Buying a gaming laptop is never an easy task. Even by the sheer number of brands that make gaming laptops, and their sub-brands that make gaming laptops, there are a lot out there to choose from. While choices are a good thing, obviously, this does make picking out the perfect gaming laptop a bit of a chore. So, if you’re wondering which gaming laptop you should buy, we’ve got your back.
What Makes a Good Gaming Laptop
Choosing a good gaming laptop means taking care of a couple of important things. Personally, while we at Beebom are looking at a prospective gaming laptop, we consider the following features:
- CPU: 7th and 8th gen processors are preferred. We also only ever consider i5 and higher processors. AMD is a whole other beast, but we usually stick to Intel CPUs.
- RAM: The amount of RAM it has. 8GB is the bare-minimum. 16GB is great, and anything above that is excess RAM for streaming and what have you.
- GPU: Probably the most important part of a gaming rig, but definitely not the only important part of it. Nvidia GTX 10-series of GPUs are good. You’ll find a bunch of budget laptops with the 940MX, but that’s really not recommended.
- Storage: We love SSDs, to be honest, and they’re immensely helpful in faster loading times. However, storage size matters too, and with games growing in size every single day, we’d recommend a 1TB hard disk along with an SSD. If you’re going for an SSD-only model, get at least 512GB (and that’s only available in premium laptops).
- Display: The display is a very important part of a gaming rig. In the budget-segment there’s not a lot of choices; however, as you move up in the price-bracket, you need to consider Nvidia G-Sync support, refresh-rates, response times etc. A refresh-rate of 120Hz is great for gaming, with response times under 3ms.
Best Gaming Laptops of 2018
We’ve divided the best gaming laptops into three segments according to the price bracket they fall in:
- Best Budget Gaming Laptops (Under ₹60,000)
- Best Mid-range Gaming Laptops (~₹1,00,000)
- Best Premium Gaming Laptops (₹1,00,000 and above)
Best Budget Gaming Laptops of 2018
When it comes to budget gaming laptops, there are a lot of options to choose from. While budget laptops won’t bring high-end gaming features like a 120Hz display or Nvidia G-Sync technology, a decent budget gaming laptop will afford you a pretty nice gaming performance. Here are our picks for the best budget gaming laptops of 2018.
1. Asus FX504
The Asus FX504 is one of the best budget gaming laptops that you can consider. The laptop comes with some pretty great specs:
- 8th-gen Core i5
- 8GB RAM
- 1TB HDD
- 4GB Nvidia GTX 1050
- 15.6-inch Full HD ANti-glare panel
With those specs, the Asus FX504 can handle most games, even if they won’t run at high settings. However, the FX504 will let you play all the latest games including Far Cry 5, Monster Hunter: World, and more.
In terms of display, while the laptop doesn’t feature anything fancy like Nvidia GSync support, or a high refresh rate, the Full HD panel will definitely not let you down, and it’s big enough to enjoy your games.
Along with that, there’s a bunch of I/O here too. There’s USB 2.0 port, two USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port, ethernet port, a headphone jack and more. That’s definitely quite a lot and should keep you covered for all your gaming and I/O needs.
The MSI GV62 7RD is one of the budget gaming laptops that you can consider. The laptop comes with some pretty great specs:
Buy the Asus FX504 from Flipkart (Rs. 59,990)
2. Acer Vivobook 15
If you’re looking for a thin and light laptop for your everyday use, but one that can still handle some gaming, the Acer Vivobook 15 is the laptop you should go for. Inside it’s sleek body, the laptop packs in quite the punch.
- 8th-gen Intel Core i5
- 8GB RAM
- 1TB HDD
- 2GB Nvidia MX150
- 15.6-inch Full HD panel
Right off the bat, yes, the MX150 won’t handle games as well as the GTX1050 in the FX504 would’ve, but it’s not a bad GPU by any means. In fact, with the Vivobook 15, you’ll be able to play most AAA titles at low to medium settings, and that’s definitely great.
In terms of display, the 15.6-inch Full HD panel here is pretty bright and I’m sure you’ll enjoy gaming on it even if it isn’t boasting of things like a 120Hz refresh rate or 1ms response times.
In terms of I/O the Vivobook 15 is no slouch either. You’ll get a USB-C port for faster I/O if you need it, along with a USB 3 port and two USB 2 ports, a card reader, an HDMI port, and a headphone jack.
Buy the Vivobook 15 from Flipkart (Rs. 54,990)
Best Mid-range Gaming Laptops
Mid-rangers are more difficult to pick out from than budget laptops, mostly because at this price, a lot of companies start offering features like SSD+HDD configurations, more and faster RAM, and other gaming-specific features. We’ve picked out some of the best mid-range gaming laptops that find the perfect spot among all these important aspects.
