When you are in the market for a specific, task-oriented laptop, all that comparing and contrasting is enough to make anyone confused. Luckily for all the gamers out there however, GWL have come to the rescue with an overview of some of the best mobile gaming computers on the market – no matter what your budget.
Once upon a time, a laptop was simply a laptop, or so it seemed anyway. Manufacturers put little emphasis on distinguishing between different segments of users, and marketing teams simply listed spec lists and hoped that the customers would follow like sheep. Those days are well and truly over however, with most laptop manufacturers designing machines that have been tailor made for business use, portable use, media use, or playing computer games.
There are a few different elements that have to come together to make a great gaming laptop, including the display, the graphics performance, the processor speed, the hard drive speed, and the audio experience. Since the rise of MMORPG‘s, networking and Internet connectivity have also become important gaming assets, as has wireless speed and mobile broadband connectivity.
Now that you know what makes for a solid gaming laptop, it is important to realise that there will normally be a trade-off of some kind. Firstly, gaming laptops are notoriously heavy and large. Secondly, they are likely to have a tiny little battery life. And thirdly, any serious gaming laptop is going to be considerably more expensive than most other mobile computers.
The five gaming laptops in this list are all fantastic in their own way, and are listed in terms of price from most expensive to least expensive.
Alienware M17x
This is the largest and most powerful Alienware machine, and deserves a mention in any laptop gaming list. With a 17 inch screen to enhance the gaming experience and a native resolution of 1900 x 1200, it is very easy to get lost in your favourite virtual world with an Alienware M17x on your side. It looks like a gaming laptop as well, with a pimped out design that features an aluminium exterior, futuristic angles, and flashing – and interchangeable – LEDs.
The only negative issues with the Alienware M17x are almost expected on a computer of this class – it’s heavy, big, and very expensive at almost $4000. If you want a lighter, smaller, or slightly less expensive machine however, there is always the option to purchase the Alienware M15x or new Alienware M11x, both of which are also fantastic mobile gaming computers.
Sagar NP9285
This Sagar is a little different from other gaming laptops, as it misses out the flashing LEDs and other bling that seem to define many gaming designs these days. To be fair, it is marketed more as a desktop replacement, but is equally up to the task of playing computer games for hours on end (as long as you are not too far away from electricity). The Sagar features a 17 inch screen and a nice 1920 x 1200 resolution, and similar GeForce graphics to those used by most gaming laptops.
TheSagar NP9285 is even heavier than the Alienware M17x, and has the shortest battery life of any laptop I am aware of at a little over one hour. It is incredibly fast though, with a quad-core processor and triple channel RAM. The Sagar might not look particularly snazzy when compared to other gaming machines, but it certainly has the muscle for the job and costs the relatively low price of $2150.
Toshiba Qosimo X505
This is another monstrous gaming laptop, this time with an even bigger 18.4 inch display. The native resolution is lower than the Alienware machine however, with 1920 x 1080 supported. While being considerably bigger than pretty much every other laptop ever made, the Qosimo comes in at the rather impressive – relatively low – weight of 10.6 pounds.
While the Qosimo might not look as ‘cool’ as the Alienware models, it is lightning fast and has a build quality that inspires confidence. The newest version of the X505 has been labelled the X505-Q890, and was reviewed by GWL only weeks ago. By the way, this machine is less expensive than both the Alienware M17x and Sagar NP9285, with prices varying depending on configuration and starting from about $2000.
MSI GT660
This is another quad-core laptop with Nvidia GeForce graphics, although the slightly smaller 16 inch display make it a little more mobile than the other monsters mentioned so far. It is also up there with the Alienware in terms of pimped-out-bling-appeal, with multiple LEDs and a glowing MSI logo. The MSI GT660 is a very capable machine, which is also notable for its amazing sound experience.
MSI teamed up with sound system designers Dynaudio for this release, and the audio is a stand-out feature of this laptop. The native display resolution is not as good as the other machines on this list however, with a rather average offering of 1366 x 768 – not really good enough for a laptop marketed as a gaming machine. The new USB 3.0 standard is supported however, as are up to 12GB of RAM. The GT660 is also the cheapest model so far, at only $1699.
HP Envy 17
While it may be a bit of a stretch calling this a gaming machine, not everyone has the money to fund an Alienware purchase. The Envy 17 is fast enough with either an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, and also has reasonable graphics with ATI mobility HD5850 on board. The Envy 17 features – unsurprisingly – a 17 inch display, with a crisp resolution of 1920 x 1080 that looks great when watching movies or playing games.
The HP Envy also features the new USB 3.0 standard, and comes with up to 8GB of RAM. Like all the machines here however, the Envy is a heavy laptop, and has a lackluster battery life at a little over 2 hours. It is however, the cheapest of the bunch, with an asking price starting from about $1500 depending on options.
While there are many more gaming oriented laptops on the market, these five should give you a basic overview of what is on offer in each price range. If you have the money and are willing to spend it, the choices are relatively simple, but the lower your budget goes, the more manufacturers are scrambling for your dollar and the harder your decision is likely to be.
