GROUP TEST GAMING LAPTOPS
There’s a bewildering choice of laptops for serious gamers – so here are six of the best, from budget barnstormers to hardcore hardware
Alienware x15 What’s the story? Alienware has long been a big beast in the field of gaming laptops, and that’s set to continue with the x15. It’s a tweaked version of the firm’s m15, and pairs a sleeker design with superb components and top-notch display options. As usual there’s a wide selection of customisable specs, and this rig is also available in a hefty 17.3in form factor as the x17.
Is it any good? The x15’s updated design is unmistakably Alienware thanks to its honeycomb vents and RGB LEDs. It’s hewn from magnesium, aluminium and plastic, and has near-flawless build quality. It’s also lighter than its predecessor. Gaming grunt comes from Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3070 and RTX 3080 cores and you can choose from a trio of displays: combine the RTX 3070 with a 165Hz screen for buttery-smooth mainstream gaming, or opt for the RTX 3080 with 1080p at 360Hz or
2560x1440 at 240Hz if you want esports excellence or high-res visuals. This machine has top 11th-gen Intel processors and lashings of memory, and it’s available with up to 4TB of SSD storage. The x15 has the pace to tackle any gaming scenario, while the displays have lashings of brightness and huge colour gamuts. Wi-Fi 6 ensures fast networking, the USB-C ports support Thunderbolt 4 and the snappy keyboard has 1.5mm travel and per-key RGB LED backlighting. Superb stuff – just note that upgraded internals are coming to these machines later in the year.
from £2149 / stuff.tv/x15 Key specs O 15.6in 1920x1080 165Hz/ 360Hz / 2560x1440 240Hz O Intel Core i7/i9 O GeForce RTX 3070 / 3080 8GB O 16/32GB RAM O 512GB-1TB SSD O 1-5hr battery O 16.3mm thick, 2.36kg
STUFF SAYS Alienware’s latest certainly isn’t cheap, but it is brilliant +++++
Acer Nitro 5 What’s the story? If you’d like to get your hands on some top gaming power without rinsing your bank account, this Acer is our top budget pick. This machine is available with current-gen Nvidia graphics alongside capable Intel processors and displays with the refresh rates to handle games at decent speeds.
Is it any good? The most powerful Nitro 5 models pair the RTX 3070 GPU with AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800H for £1399. That’s a sensational price, and those components supply enough gaming power to scythe through any title. More affordable specs rely on RTX 3050 and 3060 graphics cores – the former is ideal for casual games and older titles, while the latter is a rock-solid chip for esports. The Intel options aren’t current-gen and can’t keep up with AMD, but they’re respectable and won’t slow you down… plus they’re getting updated later this year, which bodes
well for performance. The 15.6in displays have a 144Hz refresh rate – fine for most situations – and offer good depth and contrast. You get three full-size USB ports, an HDMI output, dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth, plus a keyboard with a numberpad and four-zone RGB LED lighting. Those buttons are fast and comfortable, so ideal for long gaming sessions. The compromises? Build quality is mediocre, so we’d recommend a protective sleeve if you’ll travel with this notebook. Plus it’s heavy, the speakers are tinny and ours only lasted for just over 3hrs during a work benchmark. from £899 / stuff.tv/Nitro5
Key specs O 15.6in 1920x1080 144Hz O Intel Core i5/i7 / AMD Ryzen 5/7 O GeForce RTX 3050 4GB - 3070 8GB O 8/16GB RAM O 512GB SSD O 1-3hr battery O 24mm thick, 2.3kg
STUFF SAYS Rough around the edges but offers outstanding value +++,,
