Laptop options for gaming on a minimum budget. Let's buy a laptop! Which one to choose for games
Computer games are a hobby for millions of people around the globe. They help you take a break from the drabness of everyday life, have a good time with friends, or simply throw out accumulated stress. However, progress does not stand still and every year computer games place increasingly higher demands on hardware. How to choose a gaming laptop is the topic of our article today.
When choosing a gaming laptop, you should pay great attention to the performance of the model.
Over the past few years, laptops with a “gaming” prefix have been increasingly appearing. As the name suggests, this laptop is designed for gaming. What characteristics correspond to this proud title?
If we draw an analogy, gaming laptops are athletes, and others are office workers. It follows from this that a gaming machine must be stronger, more durable, faster, etc. Let’s look at all the technical characteristics of a gaming laptop in detail.
CPU
An athlete must have a strong heart that can withstand loads that are unbearable for ordinary people. It’s the same with gaming laptops - a powerful processor is the core of the entire system. In the realities of the modern computer technology market, we can talk about two types of processors: Intel and AMD.
Intel
Intel is a giant in the computer industry. For many years now it has been pleasing us with high-quality processors. Intel provides its customers with a wide selection of processors - from budget to super-powerful. Since we are talking about a gaming laptop, you can forget about Celeron and Pentium series processors. You should consider machines ranging from Intel Core i5 and higher. Naturally, the more powerful, the better.
AMD
Advanced Micro Devices is another giant in the computer industry. It's hard to believe, but the company was founded in 1969. Nowadays it could be called the fashionable word “startup” (from the English startup company, startup, literally “starting”), and as we can see, it is very successful. AMD can also offer you powerful processors that are well suited for a gaming laptop. You should start with laptops with an A10 series processor.
You ask: “Which of the two companies produces the best gaming processors?” There is no clear answer. Both Intel and AMD have their advantages and disadvantages. The choice should be made based on personal preferences.
RAM
RAM (Random Access Memory) is one of the most important specs for a gaming laptop. If we continue the analogy with an athlete, then RAM is endurance. The more resilient the athlete, the more load he can bear. It’s the same with RAM - the more it is, the more applications can run simultaneously in the system.
Modern computer games are very demanding on the amount of RAM. With new graphics engines they demand it more and more. Nowadays, it’s not uncommon to find a game whose minimum system requirements indicate 8 GB, but to play at maximum speed you will need all 16 GB. It is worth buying a gaming laptop with at least 8 GB of RAM (preferably 16 GB), with a DDR3 or DDR4 slot. If the characteristics are lower, then you can forget about a comfortable game.
Video card
As a rule, gaming laptops have a discrete video processor. It is a priori more powerful than the integrated one. Similarly with processors, the market is dominated by two video card manufacturers: NVIDIA and AMD.
NVIDIA
It has been producing video processors and graphics accelerators since 1995. It has established itself as a reliable manufacturing company. When choosing a video card from NVIDIA, pay attention to the name. There you will see the GT or GTX prefix. For a gaming laptop, a video card exclusively from the GTX series is suitable. They are significantly more powerful and perform 2–4 times more operations per cycle than GTs.
In addition to the prefix, take a close look at the remaining symbols - they are also important. After the name there is a combination of numbers. The first of them will indicate the generation of the video card. The higher this number, the newer the video card and, as a result, better. Next, you will see a two-digit number (60, 70, 80, etc.) - this is the video card model.
There is a little trick: if you have two video cards to choose from - GTX 950 and GTX 870, then you should give preference to the second one, even despite the earlier release. The model number shows the location of the video card in the hierarchy of models - the higher these numbers, the more powerful the video card. For a gaming laptop, we recommend that you buy a video card of at least GeForce 670M. The newer, the better, naturally.
AMD
AMD labels its GPUs similarly to NVIDIA. In order from left to right: family, generation, version, model. The lower threshold from which to consider laptops with an AMD GPU is the Radeon 8870M. This is not a very powerful video card, but it is suitable for low-budget solutions. If you have no financial restrictions, we recommend purchasing video cards like AMD Radeon R9 M290X.
I would like to note that the price of AMD graphics processors is lower with approximately the same performance indicators. As a result, better value for money.
When choosing a video card, there are two important characteristics:
- video memory volume;
- memory bus width.
It is important that these two characteristics are chosen harmoniously. There are video cards with a large amount of video memory, but a low bus width. Such a ratio will not allow using their potential to 100%.
HDD
The hard drive is where all the information on your laptop will be stored. For a gaming laptop, hard drive capacity is not that important. When playing computer games, 500 GB may be enough for you. However, if there is not enough memory, there is always the opportunity to buy an external hard drive. A much more important characteristic will be the speed of the hard drive. There are only two types of hard drives - HDD and SSD. HDD - stores data using magnetic recording principles. The moving head writes information onto magnetic disks built into the hard drive.
ADVICE. The only advantage of HDD is the price. Otherwise, it is much inferior to SSD. SSD - solid state drive. There are no moving elements inside, and flash memory is used to store data. SSDs have much better characteristics such as speed and durability, but they also have a corresponding price.
