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Gaming Laptops: Buying Guidelines

Gaming laptops are popular among online gamers, but it might surprise you to learn that they are equally popular among the non-gamers due to various reasons, such as speed, ease of use, high quality, longevity, etc.

The gaming laptops, besides being used for the purpose of playing games, are also extremely useful to run high-end graphic applications, like Photoshop. Also, the latest 8th generation Coffee Lake processor has set new boundaries for the best gaming laptops, which is projected to improve with the release of Cannon Lake processors in the near future.

List of things to consider while purchasing a gaming laptop:

Processor

A fast running CPU is a keystone to a good gaming laptop. Intel is known to have the best processors; hence, preferring Intel would be wise. The latest processors are 8 th -generation Coffee Lake by Intel, as mentioned above.

RAM

When it comes to RAM, the more, the better. The minimum required RAM for a smooth performing gaming laptop is 8GB. If affordable, getting 12GB or 16GB can be an added advantage.

Graphics/GPU

Graphics card or GPU is absolutely essential because a bad graphic card will fail to run games, therefore, you must be vigilant about the GPU of your laptop. A majority of laptops come with Nvidia GPU, like Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050/1050 for mainstream game performance. For higher performance Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 can be considered.

Hard Drive

Storage space also has to be kept in mind while choosing a gaming laptop, as Games, in general, takes up a lot of space on your hard drive and an additional hard drive cannot be placed in a laptop if it runs out of space. So, it is best to consider it before the big purchase.

Display

Even the best features would be of little use if the output of your game were not up to mark. Hence, having a high-resolution display screen for a tremendous gaming experience. The minimum resolution has to be 1920 x 1080, for a gaming laptop.

Keyboard/Touchpad

In the process of focusing on other specifications do not miss out the keyboard/touchpad experience. As a keyboard/touchpad is excessively used, it has to give a smooth, user friendly, and comfortable vibe, over all.

Battery Life

Although, most of the gaming laptops come with a shorter battery life in comparison with the regular laptops, it is essential to consider laptops that provide a decent battery backup, which has to be a minimum of 6 hours and above.

Here’s a list of our Top 5 Best Gaming Laptops

1. Razer Blade

Specifications:

  • CPU: 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-6700HQ
  • Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6GB GDDR5 VRAM)
  • RAM: 16GB
  • Screen: 14-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) – QHD+ (3,200 x 1,800) IGZO (LED backlit, multi-touch)
  • Storage: 256GB – 1TB PCIe SSD

Rating (out of 10):

  • 9 – Design
  • 7 – Features
  • 8 – Performance
  • 7 – Battery

2. Alienware 17 R4

Specifications:

  • CPU: Intel Core i7
  • Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (2GB GDDR5) – GTX 1080 (8GB GDDR5X)
  • RAM: 8GB – 32GB
  • Screen: 17.3-inch, FHD (1,920 x 1,080) – UHD (3,840 x 2,160) IPS anti-glare 300-nits
  • Storage: 128GB SSD, 1TB HDD – 2TB SSD, 1TB HDD

Rating (out of 10):

  • 8 – Design
  • 8 – Features
  • 8 – Performance
  • 7 – Battery

3. MSI GS65 Stealth Thin

Specifications:

  • CPU: Up to 8th Gen. Intel Core i7 Processor
  • Graphics: GeForce GTX 1060 with 6GB GDDR5
  • RAM: Up to 32GB
  • Screen: 15.6″ FHD (1920×1080), 144Hz, 7ms, IPS-Level
  • Storage: 1x M.2 SSD slot (NVMe PCIe Gen3), 1x M.2 SSD Combo (NVMe PCIe Gen3 / SATA)

Rating (out of 10):

  • 8 – Design
  • 8 – Features
  • 8 – Performance
  • 7 – Battery

4. Dell Inspiron 15 7000

Specifications:

  • CPU: 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5-6300HQ (quad-core, 3MB Cache, up to 3.2GHz)
  • Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M (4GB GDDR5 RAM), Intel HD Graphics 530
  • RAM: 8GB DDR3L (1,600MHz)
  • Screen: 15.6-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 anti-glare LED-backlit display
  • Storage: 1TB 5,400 RPM hybrid drive w/ 8GB cache

Rating (out of 10):

  • 8 – Design
  • 8 – Features
  • 8 – Performance
  • 8 – Battery

5. Acer Predator 15

Specifications:

  • CPU: Intel Core i7 (6th Gen) 6700HQ / 2.6 GHz
  • Graphics: Nvidia GTX 980M
  • RAM: Up to 64 GB DDR3/DDR4 (4 SODIMMs)
  • Screen: 15.6-inch, IPS, Ultra HD 3840 x 2160 px resolution, matte, non-touch
  • Storage: 1x M.2 PCIe Gen3 + 1 2.5″ SATA bay + 1 optional 2.5″ SATA bay

Rating (out of 10):

  • 8 – Design
  • 8 – Features
  • 8 – Performance
  • 7 – Battery

Hope this was helpful and why not share your favourite gaming laptop in comments.

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