simply the hardware that you are acquiring. While the best gaming laptops will come with Intel Core i7 or i9 of 9th, 10th, and 11th generations, cheaper options have less powerful processors.
Don’t get this wrong, though. Intel Core i5 and even i3 are generally fine for gaming if you have enough RAM and VRAM to make up for the low processing power. However, having the top processing power grants you that your machine will handle games to come for some years.
Also, cheap laptops might only have 8GB of RAM and a graphics card with little VRAM.
Because of all of that, you should pay attention to the requirements of games you intend to play on a laptop and pick a machine that matches those.
Who are these cheap laptops good for?
They are good for people who are a bit more casual about gaming, don’t care much about playing games in Ultra HD, and with the most FPS possible.
They are also good for gamers who want to play multiplayer games that require less FPS than recent AAA titles. League of Legends, Dota 2, World of Warcraft, Fortnite, and so on, all can be played on cheap laptops with incredible performance.
Best cheap Alienware gaming laptop
The criterion for declaring a gaming laptop “cheap” on this article is being under $1500. There is only one laptop from Alienware currently under production that is below that price. Other than that, you can find refurbished versions of older models at certain retailers.
Alienware m15 R3 (Available on DELL only)
Last update on 2024-04-05 / As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more about us.
The Alienware m15 R3 model is the humblest among the m15 series. Its starting price is a bit below $1500 as you can find out on the Dell site.
Since it is still under production and is a relatively recent model, being the cheapest Alienware available doesn’t mean that it is a bad laptop.
Much, on the contrary, to be honest. This is a great gaming laptop which is only the starting point of the brand nowadays.
The cheapest version of it isn’t available outside of the Dell store, but you can pick up the other versions at Amazon for a good price nonetheless.
One tip here is: if you are after the best price even if you have to buy used machines, there are several used options on Amazon.
Here is what the minimum version of this laptop delivers:
- 10th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-10750H
- Windows 10 Home English
- NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1660 Ti 6GB GDDR6
- 16GB DDR4 2666MHz
- 256GB PCIe M.2 SSD
- 15.6-in. display
The best version offered in the m15 R3 series goes way beyond that:
- 10th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-10875H
- Windows 10 Home English
- NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2080 SUPER™ 8GB GDDR6 with Max-Q Design
- 32GB DDR4 2666MHz
- 4TB (2x 2TB PCIe M.2 SSD) RAID0 [Boot] + 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD [Storage]
- 15.6-in. display
Pros
- RGB backlit keyboard
- Precision Touchpad
- Performance at a lower price than premium competitors
Cons
- Short battery life
2 Best alternatives to Alienware laptop
Since Alienware is a premium brand for gamers, right now there is only one model that you can find below the $1500 line.
However, many other brands make gaming laptops that pick up the slack even if they are not as powerful as an Alienware machine.
Let’s check two great options you can pick up to start gaming immediately.
Razer Blade 15
Last update on 2024-04-05 / As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more about us.
Another very popular gaming brand is Razer. It is probably one of the most popular due to its iconic logo and colors.
Gamers love Razer’s earphones, mouses, keyboards, and even mats, but the brand also fabricates top-notch gaming laptops.
This laptop is also good for mining altcoins.
Here are the specs for the version we are linking you to:
- Intel Core i7-10750H 6-Core
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060
- 16GB RAM
- 512GB SSD
- Chroma RGB Lighting
- 5.6″ FHD 1080p 144Hz
Pros
- Great for playing FPS games
- Thunderbolt support
Cons
- Short storage
Acer Predator Helios 300
Last update on 2024-04-05 / As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more about us.
Acer isn’t a gaming brand but has a line of laptops for gamers. Since they don’t put a lot into marketing just like proper gamer brands, their products ship for a cheaper price even when they have very similar (if not equal) quality and power.
The Predator Helios 300 owes nothing to the likes of Alienware and Razer. Still, you will find it at Amazon for an attractive price.
One huge problem with older Acer laptops is the efficacy of airflow inside the machine. This time around, the brand put effort into developing a better ventilation system that prevents your system from frying itself while gaming.
The specs of this laptop are as follows:
- Intel i7-10750H
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
- 16GB DDR4
- 512GB NVMe SSD
- RGB Keyboard
- 15.6″ Full HD 144Hz
Pros
- One of the best gaming laptops you can pick up from a non-gaming brand
- The display has a 3ms response time
Cons
- Low storage
Final Thoughts
Picking up a gaming laptop always needs to be a careful decision, and because of that, we are showing you that you don’t need to cling to only one brand.
You also don’t need to pick the most expensive options if you really can’t afford them. In the USA, many brands make incredible machines, and Amazon is always offering them for special prices if you keep an eye out.
Right now, the best option, if you want a balance between quality and price, would be the Acer Predator Helios 300.
