15-inch gaming notebooks sit somewhere between beastly desktop replacements and paltry ultrabooks. While packing powerful hardware, they’re still relatively portable too. The only question is, which one should you get?
15-inch gaming notebooks sit somewhere between beastly desktop replacements and paltry ultrabooks. While packing powerful hardware, they’re still relatively portable too. The only question is, which one should you get?
Acer Predator 15
Acer’s Predator 15 looks every bit like its name, and everything from its red accents and huge heat exhaust vents down to the chunky power button just screams for attention.
The RGB backlit keyboard has four discrete lighting zones, but it is the deep key travel distance that really helps provide an enjoyable typing experience.
Still, this look may not appeal to everyone; I’m not exactly a fan of this garish aesthetic.
Acer does deliver on the hardware front however, and its quad-core Intel Core i7 processor combines with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 and 16GB of RAM for very strong gaming performance. This is a laptop that can handle most of the latest titles at 1080p with settings maxed out.
In addition, it boasts a 1080p G-Sync display, which affords you a tear-free and more fluid gaming experience. And because this is a 60Hz panel, it stands to benefit more from G-Sync as the notebook is capable of frame rates well above the screen’s refresh rate.
One nice feature is the built-in PredatorSense overclocking utility, which automatically overclocks the GPU to higher presets. This netted a small five per cent increment in 3DMark Fire Strike.
In order to keep things cool, Acer included its Predator FrostCore module. This is an ODD-sized fan module that provides extra cooling to key components, and it managed to lower CPU temperature by 3°C in our tests. It replaces the ODD that ships with the laptop, and swapping one for the other is as easy as pushing a latch on the notebook’s bottom.
However, all these add-ons mean that the Predator 15 is extremely thick and heavy, coming in at 38.5mm tall and 3.7kg in weight. It is the least portable of all our tested notebooks, and is definitely not very amenable to being carried around. We still expect 15-inch notebooks to be reasonably portable as they aren’t quite desktop replacements yet, so the Acer’s thick profile and weight drags it down by quite a bit.
AT A GLANCE
Display: 1,920 x 1,080-pixel IPS G-Sync
Processor: Intel Core i7-6700HQ
Memory: 16GB DDR4 RAM
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070
Storage: 512GB SATA SSD; 2TB HDD
Price: $3,598
Pros:
+ Strong gaming performance. Built-in GPU overclocking utility.
Cons:
- Extremely heavy and chunky.
Aftershock s-15
Aftershock’s S-15 flies in the face of most gaming laptops with its staid, utilitarian design. Some might call it plain, but this is a functional and practical look.
The S-15 is actually intended to offer the greatest bang for your buck, and Aftershock is gunning for value rather than performance. As a result, it is equipped with just an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (although there’s an option for a 1070) and 8GB of RAM.
There should be few issues in running the latest games at playable frame rates on its 1080p IPS display, but you probably will have to turn the detail level down. However, one thing to note is that we found gaming performance to lag behind other GeForce GTX 1060-equipped notebooks in certain benchmarks, perhaps due to firmware optimizations and lower RAM as well.
It is also missing luxuries like G-Sync, and its 128GB SSD is smaller than that offered on its pricier rivals.
That said, the S-15 takes care to include features that you’ll get the most use out of, like a wide range of ports and connectors. This includes two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 3.1 port for faster data transfers, and also a USB-C port for the newest devices and peripherals. You’ll even get two mini DisplayPort 1.2 connectors and an HDMI output.
However, while the other GeForce GTX 1060 made a slim and light chassis a top priority, the S-15, which is based on an OEM Clevo chassis, is comparatively thick and heavy. Fortunately, its dimensions and weight are still within reasonable limits, at 25.4mm tall and 2.49kg respectively.
One strong point is its keyboard, which features what Aftershock refers to as tactile keys. This means 2mm of key travel distance, making the S-15 keyboard one of our favorites here.
