The hunt for gaming laptop computers
You might be surprised at how affordable slick gaming laptops have become. This will be the first of many laptop gaming reviews, where I will scan and research the best offers in terms of performance, price and presentation (what I will call the three P's). Here is a breakdown of what I will be looking at when selecting candidates.
Performance: The purpose of buying a gaming laptop is its ability to play the games you want them to. Unfortunately, many laptops are sold by way of their gaming tag, and fail to deliver the goods. I will look at what these laptops can play and more importantly, how well.
Price: The relationship between price and quality is not always linear. What we are looking for here is value for money.
Presentation: Is the laptop aesthetically pleasing? Perhaps this is personal pet peeve, but if I buying something powerful, I want it to look powerful. Other factors which influence the presentation review are internal factors such as OS, features and peripheral devices.
Performance: The purpose of buying a gaming laptop is its ability to play the games you want them to. Unfortunately, many laptops are sold by way of their gaming tag, and fail to deliver the goods. I will look at what these laptops can play and more importantly, how well.
Price: The relationship between price and quality is not always linear. What we are looking for here is value for money.
Presentation: Is the laptop aesthetically pleasing? Perhaps this is personal pet peeve, but if I buying something powerful, I want it to look powerful. Other factors which influence the presentation review are internal factors such as OS, features and peripheral devices.
System specs
- Box Contents - Acer Aspire AS7551G-5821 Notebook, 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (up to 2.7-hours), AC power adapter; Software Bundle - Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
- AMD Phenom II Quad-Core N930 2.0GHz Processor
- 2MB Cache, 1333MHz FSB
- 4GB (4096MB) DDR3 Dual-Channel 1066MHz RAM (8GB max.)
- 500GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Acer Computer Aspire AS7551G-582
After having made a colossal slip-up on my last recommendation, thanks to some intrepid and knowledgeable visitors I've amended this entry and included the vastly superior Acer alternative.
Performance 8/10
Athlon's AMD Phenom II Quad-Core N930 2.0GHz Processor is a very fast processor for a supposedly low-end system. In a passmark benchmark, this chip outstripped the Intel Core2 Duo T9600 @ 2.80GHz (a $340 alternative) and performed admirably against its competitors. The inclusion of 4GB (4096MB) DDR3 Dual-Channel 1066MHz RAM, upgradeable at any time to 8GB, makes playing high requirement modern games an absolute breeze.
Price 10/10
At less than $900, it is an absolute bargain. There is very little to add.
Presentation 6/10
While I love the 17.3 Inch widescreen display, the overall aesthetics are somewhat bland. Dark and simple. There's nothing much to whoop about here, but then again, there's nothing to cry about either. For the price, you can't expect a highly customized product.
Performance 8/10
Athlon's AMD Phenom II Quad-Core N930 2.0GHz Processor is a very fast processor for a supposedly low-end system. In a passmark benchmark, this chip outstripped the Intel Core2 Duo T9600 @ 2.80GHz (a $340 alternative) and performed admirably against its competitors. The inclusion of 4GB (4096MB) DDR3 Dual-Channel 1066MHz RAM, upgradeable at any time to 8GB, makes playing high requirement modern games an absolute breeze.
Price 10/10
At less than $900, it is an absolute bargain. There is very little to add.
Presentation 6/10
While I love the 17.3 Inch widescreen display, the overall aesthetics are somewhat bland. Dark and simple. There's nothing much to whoop about here, but then again, there's nothing to cry about either. For the price, you can't expect a highly customized product.
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 | Amazon Price: $668.88 List Price: $679.99 |
System Specs
- 1.8 GHz AMD Phenom II P820 triple-core processor
- 4 GB of installed DDR3 RAM
- ATI Radeon HD 4250
- 320 GB SATA hard drive
- Up to 3.8 hours of battery life
- LED TruBrite 14-Inch Disply
(new) Toshiba Satellite L645D
(Updated November 26, 2010) With the advent of the Christmas season, and gathering feedback from the comments, I've decided to include another bestseller, the L645D. Wielding a "hug me" sign, a tight-fitting $500 price, this Toshiba model is about as cheap as it gets, albeit retaining some of the hallmarks of a top-notch gaming diva.
Performance 7/10 (Given the price!)
The 1.8 GHz AMD Phenom II P820 triple-core processor for those who are more in tune with the two core i3-330M, and is perfect for lowering power consumption and keeping the heat down while providing a good (not supreme) gaming performance.4 GB DDR 3 onboard RAM (expandable to 8) is also included, which is enough to run pretty much anything smoothly. The ATI Radeon HD 4250 graphics card shares memory anywhere in between 256MB to 1917MB, but try as I might I cant help but feel this is the Achilles heel of this model.
Price:10/10
Dirt cheap! But bear in mind there are quite a few models at the price range. This was my suggestion, but feel free to have a peek.
Presentation: 8/10
Typical Toshiba black finish you might say, and indeed you are partly right. But Toshiba seem to have gone to lengths to let the reader no this isn't just black, but Helios Black.
Performance 7/10 (Given the price!)
