Choose a gaming laptop for gaming. How to choose a gaming laptop: models, options, prices

Many of us love computer games, but not everyone is able to enjoy them without compromise. That without fuzzy graphics, incomplete screen mode, "jerky" gameplay or problems with the launch of the game. And it's all about the hardware that is required for modern games. Of course, a real gamer will confidently say (and will be partly right) that no, even the best, gaming laptop can be compared to a gaming computer, but a desktop cannot be stuffed into a bag and enjoy your favorite game anywhere you are. ...

Minimum requirements for gaming laptops

When planning to buy a good gaming laptop, you need to keep in mind that the name "gaming laptop" is not suitable for every device. The launch of the mobile versions of GeForce Pascal graphics cards at once swept the winners of the ratings of gaming laptops from the pedestals of the past years: indeed, the new video cards have become not only faster, but also colder. And for notebooks, lower power consumption and lower power consumption are critical. So the choice at the moment can be described simply: do you need a fairly budgetary "laptop" with the ability to play comfortably without the need to twist the quality to the maximum? Look towards models with GTX 1050 and fresh i 5-i 7. Anything faster? Here it is already worth thinking about the GTX 1060 or 1070, which will perfectly reveal their capabilities with the older Intel Core i 7 models. Well, in the top, no doubt, the GTX 1080 and even laptops with video cards combined in SLI.

However, do not forget that AMD clearly wants to undermine the former monopoly of Intel and Nvidia in the gaming market. Ryzen and RX-based laptops are still exotic, but the new products on the market are definitely worth watching.

The main thing - do not forget about high-quality cooling: in games more difficult than "Klondike" and "Minesweeper", the quality of processor and video card cooling is of decisive importance for a laptop. You should not choose either overly noisy models that can tire your hearing after an hour of playing, nor those where, for the sake of compactness, the cooling system drives the processor to the brink of throttling, even with fresh thermal paste and no dust in the fans.

And, of course, there are no extra watt-hours in a battery: if 50-60 watt-hours are still acceptable for "younger" gaming models, then 80 won't seem like much for top models.

So, what are the best gaming laptops offered to the Russian gaming enthusiast in late 2017 and early 2018?

Are you looking for a good car to comfortably play GTA, Assassin's Creed Origins, The Witcher 3, or an equally exciting game for a friend? Then you have come to the right place! A few years ago, gamers were advised to take a desktop computer. Everything has changed today. Laptops can also handle demanding toys. Naturally, not every laptop is suitable for games. It should have a powerful processor, a good graphics card, a lot of gigabytes of RAM, and that's at least. How do you find the coolest Gemeira laptop? The easiest way is to trust the advertisements and promises of manufacturers and sellers. There is a slightly more complicated way, but it is guaranteed to give the expected result. You have to sit down yourself and deal with all the technical nuances. We are ready to make your way easier and have prepared some tips for choosing a gaming laptop. We've also handpicked the best gaming laptops of 2018.

Before you go in search of 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 even a fan of games released in 2015? In all these cases, different laptops are required, and the price of them will naturally be different. It's also better to decide on the budget right away. It is often better to save a couple of months than to save money and not get any pleasure from the games, and such a technique is not a cheap pleasure.

A large resource E-catalog, which contains offers from hundreds of stores, will help you navigate the price - it will be possible to buy a laptop of a gaming modification at the best price. A lot of filters will help you find the model with the desired characteristics quickly and easily. Now it remains to understand what characteristics these 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

At this year's CES, leading processor manufacturers Intel and AMD have shown new products. These are stones with powerful integrated graphics cards. They showed that in the near future the need for discrete video cards will disappear, but so far 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 performance, energy efficiency and compactness - video cards fromNVIDIA. Earlier, stripped-down versions of laptops became, and now they use the same video cards as in stationary computers.

Look towards the GeForce GTX 10x0 series:

• graphics card GeForce GTX 1050 - the very minimum for a game, it will allow you to run most modern games at medium settings, at FullHD (30-70 fps, depending on the game). You need to take a modification with 4 GB. The 2 GB version is not suitable for games;
• GeForce GTX 1050Ti will be faster, will allow you to set high settings, it will be more expensive. The maximum video memory here is 4 GB. Not bad for today, but if you take a laptop with an eye for the next few years, then you can later regret it a little;
• GeForce GTX 1060 with 6 GB - the optimal solution today. There will be enough resources for the next couple of years. There is a version with 3 GB, it should not be seriously considered;
• GeForce GTX 1070 - even more powerful solution, it will easily pull all games at maximum settings;
• GeForce GTX 1080 - the solution for those who want to play at 4K resolution. Such a laptop will cost, to put it mildly, not cheap.

The same video cards are available with a prefix Max-Q. They are more economical, more compact, but also slower.

