There is a big difference between the best budget gaming laptop and a Chromebook. Gamers need real hard drive space, some graphics power and decent RAM.
Portable budget gaming systems run from $400 to $1,000 in most situations. Budget gamers usually are willing to sacrifice high-end speakers and 4K resolution to keep costs down.
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Lenovo Z51 (80K601CRUS)
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Asus X550JX-DB71
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MSI GE62 APACHE 276
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MSI GP62 LEOPARD PRO-002
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Acer Aspire E (E5-573T-59RC)
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Gaming Laptop Buyer's Guide
Inside Counts
Future proofing a laptop is much more difficult than with a desktop. To be able to play new titles in the coming years at high settings, gamers will most likely have to pay close to if not more than $2,000. There just are not enough upgrades available to do anything else.
Unlike desktops, gamers using laptops may be better off buying an inexpensive laptop every couple of years rather than paying for a premium model upfront. With future trends in the budget laptop market moving toward small capacity hard drives, USB may become the go-to solution gamers use for fast data access. Right now, the maximum data transfer rate for a USB 3.0 port is 5GB/s. A SATA III hard drive has a maximum transfer rate of 6GB/s.
The newest generation of the USB standard is 3.1 with a data transfer rate of 10GB/s. It's still a new technology and has not entered the budget laptop market yet. For a detailed explanation of USB 3.1, see Michael Crider's article at Digital Trends.
Battery Life
Most of the budget laptops reviewed here have a battery life between five and six hours in a case in which the user is web surfing with the AC unplugged. By comparison, the latest Macbook with a PCI Express 512MB flash drive last up to 10 hours. The high price of Macs tends to be less about gaming and more about aesthetics.
For better game performance, it is advisable for users to plug their laptops into an electrical socket. Many laptops with discrete graphics cards will automatically switch to the integrate graphics solution on the CPU. A laptop with a discrete graphics cards costs more, so it makes sense to take advantage of it when playing games.
Wi-Fi is convenient for web surfing on the go, but competitive gamers will want to use the Ethernet port on their laptop for faster transfer speeds. Gaming on today's budget laptops probably will deplete a battery in less than two hours. All of the laptops reviewed here have Ethernet ports.
Hard Drives
The budget laptops reviewed here all have mechanical hard drives. Even though flash technology and PCI Express connectors have advanced at a fast pace in recent years, laptop makers have yet to fully embrace them.
All of the laptops here use SATA III connectors for their hard drives. Swapping out for a SATA III solid state drive will not deliver the same speeds available through PCIe or M.2 technology, but it will speed things up and possibly eliminate some frustration.
Easy of upgrading the hard drive was one of the considerations when choosing the brands of laptops to review. Brands such as Dell and Hewlett Packard are not always easy to upgrade beyond RAM.
Cloning an old hard drive will not save time. Users are much better off performing a fresh install of Windows on their replacement hard drive. This will eliminate conflicts and reduce bloatware. After installing Windows, it is a good practice to check the laptop or component manufacturer's website for drivers. Flashing the BIOS on a laptop probably will not provide worthwhile results.
Graphics Cards
Probably the one component gamers swap out the most on their desktop rig is the graphics card. Manufacturers cycle through improvements across their GPU product lines faster than any other PC component.Unfortunately, laptop users cannot swap out graphics by any practical means. DIY Perks made a video showing the process for using an external graphics card on a laptop:
It improved performance, but it was definitely not a practical solution.
Laptops made with discrete graphics cards cost more, but Intel has greatly improved the performance of its integrated graphics with the Core i7 CPUs. Intel is really bragging this year about the use of its integrated GPUs for gaming, according to Agam Shah of IDG News Service.
The odd thing is the laptops with Core i7 CPUs reviewed here all have discrete graphics cards. Only the Acer Aspire E with its Core i5 CPU is without a discrete graphics card. In future gaming laptop models, the discrete graphics card may die off. The integrated graphics gamers criticized in the past, may save them big money in the future.
Sound Cards
Even most desktop users no longer install dedicated sound cards. The audio technology on motherboards is beyond adequate, nowadays. Many gaming laptop makers promote the “awesome” sound capabilities of their systems. Some even have four speakers.
In a world of immersion with virtual reality goggles gaining ground in many market sectors, gamers most likely will opt for headphones instead of speakers. If a user doesn't like the audio tuning software that came with his laptop, there are many free equalizers available for download on the internet.
