Best gaming laptops

Anyone and their grandmother can make a gaming laptop. All it takes is a chassis, a few high-powered components, some garish stickers, and boom -- you've got yourself a gaming rig. But not all gaming laptops are created equal, especially those that are ready-made. Here's our guide to separating the wheat from the polygon-chucking chaff.

When choosing a gaming laptop, your first concern should always be the graphics processing unit. The faster this component is, the better your games will run. Avoid any machine that has an integrated Intel graphics card, unless your idea of gaming is a few casual rounds of solitaire while the boss isn't looking.

We'd recommend Nvidia GeForce and ATI Radeon graphics cards. The specific models within these brands change frequently, so it can be nigh on impossible to keep up. But, as a general rule, the higher model numbers within a product series deliver better performance.

The amount of memory allocated to the graphics card isn't particularly important, so don't be fooled by this element of the specification. More meaningful clues as to a GPU's performance can be found by looking at the number of pixel shaders and the memory bandwidth.

Even better performance can be obtained by opting for a laptop that uses two graphics cards simultaneously. ATI's CrossFireX and Nvidia's SLI multi-card technologies work in slightly different ways, but both provide more performance than a single card would, particularly when running games at higher resolutions and with special image effects enabled, such as anti-aliasing or anisotropic filtering. If you like your games with all the pretty effects switched on, twin-card set-ups are the way to go.

Once you've got your graphics card sorted, you'll need to consider the CPU. Generally speaking, this will dictate the overall speed of your computer, regardless of whether you're gaming or simply surfing the Net. A fast CPU can bring out the best in a fast graphics card, so, if you've got the cash, our advice is to buy the fastest one you can afford. Currently, the cream of the gaming CPU crop is the Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition, but you can get great gaming results with non-Extreme Edition CPUs, as well as CPUs in the Core i5 range.

Screen resolution is another important consideration. Generally speaking, games look better at a higher resolution, although playing at higher resolution demands more graphics-processing power and can slow your games down. Personally, we wouldn't go for any resolution below 1,680x1,050 pixels. If you're serious about your gaming, you'll need to choose a laptop with a resolution that approaches, or surpasses, 1,920x1,080 pixels.

Check out a few examples of the best gaming laptops we've recently reviewed below. With your new-found knowledge, you should be able to make a more informed purchasing decision.

Editors:

4.5 stars out of 5

Users:

4 stars out of 5

Alienware M17x (Core i7)

Our configuration of the revamped Alienware M17x is expensive, but it's not bad value for money, considering the awesome components that lurk within. The Intel Core i7 CPU seems to really make a difference in terms of performance, and everything's wrapped up in a very stylish chassis Read more

£1,549

Reviewed on 9 June 2010

Editors:

4.0 stars out of 5

Users:

4.5 stars out of 5

MSI GT725

The MSI GT725's turbo overclocking feature is gimmicky, and the machine is -- on the whole -- hideously ugly. But it's also very fast and well-equipped. Buy it if you're not concerned with looks Read more

£1,113

Reviewed on 22 May 2009

Editors:

4.5 stars out of 5

Users:

4.75 stars out of 5

Asus G73Jh

The Asus G73Jh is one of the finest gaming laptops we've ever seen. If you want a laptop that is lovely to behold and offers brain-melting levels of performance, look no further Read more

£1,900

Reviewed on 29 March 2010

Editors:

4.5 stars out of 5

Users:

5 stars out of 5

Alienware M11x (Core i5)

Alienware's updated M11x gaming netbook is just as portable as before, but its gaming performance will melt your mind even more Read more

£850

Reviewed on 19 July 2010

Editors:

4.0 stars out of 5

Users:

0 out of 5

Not yet rated

Toshiba Qosmio X500 (X500-128)

The Toshiba Qosmio X500-128 isn't quite as quick as the very fastest gaming laptops on the market, but it's certainly not far behind. If you're looking for laptop with an enormous screen and high-speed graphics, you should think seriously about adding it to your shopping list Read more

£1,250

Reviewed on 17 June 2010

Comments 14

Add your comment

coolmech's avatar

coolmech 10 August, 2010 08:55

nice laptops and cheap prices

Anonymous's avatar

Anonymous 21 September, 2010 20:33

Any laptops out there with the following type of specs..

core i5
nvidia graphics chip with around 100 cuda cores
7-8 hr battery life
no more than 13.3 inch screen
ddr 3 memory above 1066Mhz
doesn't look like a painted brick

Anonymous's avatar

Anonymous 22 September, 2010 11:38

To anonymous - If you would consider buying from Germany, there's the Acer Timeline X 3820tg. This thing has a i5 450m @ 2.4 ghz, 4GB DDR3 Ram, ATI 5650 card (1GB Mem), 640 GB HD, 13.3" screen, 1.8kg, 8hr battery (manufacturer listed). Not available in UK wth this GPU config. Can be bought for 750 Euro's + Shipping. Comes to about £700. I'd like to get this for myself, it comes with a german keyboard, but you can get a UK board for the 3810 from Ebay for around £10, and its the same layout.

type in "Acer 3820tg 5650" to your browser for video gaming shots of popular games.

Anonymous's avatar

Anonymous 22 September, 2010 12:12

My post above mentioned the price as 750 Euro's. I meant to say 850 Euro's.

Anonymous's avatar

Anonymous 17 November, 2010 14:06

To anon above - thanks for the tipoff about the Acer. Looks really good for the price. I'm selling my rig for a laptop because I'm going abroad for a year and can't take it with me. (Ironically I'm going to Austria, so the German keyboard layout suits me fine too.)

Anonymous's avatar

Anonymous 18 December, 2010 21:38

Anyone know a good gaming Desktop/Laptop For FSX to work on Full Settings

lisaroy1's avatar

lisaroy1 24 January, 2011 10:10

I need some help in picking up a new Gaming Laptop.
Thanks i got many options here and within my budget only.
I am a fan of Gaming Laptops so always go for top gaming laptops

Anonymous's avatar

Anonymous 19 February, 2011 04:42

I need a good laptop to project live stream programs and fast processing. Not really for gaming though. Please help me choose a good laptop for presentations and video projection with VGA connection.

Anonymous's avatar

Anonymous 19 February, 2011 04:49

Please help me find a good laptop for projecting live streaming programs and video presentations. I dont want it for gaming but with a good graphics card and speed and memory at reasonably price. Thankyou so much

Anonymous's avatar

Anonymous 3 June, 2011 06:57

The m17x is too big and m11x is too small you want the m14x or the m15x they're much better in seize and just as good in proformance

anonymous's avatar

anonymous 13 June, 2011 22:31

can anyone suggest a gaming laptop old or new for under 450 pounds

Anonymous's avatar

Anonymous 27 June, 2011 20:32

Hi. What is the best 15/16" screen laptop for around £800, mainly for online gaming use, but with a bit of internet browsing and photo & music stuff thrown in?

I have looked at the Toshiba Satellite P750-114 and Samsung RF511, which appear to have decent specifications, but most of the expert reviews are snobby about specific brands and rubbish everything else. So not sure if these are genuinely as mediocre as the reviews suggest?

It should look reasonable too.

Thanks.

Joops

anonymous's avatar

anonymous 18 September, 2011 17:00

also this laptop is great

http://thegamepreview.blogspot.com/p/gaming-computers.html

anonymous's avatar

anonymous 24 November, 2011 19:31

anybody wanting a cheap professional gaming laptop for £700 pound witch specs of i7 processor , navidia geforce 555m , 8gb ram and a 500gb hardrive ..... You need the nSpire 2760 black edditon , i personally recomend it to enybody who is look to game ! :)

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