Are There Any Cheap Gaming Laptops?

If you regularly visit the different gaming forums you will often hear gamers discussing the whole question of whether or not there are any such creatures as cheap gaming laptops? Without fail, there is always someone who pipes in with the declaration that this argument is rather silly since there is no such thing as a gaming laptop; if you want true computer gaming, you must purchase a desktop computer. Regardless, laptop prices have steadily dropped over the last few years and since laptop improvements and specs have greatly increased, this is now more of a legitimate question.

So Can You Have A Cheap Gaming Laptop?

To fully answer that question you have to consider two major factors. First, what is your definition of a cheap gaming notebook - a laptop under $2000, $1000 or even under $700? Second, what is your definition of a gaming laptop - what specs/features should it have? What games should it be able to play and at what resolutions?

Unless you have been following the whole subject of gaming and laptops, you may be surprised at just how far laptop performance has increased and how low laptop prices have dropped. Perhaps, a detailed discussion of those two issues will prove helpful in answering our question about the possibility of having cheap gaming notebooks.

Now, you have to remember, one of the most important things which makes a gaming laptop possible will be the quality and performance of your GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) which is commonly referred to as the graphics card. Regardless of the price of the laptop, this is the first thing you should check and research. Is the graphics card ranked as high-end, mid-range or low-end? How much dedicated video memory does the card have? Check to see what video games it can play smoothly and at what resolution? Most gamers wouldn't settle for anything less than a mid to high-end discrete Nvidia or ATI graphics card in their gaming notebook computer.

Probably, the next consideration when choosing a gaming laptop will be the GPU (General Processing Unit) which largely determines how fast your computer will run. While the type and amount of RAM is also important, it is the processor(s) you should check out closely and see how they are ranked and reviewed? Recently we have seen the introduction of the new second generation Intel Quad-Core i5 and i7 Processors, which have been nick-named Sandy Bridge. These new processors give 10-50% better performances and can even be factory over-clocked for even greater performance.

It is these high-performance Quad-Core processors which is making the old "desktop vs laptop" for gaming rather a moot point. Most of the latest gaming notebooks have the power and high specs to run and play most modern video games without a hitch. While most of these gaming notebooks are still large and heavy, they are a much portable system than a desktop computer. Plus, the new switchable graphics technology have given these gaming laptops a little more battery life, but short battery life is still an issue for many gamers.

How Cheap Can A Gaming Laptop Go?

Competition in the gaming notebook market has become very fierce. We have major laptop manufacturers such as Alienware (Dell), Sager, Falcon, Asus, HP, Toshiba, MSI... all competing for the gamer's attention and wallet. Prices have steadily fallen, but for a fully loaded gaming rig with all the bells and whistles, laptop buyers will still have to pay 3 or 4 grand for the top models.

However, depending on the size and specs, you can still get a very good gaming laptop for under $1000. If you want something small and portable, the Alienware M11x is a safe bet. It offers great performance in a very small package, one of the only drawbacks has been the lack of an optical drive. You should also look at the Asus gaming laptops such as the ASUS G53JW-A1 and ASUS G53SW-XA1 which are under or around $1200.

In the $1500 to $2000 range you should give the Alienware M14x, MSI GX630 and Toshiba Qosmio x505 series a close look. Also, perhaps one of THE gaming laptops of the moment is the Alienware M18x which even has a base price under $2000, but gamers know you will have to pay more if you want one with the highest specs. Another worthy consideration is the ASUS G73SW-XA1 Republic of Gamers 17.3-Inch laptop for around $1800.

One of the cheapest gaming notebooks you might consider is the ASUS N53SV-XE1 which is a little under $900 and will give you the new Intel Core i7-2630QM Quad-Core Processor 2.0 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.8GHz; coupled with a 500GB Hard Drive at 7200 RPM. Plus you get 4GB of DDR3 1333 MHz SDRAM and the Nvidia GT540M Graphics with 1GB DDR3 VRAM. If you want to go even lower, you may even consider the MSI X370-001US 13.4-Inch with a price tag of around $600, which will be good for causal gaming, but always remember these lower priced rigs will come with limitations.

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