Gamers know that their systems are the royalty within the gaming realm: a high-performing, speedy laptop can mean the difference between winning or losing. So understandably both casual and serious gamers alike are often willing to spend the extra costs on either customizing their own systems or buying ready-made gaming laptops.
But you don’t have to break your budget when there are affordable gaming laptop options for under $1,000. From HP OMEN to HP Pavilion gaming laptops, we have plenty of customizable gaming PCs within your budgetary reach - offering you all the top features to put you ahead of the competition and give you a winning edge.
Best HP gaming laptops under $1,000
HP OMEN 15t gaming laptop
A highly respected member of the gaming-centric HP OMEN family, the HP OMEN 15.6-inch laptop is a great deal. It features an 9th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 processor, one of Intel’s fastest family of processors.
It offers a 1TB hard drive, 8GB of RAM, and Intel’s game-changing memory upgrade, Intel Optane™ memory, at 16GB PCIe® NVMe™ to accelerate system responsiveness and performance without sacrificing your hard drive’s storage.
The graphics card is an NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050, part of the high-performing GeForce GTX 10 series that help deliver awesome PC gaming experiences.
The 15.6-inch diagonal display has Full High Definition (FHD) at 1080p or optional 4K resolution and is anti-glare, micro-edge, and energy-efficient WLED-backlit for your viewing pleasure.
For your typing pleasure, you’ll enjoy a zoned backlit keyboard with a 26-key rollover that’s strategically designed to accelerate your gaming reflexes.
HP Pavilion 15t gaming laptop
This is one of the lowest-priced and affordable gaming laptops under $1,000 in the HP Pavilion line. The HP Pavilion 15t Quad gaming laptop is an ideal baseline laptop to satisfy all of your gaming needs. It’s equipped with a solid, responsive 8th Generation Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 1TB hard drive.
An edge-to-edge 15.6-inch display and a 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card ensure that you’re clearly seeing your gaming action - and because it’s not integrated, you can easily swap out the graphics card if a newer one comes out in a few years.
With front-firing speakers, HP Audio Boost, and tuning by B&O Play, you’ll enjoy rich and authentic audio.
Connectivity won’t be an issue with fast throughput thanks to WiFi supporting gigabit speeds on select models. Nor will battery life with up to 10 hours and 15 minutes with the baseline FHD display, and up to 7 hours and 30 minutes with the optional 4K UHD panel.
HP Pavilion 15t Hexa Core gaming laptop
The HP Pavilion 15t Hexa Core gaming laptop comes in at as great a price as the 15t above. It’s designed to help you excel at any task - and gaming is certainly one of them. A 6-core Intel Core i7 processor (8750H), 8GB of memory, a 1TB hard drive, and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 with 2GB of discrete graphics work together so you’ve got more power and performance to play.
It’s got a striking 15.6-inch display that lets you immerse yourself into the visuals of your gameplay, and crisp audio and tuning with B&O Play. With distinct LED lighting and matching accents, this laptop is built to make a statement. Choose from two colors: Shadow Black with Ghost White or Ultra Violet.
And you can take it wherever you want to go. A 10-hour-plus battery life gives you plenty of time to not have to worry about charging it up.
Best HP gaming laptops under $1,500
We also offer several options for those gamers who can spend those extra few hundred dollars for added performance and supplemental features. Here are just a few.
HP OMEN 15-inch gaming laptop
This HP OMEN 15.6-inch gaming powerhouse gives you the power and performance you need to play from anywhere you go with an 8th Generation 6-core Intel Core i7-8750H processor.
Its base clock speed is 2.2 GHz with up to 4.1 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology, which increases your processor's frequency by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom to give you a burst of speed when you need it - and increased energy efficiency when you don’t.
Not only can you take advantage of a generous port selection for your favorite accessories and external displays, but you can also enjoy upgrades and maintenance with single panel access to a generous 1TB HDD, 512GB SSD storage, and 16GB memory.
This gaming laptop is designed to deliver desktop-class graphics performance. You’ll see every detail in your game with the 15.6-inch immersive, narrow bezel, micro-edge Ultra High Definition (4K) display with a 144 Hz refresh rate (when selected) and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 dedicated graphics. And your zoned, 26-key backlit keyboard will help speed your reaction times.
HP OMEN 17t gaming laptop
For a little bit more, you can get the HP OMEN 17.3-inch laptop with the Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of memory, 1TB hard drive, and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics.