1. Acer Nitro 5
The Acer Nitro 5 is definitely one of the most common suggestions you’d hear when it comes to mid-range gaming laptops. The laptop brings pretty great specs.
- 7th-gen Core i7
- 16GB RAM
- 1TB HDD + 128GB SSD
- 4GB Nvidia GTX 1050Ti GPU
- 15.6-inch FullHD display
The Acer Nitro 5 is a gaming laptop built for people who want a better performance than what budget gaming laptops can afford them, but it comes at a price. Design wise, the laptop definitely looks bulky, but Acer has made strategic design-decisions to make it look incredibly good for the size it’s at.
In terms of hardware, the laptop features a higher amount of RAM than the budget laptops we covered, and also includes a HDD+SSD storage system, so Windows boots up quickly, and you can even save your favorite game (or two, maybe) in the SSD for faster loading. Along with that, the GTX 1050Ti in the Nitro 5 will definitely mean better gaming performance. The 1050Ti, and more RAM here will let you run games like Far Cry 5 and GTA V on higher settings than what you would’ve gotten on budget laptops. PUBG will still push your laptop a bit though, but that’s mostly because the game isn’t very well optimized.
For I/O, the Nitro 5 comes with quite a lot of ports but for some reason Acer has opted to give only 1x USB 3.0 port, and 2x USB 2.0 ports while you’ll find a higher number of USB 3.0 ports on budget gaming laptops as well these days. Other than that, there’s the RJ-45 ethernet port, an HDMI port, and a USB 3.1 Type-C port for faster I/O needs.
Buy the Nitro 5 from Amazon (₹89,999)
2. MSI GL63
Personally, I find the MSI GL63 to be a much better value for money than the Acer Nitro 5. It’s just marginally more expensive than the Nitro 5 but brings a lot more bang for the buck.
- 8th-gen Core i7
- 8GB RAM
- 1TB HDD + 128GB SSD
- 4GB Nvidia GTX 1050Ti
- 15.6-inch FullHD wide-view panel
The MSI GL63, like most MSI laptops is the same dark-gray chassis with red accents all over and looks menacing in the way most gamers like their laptops to look. It packs in pretty decent hardware, opting to go with an 8th-gen Core i7 processor instead of the 7th-gen that you’ll find inside the Acer Nitro 5. However, the MSI GL63 8RD does skip out on the RAM, which means some games like PUBG might take a bit of a hit. Not that you’ll notice issues with the game, but with only 8GB RAM, and a 1050Ti GPU, PUBG will definitely need to be set to around medium settings on this laptop. Games like Far Cry 5 will suffer the same fate, but will be extremely playable for sure with great frame-rates if the video settings are kept around medium according to your preference.
The display on this laptop is a simple FullHD LCD panel. MSI isn’t offering any of the cool higher refresh-rates. Not in India yet, at least. To be honest, there is a variant of this laptop from MSI which does come with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 3ms response time, but I couldn’t find that in India. Everywhere in India, you’ll find this model with a standard FullHD LCD panel.
In terms of I/O, MSI has always been loading its laptops with some pretty great I/O options. The GL63 too comes with 1x USB 3.1 Type-C, 3x USB 3.1 Type-A, 1x SD (XC/HC), HDMI out, Mini-Display port, and an RJ-45 ethernet port. Thanks to the USB 3.1 standard used across this laptop, you’re pretty much set on all the I/O you may need.
Buy the MSI GL63 from Flipkart (₹94,990)
3. MSI GL62M
If you’re considering the MSI GL63 I mentioned above, I’d suggest you take a gander at this one as well. The MSI GL62M comes with pretty much all of the same stuff, but swaps in a 7th-gen processor instead of the 8th-gen processor you’ll find inside the MSI GL63.
- 7th-gen Core i7
- 8GB RAM
- 1TB HDD + 128GB SSD
- 4GB Nvidia GTX 1050Ti GPU
- 15.6-inch FullHD wide-view LCD panel
With a 7th-gen Core i7, this laptop will basically be able to handle all of the games just as well as the MSI GL63 will be. You’ll get similar performance on both the laptops running Far Cry 5, PUBG, Assassin’s Creed Origins, Call of Duty WW2 and other games to be honest. Obviously, the RAM constraints apply here as well, and the fact that a GTX 1050Ti will not run PUBG on anything more than a mix of low to medium settings still holds.
The display here too is a normal FullHD LCD panel. MSI doesn’t even offer a higher refresh rate variant of the GL62M anyway. That said, a 15.6-inch FullHD display is honestly all you’ll get at this mid-range price segment anyway.
