8 best gaming laptops

Hand in the last years of the technical revolution, the mobile industry in terms of the power of “iron” equaled the indices of stationary technology. Gaming laptops equipped with video cards and processors of the new generation are in no way inferior to game stations. Current manufacturing processes for the manufacture of components allow you to fit a video card in a small case of a mobile computer that is as powerful as the full-size PCs. But amidst all the abundance of gaming solutions, it is easy for any gamer to get lost. Should I pay attention to the appearance of the laptop? What is more important - the processor or video card? Why does a gaming laptop need a large amount of RAM and do you need a 4K display? Answers to all the above questions are covered in our article..

Gaming laptop which company choose

The concept of "gaming laptop" appeared relatively recently. Previously, igrobuk was understood as a mobile device, capable of competing with personal computers and game stations, if not equally. At present, the gaming notebook segment has grown so much that manufacturing companies have put special gaming series into a special niche. According to this scheme, the Republic of Gamers model line from Asus, Omen from HP, AlienWare from Dell, and others appeared. Last year, Samsung with a brand Odyssey and Lenovo Legion announced their plans for the game segment.

Among them, the company Razer, a leading manufacturer of the gaming industry, stands out. However, the devices of this company are so expensive that under the category of the best gaming laptops fit with a stretch, because for the buyer, first of all, the ratio "price-quality-iron" is more important.

Thus, considering the entire gaming notebook market, you should pay attention to the models of the following companies:

1. Asus

Game series Republic of Gamers. On the market there are models of the initial, middle and top level, as well as heavy-duty gaming devices with two video cards and water cooling system.

2. Dell

AlienWare gaming series with expensive but quality solutions. The line of laptops is available with different diagonals of the display, which allows players to choose the optimal size.

3. HP

Game series Omen with laptops in a classic case and productive "iron". Primarily intended for gamers who, in addition to games, prefer to use their laptop for other tasks, be it in Avtokad or in video rendering.

4. Lenovo

The new model line Legion is represented by several “fresh” solutions on modern “hardware”, which will appeal to lovers of the upgrade.

5. MSI

G series, designed for those who want to get maximum gigahertz and gigabytes at an affordable price.

6. Acer

The game series Predator, one of the first in the market, known for its “cruelty” to pricing and quality solutions.

Undoubtedly, any mobile computer equipped with an over-cool processor and a video card can be brought under the category of “gaming laptop”. However, manufacturers distinguish this segment, first of all, by the fact that all functions and features of the game player are aimed at the user. For example, the backlight of the keyboard allows you to chop into “tanchiki” in the middle of the night, and various “cooler bushes” and water-cooling systems will make these battles longer, because the laptop temperature rises during games.

Perhaps, when choosing a gaming laptop in the first place it is worth paying attention not to the design, but to its technical characteristics, since the gaming industry is developing by leaps and bounds.Current games require a maximum of features from hardware. If a couple of years ago there were enough 4 gigabytes of RAM, then the fresh titles of 2017 require at least 8 GB of RAM and a NVIDIA GTX 970 graphics card. If in the case of a PC, the upgrade is easy to implement, then with laptops it is not so easy, because replacing the processor and video adapter is a luxury.

For the owner of a gaming laptop, the only upgrade point will be the addition of additional “slats” of RAM and the replacement of a conventional HDD hard drive with an SSD drive. Thus, acquiring a laptop for games, you need to consider the development of gaming technology and buy a device with a "power reserve".

What are the technical specifications worth paying attention to:

1. A video card is the most important element of any gaming system, since it is the processing of all information and its display on the display. The current technologies allow equipping any notebook with a “full-featured” NVIDIA GeForce 1050 graphics card. This entry-level video chip of the 10th series is quite enough for gaming battles with acceptable performance. Considering video cards at a level below a la GTX 950 is not worth it, because over time their performance will not allow playing modern games at a comfortable level. It is for this reason that our review of the best gaming laptops includes devices only with NVIDIA 10-series video adapters.

