What card is needed for a gaming laptop. How to choose the right gaming laptop

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The question of which laptop is best to buy for gaming has been asked by gamers for many years.

The difficulty is that new models are coming out and what was previously considered the most powerful can no longer be considered so today.

The reason for this conclusion is very simple - all modern games are written for Windows (all kinds of chess and balls do not count, we take into account games like GTA 5, NFS and the like).

But the problem is that if the computer is designed for the same MacOS, installing Windows on it will be very problematic.

On the official Apple website it is written that for using Windows programs on Mac there is Boot program Camp.

There are installation instructions there. But even in this case, no one is immune from compatibility problems.

Until this time, all the games were going just fine, and the picture was, as they say, delicious. Now everything has changed. The same goes for others similar systems.

Frequency

The fact is that minimum frequency The current processor speed for a gaming device is 2.4 GHz.

Most modern games work normally only at this frequency. It is logical that the higher the frequency, the higher the performance will be.

This can be clearly seen in the following graph.

Figure 4 shows the results of testing the same game with different meanings processor frequencies.

Again, the main parameter here was the number of frames per second. And lines of different colors show what the fps value was at different screen resolutions.

At a resolution of 2160p the difference is not so great, but at 1080p it is already quite noticeable.

Since most modern laptops have a resolution of no more than 1080p, it is obvious that for a good gaming laptop the processor frequency must be at least 3 GHz.

This is absolutely enough for games that are still awaiting release.

Advice: The minimum processor frequency must be 3 GHz.

Number of Cores

Obviously, the computer’s performance also depends on the number of processor cores - the more there are, the faster information will be processed.

The principle here is very simple - all information is evenly distributed between the cores and they all process it.

But if we have already determined that the minimum processor frequency should be 3 GHz, then the criterion for the number of cores automatically disappears.

The fact is that processors with such a frequency simply cannot have few cores - from 4 to 8.

It's more important to look at the processor manufacturer and core architecture. As for the first, let's say right away - AMD processors are not suitable for games. You need to choose Intel.

This can be clearly seen in the following graph.

As you can see, they took processors from Intel and AMD with different numbers of cores and launched the GTA 5 game.

As a result, more frames per second were recorded when working with Intel processors.

In terms of architecture, the following graph shows that optimal models The current architectures for Intel processors are Broadwell, Skylake and Haswell, which came out in the last 3 years.

Hence the following selection criterion.

Advice: Best Architecture processorBroadwell, SkylakeorHaswell.

Criterion No. 3. RAM

As you know, games usually require a large number of files and data that relate to locations, objects, maps, saves and everything else. RAM is responsible for all this.

Accordingly, the heavier the game, the more data it needs to load and normal operation, the more RAM it needs.

Of course, modern games require quite a lot of such memory, but not as much as manufacturers offer.

For example, let's take a few heavy games and see what their RAM requirements are to run at maximum settings:

Crysis 3 – 8 GB.
Battlefield 4 – 8 GB.
Assassin's Creed 4 – 4 GB.
Need for Speed 2015 – 8 GB.

The same picture is with other heavy games of our time. 8 GB is enough for the toy to work smoothly without any freezes.

Yes, it’s possible that in a year or two something very demanding will come out and more gigabytes will be needed, so we’ll take it with a reserve.

Criterion No. 4. Video card

As for the video card, here we will consider the most important and central parameter– video memory size.

This parameter determines how much graphic information the device can store.

For example, if in a game you need to load some textures to go to the next level, then they will be loaded through this very memory.

How higher resolution in a laptop, the more video memory it will need.

In most cases, one gigabyte of video memory is enough.

But to determine the ideal amount of VRAM, you need to look again at the maximum requirements for today's heaviest games.

After reading these requirements, you can see the following picture:

Crysis 3 – 4 GB.
Battlefield 4 – 4 GB.
Assassin's Creed 4 – 2 GB.
Need for Speed 2015 – 4 GB.

From this we can draw a very simple conclusion - a modern gaming laptop requires 4 GB of video memory.

All other parameters related to the video card simply cannot be low with a large amount of video memory. Hence the next criterion.

Advice: You need at least 4 GB of video memory.

It doesn’t matter which model of video card will be installed in the laptop, the main thing is that it has at least 4 GB of memory.

Criterion No. 5. Hard disk capacity

Most of the games that were listed above require at least 30 GB of hard drive space free space.

But of course, we will have not just one game, but 10-20 games, so we need to multiply 30 GB by at least 10, the result will be 300 GB.

If you take it with a reserve, it will be approximately 500 GB. This will be our next criterion.

Advice: The minimum storage capacity must be 500 GB.

Yes, manufacturers today offer more, but so far there’s simply no point in it.

Even if you install the 10 heaviest games and add a sea of movies there, it will still be very problematic to fill even 1 TB.

Additionally, there is a common myth that storage capacity somehow affects performance.

This is due to the fact that supposedly what more information on a computer, the slower it will work. It is not true.

All information that is on the drive is processed by the processor, and the faster it does this, the more productive the laptop will be. And this pattern does not change even after years of using the device.

But we have already determined above that the minimum processor frequency should be 3 GHz. So, this is quite enough for calm work with a large number of gigabytes of information.