In terms of I/O, this laptop packs in a USB Type-C port, 2x USB 3 Type-A ports, a single USB 2.0 Type-A port, an RJ-45 ethernet port, an HDMI out port and a Mini-Display port — in typical MSI fashion, the GL62 doesn’t miss out on I/O.
The only reason I’ve included this laptop in this list even though it comes with an older 7th gen processor is because it comes at a massive price drop which might be easier on the pocket.
Buy the MSI GL62M from Flipkart (₹89,900)
4. Lenovo Legion Y520
The Legion Y520 from Lenovo is another great laptop you can consider in this price bracket. It comes in at a little over ₹1 Lakh, but brings quite a bit of firepower.
- 7th-gen Core i7
- 16GB RAM
- 1TB HDD + 128GB SSD
- 4GB Nvidia GTX 1050Ti GPU
- 15.6-inch FullHD LCD display
As you’d expect, performance on this laptop is great. It comes with a lot of extra RAM than what most games need (including PUBG, which recommends 8GB of RAM), meaning that you’ll have RAM left over that you can utilize for streaming your gaming sessions if you need to. Since this laptop comes with a 1050Ti, PUBG will push the graphics card a bit, and you’ll have to keep the settings hovering around medium to get the best performance out of PUBG and similar games. GTA V, Assassin’s Creed Origins and others should perform similar on this laptop, while games like CS: GO and LoL will run like butter.
The laptop packs in a 15.6-inch display that is decent enough for gaming and multimedia. The laptop also packs in Harman speakers with Dolby Audio Premium which means that the audio quality from this thing should be awesome.
In terms of I/O, the laptop comes with 2x USB3.1 ports, a USB Type-C port, 1x USB 2.0 port, 1x HDMI port and a card reader as well.
Buy the Lenovo Legion Y520 from Flipkart (₹1,03,990)
5. HP Omen 15-CE072TX
The HP Omen 15-CE072TX comes in at a price just a notch lower than the Lenovo Legion Y520 and brings identical specs.
- 7th-gen Core i7
- 16GB RAM
- 1TB HDD 7200RPM + 128GB SSD
- 4GB Nvidia GTX 1050Ti GPU
- 15.6-inch FullHD anti-glare panel
Since the specs on the HP Omen are similar to what you’ll find in the Lenovo Legion Y520, you can expect the gaming performance on the Omen to be pretty much the same as the Legion Y520. However, the HP Omen comes with a 7200RPM hard disk which does mean a slight boost in performance when it comes to things like loading time and boot-up speeds. Lenovo, for some strange reason, doesn’t mention the RPM speeds of the hard-disk it includes which leads me to think it’s a standard 5400RPM disk. Anyway, with specs like these, the HP Omen will definitely perform as good as (if not better than) the Legion Y520 churning out stable performance in high-end games like Far Cry 5, GTA V, and more. Again, with a 1050Ti, the laptop won’t get you to high settings on PUBG, but will definitely be great at around medium settings.
The only doubt I have with the HP Omen is the fact that HP as a brand is infamous for overheating, and I’ve endured that in personal use with HP laptops as well. That said, since this is a gaming laptop, I’m hoping HP worked harder on thermals than they do on most of their other laptops.
In terms of I/O, the Omen 15-CE072TX doesn’t shy away from ports. It comes with a USB 3.1 Type-C port, 3x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, 1x HDMI, 1x RJ-45 ethernet port, and a Mini-Display Port as well.
Buy the HP Omen 15-CE072TX from Amazon (₹1,09,999)
6. Acer Predator Helios 300
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is a really great gaming laptop that comes with some pretty awesome specs packed inside a body that’s distinctly a ‘gaming chassis’.
- 7th-gen Core i5
- 16GB RAM
- 1TB HDD + 128GB SSD
- 6GB Nvidia GTX 1060 GPU
- 15.6-inch FullHD IPS LCD panel
The Predator Helios 300 is definitely a great gaming laptop in the mid-range segment. Even though the laptop comes with a 7th-gen Core i5 processor, it includes 16GB of RAM and Nvidia’s 1060 GPU, and 6GB of it, which means that you’ll be able to run most AAA titles at much higher settings than any of the other three preceding laptops would’ve been able to. PUBG on this laptop will be able to run on medium to high settings, since it has ample RAM and a GPU that PUBG mentions in its ‘recommended requirements.’ Other games like Far Cry 5, Assassin’s Creed Origins, and GTA V will also run pretty well on this laptop. Also, I’ve personally used the lower-end variant of the Helios 300 and it handles thermals really well, which means that you shouldn’t face any issues while on a long gaming spree.