2. Display - the size of the laptop screen, of course, depends on the preferences of the player. The most common are 15 and 17-inch devices. However, there are 14-inch compact laptops on the market, as well as 18 and 21-inch “monsters”, the weight of which at 9 kilograms does not allow them to be mobile devices. But, if the display size is purely personal opinion, then you should not overpay for a high screen resolution. The 4K-display is a kind of marketing, because at 15 inches the human eye does not distinguish the picture from the Full HD-matrix. Yes, and to handle 4K-resolution requires much more resources. For a gaming laptop, Full HD-screen with high-quality IPS-matrix is ​​enough.

3. The processor is an important element of any device, revealing the potential of a video card. Taking laptops with processors below the Intel Core i5 is impractical because the games in recent years involve all four cores. Yes, and when choosing a processor in a gaming laptop should be treated with caution. So marking of the Intel processor can reveal its characteristics. For example, Intel Core i7-7700HK - the first digit after the hyphen indicates the generation of the device (6 – Skylake, 7 - Kaby Lake), and the letter prefix in the end reveals its energy efficiency and overclocking capability. It is preferable for the processor name to include the prefix HQ or HK (K is unlocked for overclocking, Q is 4 cores, H is high-level integrated graphics). In no case do not take laptops for games with processors, the name of which has the letter U (ultra low power consumption), because these chipsets initially lowered the clock frequency to save energy.

4. The amount of RAM - not less than 8 gigabytes of RAM, preferably DDR4, operating at a frequency of 2100 MHz, with the possibility of expansion. Do not pay attention to the tricks of marketers about the long battery life, because no gaming laptop can not last 3-4 hours under load. And most gamers prefer to play shooters at their desk. For the "sofa gamers" and fans of TVs, game consoles are provided, which fully fulfill their role.

Best entry level gaming laptops

Acer Aspire VX 15 VX5-591G

Acer Aspire VX 15 VX5-591G - although it does not belong to the "predatorial" line, the manufacturer positions itself as a gaming solution at an affordable price. This model from Acer is presented in early 2017, but has already managed to make a stir in the gaming community because of the reasonable price and the video card installed in it. The future owner gets a modern processor and video chip NVIDIA GeForce GTX1050 with 4 gigabytes of video memory. In fact, the Acer Aspire VX 15 VX5-591G is the most affordable notebook with a GTX1050 from Nvidia.

The gaming laptop from Eyser is equipped with a quad-core Intel Core i5-7300HQ with an unlocked multiplier operating at 2.5 GHz. For fast data processing, 8 gigabytes of DDR4 operatives are provided, which are more than enough for high performance in games. The Acer Aspire VX 15 VX5-591G is a 15.6-inch device with a Full HD display, back-lit Iron Red keyboard, and a selection of modern ports and features.

Advantages:

• i5 processor with 4 physical cores;
• overclocking in TurboBoost mode up to 3.6 GHz;
• high-performance video card Geforce GTX 1050;
• presence of keyboard backlight;
• capacious HDD-1 terabyte hard drive;
• the best price / iron ratio;
• nice design with the absence of "fanciful and defiant" elements.

Disadvantages:

• TN matrix display;
• no SSD-drive system.

ASUS ROG GL553VD

ASUS ROG GL553VD is a gaming laptop from the Republic of Gamers series. Like the above Acer, it is equipped with the latest generation Intel Core i5-7300HQ chipset with four cores and a clock frequency of 2.5 GHz. L3 cache is 6 megabytes, and 8 gigabytes of RAM is enough for current gaming titles.

The gaming graphics card is the Geforce GTX 1050 with four gigabytes of 4GB GDDR5 video memory. Screen ASUS ROG GL553VD presented IPS-matrix with Full HD-resolution. Among the line of ROG, this model is the best option for a budget gaming laptop.

