- Joined
- Jun 13, 2005
- Messages
- 61,637
- Reaction score
- 25,736
Sales
- https://www.reddit.com/r/LaptopDeals/
- https://slickdeals.net/laptop-deals/
- https://www.techbargains.com/category/359/computers/laptops
- https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales/ (Laptops are often posted here)
I regard this German website to be the most useful and thorough laptop reviewer on the web:
https://www.notebookcheck.net/
Processing Power
- CPU
- GPU (aka "video card")
- RAM
- Storage (SSD + HDD > SSD > Hybrid Drives > HDD)
Everything Else
- Form Factor
- 2-in-1?
- Convertible = can fold the keyboard over backwards to use touchscreen like a tablet
- Detachable = detachable keyboards (ex. Windows Surface Pro)
- 2-in-1?
- Display
- Size (13.3", 15.6", and 17.3" are standards; 15.6" is most common)
- Resolution (higher = better)
- Display Type (OLED > IPS > TN*)
- *for picture quality, but not gaming framerate/smoothness where TN is the best
- Refresh Rate: 60 Hz, 120Hz, or 144Hz? (higher = better)
- G-Sync capable? (this will only apply to NVIDIA GPUs-- eliminates screen tearing)
- Touchscreen?
- Battery Life
- higher mAh= better, obviously
- Ports & Sensors
- Thunderbolt 3 > USB 3.1 (Gen2) > USB 3.1 (Gen1) = USB 3.0 > USB 2.0 (Type-C is most desirable form)
- Latest graphic port standards: HDMI = 2.1; DIsplayPort= 1.4
- SD Card Reader? (great for working with digital cameras/camcorders and Android smartphones/tablets)
- Fingerprint Reader?
- Webcam + Mic? HD?
- Construction
- Chassis build quality (Metal / Aluminum > Plastic)
- Thickness/Weight
- Surface Thermals (i.e. Can you sit it on your lap during extended peak usage?)
- Don't overlook the size of the power brick used to plug the laptop into an outlet; some may be larger than desirable depending on the size of one's portable carrying vessels
- Keyboard
- Backlit or not?
- Operating System & Software
- Windows 10 > all other operating systems & versions of Windows for game performance
- Pre-installed software (i.e. bloatware): the less the better
CLIFF NOTES FOR THE ABOVE
Above are your major specs divided into two major categories. "Processing Power" refers to hardware components that will affect game performance. I've hyperlinked UserBenchmark for each component if you want to see how it stacks up.
Laptops and desktops share many of the same components, but buying laptops is usually a bit simpler because it is designed to work as a single system, so you don't have to worry as much about research to make sure your individual components are all compatible/optimal for each other. There is very little that can be upgraded or replaced in a laptop. RAM and batteries are about it. Sometimes you can add an SSD or HDD.
-- the CPU and GPU are the most critical components. While UserBenchmark focuses on desktop components they are slowly adding in laptop components for easy-to-understand ratings and h2h comparisons. Be aware that for the GPU (aka "video card") this can often be confusing because on websites like Amazon or Best Buy the NVIDIA GTX 10 series GPUs will be listed in name indistinguishably from the laptop version. For a true benchmark comparison you must look for "Mobile" or "Laptop" in the title. See the difference here:
http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-1060-Mobile-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1060-6GB/m164336vs3639
This is a big deal because frankly, right now, you really shouldn't be buying any gaming laptop that isn't running on an Intel CPU and an NVIDIA GTX 10 or RTX 20 series GPU. They perform so much better at so much lower temperatures that AMD cannot compete in the laptop territory.
Reasonable laptop gaming power has been achievable for $1500 or so for about the last 6 years, but the release that really changed everything for gaming laptops was when NVIDIA finally brought the desktop-class GPUs to laptops with the new GTX 10 series. Now there is their successor line of RTX 20 GPUs, but those are still more pricey. Almost all of these laptop video cards are now only 10%-30% behind their desktop versions (which are already the best in the world) in terms of performance, and there no longer exists an outlandish markup on most of the gaming laptops that carry an RTX 2070 8GB class GPU or lower; because they produce so little heat relative to past generations that it isn't presenting a major engineering challenge, anymore, for manufacturers to shove them into laptop spaces.
