You’re on the go. You love games. It’s time to get a laptop that can keep you mobile and competitive. And that is why you’re standing in front of the selection of gaming laptops as you wonder “which one is the beast for me?” Well don’t you worry, my internet friend. I am here to give you some words of wisdom on what to look for, what to consider, and what your options are.
Gaming laptop option 1: slim is in!
The reality of a laptop is that it won’t stay fixed in one spot for long. You’re going to move it around and take it to exotic locations like coffee shops and your in-laws house. If you’re a fit and muscular person, the weight of the laptop won’t be a concern. You can handle the strain of hauling it place to place. But for the rest of us who get tired and sore from excessive exertion, the heft of the laptop is an important factor. A gaming laptop like the ASUS 15.6″ Gaming Laptop can run the current generation of games at respectable frame rates, and it will not cripple you under its massive weight.
Gaming laptop option 2: big size, big power!
We should stop beating around the bush and get right down to it. You want power and you’re not afraid of the cost to wield it. You’re not going to be happy with adequate performance. Oh no, not you. You need to compete, and you need to win. The gaming laptop for you is one like the MSi 17.3″ Gaming Laptop. It has a mighty nVidia GTX 1080 graphics card. The 16GB of DDR4 RAM is a massive amount that will more than meet any demand you throw at it. And, the raw processing power of the quad-core Intel Core i7-7700HQ is so strong that it practically grinds your opponents into digital dust for you. Is it heavy? Well, if you compare it to the first option, it is a hefty beast that weighs in at just under 10 pounds. But this isn’t a poor substitute for a desktop gaming PC. A machine like the MSi is fully functional and can fully replace the desktop PC you’ve been using before this point.
Gaming laptop option 3: a bit of both
Some folks are demanding. They want performance and a small form factor. They want a good machine and the ability to carry it without getting a hernia. If that sounds like what you’re looking for, then a laptop like the Alienware 13.3″ VR Gaming Laptop is the right solution. Its small but feisty. It weighs a little bit more than the ASUS, despite having a smaller screen, but still weighs less than the MSi. And it is more powerful than the ASUS, approaching the full heft of the MSi. The solid-state drive is good for speed, but has the smallest amount of storage space of all three laptops. Sure, it’s still 256GB of storage, so you may find it ample room. If you’re a game collector who buys everything Steam puts on sale (curse you Steam!) you may feel a slight discomfort from a lack of hard drive room.
image from msi.com
Martin, what is in your opinion the cheapest but most performance – dollar laptop for Fortnite? A mid-tier with enough GPU juice to power a screen that is better than 60hz. if that isn’t the best combo it would provide a way to hook up to an external monitor with something like a DP 1.4 or HDMI 2.0? for the faster refresh rates? Also hopefully it’s under 1200 CAD because as a student is kinda tight on money but also don’t want a trash laptop that isn’t a good deal (i research this stuff like 4 hours a day) Also wish it not to be too heavy and 15.6″. Thanks in advance?
Hi Andy
I sent your question to the computer team at Best Buy’s head office and will let you know what they say.
Happy 2019
Martin
Hi Andy,
the Computer team sent this reply:
This one is on sale till tomorrow. 120ghz panel that’s pretty affordable @ $849 right now. Has HDMI 1.4. it’s a bit flashier than the other Asus FX series in the market, Best Buy has an exclusive design on the lid, the market has a plainer lid.
https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/asus-tuf-15-6-gaming-laptop-red-intel-core-i5-8300h-1tb-hdd-8gb-ram-nvidia-gtx-1050-windows-10/12616747.aspx?
If he’s looking to stretch the budget a bit, would look at this one. You step to a GTX 1060 w/ 6GB graphics (from a GTX 1050 w/ 2GB Graphics). Probably unnecessary for Fortnite, but if you’re thinking longer term, it’s a lot better for other games. But the refresh rate is lower though. I think it’s 60Ghz…also on sale till tomorrow.
https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/acer-nitro-5-15-6-gaming-laptop-black-red-intel-core-i5-8300h-1tb-hdd-256gb-ssd-8gb-ram-gtx-1060/13049607.aspx?
I hope that helps your search,
Martin
I am looking for 13″ laptop 8GB Ram 256GB, backlit keyboard; Able to watch movies online and also play light gaming. Can you please recommend me a laptop? I am a senior, always has used Mac computers (presently I am using MacBook Air, but the platform for Mac doesn’t allow to download apps for gaming. I want to go with PC Laptop within $1000.00. Please help. I am in Ottawa Canada. I am tech savvy to a certain extent!
Hi Ganga,
I sent your question to the computer team at Best Buy Canada’s head office. As soon I receive a reply, I will post the answer here for you.
Best regards,
Martin
Hi Ganga,
I received this response from the Best Buy Computer team.
I don’t think you would need a graphics card to do light gaming, assuming we’re talking about social gaming like Minecraft or candy crush? Also, I don’t have anything with a graphics card in a 13” that’s under $1000
11558814
Asus UX430UA-BH51-CB i5-8250u/8G/256G SSD/BT/AC/FP/14.0″ FHD
This is a cheat because it’s 14” but the bezel is thin so it is the size of a 13”
12388678 Dell i5/8/256/13″ FHD
Otherwise there’s this one. I like the Asus more, not just because of the screen size. But if you are adamant about the screen size, there’s this. Just compare the dimensions
Best regards,
Martin
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