(123RF.com Daniil Peshkov)
If you’re looking to buy an i7 laptop, you know your priority is speed and performance. Fortunately, there’s not a bad PC on this list. That said, not every i7 laptop is the same. Because Intel releases many versions of their processors, in fact, there can be vast differences between the speed of i7s.
In short, one should be sure to read up on all of the aspects of a PC (not just the processor). Here are the 7 best cheapest i7 laptops in 2022:
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Price: $679.00 Shop at Amazon | Shop now Read our review |
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Price: $1,167.45 Shop at Amazon | Shop now Read our review |
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Price: $849.00 Shop at Amazon | Shop now Read our review |
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Price: $1,289.00 Shop at Amazon | Shop now Read our review |
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Price: $1,149.99 Shop at Amazon | Shop now Read our review |
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Price: $1,499.00 Shop at Amazon | Shop now Read our review |
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Price: $1,380.00 Shop at Amazon | Shop now Read our review |
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1. HP 15.6″ Flagship i7-1065G7, 8GB DDR4, 512GB SSD
Pros:- Business-ready
- Lightweight (3.75 pounds)
- 10th Gen i7-1065G7
- 512GB SSD
Cons:- Not 1080p
- No backlit keyboard
- No other option but silver
The latest HP flagship is available for under $700 right now on Amazon, making it the best cheap i7 laptop available right now. It comes with an impressive 10th generation i7-1065G7 and a 15.6″ WLED HD Touchscreen.
It has a 512GB SSD for quick booting and applications, and it has 8GB DDR4 memory. This HP flagship is super light as well, weighing just 3.75 pounds. It has the latest Bluetooth 4.2 so it can connect to all of your speakers and headphones with ease.
Find more HP 15.6" Flagship i7-1065G7, 8GB DDR4, 512GB SSD information and reviews here.
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2. 2020 HP Pavilion 15.6″ i7-8550U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD (Editor’s Choice)
Pros:- i7-8550U (4.0GHz)
- Touchscreen
- Wireless mouse included
- Slate Blue color
- Lightweight
Cons:- Integrated Graphics
- Screen can be dim outdoors
- Only one color available
If you’re looking for a cheap i7 business-ready laptop, look no further than the new 2020 HP Pavilion 15.6″ Touchscreen laptop. This baby comes with a solid i7-8550U that hits up to 4.0GHz with ease. It comes with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD for quick booting and 1TB HDD for the rest of your storage needs.
Its physical design is also impressive, complete with a beautiful slate blue backing and silver bottom. It also has a touchscreen, which can be quite useful in Windows 10. No, you won’t play any games on it, as it only has an integrated UHD Graphics 620 chip. But if you’re looking for a surprisingly zippy business laptop to get the job done on-the-go, the 2020 HP Pavilion is your best bet.
Note: You can also double your RAM and SSD for $80 more, which we highly recommend you do!
Find more 2020 HP Pavilion 15.6" i7-8550U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD information and reviews here.
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3. HP 17.3-Inch HD+ Laptop: i7-7500U, 8GB DDR4, 2TB HDD
Pros:- Includes DVD write and rewrite drive
- Good processor with lots of RAM
- Large capacity hard drive
- Good for student or office use
Cons:- Slow HD at 5400RPM
- Bulky and heavy for its specs
- Display isn’t full high definition
Processor / Passmark Speed i7-7500U / 5228 | RAM 8GB DDR 4 | Graphics Card Integrated Intel HD 620 | Hard Drive 2TB (5400 RPM) | Weight 5.29 lbs | Display 17.3″, 1600 x 900 |
One of the cheapest i7 laptops on our list is the 2018 HP flagship 17.3″ laptop that offers a solid set of features at a pretty reasonable price. The i7-7500U isn’t the best i7 out there, but it’s more than fast enough to get the job done. This laptop is a bit on the heavy side, weighing in at 5.29 lbs, but for around $800, the features are pretty good. It has a 17.3″ screen, and enough RAM for fast multi-tasking. Two drawbacks are its slow 5400RPM hard drive and its relatively low-resolution screen that isn’t full 1080P. Still, if you want a fast processor for editing audio, video, and more, this PC gets the job done with some slight caveats. The worst part about a 5400RPM hard drive is slow boot times and longer files transfers, but unless you’re editing video or moving files around frequently, it won’t hurt performance too bad, especially with the large amount of RAM. This is a good PC for student or office applications.
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4. ASUS ZenBook 14 Ultra Thin i7-8565U, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD
Pros:- IR Camera for Facial Recognition
- Bluetooth 4.2
- i7-8565U (4.6GHz)
- Backlit Keyboard
Cons:- Only 8GB DDR3 RAM
- No Black option
- You have to deal with the UGLY large ASUS logo
What’s easily the most stylish i7 laptop under $1000 is the ASUS ZenBook 14, which comes with an incredibly thin body (just 0.65″) and weighs only 3.2 pounds! It has an 8th generation i7-8565U processor that hits up to 4.6GHz for zippy daily use, and it comes with a sizeable 512GB SSD. On top of that, it has the latest Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 5 (802.11AC), and a whopping 10 hours of battery life.
On this cheap i7 laptop you’ll also find an impressive built-in IR camera that allows you to sign into your PC with facial recognition. While it does only come with 8GB of DDR3 RAM, it’s still quite fast and responsive with a quick boot.
It also has a well-designed backlit keyboard and extensive connectivity options, including a dedicated SD card slot, USB C port, USB A and HDMI connections.
Find more ASUS ZenBook 14 Thin i7-8565U, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD information and reviews here.
