Budget gaming laptops usually suck, but Lenovo just changed that calculation. The LOQ 15 delivers something rare in the under-$1,000 category - a full 115-watt Nvidia RTX 5060 that doesn't compromise on keyboard quality, port selection, or build. In a market where cheap gaming rigs typically sacrifice performance or usability, Lenovo's latest proves you can have solid 1080p gaming without breaking the bank or settling for mushy keys and weak GPUs.
Lenovo just proved that budget gaming laptops don't have to be exercises in disappointment. The LOQ 15, priced under $1,000, delivers something competitors have struggled with for years - genuine gaming performance without the usual compromises that make cheap laptops feel, well, cheap.
The secret is in the power delivery. Most budget gaming laptops throttle their GPUs to save costs on cooling and power management. Not the LOQ 15. Lenovo feeds the full 115 watts to the Nvidia RTX 5060, guaranteeing legitimate 1080p gaming performance. That's the same power budget you'd get in laptops costing $500 more.
"It's not the prettiest laptop in the world, nor is it the most powerful," Luke Larsen wrote in his Wired review. "But for a gaming laptop under $1,000, it doesn't get better than this." That assessment matters because Larsen's spent years reviewing gaming hardware, and he's seen every corner manufacturers cut to hit aggressive price points.
What makes the LOQ 15 unusual is where Lenovo chose not to compromise. The keyboard uses 1.5mm switches with rigid keycaps and low actuation points - the kind of precise typing experience usually reserved for premium models. The trackpad is large, responsive, and smooth, though the click is admittedly too loud. These are details cheap laptops routinely botch, using mushy keys and cramped trackpads that make the machines frustrating for anything beyond gaming.
