Whether you’re looking for the best gaming laptop, the best desktop, or just the best keyboard, you always want to make sure you’re getting the absolute best bang for your buck. But how can you know whether or not those sticks of RAM are overpriced, or if the graphics card inside is the one that’s going to take you up the leaderboards on the latest online shooters?
Read on in our guide on the best gaming laptop for the money to find out!
Price: $799.99 | Features: Nvidia GTX 960M 4GB, 256GB SSD | Read Full Review: Dell Inspiron i7559 Review
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WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: Best budget option for gamers who need to watch their wallet.
Although it may not look the sexiest or have any of the “extreme” accents that many gaming peripherals can’t go without these days, the Dell Inspiron i7559 is hiding a whole lot of value in a very small (and impossibly light) package.
The key to being able to pack in so much graphical power without upping the cost to the level of its competitors lies in the CPU, which only clocks in at an i5-6500HQ and a measly 8GB of DDR3L RAM. When you’re shopping on a budget and looking for value though, these types of compromises are where you find the best deals. Most AAA games that demand a lot from your system aren’t nearly as reliant on CPU and RAM power as they used to be, offloading much of that responsibility to the GPU instead. With a massive GTX 960M with 4GB DDR5 VRAM, this means the Dell will have no problem handling almost any title you can think of without batting an eye, and will only experience minor slowdowns during intense multi-tasking processes like video editing or heavy web browsing.
All this in mind, it’s impossible to argue with the Dell’s bargain basement price of just $799. Sure, you’ll have to deal with a slightly slower CPU and limited RAM to get it, but for your money there simply isn’t a better deal on shelves today.
Price: $1,767.00 | Features: Beautiful 15.6″ 4K display, 16GB DDR4 2133MHz RAM
WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: The GS60 Ghost Pro is a 4K gamer’s paradise.
While the initial shock of the sticker price on the MSI Ghost Pro 4K may make it a little bit more difficult to believe this is a machine that’s good for your money; believe us when we tell you it’s putting out a value like few other laptops on this list can.
With a massive 6GB of VRAM on its included GTX 970M, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and a beautiful 15.6″ UHD 4K display, the MSI Ghost is an all-in-one monster that could stand toe-to-toe with any gaming desktop without moving an inch.
Add to this a stellar, sleek design for $1767 and what you get is a laptop that is a bit on the pricier side, but pays it back in dividends whether you’re on the road, at home, or sloughing around somewhere in between.
View on Amazon – $1686.00
Price: $959.00 | Features: JBL dual-channel stereo speakers with 3W subwoofer, GTX 960M 4GB GDDR5 | Read Full Review: Lenovo Y700 Review
WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: JBL speakers and a 3W subwoofer create media watching bliss.
The Lenovo Y700 has got an odd look, but its specs and price are right in line with what you’d expect from a gaming laptop that’s doing everything it can to get you the best possible value for your hard-earned dollar.
With a solid pair of 2W JBL speakers and a 3W subwoofer to boot, the Y700 is perfect for gaming or – perhaps more importantly depending on who you ask – media watching on the go. With its raised screen and ultra-cool fan system, this is a laptop that will sit on any surface without melting its own components, all without sacrificing any of the sound quality that many other laptops in this class leave behind in favor of better ergonomics.
Add in a 4GB GTX 960M with an Intel Core i7-6700HQ processor and it’s clear that while Lenovo may not exactly be a leader in the space of gaming laptops, they’re definitely no slouch, either.
View on Amazon – $959.00
Price: $1,546.33 | Features: Nvidia GTX 980M 8GB VRAM, Core i7-6700HQ 2.6GHz | Read Full Review: Gigabyte P35x
WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: Insane graphics performance for any gaming machine out there.
Some gamers value a low price, while others prefer to balance price against other features like media watching capabilities and a nice screen. Then, there’s the gamers who just want pure, unadulterated power.
Enter the Gigabyte P35x V5, which to put it bluntly, has no business being the price it is. The P35x somehow manages to cram in many of the same specs we’ve come to expect around this price point (8GB of RAM, i7-6700HQ, etc), all while stuffing in an extra Nvidia GTX 980M 8GB on top. This puts it head and shoulders above the rest of the entries here, which don’t even come close to matching the raw output that the 8GB version of the 980M is capable of.
If you’re okay giving up a few other luxuries like a nice screen in order to get the absolute maximum graphics power out of your mobile machine, look no further than the Gigabyte P35x V5.
View on Amazon – $1546.33
Price: $2,299 | Read Full Review: Acer Predator 17 Review | Features: 1920 x 1080 IPS LED screen, 32GB of RAM and a 512GB PCIe SSD
WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: The Predator is just as powerful as it is beautifully assembled.
Since getting my hands on the Acer Predator 17, it’s been difficult for me to put it down. There’s no one category where the Predator 17 completely blows the rest of the other gaming laptops here clear out of the water, but it’s the collective experience of the whole that really works to bring the whole thing together.
The build quality is incredible, the keyboard and trackpad are a joy to use for hours on end, and the screen is perfect for watching a movie or marathon multiplayer gaming sessions. Add to this the 32GB of RAM and 512GB PCIe SSD that come as a cherry on top, and you have a rock-steady all-around gaming laptop that will stand up to any test you throw its way.
It’s great for anyone who’s never owned a gaming laptop before or this is your 10th in a decade, either way with so many over-the-top additions without the over-the-top weight, you’re left with a gaming laptop that checks every box you could think of.
Buy Now $2,299.00
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Buying Features You Won’t Use: As we mentioned above, getting the best laptop for the money is all about maximizing the variety of features against the price, and making your pick from there. If you want a 4K screen and don’t mind giving up a little graphical power to get it, there’s a laptop for that. If you want big, boomy speakers but couldn’t care less about the size of the SSD, there’s a laptop for that too.