Advantages:

• Geforce GTX 1050 graphics card with 4 gigabytes of video memory;
• quad-core processor of the latest generation Intel Core i5;
• availability of technology TurboBoost;
• reasonable price for a high-performance processor and video card;
• capacious hard drive 1 terabyte;
• availability of slots for additional RAM and SSD-drive.

Disadvantages:

• the lack of SSD-drive system in the most basic configurations;
• brand body;
• hybrid 3.5 millimeter mini jack.

MSI GP72 7RD Leopard

MSI GP72 7RD Leopard is another member of the game family, equipped with a Geforce GTX 1050 video card from Nvidia. Depending on the version, the amount of video memory can vary from 2 to 8 GB GDDR5. Unlike analogs in the price range, the Leopard is a 17.3 inch notebook with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. Under the “thick” case is a top-end Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor running at a clock speed of 2.8 gigahertz and equipped with 6 megabytes of L3 cache.

In addition, on board the MSI GP72 7RD Leopard has 16 gigabytes of DDR4 RAM and a terabyte hard drive. The simplest variation is not completed with the operating system, which saves money.

Advantages:

• comfortable Steel Series keyboard with backlight;
• Geforce GTX 1050 graphics card with 2/4/8 gigabytes of video memory, depending on the version;
• top-end Intel Core i7 with TurboBoost;
• acceleration of the fan system with one button;
• capacious hard drive 1 terabyte;
• Cooling Cooler Boost 4.

Disadvantages:

• no SSD in simple configurations;
• 17.3 inch screen "on the fan";
• TN-matrix in some modifications.

The best gaming laptops midrange

MSI GE72VR 6RF

MSI GE72VR 6RF is a representative of the middle segment, which, with its high performance and low cost, can easily “compete on equal terms” with top solutions. Laptop screen acts 17.3-inch TN-matrix with Full HD resolution. Onboard - a 6th generation Intel Core i7-6700HQ processor, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphic video chip with three gigabytes of video memory, and also 8 gigabytes of RAM.

The case of the device is made of metal, and its upper part is covered with thin polished aluminum. But the main feature of the MSI GE72VR 6RF gaming laptop is support for VR, virtual reality technology.

Advantages:

• quad-core Intel Core i7 with TurboBoost;
• Geforce GTX 1060 graphics card with 3 gigabytes of video memory;
• 1 terabyte hard drive;
• VR technology support;
• metal case with a large number of interfaces.

Disadvantages:

• Marked case, collecting fingerprints;
• TN-matrix in most modifications.

ASUS ROG GL502VM

ASUS ROG GL502VM is a stylish gaming solution from ASUS, equipped with an Intel Core i7-6700HQ processor and 8 gigabytes of RAM.The video chip is GeForce GTX 1060 from NVIDIA with 6 GB of GDDR5 video memory. This combination of "iron" allows you to pull any games at maximum performance, since the screen is represented by a 15.6-inch Full HD matrix.

To reduce the thickness of the device, developers donated a DVD-drive .. Despite the high performance of the fans, with insufficient cooling, throttling is possible, and, as a result, a decrease in FPS in games. Hybrid laptop disk system, paired with a HDD-hard drive for 1 terabyte of work SSD-drive with a capacity of 256 gigabytes, calculated on the system.

Advantages:

• top quad-core Intel Core i7-6700HQ;
• a large amount of video memory in Geforce GTX 1060;
• good gaming performance;
• stylish design and nice keyboard;
• matte anti-glare screen;
• SSD-drive system 256 gigabytes.

Disadvantages:

• one slot for expanding the amount of RAM;
• high heat in games requiring additional cooling;
• Marky case.

HP OMEN 17-w109ur

HP OMEN 17-w109ur - lost among representatives of Asus and MSI, the laptop from HP is a game book of the OMEN series. In the case of the gamebook lies the Intel Core i5 6300HQ at 2.3 gigahertz, as well as 8 gigabytes of RAM. But the main feature of the notebook is the GeForce GTX 1060 with six gigabytes of video memory, which is enough for ultra-performance in games.