Finally, the keyboard boasts customizable RGB backlighting and support for programmable macros, showing that the S-15 isn’t that drab-looking of a machine after all.
AT A GLANCE
Display: 1,920 x 1,080-pixel IPS
Processor: Intel Core i7-6700HQ
Memory: 8GB DDR4 RAM
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060
Storage: 128GB SATA SSD; 1TB HDD
Price: $2,158
Pros:
+ Great value for money.
Cons
- Gaming performance lags behind competitors.
ALIENWARE 15
Alienware is something of a pedigreed brand, even if it now lives under the Dell umbrella. The Alienware 15 is one of the most feature-rich laptops in this shootout, with a 120Hz G-Sync display and Tobii eye-tracking technology. The high refresh rate display is a welcome upgrade from the usual 60Hz screens, and when combined with G-Sync gives you an extremely smooth gaming experience. Tobii eye-tracking is a little more gimmicky, but it does enable support for Windows Hello face authentication and can perform nifty tricks like automatically turn off the screen when you leave.
There’s also a good selection of ports and connectors, including two USB-C ports, one of which supports Thunderbolt 3.
The RGB backlit keyboard can be customized with a mind-boggling array of effects, and the trackpad itself can even be set to glow in your favorite color. However, it lacks per-key lighting, and the keyboard is instead divided into five discrete zones. In total, there are 12 customizable zones you can tweak in the pre-installed Alienware FX utility, including the power button and the light rails on the edges.
There is a good amount of key travel distance, which made typing quite enjoyable. It is missing a number pad however, but you do get a dedicated column of programmable macro keys on the left. This leaves thick borders of underutilized space on the sides, which may or may not appeal to you.
Needless to say, gaming performance was excellent given the top-end hardware, so you’re likely to spend more time thinking about what game to play instead of whether or not it will run.
Still, nothing’s perfect, and this is among the thickest and heaviest notebooks reviewed here, just behind the Acer Predator 15. However, what you get from this is some seriously impressive build quality, courtesy of all that anodized aluminum, magnesium alloy, and the steel plate that sits below the keyboard. There is almost no flex to the chassis, and everything feels reassuringly solid.
AT A GLANCE
Display: 1,920 x 1,080-pixel 120Hz G-Sync IPS
Processor: Intel Core i7-6700HQ
Memory: 16GB DDR4 RAM
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070
Storage: 256 GB NVMe SSD; 1TB HDD
Price: $3,752
Pros:
+ Comprehensive featureset and strong performance.
Cons:
- Thick, heavy, and expensive.
Aorus X5 v6
Gigabyte’s premium gaming brand brings quite a compelling argument to the table. This slim and light Aorus X5 v6 even manages to outmuscle an already competitive field in terms of specifications, so you get class-leading performance too.
For starters, this is the only laptop here to feature the overclockable Intel Core i7-6820HK processor, which comes overclocked to 4.0GHz by default. This translates into as much as an 18 per cent improvement over the next best performer in some benchmarks.
The display’s resolution also beats out its rivals, and Aorus X5 v6 sports the highest resolution screen with 2,880 x 1,620 pixels. There is G-Sync support as well, so you stand to enjoy crisp and fluid gameplay.
In addition, the five system status LEDs double as a battery indicator when the power is off, and pressing the right mouse button will instantly show the battery level
Still more impressive is the svelte, lightweight chassis, which is only 22.9mm thick and 2.5kg heavy. The Aorus manages to be the most powerful notebook reviewed here, while boasting one of the most portable profiles, and that’s not a feat to be taken lightly.
Battery life isn’t even that abysmal despite the overclocked processor (it even lasted longer than the Alienware), thanks to the large 94.24Wh battery Aorus crammed on board.
One complaint would be the trackpad, which can feel imprecise and slightly erratic. The typing experience also feels a bit shallower than the thicker gaming notebooks, so that’s probably one of the trade-offs you’ll have to make if you want a thinner laptop. However, you do get per-key RGB lighting and dedicated macro keys, so there should be enough for most folks there.