When purchasing a gaming laptop, we recommend purchasing machines with an SSD hard drive. Despite their fragility and high price, they will certainly provide a comfortable game.
Display
Poor quality display is the problem with many modern laptops. You can only enjoy the game with a high-resolution monitor of sufficient size. Gaming laptops are not intended for transportation due to their size. So don't hesitate to choose a large display size.
There are two types of displays: matte and glossy.
The glossy monitor has rich color reproduction - the picture is bright and saturated. However, with a bright light source you still won’t be able to enjoy it. Cheap displays can be looked at like a mirror, they reflect so strongly from their surface.
On a matte monitor, the picture is dim - laptops with such a display are usually purchased for work. For computer games, we recommend that you purchase a laptop computer with a high-quality glossy monitor.
Dimensions
As mentioned above, gaming laptops are not designed to be transported. Due to their “filling” they have impressive dimensions. The only exceptions are very expensive models.
Cooling
When buying a laptop, pay attention to cooling. The components of the gaming machine are very powerful and heat up intensely. If the cooling system is not powerful enough, a quick breakdown is guaranteed.
Due to its size, a laptop cannot always accommodate a good cooling system. However, there is a solution - a cooling pad. This device is placed under the laptop and connected to the network. It does not cause any inconvenience when playing or working, but it significantly reduces the risk of damage to the laptop from overheating.
In conclusion, I would like to add that it is not advisable to open laptops after purchase. Therefore, when choosing, be very careful - in the future you are unlikely to be able to change the configuration yourself. Make sure that all technical characteristics are harmoniously combined with each other and fully satisfy your requirements.
This concludes our article. We've covered every aspect of choosing a gaming laptop and answered the most frequently asked questions.
Gaming laptops have a large number of components installed: advanced hardware, a video card, a powerful cooling system, connection ports, a battery and other parts that ensure full operation of the laptop. Often there is a separate DVD or BluRay drive.
Recently, there have been two trends: manufacturers are releasing light, neat and moderately thin gaming laptops, as well as truly advanced machines filled with productive hardware. Laptops from the first category weigh about 2 - 3 kg, the weight of the second can reach 4 - 6 kg. The cooling system of a gaming laptop alone can weigh more than a standard laptop.
CPU
Laptops can be equipped with an additional slot for installing a RAM module. If it is not there, you can replace the modules with versions with more memory. You just need to take into account the manufacturer’s limitation on the maximum installed amount of RAM and the limitation on the maximum memory frequency.
HDD and SSD
Modern gaming laptops often have both a solid-state drive (SSD) and a hard drive (HDD). The operating system is installed on an SSD - the volume of such a disk is usually 128 - 256 GB, and the file storage is an HDD, the size of which ranges from 1 to 2 TB. Since some games can take up 40–50 GB, and Full HD movies can take up 8–10 GB in size, you should think about laptop storage in advance. A reasonable option would be to use an external hard drive that can hold another 1 – 2 TB of information.
An inexpensive gaming laptop is a concept that does not have clear and clearly defined boundaries, because any salesperson in the store who is even more or less interested in his own profit will say that this is the very best gaming laptop, if only this will influence your purchasing decision. Such things happen all the time, so the theoretical aspect should not be discounted, so as not to end up in the shoes of such an unlucky buyer.
So, let's try to figure out how to choose an inexpensive gaming laptop and what, exactly, it is. The article will take into account the opinions of experts and reviews of ordinary owners of these devices.
To begin with, let’s look at the main technical and price parameters that precisely characterize the concept of a gaming laptop.
Price
The most inexpensive gaming laptop cannot cost less than 40 thousand rubles. In 90 cases out of 100, such a device is suitable for modern games exclusively at low settings. It simply doesn’t make sense to take something cheaper than this level: the task is simple - to play modern games, and those gadgets that cost 30, 20 or even 15 thousand are suitable for office work and toys that were three or five years old.
Cheaper models may have a good processor and RAM, but they are probably equipped with a mediocre video card or a slow hard drive. This also includes such important indicators as the type of matrix of the screen, pixel density - that is, everything that makes the gaming experience better and of higher quality.
Of course, someone may object and exclaim that for 40 thousand rubles you can assemble a stationary block that will run and fly both along and across all the top games - and they will be completely right. But the task is different - to buy a good inexpensive gaming laptop, but you can’t put it in your bag, you can’t take it to another corner in one minute, and you can’t use it outdoors.
So, the first and one of the most important points in choosing an inexpensive, but still gaming laptop is the price - not lower than 40 thousand rubles.
CPU
Inexpensive, but powerful, should not be on processors such as Atom, Celeron, Pentium or Core i3-XXXX. The same applies to AMD's lower-end A10-based models. It is also worth noting the presence of new technologies like ULV processors, which are widely used in premium ultrabook models: they are designed for larger laptops.
