Best Gaming Laptop under $1500 - July 2016

The cost of laptops with fantastic specs, capable of running games at high FPS on ultra graphic settings has declined rapidly over the last few years as competition heats up and electronic parts become cheaper.

Gone are the days where laptops are solely are used by those looking for a portable option that can occasionally play games at medium settings. Laptops are now fully-fledged gaming powerhouses that can be solely used for gaming with a side of portability.

By doing some thorough research I have determined the best value-for-money gaming laptop under $1500 at the time of writing.

To make the final cut, the laptop had to meet the following, simple prerequisites:

• Be under $1500
• Be able to cope with Ultra graphics settings

Using this criteria, I narrowed down to one laptop in particular which achieves these two prerequisites better than the rest.

Enter, the ASUS G751JY-WH71(WX).

Specifications

The WH71 ended up being the clear winner for one main reason. It has a Nvidia GeForce GTX980M graphics card, and is the only laptop in the sub $1500 price range to have the 980M.

The 980M is a very powerful graphics card, capable of running games at 1920x1080 resolution with Ultra level graphics settings and even kept above 30fps at 2560x1600 resolution and Ultra settings in certain games.

Combine this with an Intel Core i7-4720HQ 2.6GHz CPU which is mighty impressive in it's own right and 16GB of RAM, the ASUS G751JY-WH71(WX) is a force to be reckoned with.

Storage wise, you get a 1TB 7200RPM hard drive, combined with a 128GB SSD for your operating system and favorite games. The SSD helps to drastically improve boot times and loading screens in games.

The 17.3" screen displays your pixels in Full HD 1920x1080 with an IPS panel, providing a wider viewing angle than TN panels and improved color representation, intense white colors and better response times.

Design

The WH71 is impressive looking with slightly rounded edges and a black-brushed aluminium lid, it's finished with black matte accents and has a stealthy look and feel.

To give a gamers look, the keyboard is backlit with red lighting and a backlit Republic of Gaming (ROG) insignia. The back vents are highlighted metallic red and have 'intelligent thermal design' which is said to help with overheating issues that can occur in gaming laptops.

With a battery life of 3.5 hours and weighing in at a hefty 8.4 lbs, you're better off buying this laptop as a desktop replacement, rather than something you carry around to game on in public (especially without a charger!).

Bottom Line

If you're looking for a gaming laptop under $1500 that has the best raw specs, will get you the highest possible FPS and looks great then the ASUS G751JY-WH71(WX) is your guy. If you are looking for a more well-rounded option with long battery life and portability, then you should consider other options.

For other great gaming laptop recommendations, including picks that have larger storage, longer battery life etc. you should check out the Top 10 Best Gaming Laptop under $1500 guide.