We also noticed that the fans could get quite noisy under load, but since you’re likely to have headphones plugged in while gaming, this isn’t too big of a problem. Thankfully, the laptop is reasonably quiet under normal conditions.
AT A GLANCE
Display: 2,880 x 1,620-pixel G-Sync IPS
Processor: Intel Core i7-6820HK
Memory: 16GB DDR4 RAM
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070
Storage: 256GB NVMe SSD; 1TB HDD
Price: $3,799
Pros:
+ Slim, light, and capable of excellent performance.
Cons:
- No Thunderbolt 3 port.
ASUS ROG StRix GL502VM
The ASUS ROG Strix GL502VM is an attempt at injecting something new into the established ROG design language. With bright neon orange highlights and a slim design, it’s intended to be an affordable option for a younger, more style-conscious audience.
Because it’s aimed at a slightly lower budget, it ships with a GeForce GTX 1060. That means that performance is handicapped right from the outset against the GeForce GTX 1070-equipped notebooks, but the GL502VM makes up for it with a more palatable price and attractive design.
Build quality feels wonderfully solid, with little give to the main body. You’ll be surprised to learn that majority of the chassis is actually made of plastic, which is how ASUS keeps the weight down.
We particularly like its 2.24kg weight, which stands it in good stead among the rest of the notebooks in terms of portability. Unfortunately, it’s dragged down in this area by its small 64Wh battery and sub-par power efficiency, which saw it consuming more power than similarly equipped notebooks.
That said, performance is by no means weak, and you’ll still be able to run the vast majority of games at playable frame rates on its 1080p display. It also supports G-Sync, a much-appreciated inclusion, and the benefits should be readily perceivable on the 60Hz display.
ASUS has also taken care to include more ports than you’ll need, including three USB 3.0 ports and one Thunderbolt 3 port. Some of the more expensive notebooks, like the Aorus X5 v6, don’t include Thunderbolt 3 ports, so this is a welcome feature.
The notebook features dual heatpipes to cool the CPU and GPU separately, but despite the large pure copper thermal module, it seems like temperatures still remained quite toasty. Fortunately, this did not translate into excessive heat on the palm rest areas or any discernible performance throttling.
One final gripe is the amount of bloatware the GL502VM comes with. This means a ton of ASUS-branded programs that you have no use for and which pop up intermittently, so you’ll have to take time to uninstall them individually.
AT A GLANCE
Display: 1,920 x 1,080-pixel G-Sync IPS
Processor: Intel Core i7-6700HQ
Memory: 16GB DDR4 RAM
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060
Storage: 128GB SATA SSD; 1TB HDD
Price: $2,498
Pros:
+ Good price-to-performance ratio.
Cons:
- Ships with a lot of bloatware.
GiGabyte P35X v6
Gigabyte’s P35X v6 is a more mainstream alternative to the Aorus X5 v6. This means it’s dispensed with much of the fancy design trappings in favor of a far plainer look. But while we appreciated Aftershock’s utilitarian approach, the Gigabyte somehow feels a lot more dated.
This impression isn’t helped along by the mediocre build quality, with obvious flexing around keyboard and display. This is despite its metal finish and the fact that it actually costs over $3,000. Furthermore, the keyboard itself could use some tweaking as well, and shallow key travel is an unwelcome change from the excellent typing experience offered on some of the other notebooks.
Yes, this is a rather svelte machine, but MSI’s GS63VR 6RF Stealth Pro is thinner and yet has a better keyboard. The trackpad feels supremely inaccurate as well, even after attempts at adjusting the settings. For its price, we definitely expect something that feels better put together.
Gigabyte justifies the price with competitive specifications that are mostly on par with its rivals, including a quad-core Intel Core i7 processor and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070. So while the notebook isn’t much of a looker, it isn’t lacking in terms of performance.
It also features a Blu-ray combo drive, a holdover from its predecessor and something of an anachronism in a time of 4K video streams. That said, this drive can be swapped for an additional hard drive to complement the existing 512GB SSD.
