Let’s be honest – gaming as a hobby can be expensive. As video games get more advanced with high-resolution graphics and sophisticated controls, you’ve to upgrade your hardware to keep up with them. And after all this hassle, you cannot even carry your bulky gaming desktop around.
Luckily you can eliminate all the assembly and portability issues simply by getting a gaming laptop. If you simply want to play games on the go, gaming laptops are your best bet. Depending on your budget, you can get a mid-range laptop to play all mainstream titles or go all fancy with a VR-enabled setup.
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-55-53E5 Gaming Laptop
Over the years, Acer has made a name for itself in the gaming laptop segment with devices like the Acer Predator. And for those with a budget, the Acer Nitro series has some of the best laptops with great configurations. To begin with, Acer Nitro 5 is equipped with Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 which can run all the latest games smoothly.
The 10th Gen Intel Core i5-10300H processor only adds to the power to deliver a smooth gaming experience. You get 8GB of DDR4 RAM that you can upgrade to 32GB later on. With 256GB SSD, you can say goodbye to loading screens quickly. For immersive visuals, you get a 1920 x 1080 resolution on a 15.6-inch display with a 144Hz refresh rate.
With Acer CoolBoost, you need not worry about your laptop heating up. The GPU cooling and fan cooling combined tweak the thermal performance by 25% for better comfort.
Why we recommend:
- RTX 3050 GPU + i5-10300H processor
- 15.6-inch display, 1920 x 1080p resolution
- 144Hz refresh rate
Lenovo Legion 5 Gaming Laptop
Equipped with an Intel Core i7-10750H processor and 512GB SSD, Lenovo Legion 5 packs a powerful punch. The gaming laptop comes with 8GB of DDR4 RAM which you can expand. With Nvidia GTX 1650Ti, you can expect all your favorite games to load fast and run smoothly.
The 1920 x 1080p resolution on a 15.6-inch display delivers an immersive gaming experience. This combined with the 120Hz refresh rate gives you superfast refreshes and amazing visuals. If you like soft clicks, then the Legion TrueStrike keyboard delivers those along with hair-trigger inputs. Please note that the keyboard is not backlit.
Why we recommend:
- Powerful i7-10750H processor
- 512GB PCIe SSD
- 120Hz refresh rate
HP – Pavilion 15.6″ Gaming Laptop
HP’s Pavilion laptops were crafted to meet gamers’ need and also be friendly to their pockets. HP Pavilion’s 15.6-inch gaming laptop comes loaded with AMD Ryzen 5 4600H and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 GPU. With such a powerful combo, it stands in competition with Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44, MSI Bravo 15, and Dell G5 15 5590.
The 15.6-inch screen has a full HD 1920 X 1080p resolution with micro-edges for a wider display. The 256GB SSD makes sure that your games load fast. The gaming laptop comes with 8GB of memory for multi-tasking and seamless gaming. For that “gamer” look, HP Pavilion has backlit keyboard that glows neon.
Why we recommend:
- 256GB SSD
- 15.6″ Full HD Micro-edge display
- Backlit keyboard
ASUS ROG G531GT-BI7N6 15.6″ FHD Gaming Laptop
Asus ROG range is known for it’s high-quality gaming hardware, and this laptop is no exception. To begin with, the laptop is powered by 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750H and has NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 embedded in it. This powerful combo is further tweaked by the 512GB SSD which makes loading and multi-tasking seamless and smooth.
The Asus ROG laptop comes with a 15.6-inch screen with 1920 x 1080p resolution for clear, crisp visuals. The laptop looks stunning with the backlit keyboard and the Republic of Gamers logo on the exterior.
Why we recommend:
- 512GB SSD
- 1920 x 1080p FHD resolution
- Attractive design with backlit keyboard
HP Pavilion Gaming 15-Inch
HP Pavilion Gaming was designed with gamers in mind. The laptop comes loaded with Intel Core i5-9300H and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 GPU which balances your work and play. And with a 1TB HDD and 256GB SSD, the laptop makes running multiple programs easy, fast, and seamless.
Coming to the display, the HP Pavilion laptop sports a 15.6-inch screen with a native 1920 x 1080p resolution. The micro-edge display makes sure that the bezels are minimal. With an anti-glare coating, the screen aims to reduce the strain on the eyes. To enhance the appearance, the keyboard is backlit.
Why we recommend:
- FHD anti-glare screen
- 1 TB HDD + 256GB SSD
- Backlit keyboard
MSI GF63 Premium Gaming Laptop
For years, MSI has been producing quality gaming hardware, and even today, it continues to do so. MSI’s GF63 premium gaming laptop sports an Intel Core i5-10300H 10th Gen that can overclock up to 4.50 GHz with Intel Turbo Boots and has a basic frequency of 2.50 GHz. To complement the powerful CPU, the laptop has NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 GPU.