In terms of the display, Acer has also opted to not include any of the high-end features like a higher refresh rate, or a faster response time (you’ll find most of those features in the laptops we’ve included in the high-end range). However, the 15.6 inch FullHD IPS LCD display on this laptop is really quite good and gets quite bright with great colors, which means that games will render really well on it.
Plus, it comes with quite a bit of I/O options as well including 1x USB 3.0 port, 1x USB 3.1 Gen 1 port, 2x USB 2.0 ports, HDMI out, and a standard RJ-45 ethernet port.
Buy the Acer Predator Helios 300 from Flipkart (₹1,09,990)
Best Premium Gaming Laptops
With high-end gaming laptops the lines get blurred. Companies offer all sorts of crazy specs and sometimes they offer things you’d not have expected in a laptop at all. Choosing a high-end gaming laptop is another mammoth task though, since it’s a significant investment, which is why we’ve picked out some high-end gaming laptops for you to consider ranging from a little over ₹1 Lakh to just the absolute monsters out there.
1. Dell G7 15 7588
First up, the most ‘budget’ high-end gaming laptop that I found that also works great is the new Dell G7 15 7588. It packs in some really awesome hardware.
- 8th-gen Core i7
- 16GB RAM
- 1TB HDD (5400 RPM) + 128GB SSD
- 6GB GTX 1060 GPU
- 15.6-inch FHD IPS Anti-Glare LED
In essence, the Dell G7 15 7588 is pretty much the successor to the Inspiron 7577, but this time around Dell has classified it under a new gaming series. The laptops packs in an 8th Gen Intel Core i7- 8750H processor clocked at up to 4.1GHz. Along with that, the G7 packs in a 128GB SSD coupled with a 1TB 5400RPM HDD.
The Dell G7 features a FUllHD IPS LED panel, which doesn’t offer anything special like a high refresh rate or low response time, but it can get fairly bright and has great viewing angles. It’s also pretty color accurate out of the box, so if you’re into image/video editing, that could be beneficial for you.
In terms of I/O, the G7 comes with 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x USB 3.1 Type-A ports, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C Thunderbolt port, 1x Noble lock slot, 1x SD card reader, 1x RJ-45 Ethernet port and 1x headphone/microphone combo jack.
Buy the Dell G7 15 7588 from Dell (₹1,13,490)
2. MSI GE73 8RF
The MSI GE73 8RF is the first laptop on this list that comes with some really high-end specs, and is a convincing high-end gaming laptop
- 8th gen Core i7
- 16GB RAM
- 1TB HDD + 512GB SSD
- 8GB Nvidia GTX 1070 GPU
- 17.3-inch FullHD 120Hz 3ms display
Right off the bat, the MSI GE73 8RF begins to impress with its 17.3-inch FullHD panel with a refresh rate of 120Hz and a 3ms response time. It comes with an amazing storage combo with a 512GB SSD rocking along the 1TB HDD allowing you to store even more games in the faster SSD. With 8GB of GTX 1070 graphics, this laptop will burn right through AAA titles from today. Games like Far Cry 5, GTA V, and Assassin’s Creed Origins will run perfectly at max settings, and even PUBG won’t push this laptop thanks to its GTX 1070 GPU.
Along with that, the MSI GE73 8RF comes with some insane RGB lighting. There’s RGB lighting on the keyboard (pretty common), the lid, and even the USB ports! Plus with MSI’s Cooler Boost 5 technology, and the 7 heat pipes inside this beast, you can forget about overheating or thermal throttling.
For I/O, the MSI GE73 8RF comes with 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port, 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports, 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A port, 1x HDMI port that supports 4K output at 60fps, 1x Mini-Display port, and yeah, the RJ-45 ethernet port as well.
Buy the MSI GE73 8RF from Amazon (₹1,79,990)
3. Alienware 15
The Alienware 15 is one of the most powerful gaming laptops out there and comes with some insane specs:
- 8th-gen Core i9
- 32GB RAM
- 1TB HDD + 1TB SSD
- 8GB Nvidia GTX 1080 Max-Q Design
- 15.6-inch FullHD 120Hz display with Nvidia G-Sync
The Alienware 15 packs in a 8th-gen Core i9-8950HK which is a 4 core/8 thread processor. What’s important here is the fact that this is an ‘HK’ processor, which means that it can be overclocked. Other than that, the 8GB of GTX 1080 paired with 32GB RAM will definitely let you run almost any game under the sun at max settings. Even the latest AAA titles like Far Cry 5, PUBG, and GTA V will not push this laptop at max settings on Full HD.