On sale you can also find laptops with AMD processors and AMD Radeon R9 / AMD FirePro video cards. These solutions are weaker and cheaper. The stripped-down NVIDIA GTX 970-980 graphics cards are the past generation, but if you are an undemanding gamer, then you can use these 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. Best solution for a gaming laptop - 4-core processors IntelCorei5 andIntelCorei7. The Core i5 processor (version 7300HQ) or the new Core i7 (8550U and 8650U) will be able to 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 a laptop at once, then it is better to look towards the i7-7820HK.

AMD processors are inferior in performance, although they are cheaper.

RAM

Minimum for a gaming laptop - 8GB... Many gamers will disagree with this and say that in 2018 the minimum has grown to 16 GB. And they will be right. There are games today that simply won't launch or launch with big problems if there is only 8GB under the hood. In the future, there will be more such games. But it is not all that bad!

You can get a cheaper laptop with 8 GB and expandable RAM. When the available stock becomes clearly not enough, you can buy another 8 GB of memory. By the way, it will be even cheaper than taking a 16 GB laptop right away. It will be possible to sell all available memory modules in general and buy more modern and faster ones instead. Counting on such a trick, do not forget to specify in the model's specifications what maximum memory size and frequency it is designed for.

Anyone who looks to the future and has a tidy sum in stock can immediately look towards laptops with 32 GB of RAM.

Storage System

It just so happened that while the top for gaming laptops is a bundle of a hard disk drive (HDD) and a solid state drive (SSD). The latter works many times faster, but its volume is, as a rule, 128-256 GB. An operating system is installed on the SSD. The main data set, incl. games and movies will have to be stored on HDD, its volume can reach 1 TB. For some, even this is not enough, and they buy an external hard drive for 1-2 TB.

Laptops with 512 GB SSD appear on sale. They are more efficient, compact, but more expensive.

Screen

Diagonal in gaming laptops fluctuates 15 to 18 inches. On a smaller display, you won't see all the details, so the whole game process will be spoiled. Matrices are of two types: IPS andTN... The former are more expensive but boast a wide viewing angle. From anywhere you look, the colors will be the same. A laptop with a TN matrix is \u200b\u200bnot always as bad as you might think. Yes, the viewing angles are cut, but it costs less, today very good models are produced, and if there is one person sitting in front of the screen, then what's the difference. However, IPS with anti-reflective coating is still the best choice.

Minimum resolution for comfortable gaming - 1920 * 1080 (Full HD). At a higher resolution, you can get an even clearer picture, so if finances allow (since the filling will need more powerful), 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

The battery capacity is not so important for the gamer, because hardly anyone expects to play long away from the outlet. Of course, it's nice to play when the electricity is turned off at home, but even the most durable models are unlikely to provide more than 1-1.5 hours of battery life in game mode. It is fair to require a laptop to have enough charge to last and turn it off in 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 something, then only on the battery.

Weight and ergonomics

Gaming laptops can be divided into two types: compact and thin weighing 2-3 kg and weighty up to 6 kg. The former, of course, are more convenient, but they are equipped with slightly slower video cards, and the cooling will have to be monitored more carefully. The plump comrades 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 for the models you are interested in.

Outwardly, a laptop can look laconic and modest. There are models in a metal case. There are devices showing power and main purpose in all their appearance. It tastes and colors.

Note that the air vent and most ports are not on the side where you will be holding the mouse. A DVD / Blu-ray drive is desirable as many movies and games are still distributed on discs. If everything suits you, but the laptop lacks only Blu-Ray, then buy an external drive. USB Type-C, USB 3.0 and HDMI ports are everywhere, sometimes Thunderbolt and DisplayPort are needed.

Backlit keyboard, fingerprint reader for secure access, high-quality speakers will be a nice addition to your gaming laptop.

As for the prices, the cheapest gaming laptop costs about 50 thousand rubles, the middle models will cost from 70 thousand, well, and the top ones - more than 110 thousand.

The debate about which is better, a gaming laptop or a full-fledged gaming PC does not subside on the net. At the same cost, the PC will be more powerful, but the main advantage of the laptop is mobility. A laptop can be as powerful as a stationary one. Many argue that the cost of both options is about the same. Hundreds of pages on the Internet have been written about this.

The best gaming laptops of 2018

First, we note that each model comes in different configurations, and prices by region can vary greatly, so our rating is more indicative 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 perfectly cope with its tasks, and the price is adequate here. The RAM can be expanded up to 32 GB, there is a Thunderbolt port. The screen is of high quality, in appearance you can't say that this is a gaming device, so you can take it with you to work without giving away your own preferences. The model has no serious shortcomings, and if you take into account the price-quality ratio, then one of the best solutions at the moment. For 50 thousand you get a very good game horse, and for 65 thousand you get the best modification with a fingerprint scanner.