These kinds of chips are easily identified by the last letter U at the end of the technical index of the device, for example, Intel Core i7-4800U. Such processors certainly cannot be called “weak,” and an inexpensive gaming laptop with such a chip will certainly please you.
RAM
This is clearly not a gaming device if it has less than 8 gigabytes of RAM on board. Only 4 or even 2 GB are available to very mediocre office workers. Gaming applications have always been considered the engine of progress in the computer world, which is why their hardware requirements are so high. The type of RAM is only DDR3 or DDR4 with a frequency of at least 1600 MHz - the rest is not worth your attention.
Video card
An inexpensive gaming laptop must be equipped with at least a GeForce 670M from NVIDIA or a similar one from AMD like the Radeon 8870M. As an alternative, you can consider SLI or CrossFire technology with support for two more or less powerful cards, but this is rarely found in laptops.
Naturally, it is worth considering that the technical characteristics of desktop video cards and mobile graphics accelerators are not identical, so a “direct” comparison is inappropriate here. But, on the other hand, laptops simply do not have such a chic assortment of video accelerators as their “older” brothers, so you won’t have to rack your brains over this or that choice.
Display
An inexpensive one cannot have a resolution less than 1366 by 768 pixels. Even such an outdated format is almost impossible to find today. A low resolution, of course, relieves the graphics accelerator, but in this case the enjoyment of games is reduced by an order of magnitude.
As for the matrix, in the case of expensive models, you can also opt for versions with TN scan - it is often equipped with an inexpensive gaming laptop. Reviews about the TN matrix, of course, are not always positive, but nevertheless, premium models have very good color rendition and good viewing angles, and the response time is shorter than that of IPS scanning, which has a good effect on processing dynamic scenes.
Dimensions
This is clearly not a gaming laptop, if it is thin and light - the exception is a few, but they cost a lot of money. All the useful, powerful and nimble things that are “stuffed” into a gaming laptop simply cannot weigh little and have modest dimensions, so take this into account when you weigh the device on your hand and evaluate its “thinness”.
So, let’s outline the most distinguished models in terms of price and quality that are worth paying attention to. They can rightfully be called good gaming laptops.
2OC Dragon Eyes
The Dragon Eye model is one of the smallest gaming laptops. The device has a diagonal of only 14 inches, which automatically makes the laptop a black sheep among 15 and 17-inch gadgets. Of course, from the point of view of comfort and gaming preferences, I would like a larger diagonal, but this model is perfect for traveling and other frequent movements. This includes the relatively low weight - about 2 kg - and the dimensions corresponding to the display.
This model can be called an entry-level “game book,” but not in terms of evaluation by sellers and marketers, but precisely from the point of view. Experts clarify that the “Eye of the Dragon” lags behind the top models by about 5-7 FPS (with an average picture of 40 fps) .
There are several modifications on sale: a version with one standard laptop hard drive for 40-45 thousand rubles and with an enhanced “raid” for two high-speed SSD hard drives, but 10 thousand more expensive. The model has an optimal resolution for its diagonal of 1600 by 900 pixels, although Full HD scanning would obviously not hurt here, since the screen is not touch-sensitive, and the device can afford it.
Acer Aspire V3
The Acer company is not often found among powerful gaming machines, but with a powerful discrete solution from NVIDIA in the form of the GTX 760M, it rightfully takes its place in the segment. The model has similar performance to the previous participant, but with significant differences - the screen of the new Aspire is equipped with 17-inch characteristics and Full. In the same comparison with the “Eye of the Dragon”, the V3 model turned out to be noticeably heavier (3.2 kg) and slightly thicker (35 mm ).
The laptop body is made mainly of aluminum, and only the bottom has a plastic base. The filling also inspires confidence: a high-speed 256 GB SSD complete with a terabyte HDD and 16 GB of RAM on board. All this pleasure costs about 50 thousand rubles, but, as an option, you can find something cheaper, for example, with a regular HDD or with a reduced amount of RAM. Experts, however, advise purchasing the basic model without any reduction factors.
Often the main criterion for choosing any equipment is its price. We actually did just that. To be more precise, we have slightly demarcated the concept of prices for gaming laptops. But in this case it is better to start not from the cost of the device, but from its technical characteristics and the tasks for which you, in fact, want to purchase a laptop.
So today we’ll touch on the topic of productivity first.
To complete the review, we will consider several categories of laptops with different display diagonals: after all, someone will certainly decide to carry a laptop with them, and with full-size models this is not particularly convenient.
The tables below, in general, show everything we tried to write about. multibookaf. So for those to whom everything is already clear, you don’t have to waste time and immediately use the visual infographics or go straight to the catalog of gaming laptops. And to summarize, it’s good to have some summary data at hand - it’s easier to decide what exactly you need.
Let's start, perhaps, with low-power gaming laptops (at least with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760M or a 765M video card of the same family), and we'll finish the review with laptops equipped with two NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M.
