Best Gaming Laptop under 1500

Best Gaming Laptop Under $1500

As far as the average consumer in concerned, the preferred gaming platform is a console. True gaming enthusiasts know however, that the best platform is a PC or laptop. Where a desktop will give you that static power, a laptop can offer you that perfect combination of performance and mobility. To help you choose the best gaming laptop under 1500 dollars, we have lined up the best ones for you. 

The #1 in our comparison is the MSI GT70 Dominator. Being more powerful than Schwarzenegger in his 20s, the famous gaming brand MSI delivers where it truly matters; the graphics card. Carrying the absolutely magnificent NVIDIA Geforce GTX 870M, it does what its name promises: Dominate. Adding to this that it comes packed witht the best CPU in our comparison, the 4th generation quad core 2.7 GHz i7, and it is clear that this is an easy win for the The MSI GT70. 

Learn More Below
  • MSI GT70 Dominator
  • CyberPower Fangbook EVO HFX7-200
  • Razer Blade
  • ASUS G75VW-DH72
  • Lenovo Ideapad Y500
MSI GT70 Dominator Review

MSI GT70 Dominator

Miles ahead of the competition. The MSI GT70 Dominator does not only have the fastest processor in our comparison, he also carries a monster of a graphics card: the NVIDIA Geforce GTX870M. Scoring a 9.0 on a scale of 1 to 10 at our colleagues of GPU-Boss, this card crumbles the competition. In fact, it is one of the best graphics cards to have ever been created for laptop gaming. 

Coming from the game station engineers at MSI, the GT70 Dominator is a machine with a purpose: Raw gaming performance. Produced by the powerhouse team of the i7 CPU and 870M GPU, the action shines on the 17 inch Full HD (1920x1080) anti-glare LCD. We can’t say it simpler than this: If you are looking for the very best option for 1500 dollars, this is it. Happy gaming.

CyberPower Fangbook EVO HFX7-200 Review

CyberPower Fangbook EVO HFX7-200

The CyberPower Fangbook EVO HFX7-200 is one of the best gaming laptops under 1500 dollars. Being slightly underpowered in comparison to our number 1: the MSI GT70, it does offer a more competitive price. 

Boasting the mighty Intel Core i7-4770MQ in combination with the powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M is a great setup for any gamer. The difference with the GT70 mostly come into play when playing the hi-end games of 2013 and 2018 of ultra settings and full HD resolution. Otherwise, the difference are hardly noticeable. 

Get the Fangbook if you are a fan of the CyberPower brand or intrigued by the price difference. If you’re selecting solely on performance, go with the GT70.

Razer Blade Review

Razer Blade

Razer, a producer of keyboards and mice by origin, has been earning a reputation for true innovation in the field of gaming laptops and pc’s. The Razer Blade is their new 14-inch beauty with an extended battery life. This machine is both the most beautiful in our comparison, resembling a black MacBook Pro, as well as the most portable. 

Technology-wise, this ultra-thin gaming laptop uses extremely battery-efficient parts to allow you to take your gaming with you at all times. It uses the powerful Intel Core i7 2.2 GHz CPU in combination with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M to bring forth its mobile magic. The downside of all this mobility is the hard drive which only contains 256 GB in solid state storage. Although upgradable to 512GB, this changes the price from 1499,99 to 2299,99, making it an option we expect few gamers to select. 

ASUS G75VW-DH72 Review

ASUS G75VW-DH72

One of the most popular top gaming laptops under 1500 dollars of 2013. The Asus G75VW offers performance at a relatively affordable price. Packing the Intel Core i7-3630QM 2.4 GHz in combination with 16GB of RAM, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M and a Full HD 17.3 inch screen, means it is a force to be reckoned with. Or well, was…

In this company, the GeForce GTX 670M is still a great card. But not the top of the line anymore. Being outclassed and outgunned by the cheaper AMD Radeon HD 8970M and the more expensive NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M, there really is no way to turn. Get the Asus if you’re a fan of the brand or able to get the laptop on a great discount. Otherwise, choose our #1, #2 or #3. 

Lenovo Ideapad Y500 review

Lenovo Ideapad Y500

Being a great and versatile machine, it has all the necessities. An Intel Core i7 2.4 GHz processor, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, 1 Terabyte of hard disk space and a NVIDIA Dual SLI GT650M graphics card. And even though Lenovo might not ring the same bells MSI or Alienware do, the company has a reputation for quality and durability. 