Types of hard drives

The ideal option for a gaming laptop is an SSD drive. The arguments for such a bold statement are as follows:

SSD drives are 100 times faster than the same ones HDD drives. These are not just words. Other hard drives need to spin up to access data, but SSDs have the ability to get it instantly. And all because SSDs have no moving parts.
SSD drives have higher throughput, and significantly more. This means that this type of drive will be able to handle more megabytes every second.
SSD drives have much better I/O performance. This parameter characterizes how many operations the device can process. It is related to the previous one.
Throughput means how many operations can actually reach the HDD, and I/O performance means how many of those operations it can handle.
SSDs have much less time response. This means that they react faster when an operation comes to them for processing. Accordingly, they can process this very operation much faster.

All these parameters are shown in the figure below.

As you can see, in all three parameters, SSDs are two or three heads higher than their HDD counterparts. SSDs have other benefits as well.

For example, due to their one-piece design, they are much more reliable.

They are absolutely impervious to falls, scratches, mechanical damage and, ultimately, to the blows. Fact: the shock resistance of any SSD drive is at least 1000 g/0.5 ms.

This basically means that you can throw it against a wall and drop it on the asphalt and absolutely nothing will happen to it. In general, the next criterion is obvious.

Advice: The laptop must haveSSDstorage device.

Interestingly, the combination SSD drive and less RAM than described above and less powerful processor than described above can also give impressive results.

Even with 5 GB of RAM and a 2.4 GHz processor frequency, you can easily play the same Crysis 3 or NFS.

On the other hand, with the parameters described above, you can sacrifice the dream of an SSD and take a model with an HDD.

Criterion No. 6. Working hours

As you know, operating time depends on the battery.

Of course, most of the time the laptop will work from a regular outlet, but from time to time the gamer will have to take it with him on trips or there will be some problems with the power supply.

For such cases, you need a laptop to have an excellent battery. Since games require a lot of computer resources, the battery must be very powerful.

Considering all the above parameters, the maximum battery life can be 9 hours.

But for a gaming laptop, 4 hours is quite enough - it still gets boring to play games and sometimes you need to rest. Therefore, the next criterion is obvious.

Advice: Required minimum time Battery life – 4 hours.

In any case, you will have to buy another battery, because even if it is stated that the battery will work for at least 10 hours, under average load it will work for about 7-8, and in games - 4-5.

Therefore, in practice, the same battery for 4 hours will last for at most 2 hours.

Advice: For a gaming laptop, be sure to buy a second battery, and a more powerful one than the one already built into it.

Criterion No. 7. Weight and dimensions

Of course, no gamer wants to carry 10-20 kg on himself, even in a briefcase. The heaviest laptop today is the Dell XPS M2010, which weighs 8.3 kg.

There are also secret military developments from Philips, which, according to some experts, weigh up to 9 kg. Of course, it’s not very convenient to carry such a colossus on yourself.

Therefore, it is optimal for the laptop to weigh up to 4 kg.

Such a weight will not harm the human body, and if you constantly carry such a device with you, a person will even stop noticing it.

Interestingly, all other parameters in the Dell XPS M2010 were very high level at the time of publication of this creation.

As for the size of a gaming laptop, the considerations are the same - it’s absolutely inconvenient to carry a too wide colossus with you.

Therefore, it is optimal that the length of the device is not more than 500 mm and the width is 40 mm.

Most experts agree on this. This size allows the laptop to have a diagonal of 17.3 inches. Hence another criterion.

Although, of course, someone may want to buy themselves something big and impressive. Therefore, this parameter can also be considered optional.

Criterion No. 8. Connectors and drives

For some heavy games, in particular GTA 5, the manufacturer requires that the computer have a DVD drive.

This is done with the expectation that the user will still buy official game on the disk and will only use it, and will not download everything on the Internet from torrents.

Of course, the reality is that now everything can be found on the Internet and various games can be downloaded for free.

But manufacturers are moving forward and, quite possibly, a game will be released in 2017 that will be impossible to break.

A few years ago Fifa 14 was released and for a long time not a single person called a “cracker” (who makes cracks for the game, that is, files that allow you to bypass the protection) could hack it.

Even teams of specialists have made attempts, in particular skidrow, Razor, Reloaded and others.

Usually all versions of FIFA break a month after release, but here 5 months passed and only after that a crack appeared on the skidrow website.

And now all new versions of the football simulator no longer break so easily, and at least three months pass between the release of the game for sale and the release of the crack.

In general, it is becoming increasingly difficult for crackers to crack new games, so you should always have a DVD drive and several thousand for a new game.

The same applies to other connectors and communications.

For example, a laptop must have an input for an HDMI cable, because if you want to connect your computer to a TV, you can do this using an HDMI cable.

As a last resort, you can connect the TV via a VGA connector, but it is better to still have HDMI. In addition, you always want to show a powerful laptop to friends and play something together.

Therefore, the computer must have several connectors for USB devices, such as joysticks and gamepads. The optimal number of USB connectors is 4.

This conclusion can be drawn from the fact that most games in the mode of collective participation are designed for such maximum amount of people.

For example, the same Fifa has five positions - one for the keyboard and 4 for gamepads.

Advice: Must be present 4USBconnector and preferablyHDMI.

Criterion No. 9. Brand

In the case of laptops, you should not skimp on buying a laptop from a well-known brand. The advantages of such a purchase are obvious.

Firstly, a well-known brand has its own service centers, most likely, in your city or the nearest large settlement.

The situation here is almost the same as with telephones - there is famous brands, who sell their products at a high price, but there are Chinese who have the same parameters but are sold cheaper.

But the problem is that products of famous brands can be repaired in any city, but in order to repair a representative of our socialist brother, you need to send him directly to China.