Video card
For some, intuition, and for others, experience suggests that the 780M video card will be more powerful than the 770, and the latter will be better than the 765M. And with the 760M video card you can even start a series of simple gaming video adapters. The larger the number in front of the index, the better, or what? Let me explain. Again, for clarity, let’s take the results of testing the performance of 4 gaming laptops equipped with different NVIDIA GeForce GTX models - this is the simplest way to describe the performance of a particular chip. Our focus point is an indicator of real FPS growth ( Frames Per Second or number of frames displayed in one second on the laptop screen).
It’s clear that it’s not just the video card that affects the performance of laptops. Ideally, one would need to take into account not only the presence of a more expensive graphics accelerator, but also the capabilities of the processor installed on the laptop and the amount of RAM. Therefore, please take the graphs below as information for general information.
In the test, we used laptops MSI GT70 2OD-255RU, Toshiba Qosmio X70-A-L5S, MSI GS70 2OD-014RU and MSI GE40, the main parameters of which affect the performance of the laptop during gameplay are listed in the table. We did not describe the details about the filling of each model: we think that the tabular data will be quite enough.
And here, in fact, are the results of the performance test itself:
The conclusions are more than obvious. Most modern games at a resolution of 1600x900 pixels and maximum settings can only be run by the NVIDIA GeForce 780M. Although, this video card is not omnipotent: Metro: Last Light was not successful for it - at 25 frames/sec. on average, we can talk about a regular drawdown below this level (although much lower than it!).
In order not to compare all the chips on Metro, we note that it was difficult for the NVIDIA GeForce 770M to cope with Hitman: Absolution. With this video card, at maximum graphics settings, FPS drops low in other cases.
The 765M copes with games only at high settings - this video card clearly cannot handle maximum graphics. Although, high settings are not suitable for every toy on the list: for a comfortable game you will have to lower the settings even lower. By the way, the 760M is not far from the 765M: the performance of both video cards is very similar. Although, if we compare the 760 with the 780, the latter will have almost twofold superiority.
To begin with, this is enough: you can already make a choice based on the performance of the video card, but see below how other parameters of the laptop can affect it.
Low power gaming laptops (760M and 765M)
We, in fact, started with the fact that laptops below NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M should not be considered at all (or 760M, which is also the minimum acceptable option).
These video cards will not allow you to play most modern games at maximum settings, but at high settings they will do just fine.
The first one in the review is the GE40 2OC Dragon Eyes laptop from MSI (9S7-149242-005).
Firstly, this is one of the most compact gaming laptops (this is perhaps the only model of gaming laptops to which it is legitimate to apply the word “compact” - the weight of such a “crumb” is 1.96 kg with battery, physical parameters 34 x 2.6 x 24 cm, which is quite good with a 14-inch screen).
By the way, among 14-inch gaming laptops this is an extremely rare phenomenon. Compared to the prevailing majority of 15 and 17-inch laptops, this one immediately catches your eye. If you are willing to put up with a small screen size for the sake of being able to transport your laptop frequently, then there is nothing to complain about the inferiority of the model. Its weight also speaks in favor of the laptop’s portability: 1.62 kg without a battery and 1.96 kg with it – this is also the GE40’s own record. The same Dell Alienware with the same 14-inch screen already weighs 3 kg.
We consider “Dragon Eyes” to be an entry-level laptop based on the maximum FPS allowed for adequate gameplay, although, according to the sales consultants who point you to a price of 46 thousand rubles, it will not be such.
According to good tradition, the manufacturer left us the opportunity to choose the configuration of the laptop. However, in the case of the GE40, it will only be possible to modify the hard drive.
As for the display, which was mentioned above, the screen resolution is quite proportional to its diagonal and is 1600x900 pixels. Full HD resolution, of course, would not hurt, but the GE40 has a regular screen, not a touch screen, so the picture will be easily scaled whenever the resolution is lowered.
The second laptop in this group, also 14-inch, is Alienware 14 from Dell (A14-6351).
The Alienware line, by the way, recently received updated hardware, and with it a bolder design. This 14-inch model is distinguished from the previous model by a higher resolution screen - it has the missing GE40 Full HD resolution of 1920x1080 pixels.
The graphics card in Alienware 14 is also better: GeForce GTX 765M. As for the processor, two Core i7s of the same generation work almost identically and the difference is, however, difficult to notice by eye.
Alienware 14 already weighs under three kilograms and, moreover, has a more massive body (it is 13 mm thicker than the MSI model). With such dimensions you won’t go far or for long. So in terms of transportability it is less convenient.
But this laptop has a lot of proprietary “tricks”: the manufacturer amused us most with the backlight, placing the latter on the side edges and the touchpad, and the traditional keyboard backlight can now even be customized: blinking of the keyboard will indicate a new incoming letter. But we were more interested in the ability to customize the keyboard backlighting for certain game events: for example, the color of the keyboard will smoothly change, moving from green to red, depending on the level of life of the game character. And this is not a complete list of innovations.
In the configuration listed in the table below, this will cost about 58 thousand rubles, i.e. 11 thousand more than the GE40 model from MSI (the backlight is a bit expensive, although the video card is a little better and Full HD is available).