That being said, the package is good but not great. The processor itself is good and arguably just a smaller brother of the Intel Core i7-4770MQ 2.4 GHz which comes equipped in the #2 of our comparison. But it simply doesn’t perform that well in the Lenovo. Both in our tests, as in the PC Mark 7 and Cinebench tests, the Lenovo got mediocre scores. Better look towards the #1, #2 and #3 in our comparison for the best gaming laptops under 1500. 

Gaming Laptops under 1500 dollars

What are the best gaming laptops under $1500?

As the nature of gaming laptops is always a compromise, prices vary strongly and so does performance. To help you find the best gaming laptop under 1500 dollars, we have lined up the most talented machines in the industry. The number 1 in our comparison, built by the game station experts at MSI, is the MSI GT70 Dominator. Built for pure raw gaming performance this machine will give you everything you expect and more. 

Number 2 in our comparison, the CyberPower Fangbook is close on its heels. Being slightly under gunned, the CyberPower does come packing with a favourable price. The #3 in our comparison of 2018’s best gaming laptops under 1500, is the absolute beauty the Razer Blade. Being the least powerful and most expensive one in the test, it has a unique value proposition: Best looks, Best Battery-Life and Ultraportability. 

 

CPU

The central processing unit (or CPU) is the calculating heart of the laptop. Used for a wide variety of tasks, a great CPU is required to multitask several programs at once or performing complex tasks such as video editing, AutoCad drawing or Photoshop C6 editing. The best CPUs available today for good gaming laptops under 1500 are versions of the i7 built by intel. It is therefor no surprise that all of the contenders in our race for the #1 spot all come packing with the i7. 

 

GPU

The graphics processing unit (of GPU) is the graphics creating brain of the laptop. And therefor the most important part for gaming purposes. In our comparison of the best gaming laptops for under 1500, we have found the best graphics cards available today in laptops are the NVIDIA Geforce GTX 870M as equipped in the #1. Followed closely by his less developed brother, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M as equipped in the #2, the two are evenly matched. To give you an idea of the difference in graphical performance, we have lined of the following frame rate benchmarks as measured by NotebookCheck:

 

The Elder Scrolls Online - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M

  • High Settings: 70.9 fps
  • Ultra Settings: 42.6 fps

 

The Elder Scrolls Online - NVIDIA Geforce GTX 870M

  • High Settings: 61.0 fps
  • Ultra Settings: 45.0 fps

 

Battlefield 4 - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M

  • High Settings: 51.0 fps
  • Ultra Settings: 27.0 fps

 

Battlefield 4 - NVIDIA Geforce GTX 870M

  • High Settings: 92.0 fps
  • Ultra Settings: 37.0 fps

 

Crysis 3 - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M

  • High Settings: 49.0 fps
  • Ultra Settings: 20.0 fps

 

Crysis 3 - NVIDIA Geforce GTX 870M

  • High Settings: 66.0 fps
  • Ultra Settings: 27.0 fps

 

Sometimes, a few numbers can say more than a thousands words. Comparing the figures shows that the engineers at NVIDIA have invested their time wisely in developing the new and improved 870M. In every single bench mark, the card outperforms is smaller brother, the 770M.

 

Screen size

Screen size matters. It’s that simple. In our comparison of the best gaming laptops under 1500 dollars, the screen sizes vary. Being true gaming machines, our #1, #2 and #4 sport a 17.3 inch full HD (1920x1080) screen. Our #3 is somewhat of a special case, having the very portable 14 inch medium HD (1600x900) screen. The least outrageous screen option in our comparison is carried by the Lenovo, still having an impressive 1920x1080 full HD resolution, but on a 15.6 inch screen.  Which is best for you is very subjective matter. Larger screen cost more battery life and are more difficult to transport, but offer obviously a lot more theatrical performance. It’s up to you to decide how important you find these factors. 

 

Categories

Want the best gaming station available but find 1500 USD to be slightly outside of your price range? Head over to our comparison of the best gaming laptops under 1000 dollars. Interested in saving even more, than check out the comparison of the best possible options under 600 dollars or 800 dollars.

 

Conclusion

In our comparison we have found 3 truly great laptops. Being the number one in our comparison, the MSI GT70 Dominator is the perfect combination of pure raw uncompromised gaming power. The other two great gaming options are the CyberPower Fangbook and Razer Blade. All come equipped with a great i7 processor and modern NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics card. Where the Razer Blade prefers mobility, the MSI and CyberPower choose for large screen theatre and absolute power. Up to you to decide which will be yours.