MSI GL72M 7REX

Another model that can be considered the best low-cost gaming laptop. It is difficult to find a cheaper laptop with the same parameters of a video card, processor, memory and screen. Let's add some good cooling here. In the minuses, you can write down a design that is not very convenient for an upgrade.

Acer Predator Helios 500 (PH517-51-99PH)

Power, might, might! The dream of all gamers. Words are superfluous here. The productivity reserve will last for the next few years. They used a pleasant-to-touch plastic, 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 can't call it bad or low-quality.

MSI GT75VR 7RF Titan Pro

The best graphics card, a good supply of RAM expandable up to 64 GB, an excellent screen, a processor, a cooling system - this laptop can be considered a benchmark. There is nothing to find fault with. 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, thoughtful 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 backlit IPS-screen, large enough and juicy. There is no optical drive. There is a slot for expanding RAM, but the maximum that can be used is 32GB. The exterior of the laptop is strict, but with a twist. High-quality plastic is used, powerful speakers and a good cooling system please. Autonomy is also at its best here: the manufacturer speaks of 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 it strikes a great balance between price and quality.

Xiaomi Mi Gaming Laptop

The laptop comes in a wide variety of configurations. Only the characteristics of the screen, weight and set of ports remain unchanged. The screen is matte, has LED backlighting, no optical drive. The keyboard is backlit, the case is metal, all the necessary ports are in place. In the sparing mode without power, the device will last 6.5 hours - so the manufacturer says. Users like the high-quality IPS screen, good cooling system, and stylish design. Among the shortcomings: there is no Thunderbolt port, no Russian letters, and the fan makes decent noise at high speeds. Overall a very, very good gaming laptop. The cost is highly dependent on the filling. Lower and upper limits are indicated. In the middle there is a modification with 8 GB of RAM and a 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 all the best. The model impresses with its compactness, stylish design, thoughtful backlighting, 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 minuses, if you do not take into account the not very capacious battery. Some find fault with the sound and screen, but here they are more than worth their price.

Lenovo Legion Y520

The simplest modification for 47,000 rubles will suit undemanding gamers who play last year's games, since 6 GB of RAM and 2 GB of video memory is clearly not enough for anything serious. The 8 GB version with the 4 GB GTX 1050 Ti with Core i5 will cost 72,000, and the most advanced version will cost almost 90,000 rubles. The advantages of the model include a screen, a full-size keyboard, good cooling. Even in far from the most sophisticated modification, the device works smartly.

ASUS TUF Gaming FX504GD

A version with 2 GB of RAM is not recommended for purchase, therefore, as a result, 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. The advantages 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 the compactness, ergonomics, performance, good sound, relative quietness and good autonomy. We get a very good inexpensive gaming laptop.

For a long time, the phrase "gaming laptop" sounded like an oxymoron. The likelihood that manufacturers would be able to fill a small laptop with everything necessary for full-fledged gaming looked tiny. To the delight of gamers, progress does not stand still, and laptops for games have become quite real, and even full of variety.

So what does an inexpensive yet powerful gaming laptop look like? Prices and specifications, an overview of models, reviews and our recommendations are presented in the article.
Please note that these laptops are quite expensive and not always suitable for work. If you need a more modest model - refer to our article ““.

Which gaming laptop is better: ratings, prices, features

Choosing a gaming laptop and not losing it is a difficult task, but quite doable. With a little knowledge of the technical specifications and determining your budget, making a decision is not that difficult. On a tight budget, you'd better turn to another article -.

We've tried to pick the best gaming laptop of 2018 - 2019 among the many options, not forgetting to note how much each one costs.

Top 8:

• Asus Rog.
• MSI GV 72.
• Lenovo Legion.

Asus Rog

Asus famous for its game series Republic of gamers... Model gl552vw has the latest processor version Intel, high performance and stylish design. Line models GL belong to the budget version of gaming computers, nevertheless, they are quite capable of competing with Lenovo and Acer aspire... The lack of transformation is due to the directionality of the model. If you need a laptop-transformer, you can read our other article, which tells about the best models and shows which one should be.

Specifications:

Average price of a Asus laptop - 58,950 rubles.

pros

• Good keyboard backlighting.
• The video card does not overheat, good ssd speed.
• Excellent IPS matrix.

Minuses

• Marked case, quickly gets dirty.
• Low speed of HDD.

I was planning to buy MSI, but there was not enough budget, I stopped at Rog and made the right decision. Two hard drives, good video from nVidia, quiet operation of the cooling system. One drawback is the terrible sound through the speakers. Nevertheless, I am satisfied with the purchase, the games go without problems

Video review on Asus Rog gl552vw.

AT 2017 the company released a series of notebook models GV72combining a powerful processor and graphics card Nvidia 1050 Ti.

