Choosing the best gaming laptop is a tough choice. There are a lot of factors to consider such as price, size, and features.
Gaming PCs are the recommended buy when it comes to pure gaming years ago. However, technologies have changed and gaming laptops are now able to house top-tier components. Gone are the days wherein laptops are for work and desktops are for gaming.
The most important factor when choosing a gaming laptop is the specs. Nobody wants a sluggish gaming laptop that stutters when playing graphics-intensive games. Gaming should be fun, and frame drops while gaming brings in the frustration.
Some people may say that laptops cannot provide the gaming experience that desktop computers provide — not if they purchase these top gaming choices available in the market today.
1. ASUS Zephyrus G14
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The Zephyrus G14 is the best all-around gaming laptop available in the market today. If Zephyrus brings a gentle breeze in Greek mythology, then this laptop lives up to its name.
AMD hit the right spot on this laptop. The Ryzen 4000-series processor gently provides power for regular tasks but pushes through the limit if the extra oomph is needed.
The Nvidia RTX 2060 provides high frame rates on any modern title thrown to it while optimizing battery life. The memory is also upgradable to 32GB for multitasking speed.
The 14-inch display looks stunning. It has a full HD resolution IPS panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. For multimedia artists, the 14-inch 2560 x 1440 might be the better option.
However, the refresh rate drops down to 60Hz. It is a matter of priorities when it comes to choosing the variant.
Another thing worth noting is the storage configuration for the variants available. All options come with an M.2 NVME PCIe drive. The cheaper model only has 512GB of storage, while the top-tier options double the amount.
The best thing about this laptop is its portability. At 1.6kgs, this laptop is easy to carry around. It will not be a burden when traveling a lot due to its weight.
With great features comes a hefty price tag. The Zephyrus G14 starts at US$1,049 [AU$1,629] for the base model. The fully-equipped model with everything maxed out retails for US$1,999 [AU$3,105].
2. Alienware Area-51m
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Dell can produce laptops that are out of this world. This time its subsidiary, Alienware, has successfully created one.
From the first looks of it, the Area-51m is a unique laptop that is in its own class. The quirky design and white finish give the gaming vibe that Alienware is known for.
But gaming laptops are not just about design. What matters most is its inside, and Alienware struck it good this time.
The Area-51m can provide all the power to drive AAA titles to its max frame rate. It has an Intel i7 or i9 series chip inside for heavy tasks and games. The eye-candy graphics is powered by the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 – 2080.
The Zephyrus display looks small compared to this beast. This laptop from Dell has a massive 17.3-inch full HD IPS display with an option for a 144Hz refresh rate.
Storage is more than enough terabytes of SSDs included.
The Area-51m is a powerhouse. That is a fact. However, it does come with its own share of downsides.
The fans get really loud when doing heavy tasks such as rendering and gaming. The chassis gets warm when using for hours. Too bad, Dell could have made a better cooling solution, knowing that this device is humongous.
Alienware is known for expensive laptops. But this device is way too steep. The base model starts at around $1,950 and it can easily go higher and reach $5,000 once configured.
3. MSI GS65 Stealth
This is one of the lightest gaming laptop available today. It only weighs 4.1 pounds and the compact build makes it a great on-the-go companion.
Do not be fooled by its looks though, this device is a specs powerhouse as well.
The GS65 Stealth is running on an Intel Core i7 series processor. The graphics department is taken care of by the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 or the GTX 1070.
These video cards are older than the ones found on the products mentioned earlier. But, it is still capable of running all modern titles.
It has a 15.6-inch 144Hz Full HD display. It strikes the perfect balance between the resolution and size. 4k or quad-HD might have been nice, but for gaming, the refresh rate matters more.
The memory configuration starts at 16GB, which is supposedly the standard size these days. It is upgradable up to 32GB. The storage option starts at 256GB SSD. There is a Raid 4 1TB SSD option available at an added cost.
A newer MSI GS66 was recently launched by MSI. However, real-life performance is still questionable. The GS65 is still the safer choice for now.
The MSI GS65 Stealth starts at $1,799 and the $1,999 model provides the best price to performance ratio.
This is quite high considering that the graphics card is more than a year old. However, if the laptop is used for multitasking and work-related tasks, then this is one of the best gaming laptops available today.