Let's finish the initial group with the Acer Aspire V3-772G-747a161.26TMa laptop.
Acer, by and large, is a rare bird among powerful gaming laptops, and laptop models from this manufacturer with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760M chip are even more so. Although the Acer Aspire V3-772G still has such a video card. The performance of this laptop is not much better than the GE40 or Alienware 14. The same can be said for its retail price: by and large, Acer is the same GE40, only with a larger screen diagonal and Full HD. What is especially pleasing are the physical characteristics: with a 17-inch display, the Acer weighs nothing - 3.2 kg (the body thickness is 35 mm). The body of the device, made of plastic (bottom) and aluminum (lid and working panel), helped to lighten the gamebook somewhat.
Acer Aspire V3-772G received several connectors for drives, two of which are 2.5-inch, and one is mSATA. Included with a hard drive capacity of 1 TB and a 256 GB SSD is 16 GB of RAM. Such a machine costs about 45-48 thousand, although cheaper modifications can be found on sale: for example, all with the same video card, but without an SSD.
Confident averages (770 M)
In this category, MSI also presents one of the smallest and highest quality gaming laptops – the GT60 2OC (2OC-079) model with a 15.6-inch screen diagonal. Weight and thickness made it less mobile: 3.5 kg with a 55 mm case thickness is a very decent burden. This one costs an order of magnitude more than the GE40 (the approximate difference in cost is 12-14 thousand). But for the increase in the price tag, the user will get a more productive laptop, with the main difference from the 14-inch MSI model in the form of a 128 GB SSD. True, given the “weight” of most modern games, you will still have to use a terabyte hard drive.
You can judge the increased performance of the laptop by at least the Intel Core i7-4700MQ processor and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M video card with 3 GB of memory. So the vast majority of games with such parameters can be easily run on medium and even high settings.
The GT60 turned out to be more interesting not only internally but also visually than the GE40. Thus, the GT60 received a customizable backlight that allows you to divide the keyboard into three functional zones, each of which can be assigned its own color.
The second in this group of laptops is Toshiba QOSMIO X70-A-K2S (PSPLTR-00S01KRU), easily recognizable among competing laptops not so much by the manufacturer’s logo as by its characteristic design: the red edging of the body and touchpad made this laptop more attractive and aggressive in appearance.
But under the hood it has the same processor and the same video card as the MSI GT60 and the Dell Alienware 17, which will be discussed below. The internal difference between the Toshiba laptop is 2 terabytes of memory (we like this option much more than the newfangled SSDs). And, plus everything, there is already 16 GB of RAM, and 8 GB, which the top model is content with.
The glossy screen and placement of the air vent seem very controversial to us in this gaming laptop. The first, although it improves the quality of the picture, glares at the slightest hit of light, which greatly distracts from the game. And the placement of the cooling system, although it can be justified by placing the latter as far as possible from the main WASD control keys, is still far from the most successful: hot air will blow directly under the right hand lying on the mouse. Although, maybe this laptop was designed specifically for left-handed people?..
Toshiba QOSMIO X70-A-K2S, with all its advantages, does not cost as much as for a gaming laptop - about 65 thousand.
Third on the list is the Dell Alienware 17 laptop (A17-6405). This is, if you like, a version of the 14-inch version of the same series enlarged to 17.3 inches. The screen, although Full HD, does not support touch input (and neither do most of the models we reviewed, although the innovation is quite interesting). There is a matte display here that provides comfortable gaming (a tolerable sacrifice is slightly degraded image transmission). Although this is an average group, the performance of the Dell Alienware 17 is quite high. Judge for yourself: the main stuffing here is an Intel Core i7-4700MQ processor and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M video card, as well as a full 16 GB of RAM.
A 750 GB hard drive was selected as the information storage system (but the spindle rotation speed is 7200 rpm!). The Dell Alienware 17 is also equipped with a 64 GB SSD, which is most likely assigned the role of cache for the HDD.
Competitiveness is also ensured by smaller dimensions and a slightly higher price, justified by good hardware: for a little more than 73 thousand you can purchase a model with the characteristics indicated in the lower table, and the most fully equipped laptop will cost you 100-odd thousand rubles.
High Performance Gaming Laptops (780M)
Three laptops in this category are not given for comparison, but rather as possible options for purchasing a laptop with the same video card, but otherwise different hardware, and hence the difference in price.
MSI GT60 2OD is the only laptop we know of with a 780M and a 15.6-inch screen. Therefore, it is significantly lighter than other laptops in the group, although externally it is not too smaller than the latter.
The table below shows the most inexpensive configuration of the MSI GT60 2OD, which nevertheless includes a processor and video cards that ensure high performance of the machine. Our version does not have an SSD, but older versions of the laptop have not one, but two or three solid-state drives combined in RAID0.
MSI, by the way, offers a laptop with a 17.3-inch screen diagonal, which has the same 780 M video card, but a more powerful processor (for those interested, we are talking about the MSI GT70 model).
