Side-by-side comparison based on expert reviews and community consensus.
Gigabyte Gaming A16
Best Expert-Endorsed Budget PickLenovo LOQ 15
Best Overall Budget PickPrice
$700-$900
$800-$1,000
Summary
Wirecutter's top pick for budget gaming laptops, and it actually outperformed their top pick in testing. Better battery life than most rivals makes it the best option for gaming away from an outlet.
Packs an RTX 5060 at a price that embarrasses the competition. Reddit consistently calls it the best bang-for-buck gaming laptop you can buy right now.
Pros
- Wirecutter's top pick for cheap gaming laptops in 2026
- Outperformed Wirecutter's own top pick in head-to-head testing
- Better battery life than most budget gaming laptop competitors
- Budget variant (CMHI2US893SH) offers strong value at a lower price point
- RTX 5060 GPU delivers solid frame rates without heavy reliance on DLSS upscaling
- Frequently cited by Reddit as the top value pick at the $800 price point
- Available at Microcenter for exceptional value vs. retail competitors
- WIRED-tested and approved as a top cheap gaming laptop pick
Cons
- Less community discussion and ownership data compared to Acer/HP/Lenovo rivals
- Battery still won't last a full day of work or browsing
- Gigabyte's after-sales support and software ecosystem are weaker than major brands
- 2024 Intel models have reported motherboard issues — stick to AMD or newer Intel variants
- Battery life is not suited for all-day use away from an outlet
- Microcenter availability limits access for many buyers
Our take
Wirecutter doesn't hand out top picks lightly, and the Gigabyte Gaming A16 earned it by outperforming expectations in real tests. If you trust expert benchmarks over Reddit hype, this is your laptop.
If you're near a Microcenter, the LOQ with an RTX 5060 at $800 is a no-brainer — nothing else at this price comes close to that GPU tier.
Buy