Upgrades
Some the of laptops reviewed here have upgraded specs since their initial release, but the prices definitely are lower, now. A few of the more popular, available models have customized versions for sale on Amazon.com. The amount of upgrading determines the extra price. Buyers may want to the weigh cost and convenience of ordering a customized version vs. upgrading the laptop on their own. RAM upgrades tend to be easy, but hard drive swaps can be complicated.
Stuff not Needed
Laptops come with trackpads, which can be convenient for web surfing and light productivity. Beyond that, they are slow and frustrating. Multi-fingered gestures are pretty much a gimmick for trackpads like touchscreens are for laptops. The reviews below don't have much detail about the trackpads because gamers are unlikely to use them.
Bluetooth technology is convenient for those who don't like connecting cables to their peripherals, but speed and response time are huge sacrifices with Bluetooth. All of the laptops below have Bluetooth 4.0., but gamers probably won't need it.
VGA and PS/2 ports are so obsolete nowadays, it's a wonder laptop and desktop manufacturers include them. USB 3.0 adoption is rampant, and all of the laptops below have at least two of those ports. External USB 3.0 hubs are small, inexpensive and easy to find, so the number of USB 3.0 ports a laptop possesses is kind of irrelevant.
DisplayPort connections are all the rage with desktop gaming motherboards and monitors for users wanting 4K resolution. With the exception of the MSI GE62, users may have a hard time finding a budget laptop with a mDP. Even the GE62 only has standard HD resolution on its monitor.
Gaming Laptop Reviews
Lenovo Z51 (80K601CRUS)
Overall Rating:
The Z51 is pretty fast for less than $600. The display is not brilliant for gaming because of a non-glare matte, and users pretty much have to look straight on at the screen, or the display will appear dark.
The included JBL speakers are quite loud and rich for a budget laptop. The Z51 has two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port, Ethernet, HDMI, the usual headphone/mic jack and an SD card reader. The webcam is not impressive. The laptop ships with Windows 10, Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
The shell of the model is plastic expect for the top of the base panel, which is metal. The trackpad is adequately responsive as are all the trackpads of the laptops reviewed here. Most gamers will attach a USB mouse for better play performance when using a laptop.
Today's demanding games may be difficult to play with high in-game settings, but less complicated titles such as League of Legends can run with high settings. The unit has two speakers that are not going to wake the neighbors. Most gamers probably will plug in headphones when playing, so speaker sound quality isn't much of a consideration for a budget laptop model.
PROS:
Intel Core i7 2.4GHz CPU (Dual-Core)
8GB DDR3 RAM
AMD Radeon R7 M360
1 TB mechanical HDD
DVD drive
1920 x 1080 viewable display
10-key number pad
CONS:
Short battery life
Bland video display
Monitor has limited acceptable viewing angles
No back lighting for keyboard
Weighs 6 pounds
Check Out The Lenovo Z51
Asus X550JX-DB71
Overall Rating:
The ASUS costs about $300 more than the Lenovo Z51, but the X550JX-DB71 has a faster CPU and a slightly better graphics card.
The unit includes a DVD drive, 2 USB 3.0 ports, 1 USB 2.0 port, HDMI, Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, an SD card reader, and a headphone/microphone jack. Users will be sure to upgrade from the installed Windows 8 on the laptop.
The monitor is reliable and bright, but the colors probably are not correct enough for professional photo editing. There are no big complaints about viewing angles. Competitive gamers probably will be looking at their monitors head-on most of the time, so lack of IPS panel technology on budget gaming laptops should not be much of an issue.
To get a look at the quality of game play with the X550JX, check out the video DigiPrimeHU made on YouTube showing Grand Theft Auto 5:
Overall, for game play at high settings without any headaches, the Asus is a good choice. Like MSI, Asus is know for making great motherboards and graphics cards. Budget gaming laptop buyers will avoid many hassles by purchasing the X550JX.
PROS:
Intel Core i7 2.6GHz CPU (Quad-Core)
8GB DDR3
1 TB mechanical HDD
Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M
1920 x 1080 display
DVD drive
CONS:
Limited quality of display viewing angles
No back lighting for keyboard
Battery life less than 5 hours
Weighs 5.4 pounds
Check Out The Asus X550JX-DB71
MSI GE62 APACHE 276
Overall Rating:
For a little less than $1,000, gamers can get a significantly faster laptop than the Asus X550JX-DB71. The MSI GE62 is approaching desktop-level gaming performance with its Core i7 2.7GHz CPU and 12GB of RAM. The mechanical hard drive runs at 7200RPM, which is much better than the usual budget HDD speed of 5400RPM.