You may not have to send laptops directly to the manufacturer, but it will still be easier and faster for technicians to repair well-known brands.

And secondly, many years of experience prove the reliability of a particular brand.

But cheap China is still something new for us and not yet fully tested.

Based on this, we can select a list of brands that enjoy the greatest authority among users. These include the following brands:

Asus;
Toshiba;
Apple;
Dell;
Lenovo;
Acer;

Advice: Choose manufacturers -Asus, Toshiba, Dell, Lenovo, AcerorHP (Applewe excluded from the very beginning due to difficulties with adapting games to the OS).

First place - HP ZBook 17

Based on all the characteristics described above, one single winner was chosen for the title of the best gaming laptop on the market.

It was the HP ZBook 17. You can buy it for $5,500 or approximately 380,000 rubles.

In Russia it can be purchased at the HP brand store. It has different configurations, but the most powerful of them has the following characteristics:

Intel Core i7 processor with a maximum frequency of 4 GHz, 4 cores and Haswell architecture;
32 GB of RAM (can be purchased with 8 GB, it will be half the price);
two hard drives – one 256 GB SSD (it is better to install the main games on it) and another 1 TB HDD;
there is a DVD drive (no HDMI);
screen diagonal is 17.3 inches, maximum resolution is 1920x1080;
video memory – 8 GB;
4 USB ports – 3 for USB0 and 1 for USB 2.0;
dimensions – 41.6x27.2;
pre-installed Windows 7;
weight – 3.5 kg.

The manufacturer gives it a 3-year warranty.

As you can see, we still had to sacrifice something, in particular, an HDMI connector and a 500 GB SSD drive. But the very fact that there is an SSD here at all is a huge plus.

And its battery is weak - for 4.5 hours. But still, you can’t find anything better on the market today.

It is worth saying that due to such a powerful graphics core The HP ZBook 17 is perfect not only for gamers, but also for everyone who is in one way or another connected with graphics, in particular, designers, artists and developers.

In addition, the huge advantage of this device is that it is available in the CIS. Some modern powerful laptops can only be bought in America or China.

Second place - Fujitsu CELSIUS H920

If we sacrifice several selection criteria, in particular the last one, then the winner will be the Fujitsu CELSIUS H920. It is very difficult to buy it.

Within the CIS it is available only in a few stores. A real exclusive!

Although it costs about 3,000 dollars or 200,000 rubles, which is very good. This monster has the following characteristics:

Intel Core i7 processor with a frequency of 3 GHz, 4 cores, but Ivy Bridge architecture;
16 GB of RAM;
pre-installed Windows 7;
screen with a diagonal of 17.3 inches and a resolution of 1920x1080;
4 GB video memory;
SSD disk 512 GB;
Blu-ray drive;
4 USB ports – 1 for USB0 and 3 for USB 2.0;
battery for 9 hours.

In principle, due to a pure SSD drive, this model could beat our today's winner, even despite the outdated processor architecture, if it had more RAM.

But still, the HP ZBook 17 is better.

But the Japanese Fujitsu CELSIUS H920 also has its advantages. In particular, it is a more durable battery.

If the winner of our today's competition can only be played for 2 hours, then the Japanese will definitely last 4.

In any case, all modern games and even those that will be released in the next 2-3 years will work very well on both the Fujitsu CELSIUS H920 and the HP ZBook 17.

By the way, it is interesting that the Japanese was released in 2012, so the outdated kernel is not particularly surprising.

But the fact that this laptop has been holding the brand name for 3 years is quite impressive!

Fujitsu CELSIUS H920 takes second place in the race for the title of best gaming laptop

For a gaming laptop, speed and graphics quality are equally important. Both of these qualities are achieved only by choosing a balanced combination of the main components of the laptop: processor, video card and RAM. In this article, we will tell you how to choose the configuration of a gaming laptop to fit within your budget and get good performance in games.

The most important criterion when choosing a gaming laptop

The gaming industry has been looking for some average indicator for quite a long time by which it would be possible to evaluate the speed of a game on processors, storage devices and memory. As a result, we stopped at frames per second, fps, also known as fps. It is believed that for a comfortable game you need 40 fps or more.

In fact, only 25 fps is usually displayed on the screen. “Extra” fps are simply thrown away and do not appear on the display. Why then is the bar so high? The fact is that the indicator is average. On difficult scenes it is smaller, on easy scenes it is higher. And we need to ensure smooth operation throughout all moments in the game.

Within certain limits, you can change the FPS in the game on a laptop. To increase it, reduce the quality of the picture or its resolution in the settings. There will be fewer details on the screen, but the FPS will be higher. This means the game will run faster.

What technical characteristics should you pay special attention to?

So, let’s formulate the main list of requirements for laptop components that you should focus on when choosing a mobile computer for gaming.

Video card

For a gaming laptop, the video chip is even more important than the central processor. In general, of course, taking into account the possibilities of your budget. The faster the better. This means it must be discrete. Those. having a separate chip soldered on the system board.

As a rule, video card manufacturers make mobile solutions based on standard desktop ones. Slightly lower frequency, less memory on board, slightly lower performance, but the chip is essentially the same. There is very little space in a laptop, even a gaming laptop, and it is extremely difficult to ensure effective heat removal from a hot chip.

Attention! remember, that gaming laptop will definitely be noisy extreme modes work. Therefore, when purchasing, be sure to try it in games to evaluate the noise level of the fans. If silence is important to you, then it is better to choose a less powerful version of the laptop.

