Best gaming laptop under 1500?

Question

So Im looking for the best gaming laptop under 1500 bucks right now since my old Dell finally died on me yesterday while playing Cyberpunk... ugh. Ive been doing some research online all morning, like I read that the Lenovo Legion 5 is supposed to be amazing for the price, but then I saw a bunch of Reddit threads saying the screen backlight bleed is terrible on the latest models so now Im totally confused. Basically my budget is strictly 1500 USD max, I need it for heavy gaming and a bit of video editing for my youtube hobby, and Id prefer something with at least a 4060 or 4070 if possible. What are you guys actually buying right now that doesnt overheat in two seconds?

TechGuru42 · Accepted Answer

Over the years Ive dealt with a ton of overheating issues in thin chassis, so thermal design is always my first check. In my experience ASUS ROG Strix G16 G614JV-AS74 handles heat way better than most mid-range options Ive tried. You can usually find it right around your budget too, and the i7 with the 4060 handles premiere pro renders without choking.

qwyyzndruk · Answer

Replacing a dead system is always frustrating, especially when it crashes right in the middle of Cyberpunk. Unfortunately, many current laptops suffer from various quality control compromises to hit that sub-1500 price point, meaning you have to weigh the drawbacks carefully. Based on real-world usage and cost-effectiveness, here is how two of the top contenders compare.

Lenovo Legion 5 15IRX9 with an RTX 4070 usually hovers around your budget. The thermal performance is quite solid and it rarely throttles under heavy video rendering loads. However, the display panel lottery is real, and some units indeed suffer from noticeable light bleed along the bottom edge.

ASUS TUF Gaming A15 FA507NV featuring an RTX 4060 comes in slightly cheaper. Build quality feels a bit more rugged for daily travel, but the fan noise under maximum load is noticeably louder than the Legion series. Personally, I had issues with screen uniformity on my previous Lenovo machine, but their cooling system is still superior to most competitors in this tier. If video editing is a priority for your YouTube channel, the color accuracy on the Legion panel tends to be slightly better out of the box anyway. Just buy from a retailer with an easy return policy so you can swap it immediately if the backlight bleed bothers you.