Buying Guide: 10 best gaming laptops 2015: top gaming notebooks reviewed

Gaming laptops we recommend

Updated: With a built-in mechanical keyboard and a crazy amount of power behind it, the MSI GT80 Titan was almost destined to join our top 10 list of the best gaming laptops.

You don't even need to tell us what happened when you told your friends that you want to buy a gaming laptop. Their inner elitist got the best of them, and bashed you for not just outright building a gaming PC. But we get you. Building a gaming PC takes knowledge and dexterity that you just don't have or care to develop.

That's where the gaming laptop shines, as the fast lane to PC gaming. No need to build a case or even buy a monitor. Of course, that convenience comes with quite a price tag. Most vendors start their asking prices at around $1,400 (about £818, AU$1,492) for 13 and 14-inch products, whereas the biggest and beefiest 17 and 18-inch models can skyrocket upwards of $3,000 (around £1,753, AU$3,195).

If you consider that a gaming laptop will never come close to a comparably-priced gaming desktop, then your decision is already made. But again, the gaming notebook is a device of convenience and portability over raw power. Without further ado, here are our favorite gaming laptops that we've reviewed thus far.

10. Asus ROG G751JY

The G751 combines top-end components with a great design

The Asus ROG G751 is a gaming tank in every sense. At 17 inches and 4.8kg, it's bigger and heavier than some other gaming laptops but sports a premium feel, great design and houses powerful components that justify the chunk.

Inside is a GeForce GTX 980M GPU, 32GB of main memory, a Core i7-4860HQ quad-core chip clocked at 3.6GHz in Turbo mode and tons of storage. The graphics card's 4GB of memory is a decent amount for playing games at high detail settings, which is helped by Asus's sensible decision to give the G751 a 1080p display.

For all of its horsepower, the G751 runs quietly with a gentle hum, which isn't something you always get with high-end gaming laptops. It's big, bold, perhaps even beautiful — and definitely a beast.

Read: Asus ROG G751JY review

9. Digital Storm Triton

A rare powerful and affordable gaming laptop

The Digital Storm Triton is an attractive, powerful and, most importantly, affordable gaming laptop. These are three qualities you don't often hear in the same sentence, making this machine special for pulling together such a rare combination.

Though it has a lackluster screen and trouble keeping cool, this Digital Storm laptop is still an incredible deal. It has enough computing power to play most modern games at 60 fps with just a few tweak in your graphics settings. What's more, the Triton has enough power to rival some of the biggest and baddest gaming machines we've reviewed.

For $1,620 (about £1,063, AU$1,974), the Digital Storm Triton is a powerful little machine that's definitely worth a look despite all its flaws.

Read: Digital Storm Triton review

8. Aorus X7 Pro

A lean and mean beast of a gaming laptop

Aorus has successfully put a hardcore gaming laptop into a chassis less than an inch thick, proving that you can indeed enjoy a high-performance machine that isn't a brick. In fact, the Aorus X7 Pro is one of the best performing machines we've ever tested. It absolutely crushed it in our suite of benchmark tests, setting all sorts of new records. In real world gaming, it easily plays modern titles at 1080p with all the graphical flourishes set to ultra.

Thanks to the Nvidia dual 970M setup, this machine easily outpaces Alienware 18 we reviewed last July, a massive gaming laptop that costs nearly double the amount and is also twice as thick compared to Aorus' thin mobile gaming offering. Even the similarly priced MSI GT72 Dominator falls well short of the X7 Pro even with a Nvidia 980, the best mobile GPU on the market currently.

That said, also one of the hottest and loudest laptops we've ever reviewed as well. We've had a few machines with loud fans such as the Origin EVO15-S. The X7 Pro, however, is on a whole other level, as the machine sounds like a leaf blower on full load. The system also gets uncomfortably hot, even when simply web browsing and streaming video.

Read: Aorus X7 Pro review

7. Asus GL551

One of the best entry-level gaming laptops available

There isn't anything too surprising about the Asus GL551. It checks off all the boxes you'd expect from gaming laptops without breaking the bank. Despite the value-packed price, this laptop isn't lacking in power at all. It performs admirably playing just about any title on medium to high settings.

The Asus GL551 isn't the best looking gaming laptop around, however, it's mostly a joy to use and that's what really matters. The metal keyboard deck and palm rests is a solid platform for gamers to tap and click on well into the wee hours of the night. Plus the notebook comes with a decent set of tweeters. That saves you from having to invest in a headset to hear all of the splashy in-game explosions.

Sadly, our biggest (and only) hangup with the Asus GL551 is its downright awful display for day to day use whether you're gaming or just browsing the web. Save for the display, though, the Asus GL551 is a sweet package for its affordable price and one of the very best affordable gaming laptops currently out today.

Read: Asus GL551 review

6. Origin EVO15-S

Peak performance from a super slim gaming laptop

There's plenty to like about the EVO15-S, and while it comes at an expensive premium, it's one of the few laptops that are well worth the expense. This Origin machine is one of the thinnest and lightest gaming laptops you possibly buy.