However, technologies are constantly improving and the difference in the performance of mobile video cards and conventional ones is becoming smaller. At the time of writing this article leadership in performance in the class of single video cards for gaming laptops belongs to. The regular 980 operates at a frequency of 1127 MHz, and the mobile one operates at 1064 MHz. But the performance difference is not that significant. For example, in the game Tomb Raider, a laptop with a 980M video card showed 104.3 FPS, and desktop computer with the usual 980 - 108.5 FPS.

It is believed that mobile video cards are more energy efficient. Those. with similar performance indicators, they heat up comparatively less than solutions from the main red competitor.

AMD has another advantage - the price of their mobile video cards is slightly lower. That's why if you need to choose a gaming laptop with a minimum budget, then a mobile AMD video card is optimal for you.

The list of criteria for choosing a graphics card for a gaming laptop, sorted in descending order of frames per second in games, looks something like this.

CPU

A powerful laptop for gaming should be equipped mechanical keyboard. It has a faster response time and lasts longer. This keyboard can be found in both the MSI and Dell mobile gaming lines.

We don’t even consider using a touchpad in a gaming laptop other than for working in office applications. And when it comes to choosing a mouse, each gamer has his own subjective preferences. So the touchpad on a laptop is not critical for gaming.

"Dream configurations" for gaming laptops

So, here are the main parameters for choosing a laptop designed for gaming and the Internet.

You need to choose discrete solutions, and it is better from the company. In some laptops, manufacturers even use full-fledged desktop video cards, significantly strengthening the cooling system.
In descending order of applicability: Intel Core i 7, i 5 and i 3. In the low price range, you can pay attention to AMD mobile processors. So inexpensive laptop It is better to choose a chip from this manufacturer.
Mechanical keyboard. The best gaming laptops come with just this. This factor does not affect the number of fps in games in any way, but it completely changes the gameplay.

And here are the “dream configurations” that leading manufacturers have put together for us.

Class, price niche	Configuration	Price, US dollars
High price	: Intel Core i7 5950HQ / 5700H, 2× 8G	from 3500
High price	: Intel CORE I7 6 6700HQ (6 MB Cache), NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 980M 4GB GDDR5	from 3000
Average price range	Dell Alienware 15: Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 970M with 3 GB GDDR5	from 2000
Average price range	MSI GT72 2QE-1488RU Dominator Pro: Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce GTX980M	from2000
Affordable price	Lenovo IdeaPad Y5070: Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce GTX860M	from 1000
Affordable price	ASUS K501LX: Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce GTX950M	from 800

Choosing a laptop can be compared to an exciting quest, at the end of which you will have all the necessary upgrades. technical knowledge the buyer has to make up his mind and become the owner of a new laptop.

How to choose the right gaming laptop

This will take more than one day, or even a week, and anyone who goes to the store with a few banknotes in his pocket and hopes for sensible advice from a technically savvy consultant is missing out on a lot. First of all, the pleasure of working with a computer that you have already purchased, but later you are not satisfied with it for many reasons.

The most gaming laptop is a serious piece of equipment that requires special attention already when choosing, and transferring such responsibility to friends, online services or consultants in a store would not be entirely correct. No one knows your abilities, needs and desires better than you yourself.

From each according to his abilities - to each according to his needs

The laptop is in a very specific niche, and still cannot completely replace either an all-in-one PC, a tablet, or a desktop, just as it is itself irreplaceable. Do not forget that this choice solves, first of all, the problem of mobility, so as a home multimedia center it's not worth buying. To watch videos, read books and view news on the Internet on the go, a tablet or even a smartphone will be more convenient. And the gaming console is ideal for gaming on the run. With this choice various devices you might think: why this device, and what kind of laptops? The gaming characteristics, however, of laptop computers are quite high, and they still remain leaders in sales of computer electronics, primarily due to their comfort in operation and suitable technical characteristics, which we will consider in more detail.

Main features of a “gaming” display

Minimum size 15 inches, high resolution and contrast, matrix response up to 12 ms. When choosing between a matte and glossy type of matrix, you need to take into account that glossy displays have brighter color reproduction, while matte displays eliminate glare coming from any lighting sources.

In general, when deciding how to choose a gaming laptop, you should start with the display, which immerses us in an exciting virtual world. Laptops for gaming with a diagonal of less than 15 inches are extremely rare: when choosing a diagonal, you can be guided by a simple rule: the larger the better.

The response speed of the matrix affects the reaction speed of the monitor and changes in the image image. If you want to get a clear picture in dynamic games, then the best gaming laptops come with a matrix response of 12 ms or less. A low response value will create problems when managing game events.

In addition, playing games on a laptop will be difficult if the LCD monitor has low contrast: in order to act quickly, you need to clearly see what is happening on the screen.

Sufficient contrast ratio for a gaming laptop is 1000:1. With this indicator, you can easily navigate even the darkest scenes.
Resolution is another important condition for a clear image; the higher it is, the more detailed the picture is and the more comfortable it is for the eyes.

Widescreen monitors

Gaming laptops are produced with both widescreen 16:9 monitors and standard 4:3 ratio. It all depends on your personal preference.

It is more convenient to play on 16:9 screens, as the view in games improves, and it is also good to watch wide-screen films. The disadvantages include the fact that not all gaming applications support this format.

Performance: CPU

By creating various virtual worlds rich in movement and color, game developers become the “driving force” of the development of innovative technologies, making the most of available resources, creating better and better gaming laptops. The realism and quality of the image on the screen are determined by the performance of the graphics adapter and processor.

