Traveling Gamer: Top 5 Gaming Laptops

MSI has an interesting take on gaming laptops. If you look at their lineup, it turns out that 90% of models are rather restrained in using the classic attributes of gaming laptops, such as bright keyboard backlighting or aggressive cutouts for coolers. This adds to their versatility, thanks to which the Stealth or Raider models can often be confused with some kind of business laptop.

The brushed, textured aluminium black chassis is just 21.7mm thick and weighs 1.86kg. Only the logo of the series gives out the gaming affiliation of the device. It is enough to open the laptop and the red backlit keyboard will dispel all doubts about its gaming nature. But it’s also quite convenient to work with it, typing text, the backlight is more accurate than aggressive, and you don’t get tired of it.

This version of the GF63 RD, like the entire series, combines performance with a slim body. Therefore, it uses Max-Q technology to compactly accommodate the GPU, which saves battery power and reduces heat under heavy loads. Specifically, in this model, the new GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q with 4 GB of video memory is used as a video accelerator.

Paired with it is an eighth-generation 4-core Core i5 with multithreading support and a maximum frequency of 4 GHz, 16 GB of RAM and a 1000 GB HDD. In general, the filling is not the most top-end, but the Ultra graphics settings will not pull everywhere, but in fairness, the difference between high and medium graphics settings in modern games is gradually erased, and the $ 1200 price tag looks very attractive by the standards of gaming laptops. Plus, I would like an SSD to pair with the hard drive, but, in principle, you can install it yourself using an additional M.2 connector.

Add here a good 15-inch screen with a 5ms response time and thin bezels, an advanced Nahimic 3 audio system and decent autonomy (up to 7 hours on a single charge) and you get an interesting versatile laptop. It is perfect for users who like to spend the evening playing their favorite games and work productively during the day. Just keep in mind that it runs DOS out of the box, so you will have to install Windows yourself.

Clevo has been designing chassis for gaming laptops from other manufacturers for 20 years, and it was they who designed the Alienware line of laptops until it was bought out by Dell Corporation. Not so long ago, they went on an independent voyage and entered the domestic market with Dream Machines gaming laptops.

One of the features of the company's laptops is a conservative design and almost complete rejection of the nomadic decor of gaming laptops. Racing-style radiator grills or camouflage colors are not welcome here, so most of the company's models, including the hero of today's review, can easily be used as a powerful and unusual work laptop. For example, it has an RGB backlit keyboard that can be customized to suit your needs. For example, during work, make it white or light blue, and during games, switch to the standard red color.

The heart of the laptop is a brand new Intel Core i5-9300H processor with four physical cores (frequency 4.1 GHz) and multi-threading support. The discrete graphics card GeForce GTX 1650 with 4 GB of video memory is responsible for graphics processing. This is a pretty good card from the new Turing family, which is about the same performance level as the GTX 1060, but at the same time it costs almost a quarter less and is made using a more modern technological process.

Paired with a processor, 16 GB of RAM and a fast 1000 GB SSD, this graphics card delivers a stable 30+ frames per second in any modern game at medium-high settings and FullHD resolution. Plus, there is an unusual opportunity for gaming laptops to overclock the RAM to 3200 MHz using a set of proprietary software. Well, if you remember about the universal design, then this model can be easily used for rendering and editing videos, working in illustrators or writing music.

Among other features, we note a good IPS screen with thin top and side frames, a card reader, a USB-C port, a removable battery, a high-quality Dream Cooling cooling system and a Sound BlasterX Pro-Gaming 360 sound path. Oh yes, like all models of the company, Dream Machines The G1650-15 has a high build quality, is easy to disassemble and allows you to replace system components yourself without voiding the warranty. The only inconvenience is that the laptop does not have a pre-installed operating system (OS), so you have to tinker a bit with installing Windows.

The Acer Predator Triton 500 is a very expensive, very powerful, well-equipped thin laptop with a 15-inch 144Hz display. A gamer's dream and the flagship of Acer 's 2019 gaming laptop lineup. It is equipped with a powerful six-core Core i7 processor with multi-threading support, the role of the graphics adapter is performed by the near-top NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q video card, the amount of RAM is 16 GB, and a very fast 512 GB PCI-E SSD is used as storage. There is not much to talk about here, for playing in FullHD resolution and maximum graphics settings, such a filling will last for a few more years with a margin.

Another question is how to stuff all this filling into a miniature 2-kg case 18 mm thick without turning the laptop into a hot frying pan. The engineers did it halfway. The cooling system is powerful and thoughtful, but the laptop still turned out to be noisy and hot. If you play at the maximum in something very demanding like Mortal Kombat 11, the case heats up decently. Neither the energy-efficient version of the Max-Q video card, nor the separate Turbo button, which accelerates all fans by 100%, saves. However, it is unlikely that such a powerful iron can actually be cooled more strongly.

The 15-inch IPS display is a match for the filling here: it has gorgeous color reproduction, excellent contrast ratio, 3ms response time, 144Hz refresh rate like top gaming monitors and support for G-Sync adaptive synchronization. The latter allows you to forget about the classic vertical synchronization with frame rate blocking and image tearing at different frame rates and refresh rates.

