Top 5 gaming notebooks

While a good gaming rig will always trump the highest-end gaming notebook, there are many who would still prefer the latter, simply because it’s easier to setup and you can carry it around. If you’re someone who hates dealing with messy cabling or simply don’t have that kind of space in your house, then a notebook is your only real choice. You have to remember one thing though, you won’t be able to max out every single game on a notebook, no matter how powerful it maybe. So long as you’re willing to live with those compromises carry on reading.

We understand not everyone has a pile of money lying around so we’ve thrown in a mix of both mainstream multimedia notebooks that can handle their fair share of games as well as has high-end notebooks engineered for gaming. 

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HP DV6-6165TX - Rs.59,000
If there’s one thing you can be assured with HP’s DV lineup is their build quality. The DV6 may be marketed as a multimedia notebook, but the specifications say otherwise. A Core i7 and an AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 2GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory should easily tame even the most demanding games.

Good specs for the price

Sound is taken care of by Beats audio and the cooling is handled by HP’s CoolSense technology that adjusts the cooling based on the activity being performed. Overall, a good package for the price.

Dell Alienware M14x - Rs.82,900 ( View Stores)
Alienware has been synonymous with gaming from its inception and Dell’s new M14x finds a sweet spot between raw performance and portability. Aside from the good gaming performance and fancy, customizable lighting, the one thing that has made these notebooks stand out are their keyboards.

Customizations galore

The keys have a very nice feedback which make them extremely comfortable to type on. Also, the higher resolution 14-inch screen makes images and video pop. The notebook does demands a slight premium but in return you get huge bragging rights.

Acer Aspire TimeLineX 5830TG - Rs.41,000 ( View Stores)
Who said you can’t enjoy gaming on a budget? Acer’s TimeLineX 5830TG packs in a decent powerhouse in a really slim form factor and at a killer price. Other than the build quality, which takes a bit of a backseat, it makes a tidy little gaming machine for those on the move.

Slim yet powerful

Armed with an Nvidia GT 540M, you should be able to play older games like Dirt 2 and FarCry 2 on reasonably high settings. Overall, the 5830TG offers really good value for money in terms of features and performance. 

Asus G74SX - Rs.1,18,000 ( View Stores)
Looking for an absolute bonkers gaming notebook? How about the Asus G74SX. They’ve managed to cram in everything but the kitchen sink. Sporting a massive 17.3-inch Full HD screen, the notebook is designed for Nvidia’s 3DVision and comes with the transmitter fitted into the bezel.

The ultimate gaming notebook

Other features include a whopping 16GB of RAM, 1.5TB of hard drive space (750GB x2) and a Blu-ray combo drive. The graphical prowess comes from the mighty Nvidia GTX 560M with 3GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory. Accessories include 3D glasses, gaming mouse and headset and a backpack. 

MSI GE620 - Rs. 49,990 ( View Stores)
One look at the MSI GE620 and it’s easy to dismiss it as an entry level notebook, but look harder and you’ll find that looks can be deceiving. The GE620 is a no-frills gaming notebook hailing from their ‘G’ series line-up and has shed the fancy lighting and in turn even the hefty price tag of its elder siblings.

A good all-rounder

For this price, you get a full-sized keyboard, great sounding speakers, USB 3.0 ports and a decent mid-range graphics card from Nvidia. The GPU also supports Optimus which results in really good battery life.

Worth a mention 
Sony VAIO C Series (VPCCB35FN) - ( View Stores)
Sony’s new VAIO C series may come in some rather ‘trippy’ colours but underneath all that jazz, it’s a pretty serious notebook. What really makes this notebook stand out is the funky styling and the wonderful backlit keys that automatically kick-in once the light dims, a rare find in notebooks these days.

Style with substance

It also features switchable graphics which lets you utilize the onboard GPU in the processor for everyday tasks and the AMD Radeon HD 6630M for gaming and other 3D intensive applications.
 

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So there you go, these are the top notebooks that we feel are worth your time and money. You should easily be able to play most of the newer games at decent settings and depending on how scalable the game is, performance will vary. While spending this same amount will get you a much powerful gaming desktop, a notebook will offer you portability and you’ll only have to worry about a single wire as opposed to a whole mess of them.