The 17.3-inch FHD display gives you a larger viewing area and 120 Hz refresh rate to play, fight, and explore without experiencing frustrating lag and image ghosting.
Just like the 15.6-inch model, you get a backlit keyboard with customizable macros and 26-key rollover, ensuring that your every keystroke is detected. And like the other HP OMEN laptops, you’ll enjoy a rich audio experience for your gameplay with Bang & Olufsen (B&O) dual speakers and HP Audio Boost.
All HP OMEN gaming laptops are built for your connectivity needs: giving you Bluetooth wireless and external ports (HDMI, Thunderbolt™, USB, and Mini DisplayPort™) to plug in peripherals and gaming monitors.
HP gaming laptop accessories: Don’t go it alone
With the money you’ll be saving from our budget-friendly laptops, you’ll be able to outfit your newest investment with the newest accessories.
HP OMEN and HP Pavilion gaming laptops are built to work seamlessly with a wide range of gaming monitors and the latest and greatest accessories - helping you take your gaming to a whole new level.
Create the ultimate setup with the right displays
With blazing fast refresh rates and 1 ms response times, HP OMEN gaming monitors connected to your gaming laptop give you the freedom to expand your gaming universe.
The HP OMEN 25-inch gaming monitor gives you a crystal-clear screen with a 144 Hz refresh rate and a 1 ms lightning-fast response time to reduce input lag and jumpstart each game. Enjoy convenient connection options for your entire gaming arsenal with one DisplayPort, two HDMI, two USB 3.0 ports, and a convenient hook for your headset.
For even more viewing power, the HP OMEN 32-inch gaming monitor equips you with an impressive widescreen. This monitor has insanely fast 5 ms response times and 75 Hz refresh rates that eliminate motion blur so that you can react instantly to what’s on your screen. Gaming visuals will be clear thanks to the massive QHD panel, which generates extreme detail with 77% more pixels than standard FHD displays.
Keep your head(sets) in the game
From the comfort of HP OMEN gaming headsets, you'll be able to communicate with your friends and teammates at the most critical of times.
If you enjoy playing competitively online, then an elite gaming headset like the HP OMEN 800 gaming headset is a must. It has incredible tech specs and an immersive soundscape such as a large diameter and multi-dimensional audio to ensure that communication is smooth, clear, and successful in the arena or on the battlefield. And its lightweight suspension headband evenly distributes its weight for incredible comfort during extended gameplay.
The HP OMEN Mindframe gaming headset features FrostCap, the world's first active earcup cooling technology. Using a thermoelectric device inside each earcup, FrostCap cools the speaker grille plates and transfers heat away from the ears - so you can stay comfortable during long gaming sessions and concentrate on the win. And you can choose different levels of cooling intensity to find your optimum comfort level.
It also has Virtual 7.1 surround sound to experience an immersive, in-game soundscape with audio and 3D spatial awareness, and easily adjustable audio controls that are right on the headset. There’s a self-adjusting suspension headband for comfort as well.
You can access HP OMEN Command Center software from the headset. Enable different lighting modes and animations for the RGB LED outline around each earcup.
The HP OMEN Sequencer mechanical keyboard offers speed you can feel, with industry-leading optical-mechanical switch technology enabling a 0.2 ms response time - 10 times faster than traditional mechanical switches - plus a 70 million-click lifetime. It’s built for gamers, with customization and durability in mind. Individually backlit keys with up to 16.8 million RGB colors that you can choose from with unique, customizable effects.
Don’t fall behind or lose outright in a game just because you lack a superior gaming mouse with shortcuts for important attacks and commands. With the HP OMEN 600 gaming mouse, you can fine-tune your accuracy with precision movement and adjust your settings without interrupting your gameplay or opening additional software.
Prefer a bit of heft in your gaming mouse or looking for a lighter center of gravity? The HP OMEN 600 gaming mouse lets you find your ideal weight by easily removing either of the two weights included as you see fit.
The HP OMEN Reactor gaming mouse provides ultra-fast responses for ultra-durable play. Industry-leading optical-mechanical switch technology and light beam detection enable a 0.2 ms click response time - 3 times faster than a traditional mechanical mouse switch. Enjoy faster in-game response and extended durability with a 50 million-click lifetime. And choose from multiple palm rest positions for remarkably comfortable gameplay.
About the Author: Jolene Dobbin is a contributing writer for HP® Tech Takes. Jolene is an East Coast-based writer with experience creating strategic messaging, marketing, and sales content for companies in the high-tech industry.
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