Right now that Acer Helios Predator 300 (2018) everyone is mentioning is the bestselling overall gaming laptop on Amazon. It's 15" with mostly the same specs and comes in at $999, so $1K is all that a highly respectable gaming laptop will run you in the USA, these days.
The laptops carrying the most powerful cards still demand a more significant markup over the desktop market because they run quite hot, and because living in such a premium niche, they simply don't sell as large a volume. They're also massive and loud because they have to pack actual fans in to keep everything running smoothly. You won't be able to rest them on your lap.
By far the most desirable cards for gamers with no budgetary concerns are NVIDIA's new "Max-Q" laptop cards, and we're starting to see these in laptops starting around $1,500. These are actually even slightly weaker than the normal laptop video card versions I'm talking about above. Max-Q is considered a distinct laptop architecture. The reason they are so highly prized is because they took the weight, size, and heat reduction to even greater levels. Basically, you can fit an RTX 2080 card into a laptop as sleek as a MacBook Pro, and sit it on your lap. To prove this, in the product launch, NVIDIA executives would actually sit down, rest the laptops on their laps, and conduct the product pitch while it was running games for at least 15 minutes. Apparently they still generate a bit of noise, but less than the traditional Pascal mobile versions.
Here is a list of all Max-Q laptops current to Feb-20, 2019:
https://www.ultrabookreview.com/16277-laptops-nvidia-max-q/
I find it irritating that they felt the need to signify the leap in laptop performance with Pascal Mobile by dropping the "M" that used to come after the card. They continue this with the RTX series. For example, back during the GTX 9xx generation, if you saw a laptop with a GTX 970 in it, they would write "GTX 970M" to indicate it was the laptop version. I wish they would still do that. Not doing it is misleading, and confusing for consumers. Benchmark references like UserBenchmark have adapted by designating the laptop variants as "GTX 1060 (Mobile)" or "GTX 1060 (Laptop)".
NVIDIA current video card classes
NVIDIA Laptop Gaming GPUs currently in production ranked from most to least powerful
Right now that Acer Helios Predator 300 (2018) everyone is mentioning is the bestselling overall gaming laptop on Amazon. It's 15" with mostly the same specs and comes in at $999, so $1K is all that a highly respectable gaming laptop will run you in the USA, these days.
The laptops carrying the most powerful cards still demand a more significant markup over the desktop market because they run quite hot, and because living in such a premium niche, they simply don't sell as large a volume. They're also massive and loud because they have to pack actual fans in to keep everything running smoothly. You won't be able to rest them on your lap.
By far the most desirable cards for gamers with no budgetary concerns are NVIDIA's new "Max-Q" laptop cards, and we're starting to see these in laptops starting around $1,500. These are actually even slightly weaker than the normal laptop video card versions I'm talking about above. Max-Q is considered a distinct laptop architecture. The reason they are so highly prized is because they took the weight, size, and heat reduction to even greater levels. Basically, you can fit an RTX 2080 card into a laptop as sleek as a MacBook Pro, and sit it on your lap. To prove this, in the product launch, NVIDIA executives would actually sit down, rest the laptops on their laps, and conduct the product pitch while it was running games for at least 15 minutes. Apparently they still generate a bit of noise, but less than the traditional Pascal mobile versions.
Here is a list of all Max-Q laptops current to Feb-20, 2019:
https://www.ultrabookreview.com/16277-laptops-nvidia-max-q/
I find it irritating that they felt the need to signify the leap in laptop performance with Pascal Mobile by dropping the "M" that used to come after the card. They continue this with the RTX series. For example, back during the GTX 9xx generation, if you saw a laptop with a GTX 970 in it, they would write "GTX 970M" to indicate it was the laptop version. I wish they would still do that. Not doing it is misleading, and confusing for consumers. Benchmark references like UserBenchmark have adapted by designating the laptop variants as "GTX 1060 (Mobile)" or "GTX 1060 (Laptop)".