For a gaming laptop, it is advisable to use a video card with its own memory and a 2-core processor.

The characteristics of a gaming laptop are in no way inferior to a desktop PC. The excellent design of the laptop models hides the corresponding performance. Exist special programs to determine performance, the most common are PC mark053 and Dmark06.

Test results showed that the laptop must be equipped with at least a 2-core processor: Core i5 (i7) or Core 2 Duo from Intel, Turion or Athlon 64 X2 from AMD.

Pay also attention to the clock frequency at which the laptop’s heart “beats.”

Frequency selection: recommended - the higher the better.
Another point: technology Turbo Boost in Core i5 and i7 processors at peak load increases the processor frequency by 75 percent.

Graphics adapter

The video card is perhaps the main component of a gaming laptop. Built-in gaming video cards Laptops use PC resources, and their performance is often not enough for modern games. Therefore, you need to choose a powerful discrete video card.

Leading in this market Radeon video cards HD from AMD/ATI and GeForce from Nvidia.

To ensure that RAM resources are not additionally used by the video card, we recommend choosing laptops with at least 1 GB of their own video memory.

Gaming video cards for laptops with HyperMemory (ATI) and TurboCache (NVIDIA) technologies supplement the computer's own video memory resources.

Expandable parameters: hard drive and RAM

When reviewing gaming laptops, you should take into account when choosing the optimal RAM that games are progressing all the time, becoming more realistic and requiring increased RAM performance.

An important selection criterion is the ability to expand the amount of RAM; a similar option is available in most gaming laptops.
When choosing a hard drive, focus on its capacity and rotation speed.

New games in optimal mode Usually require at least 1 GB of RAM. It is also worth considering that in addition to this, RAM resources are used by the system installed on the computer. antivirus program, operating system and other similar applications.

Taking this into account, the optimal choice would be a laptop with at least 2 GB of memory.

The number of simultaneously depends on the size of the hard drive installed applications and games, the disk rotation speed affects the speed of reading/writing information data, determining the performance of the entire system.

Demanding lovers of quality virtual games a cheap gaming laptop won't satisfy. You need a serious device with a 160 GB hard drive, with a rotation speed of 7400 rpm. per minute
Laptops also have the ability to install additional hard drives.

Keyboard size

Comfort in the game largely depends on the input devices - mouse and keyboard.

For convenience in the game, you will need a keyboard as close as possible to a desktop one. The key properties of a keyboard for a player are the degree of rigidity and the shape of the keys, a small stroke for clear and quick pressing.

Comfortable keyboard - successful game

In dedicated gaming laptops, the keyboard has a number of special qualities. Accidental press, sticking keys or an incorrect combination is the path to an unsuccessful game.

Close attention is paid to the keys used to control the game characters W-A-S-D, which can be marked with arrows, as well as the space bar. It is these keys that bear the main load in games.
An impressive and convenient detail for gaming at night is the backlit keyboard. Such lighting, in addition to the shutdown options, can be equipped with brightness adjustment.
An important attribute of a laptop for gaming is a mouse, since the touchpad is not intended for such purposes. It is better to check the option to disable it in advance.

Peripheral connections

A gaming laptop, being a high-tech system, includes a certain set of multimedia interfaces and ports. The user’s convenience when connecting headphones, a mouse or external monitor, which means the problem of how to choose a gaming laptop will be solved as correctly as possible.

One USB port of a laptop is usually occupied by a mouse. In addition, a joystick for a flight simulator, as well as gamepads and a racing wheel can be connected via USB ports.

Thus, it is advisable for a gaming laptop to have 3-4 USB ports.
If you have a plasma or LCD TV, pay attention to the HDMI port, which supports high-speed digital video transmission. Game on big screen impressive.

Despite the seemingly high-quality built-in acoustics, the sound will undoubtedly be more realistic and louder when you connect Hi-Fi headphones or external speakers to your gaming laptop.

The S/PDIF audio output, in addition to transmitting a regular stereo signal, also supports 5.1 audio transmission.
Integrated Bluetooth allows you to wirelessly connect peripheral devices to the gaming machine: headphones, mouse, mobile phones.

For fans of network and online games, the following features will be useful: network connections. In addition to the classic wired LAN network, gaming laptops provide modules for connecting to wireless networks and the Internet, so a cheap gaming laptop may not have such ports.

Wi-Fi module 802.11g standard is the most modern wireless communication format, characterized by data transmission to high speed, and allows you to play anywhere, anytime.
An additional feature is wireless connection to local network for online battles.

Among the endless shop windows

Once you have decided on the question of how to choose a gaming laptop and have decided on the characteristics, you can build your own PC. Not with your hands, of course, but with your imagination. You imagine what you want, and the manufacturer makes it reality. You have already decided what you can sacrifice. You have roughly figured out how much a gaming laptop costs, and whether this purchase will ruin your budget. All sorts of baubles and features from the manufacturer are most often not important: the fingerprint scanner is unlikely to be of fundamental importance to anyone, in contrast to the performance of the platform. Of course, for comfort, some will need a COM port, others will need an LPT, and some may want to have an IRDA.

In conclusion, I would like to note that buyers armed with knowledge are almost never disappointed and make the right choice.

Find the best gaming laptops to suit your needs.