On average, the MSI GT60 2OD costs about 73 thousand, although, as we have already noted, the laptop configuration can be changed to reduce the cost.
Not only gaming laptops from Dell or Toshiba have a distinctive design; ASUS laptops also have their own personality. ASUS looks like a rather strict laptop, but you can’t tell that it is designed for a fairly young audience of users (according to statistics, the owners of gaming laptops are young people aged 16 to 23 years), who are only going to do things like play with toys pin. ASUS G750Jh weighs quite respectably - 4.8 kg. One of the most productive modifications, more than others satisfying the criterion of “cheap but cheerful” (the word “ cheap» take it somewhat figuratively, because We are talking about a group of laptops in which the cost of a gaming machine can easily exceed 135 thousand rubles): a laptop like the one in the table below will cost, on average, 80 thousand rubles. Provided that you are generous with another 17-20 thousand, one of the two available 1TB hard drives can be replaced with a 256 GB SSD, in addition to receiving +8 GB of RAM.
Optionally, such a laptop can also support three-dimensional images, if you are suddenly overwhelmed by the newfangled stereoscopic wave.
Despite the considerable power of the laptop, the cooling system in it works quite quietly (the optical drive is louder than the last one!).
Last in the review is the Dell Alienware 18 (A17-6382) - a laptop for those who feel sick at the mention of a 14-inch display. An 18.4-inch Dell Alienware 18 screen and the top configuration of such a gaming machine will cost no less than 130 thousand rubles. You can save money on its purchase, but only if you order a laptop from overseas: it definitely costs significantly less there than in Russia (as, indeed, any overseas equipment brought to us in a roundabout way). Or the second option: purchase a laptop with a similar configuration, but from a different manufacturer.
Dell Alienware 18, unlike the above models, is equipped with a more powerful CPU. The video subsystem will work noticeably faster due to the presence of two NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M video cards (of course, provided that the game was designed for this type of hardware).
So now you know how to buy a laptop for gaming, what it can be like and how much it will cost.
Finally, let us repeat that a good machine with high performance cannot be cheap: if you want to play with high or maximum graphics settings without braking, please be generous. There is hardly any point in buying anything else for gaming, but on a modest budget.
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Elizabeth
Without a twinge of conscience, I ask for “phone number” from guys and girls I don’t know well. To check whether the lock button fits comfortably under your finger and whether the autofocus works quickly :) I would like to visit MWC and conduct a live blog from the thick of things.
Are you looking for a good car to comfortably play GTA, Assassin's Creed Origins, The Witcher 3 or another equally exciting game? Then you've come to the right place! A few years ago, gamers were advised to buy a desktop computer. Today everything has changed. Laptops can handle demanding toys too. Naturally, Not just any laptop is suitable for gaming. It must have a powerful processor, a good video card, many gigabytes of RAM, and this is the minimum. How to find the coolest Gemeir laptop? The easiest way is to trust the advertising and promises of manufacturers and sellers. There is a slightly more complicated path, but it is guaranteed to give the expected result. You have to sit down and figure out all the technical nuances yourself. We are ready to make your path easier and have prepared some tips for choosing a gaming laptop. We also selected the best gaming laptops of 2018.
Before you go looking for a gaming machine, be very clear about what you want from her. Are these the newest games at the highest settings? Maybe medium settings will be enough for you? Or are you generally a fan of games released in 2015? In all these cases, different laptops are needed, and their prices will naturally be different. It’s also better to decide on a budget right away. It is often better to save up for a couple of months than to save money and not get any pleasure from the games, and such technology is not a cheap pleasure.
The large E-catalog resource, which presents offers from hundreds of stores, will help you navigate the price - you can buy a gaming laptop at the best price. A lot of filters will help you quickly and easily find a model with the desired characteristics. Now it remains to understand what these characteristics should be.
Let's not pull the cat by the tail - let's go over the main parameters that you should pay attention to when choosing a gaming laptop.
Video card
This year at CES, leading processor manufacturers Intel and AMD showed new products. These are stones with powerful built-in video cards. They showed that in the near future there will be no need for discrete video cards, but so far the new processors have not entered mass production and remain very expensive, so you will have to choose a machine with a discrete video card.
Best in terms of performance, energy efficiency and compactness - video cards fromNVIDIA. Previously, laptops came with stripped-down versions, but now they use the same video cards as in desktop computers.
The GeForce GTX 10x0 series is worth a look:
- video card GeForce GTX 1050– the very minimum for the game, will allow you to run most modern games at medium settings, on FullHD (30-70 fps, depending on the game). You need to take the 4 GB version. The 2 GB version is not suitable for games;
- GeForce GTX 1050Ti It will be faster, allow you to set high settings, and cost more. The maximum video memory here is 4 GB. Not bad for today, but if you take a laptop with an eye on the next few years, you might regret it a little later;
- GeForce GTX 1060 with 6 GB is the optimal solution for today. There will be enough resources here for the next couple of years. There is a version with 3 GB, but it’s not worth considering seriously;
- GeForce GTX 1070– an even more powerful solution that will easily run all games at maximum settings;
- GeForce GTX 1080– a solution for those who want to play with 4K resolution. Such a laptop will not be cheap, to put it mildly.