For night gaming, the MSI GE62 has a backlit, RGB keyboard. The colors are customizable. This model has almost fully embraced USB 3.0 with three ports for it and only one for USB 2.0. The newer standard ports are backwards compatible.
The MSI laptop's battery has two more cells than the less expensive models reviewed here. The unit has Windows 10 pre-installed. As with most MSI products, the MSI GE62 is aesthetically pleasing. The exterior is all black except for the red MSI dragon logo on the back of the monitor. Instead of the usual all-plastic exterior material, there is a lot of brushed aluminum and just a little plastic on the MSI GE62.
The battery is supposed to last up to six hours, but the unit will switch to integrated graphics, unless users change the setting manually in the Nvidia control panel. In addition to four speakers on the edge of the base facing the gamer, there is a sub woofer under the unit.
Even though the display uses TN panel technology, the viewing angles are very good. The keyboard includes a 10-key number pad and a fan boost button. Users definitely will hear the fan at high speed. The wildest feature of this motherboard may be its Mini DisplayPort, which could be useful for gamers wanting to export video to a 4K monitor.
PROS:
Intel Core i7 2.7GHz CPU
12GB DDR3 RAM
1 TB mechanical HDD
Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M
DVD drive
1920 x 1080 display
Backlit keyboard
CONS:
Giant power brick
No SSD
Weighs 5.2 pounds
Check Out The MSI GE62 APACHE 276
MSI GP62 LEOPARD PRO-002
Overall Rating:
The MSI GP62 is a lower-end version of the GE62 with fewer features but costing $200 less. The monitor still displays colors well from many angles. Gamers may have to turn down the in-game settings on newer titles to achieve high frames per second.
The keys on the keyboard are full-size, and there is a 10-key number pad. The laptop has a six-cell battery. The GP62 includes Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI, VGA, 2 USB 3.0 ports, 2 USB 2.0 ports, a headset jack, an SD card reader, Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11ac. Windows 8.1 comes pre-installed. The exterior material is mostly aluminum.
Gamers might get more value by spending $200 for RAM and SSD upgrades to the GP62 than buying the stock GE62. The decision might also come down to specific features only the GE62 offers.
A quad-core CPU and a discrete graphics card are the two features that really separate low-end budget gaming laptops from mid-range. Those components are very difficult to upgrade on a laptop, so spending more for a good CPU and graphics card up front will give gamers a distinct advantage now and help keep their investment futureproof for a couple of years.
PROS:
Intel Core i5 2.9GHz CPU
8GB DDR3
Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M
1 TB mechanical HDD
DVD drive
1920 x 1080 display
CONS:
No keyboard back lighting
HDD is 5400RPM
Weighs 5.2 pounds
Check Out The MSI GP62 LEOPARD PRO-002
Acer Aspire E (E5-573T-59RC)
Overall Rating:
This is the only laptop reviewed here that has a touchscreen, and it also is the least expensive. The lack of discrete graphics card limits the laptop's ability to perform well with demanding games. The Acer should do well with games such as Minecraft.
The Acer includes Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Ethernet, 2 USB 3.0 ports, 1 USB 2.0 port, Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI, VGA, an SD card reader and a headphone jack. Windows 10 is pre-installed.
The Core i5 2.2GHz CPU is pretty fast in this laptop price range. The battery is not removable. The system fan is quiet. Users will want to delete much of the bloatware included.
This would be a good system to upgrade with more RAM and an SSD drive. Those upgrades will speed up the boot time and improve app loading while eliminating the mechanical hard drive noise.
The Acer is pretty generic-looking, but it's not ugly. One interesting feature of the Acer is the option to use a USB 3.0 port to charge external devices while the laptop is asleep.
This laptop is not suitable for high-end, competitive gaming. The lack of a quad core processor and a discrete graphics card are the biggest indicators.
PROS:
Intel Core i5 2.2GHz (Dual-Core)
8GB DDR3 RAM
1TB mechanical HDD
1366 x 768 screen resolution
CONS:
Intel integrated graphics only
Weighs 6.5 pounds
5-hour battery life
Check Out The Acer Aspire E (E5-573T-59RC)
Conclusion:
Performance vs. Price
In the end, the decision on which budget gaming laptop to buy depends on what type of titles a gamer wants to play and at what in-game settings. The MSI GE62 looks like a Ferrari compared with many of the other budget laptops, but it is the most expensive
The post Best Budget Gaming Laptop: Top Reviewed appeared first on Peekco.