If you had asked us to find the best gaming laptop a few years ago, we would have simply found a machine with Intel processor Core i7 discrete graphics and 8 GB of RAM. However, a lot has changed in the last few years, with the best gaming laptops now coming in all shapes and sizes. Since finding the best gaming laptop is harder than ever, we've rounded up our favorites for you.

There are plenty of good gaming laptops that look like your parents' laptops, but you shouldn't ignore them. With Max-Q laptop graphics unveiled at CES 2019, you really have to pay attention. Some of the best gaming laptops of 2019 don't look like gaming laptops—just take a look. Don't worry, though, the market is still full of bulky gaming laptops that are worthy of your desktop.

note: Not all are designed for gaming.

So, no matter what kind of games you prefer to play and what budget you can afford, you can find a gaming monster or a cheap gaming laptop costing around 65,000 rubles, like. You will find all the best laptops in our ranking. And because we've tested every laptop ourselves, you can rest assured you're getting something worthy of your attention.

3 | MSIGT75TITAN

BEHEMOTH TO REPLACE YOUR PC

CPU: Intel Core i7-8750H | Graphic arts: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 | RAM: up to 64 GB DDR4-2666 MHz | Screen: 17.3" FHD (1920 x 1080), 120Hz, G-Sync | Memory: 512 GB M.2 SATA SSD / 1 TB HDD.

pros: Fantastic cooling | Mechanical keyboard;
Minuses: Gigantic and heavy;

While MSI's GS65 is the king of thin and light gaming laptops, the GT75 is at the opposite end of the spectrum: chunky and heavy. This is a huge gaming laptop, a true gaming PC replacement, with a full-size SteelSeries (chiclet-style) mechanical keyboard, a reliable (if loud) cooling system, and amazing speakers. Of course, they're backed up by the same quality desktop components, including a Core i7-8750H (an upgraded version with an i9 processor is also available), a GTX 1080 graphics card, and up to 64GB of DDR4-2666 GHz RAM. If you want everything a desktop has to offer in a mobile laptop form factor, the GT75 Titan is the best choice.

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Characteristics: Processor: Intel Core i7 – Core i9 | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 (8GB GDDR5X VRAM) | RAM: 64 GB | Screen: 17.3-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) 144Hz | Built-in memory: x3 512 GB SSD (M.2, RAID 0), 2 TB HDD.

pros: Insane performance | Large screen;
Minuses: Extremely expensive;

Thin and light gaming laptops are becoming fashionable in 2018, but if you buck the trend and are willing to put up with a heavy, beastly gaming laptop that can handle every game in the industry, the ASUS ROG G703GI is your choice. There's no room for compromise here - this is a massive and expensive laptop whose size and price match its gaming performance to rival the best gaming PCs. Just don't expect to be able to take it to a coffee shop without two massive battery bricks.

5 | RAZER BLADE

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A gaming-hardened competitor to the MacBook Pro.

Characteristics: Processor: Intel Core i7-8750H | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (8GB GDDR5 VRAM) | RAM: 16 GB | Screen: up to 15.6 inches UHD (3840 x 2160) 60Hz | Built-in memory: 512 GB M.2 SSD;

Pros: Beautiful design | The thinnest laptop;
Minuses: Steam chamber cooling | No Ethernet port;

With the new Blade 15 released earlier this year, Razer is finally catching up with the competition in what we consider the best gaming laptop. Robust design, slim and elegant body, long lasting battery life, thin bezels around the 144Hz display, and internals powerful enough to handle the latest games. This means you get an Intel Core i7-8750H processor paired with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q graphics card.

What sets the Blade 15 apart from its competitors are the details. Its aluminum body is the most durable and flex-resistant of any laptop we've tested in Lately Moreover, even if only by half a millimeter, Razer gaming laptop is the thinnest on the market. Of course, that half-millimeter difference is largely invisible to the eye - what's more impressive is the feel of the solid body, which, according to Razer, is CNC milled from a single block of aluminum. Open the lid and you'll see the touchpad, which is noticeably larger than last year's counterpart, and the keyboard is wider on both sides.

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Gaming performance in a portable form factor.

Characteristics: Processor: Intel Core i5 – Core i7 | Graphics: Radeon RX Vega M GL with graphics memory HMB2, 4 GB capacity | RAM: 8 GB | Screen: 15.6-inch 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) InfinityEdge with anti-reflective coating| Built-in memory: 512 GB PCIe SSD.

pros: Impressive performance | Ultra-thin;
Minuses: Expensive even in appearance;

If you want one of the best gaming laptops, but don't want to miss out on the compact form factor craze, you need to consider the Dell XPS 15 2 in 1. Equipped with processors Intel Kaby The Lake G-Series gaming laptop won't keep up with its GTX 1050-powered competitors, even without a truly discrete graphics card. And when you combine this gaming machine with an attractive design, you get the best of both worlds - even if you have to put up with a noisy fan.

7 | ASUS ROG STRIX GL502

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It's hard not to love such a good gaming laptop.

Characteristics: Processor: Intel Core i7 | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 – 1070 | RAM: 16 GB DDR4 | Screen: 15.6-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS | Built-in memory: 256 GB SSD, 1 TB HDD;

pros: Plays in Full HD | Scorchingly bright screen;
Minuses: Mediocre battery life;

ASUS Strix GL502 will not boast the most innovative design, made of ordinary black and red plastic, a sort of Halloween laptop only all year round. But this is without a doubt one of the best laptops when it comes to 1080p gaming. In fact, we were able to turn up all the graphics settings in Overwatch, maintaining the 60 FPS bar throughout the entire game. Battery life takes a toll on the performance of a gaming station, but the stunning screen, remarkable performance and on-board acoustics make the laptop hands down one of the best among gaming systems.