But while the notebook’s construction could be improved on, there’s no disputing the fact that this is still an impressively thin and light laptop. It weighs a mere 2.3kg and is just 20.9mm thick, making it the slimmest and lightest notebook here to have a GeForce GTX 1070 card.
Battery life was especially good as well, and the notebook lasted the longest out of all the models with NVIDIA Pascal GPUs. This isn’t a case of just having a relatively large 75.81Wh battery as it also managed to outlast the Acer Predator 15 that has a bigger 88Wh juice pack.
AT A GLANCE
Display: 1,920 x 1,080-pixel IPS
Processor: Intel Core i7-6700HQ
Memory: 16GB DDR4 RAM
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070
Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD
Price: $3,399
Pros:
+ Thin, light, and portable.
Cons:
- Poor build quality and keyboard.
HP Omen 15
We should point out that the HP Omen 15 is something of an outlier in a field of NVIDIA Pascal-equipped laptops. Despite being refreshed in 2016, the Omen 15 still comes with an outdated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M GPU, which reminds us of the time when HP was still using a GeForce GTX 860M when everyone else had already moved on to Maxwell.
Unsurprisingly, the GeForce GTX 965M didn’t fare well against the other notebooks with the latest generation GPUs. While Pascal cards like the GeForce GTX 1060 can quite handily run most modern titles, the GeForce GTX 965M ended up scrapping by with merely playable frame rates in games like Tom Clancy’s The Division.
Interestingly, HP does have a 17-inch model with a Pascal GPU, so the Omen 15 appears deliberately aimed at very casual gamers who just want an affordable system. This is of course the cheapest system of the lot and the only one to cost less than $2,000.
As a relatively budget offering, the Omen 15 also lacks many gaming features like a customizable RGB backlit keyboard. Instead, it has gone with a single-color red backlighting that you can toggle on or off.
There are also fewer USB ports than we’re used to, with just two USB 3.0 ports and one USB 2.0 ports. There are no USB-C connectors either, and you get a single full-sized HDMI port for display outputs.
This is a little disappointing considering that the MSI notebook is even thinner and has more ports, but this is probably to be expected given the price of the Omen 15. Still, the pricier MSI laptop really puts the Omen 15 to shame in terms of design, because it manages to be a good 400g lighter despite being so much more powerful.
Finally, there’s the awkward fact that you only need to pay $259 more to get the Aftershock S-15 and the far more powerful GeForce GTX 1060, which raises the question as to why you’d even consider the HP in the first place.
AT A GLANCE
Display: 1,920x1,080-pixel IPS
Processor: Intel Core i7-6700HQ
Memory: 16GB DDR4 RAM
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M
Storage: 128 SATA SSD; 1TB HDD
Price: $1,899
Pros:
+ Good battery life and very affordable.
Cons:
- Outdated GPU and feature set.
MSI GS63VR 6RF Stealth Pro
The MSI GS63VR 6RF Stealth Pro is a freakishly thin and light gaming laptop. Its petite dimensions are its strongest selling point, and there are few notebooks out there that rival it if you’re gunning for maximum portability.
As a result, its hardware specifications aren’t the most powerful, and it comes with a GeForce GTX 1060 instead of the beefier 1070. However, it is a little underwhelming for the laptop’s stiff $3,199 price tag. The other GeForce GTX 1060-equipped notebooks retail for far less, with the ASUS ROG Strix GL502VM costing just $2,498.
MSI hasn’t even included G-Sync support, which we think to be quite a glaring omission for this price bracket.
If you like the brand, you’re essentially paying for the premium design, good looks, and class-leading portability. However, if performance-per-dollar matters more to you, look elsewhere.
Yes, this is one good-looking and well-built notebook. The magnesium-lithium alloy chassis sports a beautiful brushed metal finish, and the notebook feels very solid despite weighing only 1.8kg.