These same video cards are available with the console Max-Q. They are more economical, compact, but also slower.
You can also find laptops with AMD processors and AMD Radeon R9/AMD FirePro video cards on sale. These are weaker and cheaper solutions. Stripped-down NVIDIA GTX 970-980 video cards are already the last generation, but if you are an undemanding gamer, then you can use such options. 
CPU
In the eternal battle Intel vs.AMD Intel wins in terms of performance, so gamers don’t even think much about the processor - onlyIntel. The best solution for a gaming laptop is 4-core processors IntelCorei5 andIntelCorei7. A Core i5 processor (version 7300HQ) or the new Core i7 (8550U and 8650U) can unleash all the capabilities of a GTX 1050/1060-level video card. For more powerful video cards, take the i7-7700HQ processor, and if you decide to use two video cards in your laptop at once, then it is better to look towards the i7-7820HK.
Processors from AMD are inferior in performance, although they are cheaper.
RAM
Minimum for a gaming laptop – 8 GB. Many gamers will not agree with this and will say that in 2018 the minimum increased to 16 GB. And they will be right. Today there are games that simply won’t launch or will launch with big problems if there are only 8 GB under the hood. There will be more such games in the future. But it is not all that bad!
You can take a cheaper laptop with 8 GB and expandable RAM. When the existing supply becomes clearly insufficient, you can purchase another 8 GB of memory. By the way, it will be even cheaper than immediately buying a 16 GB laptop. It will be possible to sell all existing memory modules and buy more modern and faster ones instead. When counting on such a feat, do not forget to check in the characteristics of the model what maximum memory capacity and frequency it is designed for.
Anyone who is looking to the future and has a tidy sum in reserve can immediately look towards laptops with 32 GB of RAM. 
Storage System
It just so happens that so far the top choice for gaming laptops is a combination of a hard drive (HDD) and a solid-state drive (SSD). The latter works many times faster, but its volume is usually 128-256 GB. The operating system is installed on the SSD. The main data set, incl. games and movies will have to be stored on the HDD, its volume can reach 1 TB. For some, even this is not enough, and they buy an external hard drive of 1-2 TB.
Laptops with 512 GB SSD are appearing on sale. They are more productive, compact, but more expensive.
Screen
The diagonal in gaming laptops fluctuates from 15 to 18 inches. On a smaller display, you won't be able to see all the details, so the entire gaming experience will be ruined. There are two types of matrices: IPS andTN. The former are more expensive, but boast a wide viewing angle. No matter where you look, the colors will be the same. A laptop with a TN matrix is not always as bad as you might think. Yes, the viewing angles are reduced, but it costs less, today there are very good models being produced, and even if one person is sitting in front of the screen, then what difference does it make? However, IPS with anti-glare coating is still the best choice.
Minimum resolution for comfortable gaming– 1920*1080 (Full HD). With a higher resolution, you can get an even clearer picture, so if your finances allow (since you will need a more powerful hardware), take a model with Quad HD (2560*1440) and 4K (3840*2160).
It is important that the screen supports a frame rate of at least 60 Hz, preferably 120 Hz; in the most expensive models this parameter starts from 144 Hz.
Battery
Battery capacity is not so important for a gamer, because hardly anyone expects to play for a long time away from a power outlet. Of course, it’s nice to play when the power is out at home, but even the most durable models are unlikely to provide more than 1-1.5 hours of battery life in gaming mode. It is fair to demand from a laptop that it has enough charge to survive and turn it off during a power outage. Most models are capable of this. A less capacious battery, by the way, reduces the cost of the device, so if you save on anything, it’s only on the battery. 
Weight and ergonomics
Gaming laptops can be divided into two types: compact and thin, weighing 2-3 kg, and heavy, weighing up to 6 kg. The former are, of course, more convenient, but they have slightly slower video cards, and you will have to pay more attention to cooling. The plump companions already have a powerful cooling system, which, by the way, weighs a lot. It is very difficult to check the effectiveness of the latter - read reviews of the models you are interested in.
Externally, a laptop may look laconic and modest. There are models made in a metal case. There are devices that show their power and main purpose in all their appearance. It's about taste and color.
Make sure that the vent and most ports are not located on the same side as where you will be holding the mouse. A DVD/Blu-Ray drive is desirable, since many films and games are still distributed on discs. If everything suits you, but the laptop only has Blu-Ray, then buy an external drive. USB Type-C, USB 3.0 and HDMI ports are everywhere, sometimes Thunderbolt and DisplayPort may be needed.
A backlit keyboard, a fingerprint scanner for secure access, and high-quality speakers will be a pleasant addition to a gaming laptop.
As for prices, the cheapest gaming laptop costs about 50 thousand rubles, medium models will cost from 70 thousand, and top models will cost more than 110 thousand.