Laptops are made in classic for MSI design, with a bright red backlit keyboard.

The austerity of its appearance, combined with a powerful filling, an excellent matrix, additional airflow and an acceptable price makes the model GW extremely attractive for buyers who know the company firsthand MSI.

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Specifications:

Price for msi starts from 75,000 rubles.

pros

• High speed of work.
• Powerful, most games run at ultra resolutions.
• Additional airflow with forced start option.

Minuses

• High noise when additional cooling is turned on.

I bought a laptop primarily for working with 3D models and a little for games. Everything works with a bang, his previous msi gave his younger brother, a laptop for more than seven years, and he still copes with most of the tasks

Video from MSI on the GV 72.

Lenovo Legion

Company Lenovo relatively recently began to develop towards the computer industry.

Model y520 distinguished by budget and good components. Gtx 1050 Ti is not a top-end graphics card, but legion does not claim to be the most powerful gaming laptop. Rather, it's a good choice for people not chasing ultra settings for gaming on a laptop.

The legionnaire's appearance is stylized as a carbon monoblock, restrained and austere. Of pleasant bonuses - the laptop stays quiet when loaded with games at maximum settings.

Specifications:

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Estimated cost of a laptop from lenovo - 56,000 rubles with i5 processor.

pros

• The laptop starts up very quickly.
• High image quality.
• Quite high power of the device.

Minuses

• No keyboard backlight.
• The plastic body gets dirty quickly.

Laptop impressions vary depending on the configuration. When buying, I took an HDD, which I regretted almost immediately. After installing SDD, the laptop crashed. Quietly copes with most games at ultra settings, sometimes the video card asks to slow down, but only by one level. For this price - a laptop is just a godsend

Video review on Lenovo Legion.

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Specifications:

Acer G3-572 price starts from 65 thousand rubles with GTX 1050 Ti graphics card.

pros

• Color-selectable keyboard backlighting.
• Stylish design
• Bright, high-quality image.
• Good build quality.

Minuses

• Camera 1 mp.

The laptop can handle almost all modern games without straining. Great picture, rich colors. Pleased with a large number of connectors for all needs. Apart from games, predator does an excellent job of editing. Great powerful car

Video comparison of different Predator builds.

Ruler omen not the first day in the gaming laptop market, but in 2017 HP re-released the model for 17 inch... With its impressive weight and a large number of connectors, the laptop is more likely to be stationary than portable.

Have a laptop stylish "Gamer" design... Mysterious black intertwines with characteristic red elements. The laptop has an extensive selection of components, which allows you to assemble a suitable model for yourself.

The somewhat high cost, which primarily stems from its gaming orientation, may not be justified when buying a laptop for work. Chinese laptops can help in this case -.

Specifications:

The initial cost of a laptop from HP is 65 thousand, when choosing a diagonal of 17.3 inches.

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pros

• Great, bright screen.
• Choice of different configurations of the model with the option to change them.

Minuses

• With prolonged gaming, it gets warm.
• Heavy weight, not for travel.

The laptop was bought for working with photos and videos. Photoshop, Lightroom and Corel fly at excellent speeds. Bright, good screen, with rich colors and no glare and large angles

Video.

Dell released a laptop line Inspiron for gamers. The machine is not aimed at professional players; rather, it is ideal for those who like to relax in their free time playing a game. The laptop is sold in various configurations. Depending on the filling, the cost of a laptop also varies.

Specifications:

Inspiron game prices vary around the area 50,000 rubles.

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pros

• Powerful processor.
• Build quality.
• There is an inexpensive upgrade option.
• IPS matrix. The screen produces an ultra high quality picture.

Minuses

• Noisy cooling system.

I am an ordinary laptop user. I was looking for a good screen and high-quality hardware. The game Della has it all. It copes well with all its tasks. If necessary, the laptop can be easily upgraded without any difficulties. A relatively inexpensive option for gamers

Game video.

Ruler Pascal from Nvidia combined with mobile kaby lake processor gave the world of gaming the best powerful technology laptops. One of them became

Despite its decent weight, the machine has the most powerful components and remains portable.

The 17-inch model has an interesting solution to the cooling system - the display shifted by 2 centimeters leaves room for heat removal. The top cover of the laptop is made of anodized aluminum and magnesium alloy, making it incredibly durable and resistant to external damage.

The keyboard panel has a rubberized coating. Cherry on the cake appearance Alienwara LED multi-colored lights on the panels are becoming, so beloved by gamers.

Specifications:

The average cost of a gaming machine from Alienvar is 154,500 rubles.

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pros

• High power laptop.
• Stylish appearance.
• Capacious battery.

Minuses

• Highlights are visible on a black background.
• Not very comfortable keyboard.

