So you want to game? And not just game, but do it cheap and on the fly? If your answer is yes to those questions, you have come to the right place. We will help you find a cheap gaming laptop.
Gaming laptops are in a class of their own. They are the elite of the elite. Packed to the core with powerful features, these machines are designed to enhance the gamer’s experience, and hopefully give him (or her) the edge needed to crush opponents.
Gaming laptops have graphics, speed and performance that are way beyond those of normal laptops. The very nature of fast-response role-playing games as well as massive simulation means that a gaming laptop must have speed as a top priority. Speed alone, however, just won’t cut it. Graphics must be top-notch if super-fast frame rates are to be made available for the gamer to get fully immersed in the game. All in all, there is a whole bunch of considerations to be weighed when it comes to selecting the very best of a cheap gaming laptop. Read on to see what one must consider.
Things To Look For : Cheap Gaming Laptop
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
The most important component in any gaming laptop, cheap or not, is the GPU. This is your 3D graphics engine. Since modern games employ 3D graphics to the fullest, one cannot afford to skimp on the laptop’s graphics card. For the serious gamers, it is paramount to buy the biggest and the fastest GPU possible within their limits. AMD and Nvidia are currently the only reigning manufacturers of respectable mobile GPUs.
Powerful processors
This is the one area where budget buyers may have hit pay dirt. Processors play a major role in the performance of any system. The good news, however, is that the CPU is not as critical for gaming as your laptop’s GPU. Still, a cheap gaming laptop is better off with dual or quad-core processors. These ensure that the games are run at smooth and ultra-fast speeds.
RAM
Gamers on the hunt for cheap gaming units may find some comfort here. Today, all one really needs is 8GB of RAM for most games available on the market. While you might still get a 16GB RAM stick to boost memory, the 8GB is still more than adequate for the avid gamers among us. Let us now take a look at some of the best cheap bets that rock some of these essential requirements.
The 15.6” Acer Aspire E5-573G-52G3
If by a cheap gaming laptop you are thinking of a machine that costs somewhere in the range of $1 to $600, you are in luck. The Acer Aspire E5-573G-52G3 has one of the most powerful graphics cards available on budget gaming laptops. With a dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 940M graphics card which offers a significant boost in performance, this workhorse will run most modern games at reasonable settings way better than other machines at that price. Intel HD Graphics 5500 works alongside the dedicated Nvidia graphics card to run regular tasks that are not graphic intensive.
Clocking 2.20GHz, Intel’s latest mid-range CPU, Core i5-5200U, powers this laptop. Available with it is 8GB worth of RAM, and a 1TB Hard Disk Drive, all well-suited for ensuring that most modern games can be rendered at medium settings.
If you want a gaming laptop that handles current AAA games at high settings, however, be warned that Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M graphic cards and below are bad choices as they cannot handle the pressure. Unfortunately, that effectively raises the best cheap gaming laptop price to just under $1400.
Read The Full Review On PC Mag
The 15.6” Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-591G-77FS
Retailing at around $1300 on Amazon, this model sports a 4th generation Intel Core i7-4720HQ processor with a clock speed of 2.6GHz. Powering the graphics on its 1080p screen is the Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M GPU with its dedicated 4GB GDDR5 memory.
Packing 16GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive as well as, believe it or not, a 256GB solid-state drive, this gaming laptop is probably the best deal you will get in this price range. If you really cannot afford to splurge extra dollars on your purchase, though, the Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-591G-70RT might just do it for you. With 8GB RAM, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M GPU with 4GB graphics memory, and 1TB hard drive but no SSD, it is certainly worth considering.
No reason exists why you should not enjoy great gaming experiences on a budget. Using the above criteria to choose the best machine that suits your needs and your budget should set you on the path.
Read The Full Review On Trusted Reviews.
I also have a Acer Aspire V Nitro, read my first impressions of the laptop here.