NVIDIA current video card classes
- Desktop -------------> Pascal
- Laptop ---------------> Pascal Mobile
- Laptop premium --> Max-Q
- Desktop --------------> GTX 1080
- Laptop ----------------> GTX 1080M
- Laptop Max Q -------> GTX 1080MQ
NVIDIA Laptop Gaming GPUs currently in production ranked from most to least powerful
- RTX 2080 (Mobile)
- RTX 2080 (Max-Q)
- RTX 2070 (Mobile)
- GTX 1080 (Mobile)
- RTX 2070 (Max-Q)
- RTX 2060 (Mobile)
- RTX 2060 (Max-Q)
- GTX 1070 (Mobile)
- GTX 1070 (Max-Q)
- RTX 1660 Ti (Mobile)
- GTX 1060 (Mobile)
- GTX 1060 (Max-Q)
- GTX 1650 (Mobile)
- GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)
- GTX 1050 Ti (Max-Q)
- GTX 1050 (Mobile)
- GTX 1050 (Max-Q)
-- For RAM you really just want to procure at least 8GB. It's ideal to have two sticks instead of one stick so that it is running in dual channel. All current hardware will run DDR4 RAM. The MHz rating after that is an indication of speed. The DDR4 class guarantees a minimum frequency of 2133MHz, and even the best laptops still run 2666MHz RAM, so when purchasing laptops it is simpler because it is a question of how much, not how fast. Whether the memory is in dual channel will have a greater influence on its speed performance.
-- For storage an SSD is highly desirable for better load times and overall snappiness, but laptops can combine an SSD (for the OS) and an HDD (for more, cheap storage). This is the best of both worlds. The best tool to compare SSD performance is UserBenchmark if you can find the specific models, but again, for laptops, this tends to be impractical.
-- The rest is mostly a matter of preference and individual user demands. Learn more about it by asking questions in this thread.
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APRIL 2019 RECOMMENDATIONS
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Know that the Intel i9-8950HK is the most powerful gaming laptop processor in the world, but the Intel i7-8750H is still far more common even among flagships because it is so much more power efficient (i.e. battery life) and runs so much cooler. The NVIDIA RTX 2080 is the most powerful laptop gaming GPU in the world.
I don't recommend 14" or below for gaming laptops, due to the premium for the shrinking form factor, but the Alienware R3, Alienware 13, Razer Blade 13, and MSI Phantom or MSI Stealth Pro variants are probably your best options in this size range. Every laptop below is considerably more powerful than the original PS4 or Xbox One.
Three constantly updated lists everyone should check out are here:
- https://www.pcgamer.com/best-gaming-laptop/
- https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/best-gaming-laptops
- https://www.notebookcheck.net/Notebookcheck-s-Top-10-Gaming-Laptops.98628.0.html
15"
$999
Acer Predator Helios 300, 15.6" FHD IPS w/ 144Hz Refresh Rate, Intel 6-Core i7-8750H, Overclockable GeForce GTX 1060 6GB, 16GB DDR4, 256GB NVMe SSD, Aeroblade Metal Fans PH315-51-78NP
Acer Predator Helios 300 (2018)
- Display: 15.6" 1920x1080 144Hz IPS
- CPU: i7-8750H
- GPU: GTX 1060 6GB (mobile version)
- RAM: 16GB DDR4-2666
- SSD: 256GB
- *Receive Activision Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 with Purchase - Valid 10/21/18–04/31/19 or while supplies last.