A very cosmic and stylish laptop that draws attention to itself. Especially you do not vilify with yourself, since the weight of the laptop is impressive. But great hardware, all programs and games fly like in a good hospital

Video of testing games on Alienware 17.

Gigabyte released an improved version of the budget Saberby equipping the laptop with the best hardware and prefix Pro... For its price, the laptop is firmly in the top sellers thanks to its performance and performance.

Design by Sabre made with all kinds of beveled corners and streamlined panels. The car, chained in rich black, looks extremely futuristic. Laptop bypasses in terms of performance FPS powerful gaming Razer Blade.

Specifications:

Gigabyte Saber cost - about 150,000 rubles.

Table: the best laptop for the price

In addition to the gaming laptops presented in the top, I would like to highlight separately rating of the best gaming laptops in three positions:

• Best GTX 1060 laptop
• The most budgetary.
• The most powerful.

Best GTX 1060 laptop

Video card from Nvidia 1060 combined with Core i7 Skylake or Kaby lake produces decent game quality on laptops, sufficient for most non-professional gamers. One of the best laptops with a similar video card is called the one already mentioned in our article.

Deserves special attention. The laptop is distinguished by a relatively light weight of 1.8 kilograms, a powerful i7 (or i5) processor, a combination of SSD and HDD hard drives and a Pascal-class Nvidia video card. All of these characteristics make the laptop one of the best in the segment of portable computers on gtx 1060.

Specifications:

You can purchase this product at a special price on the website of our partner

The passion for gaming laptops continues: open any gaming laptop review on our website, and you will read tons of comments that relate to both the technical characteristics of the device and its appearance. Expensive models are especially hard hit, and criticism, as a rule, boils down to a single argument: “ Dand for that kind of money I will assemble a much more efficient system unit!»Of course, you will, I personally have no doubts about the abilities of our readers (it's not just that 3DNews has been on the air for 20 years). But 2017 is coming to an end, and mankind has not come up with anything better than a laptop when it comes to a full-fledged mobile computer.

And in the comments to reviews of gaming laptops, they often write that the concept of a "gaming laptop" does not exist. One can argue on this score for a long time, giving various reasons, but I propose to go straight to the point. Let's define ourselves: in this article, under the phrase “ gaming laptop"Means modern models with screen resolutionFullHD and higher, which produce a comfortable number of frames per second in modern AAA-class projects... Let some devices not always "pull" the maximum graphics quality settings, but they will cope with average quality for sure. Here's everything you need to know when choosing a gaming laptop in 2017. In the first part, I will look at the main features of modern mobile PCs. In the second part, I will introduce you to the optimal, in my opinion, models that are present in the Russian market in due amount.

And one more important point: I have yet to come across a gaming laptop that runs quietly enough under load. Many models have been in the test lab, but they all make a noticeable noise in games. This applies to both inexpensive laptops with a Core i5-7300HQ processor and far from budget gamebooks with a Core i7-7700HQ and GeForce GTX 1080. If the noise level is critical for you, then I recommend that you immediately get good headphones.

Let's go back to the accessories. As you can see, it is quite simple to decide on the central processor, since in most cases you either have to choose between two models, or there will be no choice at all. But there are several more types of mobile graphics. Again, AMD still cannot impose competition on NVIDIA in this segment, so in the gaming notebook market we see a total superiority of "green" over "red". In particular, I suggest choosing a laptop among models equipped with a Pascal generation GPU. It was with the advent of these solutions that the line between notebook graphics and graphics used in desktop PCs was finally erased.

Manufacturers can even fit two powerful NVIDIA Pascal GPUs into a laptop at once

Eight versions of mobile graphics are available today: the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB, the GeForce GTX 1070 in the Max-Q design, and - hyperlinks lead to reviews of laptops equipped with these GPUs. For complete happiness, the only thing missing is the mobile version of the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti. Given this missing link, gaming desktops still hold the crown as the most productive systems.

NVIDIA recently unveiled mobile graphics, which is a notebook version of the GeForce GT 1030. This chip is not fast enough for today's Full HD games. The same can be said for the graphics of the Maxwell generation - GeForce GTX 950M and GeForce GTX 960M. There are still a lot of laptops with these GPUs on the shelves of computer stores.

Among the listed GPUs of the Pascal family with the GTX prefix, only the GeForce GTX 1050 does not "pull" AAA projects at high, very high and maximum graphics quality settings, but this solution is sufficient for virtual entertainment at medium graphics quality settings. And yet this chip is best suited for games like Dota 2, WOW, WOT, Diablo III, Overwatch, League of Legends and other non-resource-intensive multiplayer projects. For them, 2 GB of video memory is enough.

