Wired's reviewer says the Lenovo LOQ 15 is the only gaming laptop under $1,500 worth buying, at $999 or $1,300 depending on the graphics chip.
A Wired reviewer says that if you want a gaming laptop for under $1,500, the Lenovo LOQ 15 is the only one he feels comfortable recommending. It comes in two versions, one at $999 and one at $1,300. He also sees little reason to wait for Black Friday.
Laptop prices have climbed because of an ongoing memory shortage, and gaming laptops have been hit especially hard. Some makers have launched "new" 2026 gaming laptops with an RTX 4050 graphics card as the starting option. That chip is more than three years old.
The reviewer says it is not the thinnest or most powerful gaming laptop, but nothing else at this price compares. Its price has risen over the past year. For the first few months of 2026 it sold for less than $1,000. Even then, he says, it beat rivals on performance and screen quality. Many cheap gaming laptops have dull, washed-out screens, and he says the LOQ 15 avoids that.
The RTX 5060 is a big step up from the RTX 5050, the reviewer says. Every game he tested ran well over 60 frames per second at the medium preset. That includes demanding titles like Black Myth: Wukong and Monster Hunter Wilds. Frames per second is a measure of how smooth a game looks. He says you can push it higher by lowering settings or using upscaling, a software trick that boosts sharpness and speed.
The reviewer says he tested other laptops at similar prices, including the MSI Cyborg A16 and the Acer Nitro V 16, and none could compete. He also tested the Alienware 15 and the Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 recently and found the same problem. He wishes he could point to a newer budget option, but none has dethroned the LOQ 15.
Waiting for Black Friday is possible, but he notes the price has barely moved in recent months. It was not on a deeper sale during Amazon's October Prime Day, and it was still the best gaming laptop deal available then.
If you need a budget gaming laptop, the LOQ 15 at $999 or $1,300 is the pick here, and waiting for Black Friday may not save money.
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