Other than that, the Alienware 15 is a laptop that screams gaming from every inch of its RGB-lit chassis. There’s the iconic Alienware logo with customizable RGB lighting, there are 4 RGB-lit panels (two on each side of the laptop), the keyboard comes with RGB-lighting, and even the trackpad is RGB!
I/O wise, the laptop is no slouch either. It has 1x USB 3.0 Type-A port, 1x USB 3.0 Type-A port with PowerShare technology, 1x USB 3.0 Type-C port, 1x Thunderbolt 3 port, 1x Alienware Graphics Amplifier port, 1x HDMI out, 1x Mini-Display port, 1x audio out, 1x headphone jack, and an RJ-45 ethernet port.
Buy the Alienware 15 from Dell (₹2,72,490)
4. Acer Predator Triton 700
The closest competitor to the Alienware 15 is the Predator Triton 700. It comes with some really awesome specs too:
- 7th-gen Core i7
- 16GB RAM
- 1TB SSD
- 8GB Nvidia GTX 1080 Max-Q design GPU
- 15.3-inch FullHD 120Hz display with Nvidia G-Sync
The Acer Predator Triton 700 is a beast inside an extremely thin chassis. Unlike the Alienware 15, the Triton 700 opts for a more stealthy look from the outside but packs in quite the punch. It comes with 16GB RAM instead of 32GB, and the Core i7 processor here is a 7700HQ which means that you can’t overclock it. However, gaming performance on the Predator Triton 700 is no joke and the laptop takes no prisoners when it comes to gaming. All the latest AAA titles run like butter on this thing and even PUBG easily gets upwards of 60FPS on max settings in FullHD.
The laptop opts to place the trackpad above the keyboard, which makes it extremely difficult to use but also helps keeping the keyboard cool during gaming sessions. Plus, you’ll be attaching a mouse anyway so the trackpad placement doesn’t really make a difference. It does, however, show off one of the two cooling fans (which is RGB-lit), and some of the heatpipes — making the laptop look really very cool.
In terms of I/O, the laptop comes with 1x HDMI port, 1x USB 2.0 port, 3x USB 3.0 ports including a Thunderbolt 3 port, 1x Display Port, and an RJ-45 ethernet port for wired connectivity.
Buy the Predator Triton 700 from Flipkart (₹2,99,990)
Bonus: Acer Predator 21X
The Predator 21X is a gaming laptop that packs hardware so insane it could fool you into thinking it’s a gaming desktop!
- 7th-gen Core i7-7820HK
- 64GB RAM
- 1TB HDD + 1TB SSD
- Dual Nvidia GTX 1080 in SLI 16GB GDDR5X
- 21-inch wide curved FHD 120Hz display with Nvidia G-Sync
The Predator 21X comes with some ridiculous specs. It features the same overclocked processor that the Alienware 15 features, but the similarities end there. The Predator 21X comes with a mind-numbing 64GB of RAM, along with not just one but two Nvidia GTX 1080 GPUs in SLI configuration for an insane 16GB of graphical power. As you’d expect, the 21X is overkill for even the most demanding games out there today. It won’t even blink when running Far Cry 5, GTA V, Assassin’s Creed Origins, PUBG, Fallout 4, FIFA 18 or any other game you can think of (yes, it can run Crysis). Plus, you’ll get to enjoy those games on a gigantic, curved 21-inch display at 120Hz with G-Sync to ensure there’s no screen-tearing or input lag.
With all that hardware, the Predator 21X produces a lot of heat, and Acer has included not two, not three, but five fans inside the chassis, along with nine heat pipes to direct all the heat out of the system, keeping it cool while you take effortless kills in Far Cry 5.
The Predator 21X comes with an absolute legion of ports as well. The laptop comes with 1x HDMI port, 5x USB ports, 1x Display Port and an RJ-45 ethernet port.
The 21X isn’t meant for mere mortals though. It comes in at a price of ₹6,99,999, weighs about 8 kilograms, and has a dedicated suitcase to carry it around because believe me, this won’t fit inside your backpack. It’s truly meant for people who have ₹7 lakh just lying around waiting to be spent on something.
Buy the Predator 21X from Flipkart (₹6,99,999)
Game on with the Best Gaming Laptops of 2018
Well, those were our choices for the best gaming laptops of 2018 that you can buy. While we have tried to include great laptops in every price range that we could reliably recommend, if you think there are some great laptops that we missed out on you can let us know in the comments down below. Armed with this knowledge about the various gaming laptops out there, you can go out and pick up the one that seems perfect to you and get gaming.
