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The best gaming laptops for every budget

Up your game with a portable powerhouse…

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With a gaming laptop, you can take your campaign with you. On a plane. On a cruise. On a train. You’ll be able to keep those missions on track pretty much anywhere. And all those long journeys will absolutely fly by!

We haven’t just picked out some good gaming laptops for you though, oh no. We’ve rounded up some of the best gaming laptops out there from Lenovo, Asus, ACER and MSI. Whatever your budget, we’ve definitely got some next level machines for you to pick from…

Best budget gaming laptop

If you’re after the best cheap gaming laptop, we’d go for the Lenovo IdeaPad 5i. And even though it’s on the budget side of things, it still manages to pack a proper punch. Built around an Intel® Core™ i3 processor, it’s got plenty of oomph to power through all your favourite games. With zero lag in sight!

And speaking of games, the IdeaPad has a cool trick up its sleeve – cloud gaming. You’ll have 1000+ titles to pick from straight off the bat. From epic single player adventures to multiplayer arena shooters. So, you can get lost in a massive RPG, or just get a few rounds in when you’ve got a spare half an hour.

You won’t have to worry about choppy gameplay when you head online either. Super-fast Wi-Fi 6E keeps everything smooth and seamless. Which can be the difference between victory and defeat in those hectic competitive battles. You’ve got no excuses not to get that win now then…

Best mid-range gaming laptop

Got a little bit extra to spend? Then check out the MSI Thin GF63. There’s a hefty 512 GB of storage under the hood here. Which is more than enough room to store any chunky titles that you download. And you won’t have to constantly delete and re-shuffle all your games to make space for the new ones either. Nice.

This storage is an SSD too - making all your load speeds blazing fast. Even those huge open world games will fire up in a flash. And you’ll spend more time playing them, and less time sat about staring at a boring loading screen.

When you get into the game, AI-powered graphics with ray tracing turns every title into a real looker. But what is ray tracing? Well, this super clever tech manages to recreate how light behaves in the real world. And that makes everything look way more realistic than before. It’ll even give some of your old favourites a nice graphical boost as well. They’ll look way better than you remember them!

Best gaming laptop under £1500

The Asus ROG Strix manages to balance being a proper laptop powerhouse without costing you an arm and a leg. And it’s perfect if you love to play fast paced first person shooters. A 165 Hz refresh rate teams up with NVIDIA G-Sync – helping your screen keep up with the bombastic action. Even when the bullets are flying all over the place.

You’ll keep your cool when the battle heats up too. Asus have packed in a set of triple fans and full width heatsink here. So, if you’re sat with it on your lap, it’s not going to start feeling hotter than the surface of the sun after ten minutes (we’ve all had one like it). And more importantly, all those precious parts aren’t going to overheat and break either.

Best gaming laptop under £2000

If you’re hunting for a top of the line gaming laptop, then the ACER Predator Helios Neo is a great shout. And it’s an absolute beast. It’ll easily handle the most demanding titles – even when you bump the graphic settings up to ultra. That’s all thanks to the 13th gen Intel® Core™ i9 processor and RTX 4070 graphics card. Which is easily the best gaming duo since Batman and Robin!

Races. Shootouts. Platforming. Whatever you’re playing, all of it looks incredible on the 16” IPS display. With Quad HD+ resolution letting you really see every tiny detail. From the paint peeling off an armoured vehicle, to the rain glistening on your character’s armour. If you want to get that full immersive experience, it’s definitely the way to go.

And it’s not all just about the visuals. Sound is 50% of any good game, right? The Predator packs in DTS:X Ultra audio, giving you some seriously killer surround sound. Explosions will crack and boom. And you’ll be able to track any enemies sneaking up behind you. They won’t be getting the drop on you ever again, that’s for sure.

FAQ

Are MacBooks good for gaming?

MacBooks are way better for creative work. They’re the go to machines for graphic design, video editing and music production. But, if you want a laptop specifically for gaming, we’d stick with one running on Windows.

They’ll usually have better graphics and a bigger library of games to play on them. After all, not every title gets a Mac release. So, if you don’t want to miss out on your favourites, it’s an easy decision to make!

How long do gaming laptops last?

That really depends on how well you take care of them. Some gaming laptops let you swap out different components too. We’re talking parts like your processor, RAM, and the hard drive. And upgrading these will keep your laptop in tip top shape. Plus, it’ll be future proofed and ready to play all the latest titles when they come out.

Are gaming laptops good for everyday use?

They sure are. You’ll be able to do all the stuff you’d normally do on a regular laptop. Whether that’s a bit of online shopping or scrolling away on social media. Except you’ll also have the added bonus of being able to sit down for some epic gaming sessions too. It’s really like having the best of both worlds.

Are gaming laptops worth it?

If you’re a big gamer and want to play PC games on the go, then it’s a no brainer. You’ll be able to download all the latest and greatest titles from Steam, the Epic Games Store and more. Including exclusive games that you can’t play on consoles. And because they’re portable, you can get a few missions in wherever, whenever. It’ll be a game changer for your daily commute!

So, now you know which is the best gaming laptop for you. But maybe you need one for work or video editing instead? No worries, we’ve got you. Check out the best laptops: which one is right for you? And keep it in great nick and learn how to clean your laptop with our handy guide. You’ll thank us later!

But if you still need a hand finding the best laptop for gaming, head over to ShopLive. Our in-store experts can point you in the right direction and help you level up your setup. Sorted.

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