“Budget” Doesn’t Mean “Cheap”: All the gaming laptops on this list are pricey by normal standards, save except for the Dell Inspirion i7559. A gaming laptop can’t be upgraded, which means you should always save up as much as you can to buy the best machine you can to ensure it lasts more than a few product cycles and game releases without becoming obsolete. The more you spend upfront on your next device, the longer it’s going to stick around in the broad scope of things.
Of all the lists we’ve written on this subject, this list definitely has the most variety and options between the best gaming laptops on shelves right now. “Value” is in the eye of the beholder, which is why we’ve included so many different choices for any price tier and budget.
Pound for pound, dollar for dollar it’s impossible to beat the value you get with the Dell Inspiron i7559, but it doesn’t do everything you could possibly want out of a laptop on its own. That’s where alternatives like the boomy Lenovo Y700 or Gigabyte’s graphical workhorse the P35x come in to fill the void. The Predator 17 is a solid all-around impressive laptop, while the MSI GS60 Ghost Pro features a gorgeous 4K screen that’s perfect for movie watching, gaming, or both at the same time with all the extra real estate you’ll have to play around with.
The best gaming laptop for the money isn’t always the one that’s easiest on your wallet – it’s the one that gives you the features you want in one package, with no extra frills to distract you from the best part of owning once of these machines in the first place: gaming to your heart’s content for hours and hours on end.
Read More: Best Gaming Laptops Under $2,000
Some of the major brands manufacturing gaming laptops are also companies you'd recognize from other computing products like monitors, keyboards, and desktops. Some of the best gaming laptops we've tested at Gadget Review have come off the factory lines of MSI, Alienware, Acer, Razer, and ASUS, who all produce high quality products that are worth a second look.
The biggest mistake the average customer makes when purchasing their first gaming laptop is (as we mentioned in the intro) immediately equating better specs with being the best choice. This might be true for most desktops, but when you get a gaming laptop you also want to consider particular factors such as how heavy it is, the form factor, the resolution of the screen and how good the keyboard feels.
I’ve seen an endless amount of high-end, top of the line laptops do everything they can to stuff in the absolute beefiest processor and graphics card into the chassis, only to come up short when it comes to creating a comfortable experience in daily use.
Not only that, but many laptops will skimp on things like a solid screen or a buttery smooth trackpad in order to put more money into the power, a grave mistake that can make even the most rudimentary web browsing a trial in patience and personal endurance.
Gaming laptop reviews by our in-house gaming experts cover the range of high end, mid range, and budget gaming laptops. We cover the best gaming laptops by different brands such as Alienware, Razer, MSI, Asus, and Lenovo, comparing technical specifications, portability, design, and cost. Check out our latest laptop reviews for even more shopping advice.
Our experts will provide gaming laptop reviews to answer all of your questions about what kind of gaming laptop you need and where to find it. If you or someone in your household is in the market for a new gaming laptop, you should check out all our gaming laptop reviews to figure out which model or brand is best for you!
A gaming laptop, unlike a Chromebook or ultrabook, is a laptop that's made for one thing and one thing only: serious power in a portable package. Gaming laptops are the perfect solution for anyone who needs to get a few rounds of their favorite games in between meetings on a business trip, during long flights, or just while you're out grabbing a cup of joe at the local Starbucks. They make gaming accessible anywhere, while also providing enough power to watch your favorite movies or a get a little work done on the side at the same time.
If there's one thing you don't want to skimp on when it comes to gaming laptops, it's price. Most reputable gaming laptops worth the investment will run you anywhere from $1,000 - $3,500, though we should note you'd probably get a lot of utlity out of a model that strikes right in the middle of that range, around $2,000. The higher cost of these devices can be attributed to high end processors or graphics card, as well as the quality of the included screen, trackpad, and keyboard as well.
At Gadget Review, we'll tell you about the best gaming notebooks. We'll also give you the deets on where the industry is headed in terms of design; the benefits of tapered keys for gaming, the best gaming laptops for the games you have in mind, the best discrete graphics cards, and the best gaming peripherals to go with your chosen gaming laptop.
Keep abreast about the newest developments in gaming laptop technology; learn how NVIDIA SLI can power the graphics for your games, the newest small form factor gaming notebooks, and gaming laptops with the best cooling technology.
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An increasing number of gamers are choosing gaming laptops over consoles. The best gaming laptop comes with a high-end graphics card such as the gtx 1060 graphics card which can handle high frame rates, full hd and a good refresh rate to guarantee a great gaming experience. Other graphics cards which are capable of rendering high-end games include nvidia geforce gtx 1060, nvidia geforce gtx 1070 and nvidia geforce gtx 1080 among others. High-end processors such as Intel's i5 processors will work for some pc games but you will want to get a computer that has an intel core i7-7700hq or an intel core i7-8750h to be future-proof. 8GB of ram is the minimum requirement for most games but ram 16gb is best for great gaming performance.
What Should You Pay for a Gaming Laptop?
Good gaming laptops with rendering capabilities as high as consoles are expensive. HP laptops and Lenovo laptops are great for mid-range graphics processing but gaming-specific laptops such as Maingear laptops will give you the best gaming performance. Expect to pay up to $3,500 for a gaming laptop that can play games with rendering capabilities that surpass a console's range. The best models include the msi gs65 stealth thin, the acer predator helios 300 and the asus rog strix. These laptops are able to render games on a screen 15.6-inch fhd 1,920 x 1,080 resolution. The all-new razer blade is a great laptop if you prefer a smaller screen.
Don't know which one to choose? Go to Gadget Review to get gaming laptop reviews which will help you make the right decision.
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