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Great gaming laptop on a budget.

Characteristics: Processor: Intel Core i7 | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB – 6GB | RAM: 16-32 GB DDR4 | Screen: 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) ComfyView IPS (144Hz) | Built-in memory: 128 GB SSD, 1 TB HDD;

pros: Powerful | Available | Battery life;
Minuses: Heats up under load;

The Acer Predator Helios 300 is the best gaming laptop for most thanks to its incredible value proposition. It costs a little more, and sometimes less, than budget models, but offers a GTX 1060 6GB video card, which is capable of squeezing out a full 60 frames per second from most modern games with high graphics settings. The system lacks any fancy screen features like G-Sync, although you can get a laptop with a 144Hz screen and you'll probably want to consider buying a larger one hard drive to support 256GB SSD. But these minor issues don't matter much when you see this laptop's super-affordable price tag.

The Acer Predator Helios 300 is the best budget gaming laptop you can buy in 2019, without compromising on features or compromises. Right now you will find a model with a 1060 video card and a 144 Hz panel, a 1 TB hard drive and a 256 GB SSD for 85,000 rubles, while basic configurations are available from 60,000 rubles. These are great prices for what you get with the laptop.

9 | DELLG3 15

GREAT GAMES AT A CHEAP

CPU: Intel Core i5 8300H – Core i7-8750H | Graphic arts: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 – GTX 1060 | RAM: 8 GB – 16 GB | Screen: 15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) | Memory: 1 TB SSHD – 512 GB PCIe SSD.

pros: Available | Great performance for the money;
Minuses: No USB-C;

When you're looking to buy one of the best gaming laptops of 2019, the first thing you'll probably notice is how much you'll have to shell out. Luckily, the Dell G3 15 isn't just incredibly affordable, it's also ahead of its class with stellar 1080p gaming performance. Thanks to video cards Nvidia GTX 1060 allows you to play all the latest games as long as the resolution stays within 1080p. And the combination of blue on black looks quite attractive if you like its aesthetics.

More details:

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Thin. Easy. Powerful.

Characteristics: Processor: Intel Core i7 8750H | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (6GB GDDR5) | RAM: 8 - 16 GB DDR4 | Screen: 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-glare LCD | Built-in memory: 512 GB SSD.

pros: Thin screen panels | Thin and light;
Minuses: Poor camera position;

In the past, the best gaming laptops were those big, bulky machines that were needed to play the best computer games on the go - no more. The Gigabyte Aero 15 throws tradition into the dust, equipping the latest laptop with a 6-core 8th generation Intel Core i7 processor and a GTX 1060 while maintaining the dimensions of an ultrabook. With a beefy processor, the Gigabyte Aero 15 isn't just one of the best gaming laptops - it's just as good when you need to get work done.

More details: Gigabyte Review Aero 15.

11 | ALIENWARRE 17 R5

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Performance i9 to suppress competitors.

Characteristics: Processor: Intel Core i9-8950HK | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 (8GB GDDR5X VRAM) | RAM: 32 GB | Screen: 17.3" QHD (2560 x 1440) 144Hz | Built-in memory: 246 GB PCIe M.2 SSD, 1 TB HDD (7200 rpm).

pros: Ultimate Performance | 17-inch screen;
Minuses: West about 3 kg;

Ever since Intel unveiled its i9-8950HK, we were confident that it would find its way into the best gaming laptops of 2018, and just a month later, we were proven right. The Alienware 17 R5 is a beast of a gaming laptop with the aforementioned processors and an overclocked GTX 1080. If you want a high-performance machine and are willing to put up with the 3kg weight, this bulky laptop will eat up any games you throw at it. Just don't expect to be able to carry it in your backpack without hurting your back.

The passion around gaming laptops does not subside: open any review of a gaming laptop on our website, and you will read a lot 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, comes down to a single argument: “ Dand for that kind of money I can build a much more productive one system unit! “Of course, you will, I personally have no doubt about the abilities of our readers (it’s not just that 3DNews has been on the air for 20 years). It’s just that 2017 is coming to an end, and humanity has never 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. You can argue about this for a long time, citing various arguments, but I propose to get straight to the point. Let's be clear: in this article, under the phrase “ gaming laptop» implied modern models with screen resolutionFullHD and higher, which produce a comfortable number of frames per second in modern AAA projects. Some devices may not always be able to handle maximum graphics quality settings, but they can certainly cope with average quality. In this article you will find 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 adequate quantities on the Russian market.

And one more important point: I have not yet met gaming laptops that would work quite quietly under load. Many models have been in the test laboratory, but all of them are noticeably noisy in games. This applies to both inexpensive laptops with a Core i5-7300HQ processor, and far from budget game books with a Core i7-7700HQ and GeForce GTX 1080. If the noise level is critical for you, then I recommend immediately getting good headphones.

Let's return to the components. As you can see, deciding on a central processor is quite simple, since in most cases you will either have to choose from two models, or there will be no choice at all. But there are several more types of mobile graphics. AMD, again, still cannot impose competition on NVIDIA in this segment, so in the gaming laptop market we are seeing a total superiority of the “greens” over the “reds”. 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 laptop graphics and graphics used in desktop PCs was completely erased.

