Gaming Laptop buying Guide 2018

With the rise in GPU and memory prices, picking up a pre-built gaming PC or a gaming laptop is now making more sense than ever. Gaming laptops are a breed apart from your usual everyday Ultrabook. They are for the serious gamer who doesn’t want to compromise on performance while away from their desks and want absolute power to crunch everything to Ultra while carrying them on their laps.

However, this wasn’t the case a few years ago as GPU architectures weren’t as efficient and as a result, both NVIDIA and AMD had to make “Mobile Counterparts” for their desktop SKUs. Well not anymore. The new architecture has reached a point where they can be included in laptops, and as a result, this generation of gaming laptops can equally compete with their desktop SKU counterparts. However, one thing that has remained true is that Gaming laptops are usually a lot pricier than your average laptops, owing to their immensely powerful configurations in the compact shell. So without further ado, let’s explore a few models that you can get your hands on.

1. Alienware 17: The whole movement of gaming laptops was essentially started by dell with their Alienware line-up. A few years back when gaming laptops weren’t as popular, Alienware was the only brand that offered high end gaming laptops. Sure they commanded a hefty price tag, but having an Alienware showed that you meant business. The basic shape has remained as otherworldly as when it was first launched and it still performs as well as it looks. Coming to the specifications, it packs in a FHD display with a peak brightness of 300-nits and Tobi eye tracking support. Internally, it can be configured with three configurations, each featuring a 7th gen Intel i7 Processor and a GTX 1070 and higher in India, although the US Spec has got the 8th Gen Intel i7 support. It also comes with NVME SSD’s and 16-32 GB of RAM, depending on the model. The Alienware starts at Rs.2,16,990 for the base variant and goes all the way up to Rs.3,19,990 for the top of the line model in India.

2. Asus ROG GX800: The ROG or Republic of Gamers is a brand that is as old as Alienware, if not older. ROG was Asus’s brain child to introduce gaming oriented peripherals to the market that craters exclusively to the enthusiasts. Coming to the laptop, simply put that when your laptop comes with its own carrying suitcase, you know that it isn’t messing around. The GX800 is by far the most insane laptop that has ever launched, period. Part of the reason why it comes with its own suitcase is that it is the only laptop in existence that has a separate water cooling unit that attaches to the main laptop to cool the TWO GTX 1080’s (depending on the config) that reside inside this behemoth. Here is a general overview of the rest of the specifications: Intel® Core™ i7 7820HK, up to 64 GB SDRAM, DDR4 2800MHz, 4K G-Sync enabled display, 1.5TB SSD in RAID-0, Mechanical Keyboard with Asus AURA RGB. So as you can see, this is a beast in every regard and it costs like it looks, with a price tag of nearly Rs. 8,00,000, it sure isn’t cheap.

3. Lenovo Legion Y720: The Legion is a relatively new brand introduced by Lenovo to differentiate their gaming laptop line-up. The Legion Y720 is actually one of the most valued for money gaming laptops that you can currently get your hands on. It retails for roughly Rs.80-150,000 and for that you get a VR Ready laptop that can run anything you throw on it. Powering the laptop is an Intel i7 7700HQ Processor, coupled with a GTX 1060 6GB GPU and 512GB SSD + 2TB HDD and 16GB of RAM. The lower variants can also be configured with an i5 7300HQ and a lower storage to keep the costs down. However, this is one of the most affordable laptops that you can buy that has a built in GTX 1060 dedicated graphics card. Also, it has a host of connectivity options, chief among which is Thunderbolt 3.0. Like most gaming laptops, it also has RGB backlit on its keyboard. It is a decent laptop with a decent specification at an affordable price tag.

4. Acer Predator Helios 300: This is another more affordable gaming laptop from our very own Acer. The Helios 300 is a god compromise if you want a gaming laptop but do not want to spend a whole lot of money. It kind of has everything but everything is a bit here and there owing to the low cost. Still, the specifications are decent and powering the laptop is an Intel i7 7700HQ, 8/16GB of RAM, 128/256/512GB SSD, 1TB HDD and a GTX 1060 6GB. It has all the gamer focused looks and features that you would expect but overall it is above average in build quality, the thermals aren’t great and the screen isn’t anything to write home about. However, a price tag of Rs.89,000-1,00,000 means that it is the most affordable gaming laptop on this list and you still get an SSD and the GTX 1060 6GB on the base variant. If you live with these small compromises, then the Acer tops the value chart here.

5. HP OMEN: The Omen series from HP is their gaming oriented line-up, targeting the enthusiasts and price conscious. The Omen doesn’t look as mean or as aggressive like all other gaming laptops but don’t be fooled by its looks as it is one of the best performing laptops that you can get your hands on. The main USP of the Omen line-up is that you can have pretty much any configuration you want. HP lets you chose the components going inside the laptop, and as a result, you can build it to a specification that suits your budget. It does have gamer-y features such as backlit keyboard and custom software to control the laptop, but it also features a USB Type-C Thunderbolt enabled port for flexible connections and external GPU docks.

If you are looking for a laptop with decent battery life, stay away. These laptops mean business and portability is second priority. For a complete list of laptops on offer, check killerfeatures.com where you can find and discover gaming laptops at decent prices.