Use this PC Part Picker list to identify the best price at the moment you are buying. The 2.5" and 6 Gb/s filters have already been selected. Choose "SSD" if you want to narrow to those options:
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/internal-hard-drive/#i=25&f=3&sort=ppgb&page=1
***General Performance Ranking***
SSD > SSHD > HDD
HDD
- ($45) 2.5" Seagate Barracuda 1TB 5400 RPM HDD (lowest additional cost)
- ($151) 2.5" Seagate Barracuda 5TB 5400RPM HDD (best bang-for-your-buck & most storage space)
- ($80) 2.5" Seagate Firecuda 2TB 5400RPM SSHD (hybrid performance/value)
- ($112) 2.5" ADATA SU800 1TB SSD (best bang-for-your-buck SSD performance; TLC NAND)
- ($148) 2.5" Samsung 860 EVO 1TB SSD (best performance before prices get crazy: TLC NAND)
- ($298) 2.5" Samsung 860 Pro 1TB SSD (if you want to get crazy: MLC NAND)
I generally recommend the FireCuda SSHD or TLC SSD. Handy reference for eyeballing the most popular SSDs by type:
https://www.neweggbusiness.com/smartbuyer/buying-guides/ssd-buying-guide/
SSD NAND Ranking: SLC > MLC > 3D/TLC > QLC
$1678
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg (Part#: 81HE0004US)
Lenovo Legion Y740
*update* this specific model currently sold out
- Display: 15.6" 1920x1080 144Hz G-Sync IPS
- CPU: i7-8750H
- GPU: GTX 2070 8GB (Max-Q version)
- RAM: 16GB DDR4-2666
- SSD: 256GB
- HDD: 1TB 7200 RPM
17"
$999
Acer Aspire 7 A717-72G-700J 17.3" IPS FHD GTX 1060 6GB VRAM i7-8750H 16 GB Memory 256 GB SSD Windows 10 VR Ready
Acer Aspire 7
- Display: 17.3" 1920x1080 60Hz IPS
- CPU: i7-8750H
- GPU: GTX 1060 6GB (mobile version)
- RAM: 16GB DDR4-2400
- SSD: 256GB
Budget Sub-$1K
$779
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-53 Laptop: Core i5-8300H, 15.6inch Full HD IPS Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Graphics
Acer Nitro 5
- Display: 15.6" 1920x1080 60 Hz IPS
- CPU: i5-8300H
- GPU: GTX 1050 Ti 4GB (mobile version)
- RAM: 8GB DDR4-2400
- SSD: 256GB
-- MSI GV62 8RD-200
-- MSI GF63 8RC
-- Lenovo Legion Y530
-- Asus TUF Gaming FX504G
-- Dell G3 15 Gaming
-- Dell G7 15 Gaming
State of the Art
$3299
ASUS ROG Zephyrus S GX701, 17.3” 144Hz Pantone Validated Full HD IPS, GeForce RTX 2080, Intel Core i7-8750H CPU, 16GB DDR4, 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD Hyper Drive, Windows 10 Pro - GX701GX-XS76
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GX
- Display: 17.3" 1920x1080 144Hz G-Sync IPS (3ms response time)
- CPU: i7-8750H
- GPU: RTX 2080 8GB (Max-Q version)
- RAM: 16GB DDR4-2666
- SSD: 1TB
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-...0H-RTX-2080-Max-Q-Laptop-Review.410959.0.html
The MSI GS65 Stealth & MSI GS75 Stealth models are these lines' prime competitors. The former ate up most sales last year thanks to a much lower price while appearing to enjoy both higher customer satisfaction and laptop reviewer acclaim. The 2019 RTX update has seen a considerable price hike thanks to this, and is now on par with the Zephyrus in expense. Thus, the most economical MSI GS65 Stealth is the older $1629 Thin-050 model with the GTX 1060 6GB and 512GB NVMe SSD that is still in production. The Razer Blade 15 is an alternative to that if you want the best build quality with similar specs to the Acer Predator Helios 300.
For more $2K+ options here is a list of all the Max-Q laptops available-- this page is routinely updated:
https://www.ultrabookreview.com/16277-laptops-nvidia-max-q/
Enthusiast laptop lines where the entire line caters to gamers are below. If you want better build quality and more gamer features these are reliable purchases, but you will spend a premium:
Acer Predator
Alienware
Asus ROG
Gigabyte AORUS
HP Omen
MSI GT, GS, & GE
Razer
Finally, the online zine LAPTOP MAG (associated with Tom's Guide) offers this article series grading the most recent gaming laptops manufactured by each of the major players.
2018 Gaming Laptop Brand Rating & Report Card (Aug-14, 2018)
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