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

Today, eight versions of mobile graphics are available for sale: GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB, GeForce GTX 1070 in Max-Q design, and - hyperlinks lead to reviews of laptops equipped with these GPUs. For complete happiness, all that is needed is mobile version GeForce GTX 1080 Ti. With this missing link in mind, gaming desktops still hold the crown as the most powerful systems.

Recently, NVIDIA showed mobile graphics, which is a laptop version of the GeForce GT 1030. The performance level of this chip is not enough for modern games in Full HD resolution. The same can be said about the Maxwell generation graphics - 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 cannot handle 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 at the level of Dota 2, WOW, WOT, Diablo III, Overwatch, League of Legends and other non-resource-intensive multiplayer projects. 2 GB of video memory is enough for them.

GeForce GTX 1050 2 GB, games, Full HD, FPS
World of Tanks 0.9.19.1, HD textures, Max. quality, map "Mines"		Dota 2, Max. quality, 8x AA		Diablo III, Max. quality
min	avg	min	avg	min	avg
35	70	30	60	57	80

GeForce GTX 1050 Ti-level graphics are sufficient at high and even maximum graphics quality settings. Only this GPU does not have a safety margin, 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 volume is often better, but this is still better than the option with 2 GB GDDR5 SDRAM.

This is why, by the way, I would not consider laptops with a 3 GB version of the GeForce GTX 1060 - this mobile graphics has an excellent and powerful 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-end NVIDIA solutions come exclusively with 8 GB SDRAM) are excellent for games in Full HD resolution at maximum or close graphics quality settings. Naturally, the more productive the GPU turns out to be, the more expensive the laptop costs, but it will also last a long time. I think these next couple of years graphic solutions definitely won't disappoint gamers. This is important, since in a laptop, unlike desktops, you cannot replace the video card. You'll either have to take new model, or put up with the fact that your laptop is completely and irrevocably outdated.

As I already said, laptops with GeForce GTX 1050, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and GeForce GTX 1060 graphics are equipped 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 a Core i7 for games? The answer is simple - no, it's not worth it.

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

A gaming laptop would also benefit from 16 GB of RAM. 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, under certain circumstances, lead to lags during the game, 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 if there is not enough RAM, the paging file is used - it is this file that is used to store pages virtual memory. Using a Swap file on your hard drive will lead to noticeable drops in FPS. It will be uncomfortable to play, although the average number of frames per second demonstrated in a particular 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 money and buy 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. Now many games weigh 50, 60 and even 70 GB, so a 128 GB drive is only enough to accommodate operating system, drivers and one single (maximum two) game.

Everything is clear with the laptop diagonal. If you need to constantly move your gaming laptop 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 of half a kilo), which should not become an unbearable load for a man in the prime of his life. If the laptop will be used mainly as a desktop PC, then it makes sense to take a 17.3-inch model. Still, playing on a big screen is somewhat more convenient. In most cases, gaming models use matte displays with anti-glare coating.

They took and forgot about laptops with a matrix with a resolution of 1366 × 768 pixels - 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 maximum or close to 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, WQHD resolution is practically not used in gaming laptops: either Full HD or Ultra HD.

As for choosing a 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 it’s not necessary. IPS often has a higher brightness level, higher contrast, better viewing angles and more accurate color rendition. As a rule, the manufacturer indicates only the type of matrix in the characteristics, and the quality of the screen can only be found out in reviews or when personal acquaintance with the device. There is a catch - sometimes the same laptop model is equipped with matrices of the same type, but from different manufacturers. Therefore, choosing a laptop with a truly high-quality display is not always possible. Even the price of a laptop does not guarantee the presence of a truly high-quality matrix. The proof is in the review.

Frequency support and “chips” in a gaming laptop are quite nice, but I would not call these technologies essential items. Budget laptops feel quite normal without them.

In laptop reviews, the hardest thing to write about is the keyboard, 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 a particular laptop is smooth, clear, fast, responsive, tight, loud, quiet, pleasant, and so on, but no better way than trying out the keyboard for yourself. Therefore, I recommend going to some conventional “Eldorado”. Even if the model you took note of is not on the stand, you can always study the keyboard of another model from the same manufacturer. As a rule, they provide laptops with similar input devices. For example, MSI has been collaborating with SteelSeries for a long time. As a result, both the model costing 80,000 rubles and the MSI GT73VR 7RE Titan SLI costing 250,000 rubles use the same keyboards, even though laptops with 15.6- and 17.3-inch screens are compared.

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

Additional parameters: battery, interfaces, sound

You shouldn't expect record-breaking battery life from a gaming laptop, although some models are capable of operating without a power connection for 4 hours or even more while watching videos or while surfing the web. If you need a gaming system with long battery life, then look for a model with capacious battery— from 60 Wh. Just be aware that in offline mode, GPU performance is dynamically reduced, limiting rendering to 30 frames per second. It’s not always comfortable to play in this mode, but in any case it doesn’t last long—an hour and a half at most.

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

Upgrade options and configuration options

I would also like to mention the opportunity to upgrade your gaming laptop yourself. A separate one 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 analogues. This upgrade is quite enough to significantly speed up the laptop. In addition, buying a laptop in minimal configuration with subsequent “refinement” 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 SSD (SATA 6 Gbit/s) - 92,000 rubles. However, for this amount we can independently improve the initial configuration of the 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.

Taking into account all of the above, it is better to buy a laptop that can be upgraded over time without any problems. Especially if you are not taking the most advanced modification. For example, a system without an SSD or with only 8 GB of RAM.