Budget gaming notebook shootout: No need to break the piggy bank

Introduction

Note: This article was first published on 26th July 2017.

Gaming doesn’t have to be an expensive hobby

How much gaming performance do you really need? A lot of that depends on the sort of gaming experience you expect. Do you want to run all the latest AAA titles at max settings and over 60fps? Or perhaps you’re okay with just dialing back the settings and settling for a playable, but not necessarily ultra-smooth, experience.

Gaming systems are frequently associated with stiff price tags, but not the notebooks we’re reviewing here today. Equipped with an Intel Core i7-7700HQ (2.8GHz, 6MB L3 cache) and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, they all offer decent gaming performance at relatively affordable prices.

For instance, one of our review units, the Aftershock MX-15 Elite, starts at just S$1,674, which is an easy-to-stomach price for performance that will run most games at 1080p and Medium settings.

But lest you think that this is just a euphemism for generally terrible gaming performance, we should point out that the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is equivalent to, or in fact slightly better than, the previous generation’s GeForce GTX 970M. The latter was considered one of the top mobile GPUs in its time, so you’re really getting more for less money.

And if you’ve got your feelers out for a so-called budget gaming notebook, there’s a good chance that you’re looking less for a dedicated gaming machine and more for a capable all-rounder that can also handle some games.

As it turns out, it’s not that easy being a jack of all trades, although a few do come tantalizingly close. To find out, we've pit the following notebooks in this shootout:

• Acer Aspire VX 15
• Aftershock MX-15 Elite
• Gigabyte Sabre 15
• HP Omen 15
• Lenovo Legion Y520
• MSI GP62 7REX Leopard Pro

Here then are the specifications of the notebooks at a glance before we look at each offering up close and personal:-

Test notebooks compared

	Acer Aspire VX 15	Aftershock MX-15 Elite	Gigabyte Sabre 15	HP Omen 15 (2017)	Lenovo Legion Y520	MSI GP62 7REX Leopard Pro
Launch SRP	From S$2298	From S$1674	From S$1799	From S$1999	From S$1899	From S$1999
Processor and Chipset	Intel Core i7-7700HQ (2.80GHz, 6MB L3 cache)	Intel Core i7-7700HQ (2.80GHz, 6MB L3 cache)	Intel Core i7-7700HQ (2.80GHz, 6MB L3 cache)	Intel Core i7-7700HQ (2.80GHz, 6MB L3 cache)	Intel Core i7-7700HQ (2.80GHz, 6MB L3 cache)	Intel Core i7-7700HQ (2.80GHz, 6MB L3 cache)
Operating System	Windows 10 Home 64-bit	Windows 10 Home 64-bit	Windows 10 Home 64-bit	Windows 10 Home 64-bit	Windows 10 Home 64-bit	Windows 10 Home 64-bit
System Memory	16GB DDR4 2,400MHz RAM	8GB DDR4 2,400MHz RAM	16GB DDR4 2,400MHz RAM	8GB DDR4 2,400MHz RAM	8GB DDR4 2,400MHz RAM	8GB DDR4 2,400MHz RAM
Video & Display	15.6-inch 1,920 x 1,080 IPS display NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti	15.6-inch 1,920 x 1,080 IPS display NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti	15.6-inch 1,920 x 1,080 IPS display NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti	15.6-inch 1,920 x 1,080 IPS display NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti	15.6-inch 1,920 x 1,080 IPS display NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti	15.6-inch 1,920 x 1,080 IPS display NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
Storage	256GB M.2 PCIe SSD 1TB 5,400RPM HDD	128GB M.2 SATA SSD 1TB 7,200RPM HDD	128GB M.2 SATA SSD 1TB 7,200RPM HDD	128GB PCIe NVMe SSD 1TB 7,200RPM HDD	128GB M.2 PCIe SSD 1TB 5,400RPM HDD	128GB M.2 SATA SSD 1TB 7,200RPM HDD
Optical Drive	None	None	None	None	None	DVD Super Multi drive
Connectivity	Qualcomm Atheros QCA61x4A Wireless Network Adapter Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller Bluetooth 4.1	1x1 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168 Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller Bluetooth 4.1	1x1 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168 Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller Bluetooth 4.2	2x2 Realtek RTL8822BE Realtek Gaming GBE Family Controller Bluetooth 4.2	2x2 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller Bluetooth 4.1	1x1 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168 Killer E2400 Gigabit Ethernet Controller Bluetooth 4.2
Audio	Acer True Harmony Dolby Audio Premium	Creative Sound Blaster Cinema 3	Creative Sound Blaster Cinema 3	Bang & Olufsen dual speakers	2 x 2W Harman Certified Speakers with Dolby Audio Premium	Nahimic Sound 2 Technology
I/O Ports	2x USB 3.0 Type-A 1x USB 3.1 Type-C 1x USB 2.0 1x RJ-45 1x HDMI 1.4 1x SD card reader	2x USB 3.0 Type-A 1x USB 3.1 Type-C 1x USB 2.0 1x RJ-45 2x Mini DisplayPort 1x HDMI 1.4 1x 6-in-1 SD card reader	2x USB 3.0 Type-A 1x USB 3.1 Type-C 1x USB 2.0 1x RJ-45 2x Mini DisplayPort 1x HDMI 1.4 1x 6-in-1 SD card reader	3x USB 3.0 Type-A 1x USB 3.1 Type-C 1x RJ-45 1x Mini DisplayPort 1x HDMI 1.4 1x multi-format SD card reader	2x USB 3.0 Type-A 1x USB 3.1 Type-C 1x USB 2.0 1x RJ-45 1x HDMI 1.4 1x 4-in-1 SD card reader	2x USB 3.0 Type-A 1x USB 3.1 Type-C 1x USB 2.0 1x RJ-45 1x Mini DisplayPort 1x HDMI 1.4 1x SDXC/SDHC card reader
Battery Type	52Wh	47Wh	47Wh	70Wh	45Wh	41Wh
Dimensions	389 x 265.5 x 28.9mm	378 x 267 x 26.9mm	378 x 267 x 26.9mm	388.5 x 275.5 x 24.8mm	380 x 265 x 25.8mm	383 x 260 x 27-29mm
Weight	2.5kg	2.5kg	2.5kg	2.568 kg	2.4kg	2.4kg