Meanwhile, it does not skimp at all with some of the latest cutting edge parts, an excellent 1080p panel for all types of media, three storage drives and 16GB of RAM. Plus there's also the option to throw on a 4K screen for a marginally priced upgrade.

In time, more and more gaming PCs will be outfitted with Nvidia's latest GPUs, but for now, the Origin EVO15-S is one of the best-performing gaming laptops for a reasonable price.

Read: Origin EVO15-S review

5. Alienware 17 (2015)

The Alienware 17 is an impressive refinement for this series of gaming laptops

Although you're looking at spending $3,049 (£2,581, AU$4,547) for the full experience, the Alienware 17 is one of those few outrageously priced gaming laptops that's actually worth it. The notebook is a fully capable gaming machine and, with the added power of an Nvidia GTX 980 inside the Amplifier, you won't run into a game you can't play on Ultra settings for a long time. And when you do, you can easily swap out the desktop GPU for a newer model. Alienware even says they're working on adding support for Nvidia's latest monster card, the Titan X.

Alienware has done the gaming laptop-desktop hybrid right with an even leaner 17-inch monster and its accompanying Graphics Amplifier. The ability to use the screen, plus not needing to plug in a keyboard and mouse makes it a much more sensible solution than the MSI GS30 Shadow. And if you're looking for something smaller, the Alienware 13 also works with the optional GPU box.

Read: Alienware 17 (2015) review

4. Gigabyte P35K v3

An excellent gaming laptop for budget-conscious players

The Gigabyte P35K v3 is a nearly perfect machine through and through. It's amazingly thin for a 15.6-inch gaming laptop that offers great performance and decent battery life. Compared to competing models in this affordable space, Gigabyte easily outpaces the Asus ROG GL551 and Acer Aspire V15 Nitro.

For $1,499 (about £973, AU$1913), the Gigabyte P35K v3 offers plenty of performance. Thanks to Nvidia's beefier, entry-level GTX 965M GPU, gamers can expect to play most games on medium to high settings at a playable 45-to-60 fps range. You'll even be able to play Far Cry 4 on Ultra without having to worry about the game slowing to a frame-skipping crawl.

What's more, the P35K v3 features a colorful In-Plane Switching (IPS) screen. It renders hues brightly and accurately, while offering up excellent viewing angles up to an extreme 170 degrees making the Gigabyte laptop an excellent media device to share with some couch mates. Add in the immersive Dolby Digital Plus home theater technology, and Gigabyte has put together one of the nicest self-contained gaming device we've ever reviewed.

Read: Gigabyte P35K v3 review

3. MSI GT80 Titan

An outrageously sized and powerful gaming laptop

The MSI GT80 Titan goes above and beyond to give gamers a desktop experience in a notebook with a complement of high-performance parts to a built-in mechanical keyboard. However, weighing in at nearly 10 pounds and measuring roughly two-inches thick, this laptop is seriously pushing the limits of what you can call portable.

For all the strain it'll put on your back and wallet, though, this 18.4-inch gaming laptop is a truly amazing piece of technology that can easily take on everything you throw at it. The Titan will absolutely plow through almost any graphically intense game you try to run. Hardcore gamers will also feel right at home with the mechanical keyboard then add in the the excellent screen, and this is a great setup PC gamers can feel comfortable using wherever they are.

Read: MSI GT80 Titan review

2. Razer Blade 2015

A gorgeous 3K gaming laptop the world still isn't ready for

Razer continues offer the Blade with one of the most stunning displays in the industry. A vibrant and impeccably sharp, 3,200 x 1,800 IGZO panel that makes everything you look at better whether it's a webpage or a 4K video of some rough housing puppies. Thanks to a faster processor and an upgraded graphics chip, mobile 3K gaming is nearly approachable. If you manage your settings closely enough and level your expectations, that is.

For multiple reasons, though, you would be much better off getting the full HD model instead. A QHD+ monitor simply doesn't make much sense on a gaming laptop … yet. It's absolutely lovely to gawk at for your daily driver, as I've experienced handling the Dell XPS 13 or Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro. However, modern mobile GPUs are just not powerful enough (yes, still) to drive the 3,200 x 1,800 pixel count.

Read: Razer Blade 2015 review

1. Origin EON15-X

A desktop-grade CPU in an unbeatable gaming laptop

Origin EON15-X is a real head turner. It packs a desktop processor into a fairly compact 15.6-inch laptop that, while smaller, offers even more performance compared to other, biggerhardcore gaming rigs.

What's more, this extra CPU power is clutch for users who need to edit video and other processor intensive tasks that a mobile chip can't handle. The larger CPU might lend itself to more processor-intensive applications rather than games. However, the extra kick of performance will come in handy no matter what game you're running.

Origin has packed a ton of power into a much smaller 15.6-inch package that's great in almost every way. This machine is definitely worth consideration over all others.

Read: Origin EON15-X review

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