There is ongoing debate online about which is better, a gaming laptop or a full-fledged gaming PC. At the same cost, the PC will be more powerful, but the main advantage of a laptop is mobility. A laptop can be as powerful as a desktop option. Many argue that the cost of both options is approximately the same. Hundreds of pages on the Internet are written about this.
Best Gaming Laptops 2018
First, we note that each model comes in different configurations, and prices by region can vary greatly, so our rating is more for informational purposes so that you can navigate the existing offer.
DELL G3 15 3579
One of the most interesting offers on the market. Even the weakest modification will cope with its tasks perfectly, and the price is adequate. The RAM can be expanded up to 32 GB and there is a Thunderbolt port. The screen is of high quality, and you can’t tell from its appearance that this is a gaming device, so you can take it with you to work without revealing your preferences. The model has no serious shortcomings, and if you take into account the price-quality ratio, it is one of the best solutions at the moment. For 50 thousand you get a very good gaming horse, and for 65 thousand you get the best modification with a fingerprint scanner.
MSI GL72M 7REX
Another model that has the right to be considered the best inexpensive gaming laptop. It is difficult to find a cheaper laptop with the same parameters of video card, processor, memory and screen. Let's add good cooling here. The disadvantage is that the design is not very convenient for upgrading.
Acer Predator Helios 500 (PH517-51-99PH)
Power, power, power! The dream of all gamers. Words are superfluous here. The productivity reserve will be enough for the next few years. They used pleasant-to-touch plastic and a quiet and powerful cooling system. It is possible to expand the RAM up to 64 GB. Users say that they expected more from the sound, but they wouldn’t dare call it bad or of poor quality.
MSI GT75VR 7RF Titan Pro
The best video card, a good supply of RAM expandable up to 64 GB, an excellent screen, processor, cooling system - this laptop can be considered a standard. There is nothing to complain about. The dimensions of such a beast cannot be compact, so 4.5 kg will have to be tolerated.
DELL G5 15 5587
Compactness, autonomy, convenience, style, waterproof keyboard, sophisticated cooling system, power - all these are one hundred percent advantages of the model. Users say the screen could be better.
Acer Predator Helios 300 (PH317-51)
The model received a matte IPS screen with backlighting, quite large and juicy. There is no optical drive. There is a slot for expanding RAM, but the maximum that can be used is 32 GB. The appearance of the laptop is strict, but with a twist. The plastic used is high quality, we are pleased with the powerful speakers and good cooling system. Autonomy here is also excellent: the manufacturer talks about 7 hours, in fact the maximum is 5.5 hours, which is still not bad. The keyboard backlight is only red. This device is one of the most inexpensive gaming laptops on the market, and at the same time it maintains an excellent balance of price and quality.
Xiaomi Mi Gaming Laptop
The laptop is available in a wide variety of configurations. Only the screen characteristics, weight and set of ports remain unchanged. The screen is matte, has LED backlighting, and there is no optical drive. The keyboard is backlit, the case is metal, all the necessary ports are in place. In gentle mode without power, the device will last 6.5 hours – that’s what the manufacturer says. Users like the high-quality IPS screen, good cooling system, and stylish design. Among the shortcomings: there is no Thunderbolt port, there are no Russian letters, and the fan is quite noisy at high speeds. Overall, a very, very good gaming laptop. The cost depends greatly on the filling. Lower and upper limits are indicated. In the middle there remains a modification with 8 GB of RAM and Core i7 for 86,000 rubles.
DELL INSPIRON 7577
A modification sufficient for games costs about 70 thousand, and for 95 thousand you will get the very best. The model impresses with its compactness, stylish design, thoughtful lighting, and high-quality cooling system. The model is easy to upgrade, there is a free memory slot, so you can get as much as 32 GB of RAM. The machine is powerful, some modifications have a fingerprint scanner. There are practically no downsides, if you don’t take into account the not very capacious battery. Some people find fault with the sound and screen, but they are more than worth the price here.
Lenovo Legion Y520
The simplest modification for 47,000 rubles is suitable for undemanding gamers who play last year’s games, since 6 GB of RAM and 2 GB of video memory are clearly not enough for anything serious. A version with 8 GB of RAM with a GTX 1050 Ti and 4 GB with a Core i5 will cost 72,000, and the most advanced version will cost almost 90,000 rubles. The advantages of the model include the screen, full-size keyboard, and good cooling. Even in its far from the most sophisticated modification, the device works quickly.
ASUS TUF Gaming FX504GD
The version with 2 GB of RAM is not recommended for purchase, so in total the price starts from 53,000-55,000, but for this money you can find a version with 12 GB of RAM, which is why the model ended up in our rating. Pros include ergonomics, volume, keyboard. Cons: weak battery and not a very good camera.
HP OMEN 15-ax200
For 48,000 you can sell a laptop with 2 GB of video memory. With 4 GB of video memory, the model costs from 52,000 rubles, which is very good, considering its compactness, ergonomics, performance, good sound, relative quietness and good battery life. We get a very good inexpensive gaming laptop.