The size of the diagonal corresponds to the name of the model - 17.3 inches with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels. At the same time, the matrix is ​​of high quality, made by IPS technology with anti-reflective coating. There is no DVD drive in the laptop, but a 1 terabyte high-performance hard drive is installed.

Advantages:

• quad-core Intel Core i5 6300HQ;
• powerful GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card with 6 gigabytes of memory;
• matte anti-glare screen;
• nice design and high-quality speakers.

Disadvantages:

• no SSD;
• noisy cooling cooler;
• plastic case.

The best gaming laptops top level

MSI GT73VR 6RF Titan Pro

MSI GT73VR 6RF Titan Pro is one of the best ways to spend a huge amount on a gaming notebook with a high-performance NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080. In addition to the top 8GB GDDR5X video card, MSI's igrobuka comes with a 6th generation Intel Core i7 6820HK processor with 8 MB of L3 cache . The standard 16 GB RAM easily expands to 64 gigabytes due to the 4 slots on the motherboard.

The screen of the device is represented by a 17.3 inch IPS-matrix with Full HD-resolution. Games can be run from either a 1 terabyte HDD hard drive or a 256 gigabyte SSD solid state drive. All this "iron luxury" is dressed in a metal case 5 centimeters thick and weighing 4.5 kilograms.

Advantages:

• top-end Intel Core i7 6820HK with 8MB L3 cache;
• the best graphics card on the Geforce GTX 1080 market with 8 gigabytes of memory;
• a large amount of RAM, expandable by doplotov;
• powerful cooling system;
• Steel Series keyboard with customizable backlight;
• metal case;
• hybrid drive system.

Disadvantages:

• large thickness and weight;
• high price, inaccessible to the ordinary consumer.

ASUS ROG G701VI

ASUS ROG G701VI - the top model in the Asus ROG lineup. Like the above “monster” from MSI, the gaming laptop comes with an Intel Core i7 6820HK chipset and a GeForce GTX 1080 video card from NVIDIA with 8 GB GDDR5X. The top "horn" is equipped with 64 gigabytes of RAM and a SSD-drive of 1 terabyte. The developers decided to abandon the slow HDDs, but such a “failure” significantly affected the price of the device.

Despite the compact case for a 17.3-inch laptop, the ASUS ROG G701VI does not overheat during long battles and easily copes with rising temperatures, thanks to an advanced cooling system. Because of Full HD-matrix and productive "iron", a laptop with this configuration will pull all the games on the ultra-settings in the next couple of years.

Advantages:

• NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1080 with 8 gigabytes of memory;
• High-performance Intel Core i7 6820HK processor with unlocked multiplier;
• 64 gigabytes of RAM;
• thin for such an "iron" case;
• Capable SSD on 1 terabyte.

Disadvantages:

• price, price, price ...

Which gaming laptop to buy

Any gaming laptop by definition cannot be cheap, since high-performance and expensive components are required to display high-quality graphics:

1. If every penny matters to you, then first of all you should pay attention to entry-level laptops with NVIDIA GeForce 1050 graphics cards. So, among 15-inch solutions, preference can be given to both the new Acer Aspire VX 15 VX5-591G and the time-tested ASUS ROG GL553VD. Would you like to "cut into tanks" on the big screen? Purchase MSI GP72 7RD Leopard will be your best purchase.

2. There are quite a few laptops of the average price segment equipped with GeForce 1060/1070 video cards. Perhaps the best solution would be the acquisition of the MSI GE72VR 6RF model, which combines high-performance hardware and modern VR technologies that will soon bring PC gaming to a new level.

3. For those who want to give everything to the maximum, there is ASUS ROG G701VI with the top-end NVIDIA GeForce 1080, which allows you to set any graphics settings and still deliver a stable 60 FPS in the game.