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5. MSI GF75, i7-9750H, GTX 1650, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD (Gamer’s Choice)
Pros:- 512GB SSD
- GTX 1650
- 9th Generation i7-9750H
- Backlit Keyboard
Cons:- 120Hz monitor vs 144Hz Helios
- Heavy
- 720P webcam not good for streaming
If you’re looking for a great i7 gamer notebook that’s under $1000, look no further than the MSI GF75. This impressively-built gaming laptop comes with the quality you’d expect from MSI (a well-known gaming laptop brand). It comes with a 512GB SSD instead of a 256GB SSD like the Predator Helios, and it comes with both a better processor (9th generation vs 7th generation) and better graphics card (a GTX 1650 vs the Predator’s GTX 1060).
The MSI GF75 keyboard is also backlit, and it has a 120Hz monitor.
The fact that it’s significantly cheaper makes it a no-brainer when comparing the two models.
Find more MSI GF75, i7-9750H, GTX 1650, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD information and reviews here.
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6. Dell G5 15 Gaming Laptop: i7-9750H, NVIDIA GTX 1650, 256GB SSD
Pros:- Good price for its performance
- Includes SSD and data drive
- Powerful for for most any application
- Can play modern games at low to medium settings
- Backlit keyboard is a nice touch
- Thin considering its power (about one inch thick)
Cons:- Some bloatware has to be taken off device
- Battery life is only 4 hours (not bad though)
- Display is average
Processor / Passmark Speed i7 9750H (4.5GHz) | RAM 16GB DDR4 | Graphics Card GTX 1650 4GB GDDR5 | Hard Drive 256GB SSD + 1 TB HDD (5400 RPM) | Display 1080P, 15.6″ |
Dell typically comes in with a cheaper than average middle-tier gaming laptop, and that’s what you’re getting with the Dell G5 15. It comes in at under $1000 (which is a great price for a gaming laptop), and it’ll run the latest games with ease. Not only does it come with a 9th generation i7-9750H that hits up to 4.5GHz, but it also has an NVIDIA GTX 1650 that has 4GB of dedicated video RAM.
On top of that, it comes with an SSD and a 1TB HDD. This Dell G5 also has a dual-fan cooling system that keeps your laptop cool during long, intensive gaming sessions. It’s also one of the cleanest-looking laptops we’ve seen, with an all-black look that’s highlighted with blue accents.
Find more Dell Inspiron Gaming Laptop information and reviews here.
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7. Acer Predator Helios 300 i7-770HQ, 256GB SSD, GTX 1060
Pros:- Keyboard is backlit
- Can play modern games at medium to high settings and solid framerates
- Runs fairly cool, no heat issues
- Hard drive storage can be expanded
Cons:- 256GB SSD will fill up quickly
- Display is kind of dim
- Weight is heavy
Processor / Passmark Speed i7-7700HQ / 8943 | RAM 16GB DDR4 | Graphics Card GTX 1060 – 6GB | Hard Drive 256GB SSD | Weight 5.95lbs | Display 15.6″ 1920 x 1080, IPS 60HZ |
For gamers who want a desktop replacement that’s slightly cheaper than the G5, the Helios 300 is the way to go. Boasting an i7-7700HQ, plenty of RAM, and a GTX 1060 with 6GB of dedicated video RAM, this PC pulls zero punches. The worst thing one can say about it is that its display could be a bit better; some find it to be a bit dim. That said, for virtually any application, this PC brings a ton of power to the forefront. It’s great for connecting multiple display since its GTX 1060 can more than handle the output. On top of that, it has plenty of RAM for multitasking, and a 256GB drive for snappy movement regarding the operating system. This is a great way to go if you want a PC that can do it all. The biggest problem here is that one may run out of hard drive space considering the OS eats up about 100GB. One can always buy an external hard drive, however (such as this $68, 2TB drive on Amazon).
If it were me, I’d opt for the Dell G5 for slightly more, as it has a 9th gen i7 and better graphics card. But if you’re looking to save a few bucks, the Helios 300 is a good option.
Find more Acer Predator Helios 300 information and reviews here.
Should You Buy a Renewed i7 Laptop on Amazon?
You can DEFINITELY save some money by buying your i7 laptop renewed on Amazon, as you'll notice numerous options under $600 (including a Dell Inspiron for $569.66 at the time of writing this). The good news is that renewed products look and function like new. However, the bad news is that they may come with generic accessories (cords, box, etc) and only have a 90-day guarantee.
Still, the savings are there if you're looking to go the much cheaper route than what's listed above.
What's the Best Cheap i7 Gaming Laptop?
Our choice for the best cheap i7 gaming laptop above is the MSI GF75 because it's at $900 AND comes with a 9th generation i7-9750H and an NVIDIA GTX 1650 dedicated graphics card. It also has an impressive 512GB SSD which provides double the space of the more expensive Dell G5 and Acer Predator Helios 300.
The MSI GF75 will run everything you throw at it right now, and it'll run Steam VR games with ease (just add a VR headset and you're golden).
SSD vs. HDD Laptops
For the most part, you're going to want a laptop with an SSD drive because they're significantly faster than HDD drives. In fact, SSD will load your apps, programs, games, and videos much quicker than an HDD would because of how they're built.
With that being said, you won't find a 1TB SSD in your laptop. HDD drives are significantly cheaper, so your best bet when looking at the cheap i7 laptops above is to find one with either a 512GB SSD or a combo 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD. That way, you can put all your apps on the SSD and a couple of your most-played games, and put everything else on the 1TB HDD.