The 1.8 GHz AMD Phenom II P820 triple-core processor for those who are more in tune with the two core i3-330M, and is perfect for lowering power consumption and keeping the heat down while providing a good (not supreme) gaming performance.4 GB DDR 3 onboard RAM (expandable to 8) is also included, which is enough to run pretty much anything smoothly. The ATI Radeon HD 4250 graphics card shares memory anywhere in between 256MB to 1917MB, but try as I might I cant help but feel this is the Achilles heel of this model.
Price:10/10
Dirt cheap! But bear in mind there are quite a few models at the price range. This was my suggestion, but feel free to have a peek.
Presentation: 8/10
Typical Toshiba black finish you might say, and indeed you are partly right. But Toshiba seem to have gone to lengths to let the reader no this isn't just black, but Helios Black.
System specs
- 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 Processor
- 4GB Memory (upgradeable to 8GB)
- 500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive
- 18.4" Display, NVIDIA GeForce GTS 210M Graphics, Harmon Kardon Speakers Included
- Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), *2 Hours 40 Minutes of Battery Life
1.Toshiba P505
One reason why many gamers turn their shoulders on laptops as a platform is that their can't stand the restrictive monitors. Let's face it, playing on a 10 inch screen will never be incredibly immersive. This rig provides an exceptional 18.4 inch screen, making it as large as many LCD and CRT monitors. The downside to this is obviously mobility as it may be unsuited to long journeys.
Performance 7/10
The adaptable NVIDIA GeForce G 210M scores very well on traditional gaming benchmarks. In terms of benchmarking performance the card rivals the Radeon HD 4570, which is no mean feat. For those of you who are accustomed to the curse of integrated graphic cards (a hallmark of laptops), know that salvation is here: crowned by NVIDIA's guarantee that the 210M offers 10 times the performance of integrated graphics solutions.
Other upsides are the high performance RAM, which exceed virtually ever game prerequisite on the market and the on-board dual core processor similarly should prove a boon when gaming.
Price 9/10
At around a thousand dollars this laptop is an exceptional catch, providing you realize just how big it really is! (11.6 x 17.4 x 1.6 inches ; 8.7 pounds) With an amazon review selection which is entirely positive, and 60% of reviews awarding the product 5 stars, you can't go wrong.
Presentation 6/10
The case is elegant and simple. I would have loved more customization options, so if black and silver isn't your thing then you'll probably need to skip this model.
Performance 7/10
The adaptable NVIDIA GeForce G 210M scores very well on traditional gaming benchmarks. In terms of benchmarking performance the card rivals the Radeon HD 4570, which is no mean feat. For those of you who are accustomed to the curse of integrated graphic cards (a hallmark of laptops), know that salvation is here: crowned by NVIDIA's guarantee that the 210M offers 10 times the performance of integrated graphics solutions.
Other upsides are the high performance RAM, which exceed virtually ever game prerequisite on the market and the on-board dual core processor similarly should prove a boon when gaming.
Price 9/10
At around a thousand dollars this laptop is an exceptional catch, providing you realize just how big it really is! (11.6 x 17.4 x 1.6 inches ; 8.7 pounds) With an amazon review selection which is entirely positive, and 60% of reviews awarding the product 5 stars, you can't go wrong.
Presentation 6/10
The case is elegant and simple. I would have loved more customization options, so if black and silver isn't your thing then you'll probably need to skip this model.
System specs
- 2.0GHz Intel Core2 Quad Q9000 Processor
- 4GB System Memory (up to 8)
- 320GB Hard Drive; Dual Layer DVD Burner
- 17.0" Display; Dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M - SLI Enabled
- Windows 7 Home Premium Operating System (64-bit)
 | Amazon Price: $2,379.99 |
Alienware M17x
Alienware is a brand that is instantly synonymous with gaming. Their rigs are build from the ground up to appease even the most critical and hardcore gamers. The problem with this is simple: The price. For years my trips to Alienware's website were filled with both excitement and hopelessness. One the one hand, the superb quality and guaranteed gaming platform, and on the other the steep prices. Where laptops usually ranged from $2000 and up.The M17x is a new Alienware offer that seems to bridge the price gap, offering a high-quality system at a manageable price.
Performance 9/10
At first glance, the system specs seem to a little low, despite the relatively cheap price. I will openly state that it is absolutely possible to get the same rig specs for less. But this remains an Alienware through-and-through. The M17x is guaranteed to function perfectly. Components are chosen carefully, not only on the basis of their factory specs, but on long-term performance, conflict reduction and quality. To anyone who hasn't previously owned an Alienware, it is difficult to put into words. Specs aside, this beast is built for gaming -- and that's exactly what it does.
Price 6/10
At around $1900 Alienware fans will likely jump for joy. Others might, justly, find the price too high for their tastes. If super cheap is what you are looking for, feel free to skip to the next offer.
Presentation 10/10
A beautiful anodized aluminum case, a large 17inch HD display (with a superb 8ms response time), face recognition with all round fantastic looking peripheral support and a great looking and highly function backlit keyboard. It doesn't get better than this folks
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