Graphics of the level of GeForce GTX 1050 Ti are sufficient at high and including maximum graphics quality settings. Only this GPU has no margin of safety, so in a couple of years you will have to be content with low or, at best, medium graphics quality settings. In addition, it is worth taking a model with 4 GB of video memory - even this size is often, but it is still better than the option with 2 GB GDDR5 SDRAM.

That is why, by the way, I would not consider options for laptops with a 3 GB version of the GeForce GTX 1060 - this mobile graphics has an excellent and productive GPU, but the lack of video memory clearly spoils the whole picture.

Laptops with GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB, GeForce GTX 1070 and GeForce GTX 1080 (top NVIDIA solutions come exclusively with 8 GB SDRAM) are great for games in Full HD resolution at maximum or close to them graphics quality settings. Naturally, the more productive the GPU turns out to be, the more expensive the laptop is, but it will also "last" for a long time. I think that for the next couple of years, these graphics solutions will definitely not disappoint gamers. This is important, since in a laptop, unlike desktops, it will not work to replace the video card. You will either have to take a new model, or put up with the fact that your laptop is completely and irrevocably outdated.

As I said, laptops with GeForce GTX 1050, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and GeForce GTX 1060 graphics come with both a Core i5-7300HQ and a Core i7-7700HQ processor. Models with GeForce GTX 1070 and GeForce GTX 1080 mainly use a more powerful CPU. But in some cases, the question may still arise: does it make sense to take Core i7 for games? The answer is simple - no, you shouldn't.

Not so long ago, I compared the model in which the Core i7-7700HQ is installed in 10 games with the one in which the Core i5-7300HQ is installed. Both laptops use the GeForce GTX 1060 version with 6GB of video memory. As a result, the devices showed almost the same results. Therefore, if you take a laptop for gaming, then in conjunction with the GeForce GTX 1050, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and GeForce GTX 1060, it makes no sense to use the Core i7. In more productive models with GeForce GTX 1070 and GeForce GTX 1080, it makes sense to use the Core i7-7700HQ, but most likely it will be there anyway.

16 GB of RAM will not interfere with a gaming laptop. In 2017, in most cases, models with 8 or 16 GB of RAM are sold, less often with 24 GB, 32 GB and even 64 GB. : Using only 8 GB in the system can lead to lags during the game under certain circumstances, since many modern projects require more than 8 GB of RAM at high graphics quality settings. Data that does not fit into the video memory is written to the laptop's system memory cells. And already with a lack of RAM, the paging file is used - it is this file that is used to store virtual memory pages. Using a swap file on your hard drive will lead to noticeable FPS drops. It will be uncomfortable to play, although the average number of frames per second shown in a given game may be quite acceptable. So it turns out that the ideal volume today is 16 GB, this amount of RAM is enough for all games. You can save and take a laptop with 8 GB in one case: if it allows you to add more system memory over time. Modern systems with Kaby Lake processors use DDR4-2400 modules operating with latencies of 17-17-17-39.

When choosing a laptop, my advice is simple: take a model that over time will allow you to independently replace the drive with a more capacious and faster analogue. Nowadays, many games weigh 50, 60 and even 70 GB, so a 128 GB drive is enough only to accommodate the operating system, drivers and one single (maximum two) games.

With the laptop's diagonal, everything is clear. If the gaming laptop needs to be constantly moved from one place to another, then it is better to take a model with a diagonal of 15.6 inches. Now gaming devices weigh about 2.2-2.5 kg (plus a power supply for half a kilo), which should not be an overwhelming burden for a man in his prime. If the laptop will be used mainly as a stationary PC, then it makes sense to take the 17.3-inch model. Still, playing on the big screen is somewhat more convenient. In most cases, gaming models use matte displays with an anti-reflective coating.

Laptops with a 1366 × 768 resolution matrix were taken and forgotten - only Full HD, only ... hardcore? In my opinion, gaming laptops do not need hardcore (read - Ultra HD). Because the graphics performance of the GeForce GTX 1070 and GeForce GTX 1080 is not enough to play in 4K resolution at or close to the maximum graphics quality settings. In addition, NVIDIA solutions support DSR technology, if someone still wants to get a clearer picture on a 15- or 17-inch screen. Interestingly, the WQHD resolution in gaming laptops is practically not used: either Full HD or Ultra HD.

As for the choice of matrix in a laptop, it is better to look for a model with IPS. Inexpensive laptops tend to use very cheap TN displays. Of course, you can live and play with such a screen, but you don't need to. IPS often has a higher brightness level, more contrast, better viewing angles and more accurate color reproduction. As a rule, the manufacturer indicates in the characteristics only the type of matrix, and the quality of the screen can only be found in reviews or through personal acquaintance with the device. There is a catch - sometimes one and the same laptop model is equipped with matrices of the same type, but from different manufacturers. Therefore, choosing a laptop with a really high-quality display is not always possible. Even the price of a laptop does not guarantee a truly high-quality matrix. The proof is in the review.

