Christmas 2016 has come and gone and while you’ve hopefully had a good combination of family, food and thoughtful gifts, there remains one item that wasn’t under the tree.
It’s time to take matters into your own hands and get that gaming laptop that you have always wanted, possibly in the January sales.
Building your own is always an option, but if grab and go is your preference, it’s time to look at the options available as we head into 2017.
As always there are numerous models on the market, but a laptop is one item where paying top dollar for a good CPU, GPU and RAM will extend the life of the machine over the long term. With Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality all on the horizon, top of the line GPUs are a must.
Razer leads the way
The Razer Blade Pro comes with everything a gamer could want, including a touch screen, but it does have a keyboard that seems to split the opinion of critics. A 17 inch screen, NVIDIA Pascal architecture GTX 1080 GPU, an Intel Core i7-6700HQ quad-core processor and 32GB of DDR4 memory comes with a hefty price, but for the gamer who wants 4K graphics and the ability to play VR/AR/MR, this is the machine of choice in what is a surprisingly good field currently for high performance laptops.
You will either love or hate the keyboard, and this is one system where a hands-on test is an important consideration before purchasing the laptop.
It’s hard to go wrong with Razer in general though and the regular Razer Blade is a solid entry as well. It has an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 instead of the top of the line 1080 and 16GB of RAM is acceptable. It’s not a potential desktop replacement like the Pro model, but still not a bad option.
ASUS brings their A game
Another potential desktop replacement is the G75 Republic of Gamers series from ASUS. A beast of a machine in both size and weight, the G752s also deliver from a performance standpoint, although initially they shipped with GPU cards from the NVIDA 980 series, the same as the G751. Comparing one to the other, there was an argument that the G751 was better value, but now that the G752 OC edition ships with an NVIDA 1070, this has become moot.
If a 17 inch screen and a back breaking weight is not your thing, ASUS also makes 15 inch models that are highly competitive and well worth taking into consideration.
Customized option from DogHouse Systems
While there are a number of other high profile brands available if customization is your thing, one other option is a Texas based company called DogHouse Systems. They use the latest NVIDA GPUs in their laptops and desktops, and are well known for their consistent quality.
The Mobius TL and SS models come in the 17 inch configuration while the ES is the 15 inch entry. As with both Razer and ASUS, the decision on the size of the laptop is more dependent on actual use. The 15 inch is friendlier if used as a true portable while the 17 inch can be used as a desktop replacement for most gamers.
Other Powerful Players in the Laptop Market
The MSI GE72, Acer Predator, Dell Inspiron and Origin Eon all have their strengths and weaknesses and it is indicative of the strong market right now that each can be seen as a quality choice.
Even more interesting is the arrival of Alienware 13 with OLED screen. The technology, usually seen on high end televisions, is stunning and represents the future in the laptop market. Be aware though that unlike the other systems mentioned here, the GPU is not powerful enough for VR/AR/MR and thus is not the machine for a high end gamer. However, it is one to watch and after a couple of years taking a backseat to new competitors, this may signal the beginning of a return to prominence for Alienware.