For visuals, the laptop has a 15.6-inch FHD display with thin bezels. The 60Hz works well with the 1920 x 1080p resolution and delivers an optimal gaming experience. The 1TB HDD hybrid slot with an upgradable SSD further tweaks the laptop’s performance.
Why we recommend:
- Core i5-10300H goes up to 4.50GHz frequency
- 15.6-inch FHD display
- Baclit keyboard
MSI GF75 17 Gaming Laptop Computer 17.3″
If you’re looking for a laptop that has a bigger screen than the regular 15.6-inch one, then you should check out MSI GF75 17 laptop. The huge 17.3-inch display has very thin bezels and a Full HD 1920 x 1080p resolution. The fast 144Hz refresh rate syncs well with the FHD display to deliver optimal gaming. Note that the bigger screen size will increase the weight of the laptop.
On the inside, the laptop sports the 10th Gen Intel Quad-Core i5-10300H that can reach the clocked frequency of 4.50GHz. You can enjoy animations to the fullest with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650Ti and Integrated Intel UHD Graphics. For aesthetics, the laptop lights up with Adobe RGB Display.
Why we recommend:
- Powerful
- Huge 17.3-inch display
- 144Hz refresh rate
What to Look for in a Gaming Laptop – Buying Guide
It doesn’t matter if you’re a first-time buyer or if you’re looking for a replacement. With the ever-evolving technology, it’s hard to keep tabs on what’s the best, smartest, and the latest. So it’s always smart to scan a buying guide before adding anything to your cart.
Here’s what you should be checking off your list while buying a gaming laptop within your budget:
- GPU (Graphics Processing Unit): For gaming, you need a powerful GPU. This is important for laptops as they cannot be upgraded. If you’re a gamer who’s just starting out, then GTX 3050 or RX 5500M will do the job. To dive into the mainstream games, you might need Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3060, RTX 3070, RTX 3070 Ti, and RX 6700M might suit your needs. For the premium gaming experience, you might want to go for RTX 3070, RTX 3080, or RTX 3080 Ti.
- CPU: Just like GPUs, CPUs are not upgradeable in laptops so you need to choose wisely. If you have a big budget, you can get a powerful CPU that can overclock. However, you need not spend much on a CPU as you can play most games with an Intel Core i5 or Ryzen 5 processor.
- RAM: To run all the games smoothly, you need to have at least 8GB of RAM, although the recommended figure is 16GB. A gaming laptop with RTX 3050 GPU comes with 8GB RAM. The RAM goes up as you get more sophisticated GPUs. In most gaming laptops, the RAM can be upgraded, so you can tweak it later as per your budget.
- Storage: Most of us face the dilemma of HDD vs SSD. But fortunately enough, some laptops offer both. In the budget laptop segment, the devices usually come with a 1TB HDD or more. Some add in a small SSD of 128GB. Larger SSDs will tweak your gaming experience and speed up loading times. However, SSDs increase the cost significantly. Note that you can upgrade the storage later as per your requirements.
- Display: Most gaming laptops come with a 15-inch or 17-inch screen which is a sweet spot. And as far as the resolution is concerned, you shouldn’t go for anything below 1920 x 1080. Getting a 4K resolution might be pricey and you might have to turn some settings down anyway. A few laptops offer a 1440p resolution which you should get if it fits your budget and other requirements.
- Refresh Rate: The most common refresh rate that you’ll find in gaming laptops is 60Hz which runs optimally with a 1080p resolution. Some models might offer a 90Hz, 120Hz, or even a 144Hz refresh rate and higher for 1080p resolution to deliver a smoother gaming experience. Try to balance the GPU, resolution, and refresh rate as per your budget.
- Aesthetics: Of course, a gaming laptop should look like one. And the best way to show it off is through RGB lights. You’ll see that most laptops have backlit keyboards and may offer some options to customize them. The gaming laptops also have ultra-modern designs with texture
- Battery Life: At the most, your laptop battery will last 8 to 12 hours. To make it last longer while on the move, you need to invest in a decent power bank.
At the end of the day, you’ll want a high-performing gaming laptop well within your budget. Focus more on GPU and CPU – the parts that are irreplaceable in a laptop. RAM and storage can be tweaked later. Go for the optimal resolution and refresh rate that fits your budget. If you don’t like the built-in keyboard and touchpad, you can always get third-party peripherals off the internet.
Looking for Alienware laptops? We’ve listed down the best Alienware gaming laptops that you can add to your cart right away!
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