Gaming laptops to suit your budget – part 2

Hot on the heels of our MSI-focused “Powerful gaming laptops to suit your budget” article, we present you with part 2 on how not to break the bank when buying a mobile PC – showcasing multiple brands at a variety of prices.

The initial article was inspired by the recent release of the MSI GT70 2PE Dominator Pro with GTX 880M in SA, and our quest to find cheaper, but powerful, alternatives to the R35,000 machine.

Below are some of the better deals we could find, in no particular order, based on price and expert reviews.

Toshiba Satellite P850 – F31W – R13,999

Toshiba Satellite P850

A nice package, but no full HD screen. Hook it up to an external monitor and it should fare just fine. The Toshiba scored a 6.8/10 from the reviews Engadget had aggregated.

• CPU –  Intel Core i7-3610QM 2.30GHz
• RAM – 8GB DDR3 1600MHz
• Storage – 8GB Hybrid SSD + 750GB HDD
• GPU – Nvidia GeForce GT640M 2GB
• Display – 15.6-inch LCD 1366 x 768
• Weight – 2.66 kg

Gigabyte P34G – R16,299

Gigabyte P34G gaming notebook

This really is a case of dynamite coming in small (and slightly expensive) packages. TechRadar gave the tiny powerhouse a 4/5 rating.

• CPU – Intel Core i5-4200H 3.40GHz
• RAM – 8GB DDR3 1600MHz
• Storage – 500GB HDD
• GPU – Nvidia GeForce GTX760M GDDR5 2GB
• Display – 14-inch HD LCD
• Weight – 1.76kg

MSI GX60 – R11,999

MSI GX60

Yes, we included an MSI option. Why? Because they are cheap and pack a decent punch. The GX60 scored 80% on Engadget’s Global Score chart.

• CPU – AMD Quad-Core A10-Series 2.3GHz
• RAM – 8GB DDR3 1600MHz
• Storage – 750GB HDD
• GPU – AMD HD7970 2GB
• Display – 15.6-inch HD LCD
• Weight – 3.49kg

Lenovo Y510 4th Gen – R12,656

Lenovo Y510 4th Gen

The Lenovo also suffers from a non-full HD screen, but comes in with decent specs – which hold up against its competitors – at a good price.

• CPU – Intel Core i7-4700MQ 2.4GHz
• RAM –  8GB DDR3 1600MHz
• Storage – 8GB Hybrid SSD + 1TB HDD
• GPU –  Nvidia GeForce GT750M 2GB
• Display – 15.6-inch 1366×768 LED
• Weight – 2.8kg

Acer Aspire V3-772G – R15,678

The Acer was awarded 3.5/5 by PC World, but is a bit pricier (along with the Gigabyte) than the rest.

• CPU – Intel Core i7-4702MQ 2.2Ghz
• RAM – 8GB DDR3-1600MHz
• Storage – 1TB HDD
• GPU – Nvidia Geforce GT740M 4GB
• Display – 17.3-inch HD LCD
• Weight – 3.2kg

Bonus laptop: Alienware 17 – R25,999

Alienware 17

It’s expensive and won’t fit most people’s budget, but it looks good and will definitely handle most games on high settings. PC Mag awarded it 4/5

• CPU – Intel Core i7-4700MQ 2.4GHz
• RAM – 8GB DDR3 1600MHz
• Storage – 64GB SSD + 750GB HDD
• GPU – Nvidia GeForce GTX765M 2GB
• Display – 17.3-inch HD LCD
• Weight – 4.1kg

Have you scored a great gaming laptop at a bargain price? Tell us about it in the comments and forum.

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