Frequency support and - "chips" in a gaming laptop are pleasant enough, but I would not call these technologies essential things. Budget laptops feel quite normal without them.

In laptop reviews, the hardest thing to write about the keyboard is because you have to share a purely subjective opinion with the reader. You can read hundreds of reviews in which the authors will tell you that the key travel of the keyboard of this or that laptop is smooth, clear, fast, responsive, tight, loud, quiet, pleasant, and so on, but there is no better way than to try the keyboard yourself. "taste". Therefore, I recommend going to some conventional "Eldorado". Even if the model that you have taken note of is not on the stand, you can always study the keyboard of another model of the same manufacturer. Typically, they equip laptops with similar input devices. For example, MSI has a long history of partnership with SteelSeries. As a result, both the RUR 80,000 model and the RUR 250,000 MSI GT73VR 7RE Titan SLI use the same keyboards, even though they are comparing notebooks with 15.6- and 17.3-inch screens.

I don't see any point in paying attention to the touchpad. In addition to a gaming laptop, you need to buy a good mouse.

Additional parameters: battery, interfaces, sound

Don't expect record-breaking battery life from a gaming laptop, although some models can run for 4 hours or more without being plugged in while watching videos or surfing the web. If you need a gaming system with a long battery life, then look for a model with a capacious battery - from 60 Wh. Just keep in mind that offline GPU performance degrades dynamically, limiting rendering to 30 frames per second. It is not always comfortable to play in this mode, but in any case, not for long - an hour and a half at most.

The rest of the parameters of a gaming laptop - sound, wireless connection, interfaces - I boldly call secondary. If on the sides of the laptop there are several A-type USB ports, HDMI-out, Ethernet-jack and 3.5-mm mini-jacks for connecting a headset, then this is quite enough for a comfortable pastime at the device. The presence of the newfangled USB 3.1 Type-C and Thunderbolt 3 are extremely nice additional options, but definitely not essential interfaces. The sound quality of most laptops is usually below average. Simply because good audio requires a spacious enclosure.

Upgrade options and configuration options

Separately, I will mention the ability to independently upgrade a gaming laptop. A separate topic is devoted to this topic. As a rule, we can install additional RAM in a laptop, as well as replace existing drives with faster and more capacious analogs. This upgrade is enough to significantly speed up the laptop. In addition, buying a laptop in a minimal configuration with subsequent "revision" is a very profitable activity. For example, the initial configuration of ASUS ROG Strix GL553VE with a Core i7-7700HQ processor, 8 GB DDR4-2400, 1 TB HDD and GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4 GB costs an average of 79,000 rubles. And the option with exactly the same hardware, but with 12 GB of RAM and 128 GB of SSD (SATA 6 Gb / s) - 92,000 rubles. However, for this amount, we can independently improve the initial configuration of ASUS ROG Strix GL553VE with an additional 8 GB of RAM (+4,000 rubles) and a 250 GB solid-state drive (NVMe, PCI Express x4 3.0, +9,000 rubles). Agree, this version of the laptop looks much more interesting.

Considering all of the above, it is best to buy a laptop that can be upgraded over time without any problems. Especially if you do not take the most pumped modification. For example, a system without an SSD or with only 8 GB of RAM.

Last year, GeForce GTX graphics cards in the Max-Q design came to the gaming laptop market. Everyone remembers that a gaming laptop entails increased dimensions and a typical representative of such a device had a thickness of 5-6 cm. Max-Q technology from NVIDIA allows you to significantly reduce the weight and size of a gaming laptop while maintaining high performance. The trend continued this year, with new gaming graphics cards GeForce RTX 2060, GeForce RTX 2070, GeForce RTX 2080 come in Max-Q design. In addition to video cards, processors have also been updated, and other components are not lagging behind in development. In this article, we'll take a closer look at the details of a gaming laptop, taking into account the latest trends from manufacturers.

Video card

All gaming laptops are equipped with a discrete graphics card, mostly from NVIDIA. On modern laptops, these are video cards from GeForce RTX 2060 to GeForce RTX 2080. Laptops with GeForce GTX video cards, from 1050 to 1080 Ti, are also available. And if earlier video cards were installed cut-down, with an "M" at the end of the model, for example GTX 960M, now they are installing full-fledged versions, with performance like desktop graphics cards. The most recent trend is graphics cards in the Max-Q design, thanks to which laptops have become significantly thinner at almost the same power as the regular version.

The GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card will allow you to play most games of 2017-2018 at medium graphics settings in a resolution of 1920 × 1080, but not all. For example, in games such as World of Tanks, GTA V, Rainbow Six Siege, Overwatch, you will get more than 60 FPS at medium settings, and in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Battlefield V, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Playerunknown's Battlegrounds, Destiny 2, Apex Legends will only be able to achieve the same result on low settings. You can forget about the maximum settings in modern games, this video card is not for them. In 2019, this video card looks even weaker, the latest innovations require more resources than those that the GeForce GTX 1050 has - most of the games this year will run only at low settings.