Now about design. Unlike the popular Predator Helios and Nitro Predator Triton 500 models, the design is more conservative: a well-assembled metal case, strict outlines, an emphasis on blue color and an RGB keyboard backlight. To make the model more different from business-class laptops, the designers slightly trimmed the corners of the display bezel and added a mesh pattern above the keyboard. There is an illuminated Predator gaming line logo on the lid. The lid is not textured, collects fingerprints a little, but they are easily wiped off.

Separately, we note a comfortable island-type keyboard without a numeric keypad, which is more likely to be a plus than a minus for a gaming device. Acceptable button spacing and short travel make the keyboard equally useful for both gaming and typing. RGB backlighting can be customized to your wishes: you can select colors by zones and button blocks, adjust the intensity and effect of the glow, adjust the speed of fading keys, etc.

With the Legion Y740, Lenovo engineers managed to combine 2 things: to make an incredibly powerful gaming laptop and compete for the prize of the best gaming laptop design. It's a model with thin bezels, clean lines, unusual symmetry (look at the hinge that holds the screen), a soft RGB backlit keyboard with Corsair iCue sync, and a strict solid-coloured lid that's covered in a wood grain or fingerprint pattern. In general, the designers managed to find a formula that is close to perfect, so the appearance of the Legion practically does not change from model to model.

The main work concerns the improvement of the filling and the addition of useful functions. Let's start with the filling. Namely, the top-end GeForce RTX 2070 graphics card in an energy-efficient Max-Q design. This is a powerful card with 8 GB of video memory and support for the newfangled ray tracing technology. Thanks to her, the image improves and becomes more believable. Without ray tracing in the frame, absolutely any objects can reflect light, including stumps in the forest and cobblestones on the pavement. But with ray tracing, the picture becomes more realistic and in some cases even more interesting.

The production capacity of the laptop is provided by a fifth-generation twelve-thread Core i7 chip (operating at frequencies from 2.6 to 4.5 GHz), 32 GB of RAM and a top-end 1024 GB NVMe SSD. If we take analogies with cars, then this is a racing Ferrari, which in the coming years will produce record FPS at maximum graphics settings and FullHD resolution.

Surprisingly, with all the power of the iron and the diminutiveness of the case, the Legion Y740 turned out to be extremely quiet and cold. Especially in comparison with other game models. For example, if you run Assassin's Creed Odyssey on Ultra graphics settings and bring the sound level meter to one of the side grilles, the noise level will fluctuate around 50 dB. This is very cool. We won't be surprised if this ColdFront cooling system with four vents will appear in the company's more affordable laptops in the future.

The canvas called "the dream of the boyar's PC" completes the display and sound system. The 15-inch screen gives a juicy picture, supports Dolby Vision HDR, a refresh rate of 144 Hz and G-Sync. Built-in sound with support for Dolby Atmos bangs be healthy and during the game it may well replace external speakers. Plus, the speakers have a feature called Sound Radar, which visually shows the player which side the sound source is on, which helps to better navigate in space. Especially in online shooters where every millisecond counts.

However, the model has several subjective aspects in ergonomics (a keyboard with an unusual block of buttons on the left and a webcam on the bottom), but the gameplay does not suffer from them. The downside is the almost $3,000 price tag, but we're not sure if that's the right thing to do, given all of the above. After all, it's like the Bentley of gaming laptops and should be priced accordingly.

A couple of years ago, any gaming laptop was thick and weighed a lot. However, a couple of years ago, thin and light gaming laptops began to appear on the market, which looked more like Macbooks. But even against their background, the new ROG Zephyrus S with its thin (only 16 mm) shockproof body and aluminium looks like a black sheep.

The second point that stands out ROG Zephyrus S is the unusual placement of the keyboard (at the very base) and the trackpad (it is vertical and moved to the right corner). In this case, the trackpad can work as a touch Num block. This decision looks extravagant and definitely adds a twist to the laptop, but not everyone will like it. For example, playing while holding a laptop on your lap is not very convenient. Otherwise, you quickly get used to the unusual arrangement, and the RGB-backlit keyboard itself turns out to be very convenient for both gaming and typing.

The laptop uses a "frameless" IPS-matrix with FullHD resolution and a refresh rate of 144 Hz and a response speed of 3 ms. The picture is very good, with a wide color gamut, high contrast and maximum viewing angles. Photos, movies and games look great on this screen.

In terms of power, this is a flagship laptop without any reservations: 6-core Core i7 with multi-threading support, 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB SSD. The final stroke is an energy-efficient version of the GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card with 8 GB of video memory on board. This is the newest and most powerful model in the line of NVIDIA and humanity has not yet released a game that is too tough for her.

But before buying, you should still pay attention to a few little things. Firstly, there is no LAN port for a wired connection to the network, so in which case you will need to purchase an adapter. Secondly, the quality of the built-in speakers, considering the price, is not so hot. On the one hand, the sound is clear and bassy, on the other hand, the speakers are not the most powerful (the case is thin), they are hard to hear due to loud coolers, and they begin to wheeze and resonate at a volume of 90%. However, if you play with headphones or with external speakers, then there will be no problems with this.