One welcome inclusion is the Thunderbolt 3 port, which joins three USB 3.0 ports and one USB 3.1 port in providing you with a wide range of connectivity options. There’s also a DisplayPort and HDMI connectors for video output. MSI hasn’t taken its slim profile as an excuse to omit vital ports, a plus point worth highlighting.
The RGB backlit keyboard is divided in three customizable zones, and the backlight shines through the translucent edges around each key. Typing experience felt quite good, and the trackpad was pleasantly accurate.
We did encounter some problems with audio, with a ton of crackling and distortion until we did a clean install of the audio drivers. That aside, audio quality was unremarkable, although you do get to make tweaks through the Nahimic 2 audio software.
AT A GLANCE
Display: 1,920x1,080-pixel IPS
Processor: Intel Core i7-6700HQ
Memory: 16GB DDR4 RAM
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060
Storage: 128GB NVMe SSD; 1TB HDD
Price: $3,199
Pros:
+ Extremely portable for a gaming notebook.
Cons:
- Expensive for its specifications and feature set.
3DMark (2013) (Higher is Better)
There’s a clear performance divide between the GeForce GTX 1060 and 1070 notebooks (the HP Omen 15 doesn’t even warrant a comparison). All similarly configured laptops performed rather close to each other, and it’s clear that the GeForce GTX 1070 actually adds quite a bit of graphics horsepower – as much as 34 per cent in some cases. Naturally, the Aorus X5 v6 took the lead in every single benchmark, thanks to its overclockable Intel Core i7-6820HK processor.
Ashes of the singularity (DirectX 11) (Higher is Better)
The same was observed in Ashes of the Singularity as well, where the Aorus powered ahead on the back of its more capable CPU. It’s clear here that the CPU is the limiting factor, as there’s less of a difference between the GeForce GTX 1060 and 1070 notebooks. That said, you can see how the Aftershock S-15 oddly falls even further behind its counterparts here, due to its lower RAM or some firmware optimization.
Portability index(Higher is Better)
Our portability index is an objective measure of how portable a notebook is, taking into account factors like size, weight, and battery life. The MSI GS63VR 6RF Stealth Pro did very well here, coming ahead as the undisputed leader. The Aorus lagged slightly behind, but it still did a lot better than its Acer and Alienware counterparts, the two notebooks which are arguably its closest competitors in terms of features and performance.
The best 15.6-inch gaming notebook is…
Aorus X5 v6
Aorus is Gigabyte’s premium gaming brand, and the X5 v6 is quite clearly designed to appeal to this crowd. At $3,799, it is the most expensive laptop here, but it justifies its price with monster hardware in a truly slim and light chassis.
It is the only notebook to feature an overclockable Intel Core i7-6820HK processor. In addition, it features an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 GPU and 16GB of RAM, and manages to cram all that in a chassis that is just 22.9mm thick and weighing 2.5kg. Other notebooks like the Acer Predator 15 and Alienware 15 boast similar specifications but are an entire kilogram heavier. Don’t forget it also boasts the highest resolution G-Sync display and per-key RGB backlighting.
ASUS ROG STRIX GL502VM
The ASUS ROG Strix GL502VM sits in something of a sweet spot. It is equipped with a GeForce GTX 1060, costing far less than the GeForce GTX 1070 notebooks, and yet still serves up a decent level of performance.
Its value proposition is made even more attractive by the fact that MSI’s GeForce GTX 1060-equipped GS63VR 6RF Stealth Pro happens to cost $3,199, while the ASUS retails for just $2,498, while still boasting competitive specifications like 16GB of RAM, NVIDIA G-Sync support and a Thunderbolt 3 port. The MSI (and some of the GeForce GTX 1070 laptops) doesn’t even have G-Sync. While the ASUS model isn’t quite as thin and light, it is still very portable at 23.5mm thick and 2.24kg in weight. Furthermore, it performs quite a bit better than the Aftershock S-15 and edges it out with more features and a lighter build.
Text: Koh Wanzi / Photography: Frenchescar Lim / Art Direction: Ken Koh