The next model in the series - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, will give better results. Here the games are conquered sometimes at high settings, sometimes at maximum settings. The GTX 1050 Ti graphics card shows itself 15-30% more powerful than the younger model. At high settings, the 60 FPS threshold will be overcome by: Fortnite, Star Wars Battlefront 2, Call of Duty WWII, Destiny 2, and Overwatch will completely master the ultra settings.

Previously, the best option and the middle option was the GeForce GTX 1060 with 6 GB of video memory. With this video card, you get comfortable 60 frames per second in the vast majority of games at maximum settings and in Full HD resolution. However, already from 2019, its performance will be lacking in more and more cases. You can buy a laptop with a more powerful video card - GTX 1070 or GTX 1080, but you should not do this in 2019, because a new line of GeForce RTX video cards has appeared.

The GeForce RTX 2060 is the new king of mid-range graphics cards. It handles all games before and during 2019 perfectly in Full HD resolution and ultra-graphics settings. The stock of this video card will be enough for the next few years. In case you want to play on a laptop with a 2K or 4K display, then you will need GeForce RTX 2070 or GeForce RTX 2070.

CPU

There is not much choice among processors. Looking at gaming laptops, you see two models everywhere: the Intel Core i5-8300H and the Intel Core i7-8750H. The younger processor i5-8300H is suitable for laptops with video cards up to GeForce GTX 1070, the older one will fit absolutely everywhere, it is used as on laptops with video cards GTX 1070 - GTX 1080 or RTX 2060 - RTX 2080, and on laptops weaker intended for those, who needs more processing power with an average graphics chip.

RAM

New games require more and more RAM. 8 GB of memory will not be enough for all games anymore, so you should choose a laptop with 16 GB of RAM, this amount is enough for gaming. You only need to take a laptop with 32 GB or more of RAM if you are engaged in graphics / video processing. If your budget is currently limited and you feel that you will have to buy a laptop with 8 GB of RAM, then do not worry, you can increase the RAM volume yourself by purchasing the required memory module and installing it next to the existing one. This procedure does not take much time and boils down to the selection of the required memory module, to which many articles on the Internet are devoted, and removing the back cover of the laptop to connect the RAM.

Hard disks (HDD) and solid state disks (SSD)

A gaming laptop, and indeed any computer in 2019, must have an SSD drive. It works at speeds much higher than a regular hard drive, so at least the operating system and programs must be installed on it. However, its high cost often does not allow installing such a disk with a large capacity. Look out for laptops with a 128GB SSD or more. The larger the volume, the more games you can install on it, so it all depends on your budget. Usually, in addition to the SSD, a regular hard drive is also installed in a laptop. It will store files that will not fit on a solid-state drive, take a laptop with a capacity of 1 TB and above. Both types of drives can be changed independently, just like RAM. Therefore, you can always increase your storage capacity over time.

Display

The display is also important when choosing a laptop, because it is at it that your eyes will be looking all the time. Gaming laptops range in size from 15 "and up, reaching 21". The screen resolution ranges from 1920 × 1080 (FHD) to 2560 × 1440 (QHD) and 3840 × 2160 (4K). A 15.6-inch screen in FHD resolution is enough to get a beautiful picture. Display matrices are of two types: TN and IPS, the latter type has better viewing angles and a more pleasant image, but the price, respectively, is higher. It is worth paying attention to the display coating: matte or glossy. The glossy finish has better color rendering and richer colors, but reflections and glare are noticeable when working on it. The matte screen has an anti-reflective coating, you will not see reflection in it and the sun shining into the laptop screen will not bother you. One of the latest trends is that the laptop screen supports 120 Hz, thanks to which the image in games will change more smoothly.

Ports and cooling

Before purchasing a laptop, we recommend that you look at the reviews on the device and make sure that the cooling of the laptop will not interfere with you. It is important that the cooling system is balanced and does not exceed acceptable noise limits. Also, look at where the blowing goes: it should not be located on the right side of the laptop, otherwise hot air will go directly to the mouse and your hand. Pay attention to the ports available in the laptop: make sure that there are all that you may need to connect additional devices, such as an HDMI connector for an additional monitor.

Conclusion

We hope this guide helps you choose a gaming laptop. Before buying such a serious thing that will serve you in the coming years, we recommend that you carefully study all the characteristics of the laptop that you liked. Look at the reviews on it, read the reviews of people who have already purchased such a laptop. Pay attention to the manufacturer - we recommend making a choice in favor of one of the proven brands: