Are you a gamer, IT guru, graphic designer or videographer? Whichever profession you might be in, finding a laptop that delivers optimal performance can make a huge difference in your computing experience. Talking about performance, pundits agree that currently, the best rigs in performance are ones with either Nvidia GTX 1070 or 1080. As you might be aware, the GTX 1070 and 1080 graphics cards are built for a smooth and quiet performance.
However, no two gaming laptops offer similar experiences. For that reason, we dug deep into the different options available on the market and here’s a review of some top, affordable gaming laptops with Nvidia GTX 1070/1080 that we could find.
Contents
| Laptop Model | Weight | Storage | Screen Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSI GT75 Titan-055 | 10.05 lbs | 2TB HDD | 17.3 inches | |
| HP Omen 17t | 8.33 lbs | 1TB HDD | 17.3 inches | |
| HP Omen X | 10.73 lbs | 1TB HDD | 17.3 inches | |
| MSI GE63 Raider | 5.51 lbs | 1TB HDD | 15.6 inches | |
| Eluktronics Pro-X | 4.9 lbs | 1TB HDD | 15.6 inches | |
| Acer Predator | 9.26 lbs | 1TB HDD | 17.3 inches |
1. MSI GT75 Titan-055 Gaming Laptop (GTX 1080)
This laptop did not make it to the very top of our reviews by mistake. In fact, we think it’s the most powerful gaming laptop on the markets so far. It comes with a powerful core i7 8th generation processor which delivers an incredible performance in terms of speed and the ability to digest complex stuff.
Besides that, this laptop comes with a built-in cooler which plays a major role in helping it attain a much coveted 3DMark 11 CPU score.
You may, however, experience a whizzing sound after playing games with it for long hours but that’s really a quiet sound (nothing to worry about). Most people easily overcome that challenge by putting on their headset – although, once again, this is nothing major unless you’re really sensitive even to the tiniest sound.
The machine comes with a really fancy RGB keyboard with a fantastic travel time and awesome clickability. That’s because the keyboard is fully mechanical. On top of that, this keyboard boasts per-key customization and that means you end up with granular control over the keyword. Add that to the fact that the machine runs on the ever-great, SteelSeries Engine 3 and you literary have your knight in shining armor in the GT75.
What about the sound system? Well, we can confirm that this laptop comes with 7.1 enhanced audio. Our experience is that the quality of sound output is quite high and immersive. On top of that, with the Nahimic 3 technology, you can always play your games in 3D surround sound.
Although quite pricey, we find that this rig is reliable and powerful. You can use it for all kind of work although it’s optimized for gaming.
Pros
- Excellent RGB keyboard
- Great cooling system
- Incredibly built for durability and performance
- Easy to operate
- Can handle 4K and UHD content with no qualms
Cons
- Short battery life (2.5 hours at best)
- Quite big and heavy
2. HP Omen 17t Full HD Gaming Laptop (GTX 1070)
Although it’s no match for the GT75 in terms of specs, the HP Omen 17t is a great alternative for the not-so-picky shopper. It comes with NVIDIA GTX 1070 which is superb for handling FHD content but struggles with UHD content.
Other than that, this machine delivers record-breaking speeds. It operates quietly – in fact, it’s much quieter than the GT75 which is pricier. And to top it all up, the 17t remains cool for a long time meaning you can play some games placing it on your laps. This is quite a good thing because most gaming laptops would literally deep-fry you if you decided to place them on your laps for a few hours.
For this reason, we tend to think that the HP Omen 17t would make a great companion for folks who like traveling a lot.
Another awesome attribute of it is its build quality. Its body isn’t made from aluminum, though – but that, once again shouldn’t bother you as the plastic carbon fiber used for this machine holds up quite well.
Besides gaming, this laptop has received raving reviews from folks who lauded its ability to operate programs like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign smoothly. Looking for fantastic audio content? This machine has already got that figured out for you with its built-in speakers.
As we have already mentioned, the 17t may not be the best choice for loading extremely heavy 4K and UHD content. Some users have complained that it flickers when faced with extremely heavy stuff. Its Trackpad is also a bit too finicky but, worry not, because you can always use the mouse instead of the Trackpad.
Pros
- Generally well-built
- Not too heavy
- Great performance
- Trendy, illuminated keyboard
- Runs cooler than your average gaming laptop
- Above-board performance on most games and heavy software
- Incredible audio quality
Cons
- Struggles with ultra-heavy UHD and 4K content
- Body not metallic, may feel cheap
3. HP Omen X 17 Gaming Laptop (GTX 1080)
Other than the MSI GT75, this is the only other NVIDIA GTX 1080 that made it to this list. From our experience and based on different user reviews, most manufacturers are yet to figure out how to get the most out of GTX1080 without compromising on other stuff. But the HP Omen 17-ap020nr is clearly cut from a different cloth.
It has a superb screen with an extremely high refresh rate. The screen doesn’t have even the tiniest traces of backlit bleed nor does it have issues of motion blur. This makes it superb for any level and type of gaming. In fact, from our experience, this machine can handle anything you throw at it.
On top of that, its keyboard is pretty well-made. It’s mechanical and comes with a subtle click and a superb travel distance.
That said, the Omen 17-ap020nr color range isn’t anything worth writing home about. However, if you’re not really picky with colors, you may not even notice this issue.
As far as performance and the risk of overheating are concerned, this machine comes with a CPU designed to overlock. It has two huge, high-performance fans which do an incredible job of pulling cool air into the machine from vents located underneath. This is a pretty huge deal as it means that this machine can crush most games without overheating.
One downside with this well-thought-out auto-cooling design is that the gigantic fans tend to get a little loud when pushed to the limits. You may, however, not even notice this especially if you’re fully immersed in the game or are wearing headphones.
Another gripe we could pick with it is that it’s pretty huge in size. You’d, probably, need to get a custom-made bag for it.
Pros
- Great screen
- No backlit bleed issues at all
- Great image quality
- Well-made keyboard
- Capable of handling UHD games with no issues at all
Cons
- Average color range
- Huge and heavy
4. MSI GE63 Raider Gaming Laptop (GTX 1070)
Looking for a performance gaming laptop under $2000? This sleek and powerful gaming rig from MSI might be the breakthrough you need to outgun your foes. It offers lifelike gaming all thanks to its powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTX1070 graphics card and 6 Core i7 processor. These features minimize input lag as well, effectively doing away with display stutter.
Moving on, the GE63 operates relatively quietly. That said, it produces a continuous hissing sound when gaming but it’s totally quiet when handling normal workloads. Fortunately, the manufacturer has provided a dedicated Dragon Center software which gives you the freedom to customize the speed at which the fan operates in different temperatures.
What about the keyboard? Well, this laptop comes with a mystic RGB keyboard which is not only good looking but also pretty easy to operate. It’s actually powered by the ever-reliable SteelSeries engine. The only tiny issue we could pick here is that alongside the keyboard is a Touchpad Mouse which is pretty difficult to control especially if you’re used to operating the normal mouse.
Other than that, everything about this laptop is pretty well-thought-out. For instance, it comes with 3 USB type A ports complete with port lighting. Yup, you’ve read that right. The ports have LED lighting making them easy to spot even in a dark room. On top of that, there’s the option to set the ports to blink – if you’re hell-bent on going overboard that is.
Surprisingly, despite coming with a GTX 1070 graphics card, this machine doesn’t seem to struggle with UHD content. At its price, we feel that the GE63 is a pretty good deal – a steal to say the least.
Pros
- Operates in a rather quiet manner
- Customizable fan speed
- Great screen
- Excellent keyboard
- LED lit USB ports
- Ergonomically built for long hours of use
Cons
- Terrible TouchPad
- Could have been quieter
- May struggle with extremely heavy stuff
5. Eluktronics Pro-X Ultra-Portable Laptop (GTX 1070)
All the good laptops with GTX 1070 or 1080 cost well above $1700 but not this one! Surprise! The Eluktronics Pro-X costs below $1500. Can you believe that?
But first, let’s deal with the elephant in the room – who on earth is Eluktronics? Well, though this brand isn’t well known, our research revealed that it’s an American-based company which specializes in producing high-performance laptops. With a market dominated by the likes of HP, Acer, and MSI, you’ll agree with me that it takes quite a lot to stand out – and this company seems to have figured that out already.
Their gaming machine Eluktronics Pro-X goes for under $1,500 yet it presents you with the kind of features you’d expect to find on a machine priced northward of $2,000. We’re talking about a sleek chassis, well-made keyboard with a full backspace key, and VR ready features.
The rig houses Intel Core i7 generation 7 which can be turbocharged to deliver a respectable 3.8GHz performance speed. Its 15.6-inch screen is a full HD one with a fast refresh rate and built-in anti-glare features. That makes it a good tool for handling 1080p content.
Its keyboard is backlit and offers a full-size RGB silver-lining. Adding that to the fact that it comes with a SoundBlasterX pro-gaming 360-degree premium audio confirms that indeed, this machine is pretty decent despite coming at a cheaper price tag.
And the icing on the cake is that the Pro-X is highly compact. It’s ultra-thin and ultra-light and that means you needn’t struggle to find the right backpack for it. Looking for the right, portable and light laptop for gaming? This one seems to tick all the right boxes, especially for budget-conscious buyers.
Pros
- Well-built chassis
- Incredibly designed keyboard
- Light in weight and compact
- Capable of handling complex design and video editing
- Handles FHD games without hiccupping
- Can also handle VR games
Cons
- The machine’s fan is pretty loud when stretched to the limits
- Its screen looks quite cheap, in fact, we’d prefer the Macbook pro retina-ready screen to this one
- Tends to get pretty hot after several hours of gaming
6. Acer Predator Gaming Laptop (GTX 1070)
Every inch of your gaming laptop’s screen can go a long way in improving your gaming experience. And if size matters a lot to you, the Acer Predator GeForce is sure to stun you with its 17-inch LCD screen. The huge screen is designed to deliver a generous 1920×1080 worth of native resolution. That means you can handle most games without issues of color range or motion blur.
On top of that, unlike other high-performance laptops which come with all manner of bloatware issues, this one presents you with a clean OS. You simply install it and it’ll be up and running within no time.
Its keyboard is yet another key highlight. It’s illuminated, trendy, and offers a great travel time. You can bank on it to get an edge over the competition as it gives you an opportunity to react in a timely fashion.
We also fell in love with its audio. Clearly, this machine is designed to give you the best opportunity to feel every moment of your gaming experience.
And as far as connectivity is concerned, the Acer Predator isn’t left behind with its USB 3.0 ports.
However, we must criticize the idea of putting the ports next to each other. You see, these ports are best spread all over so different devices can be connected without blocking each other. This is a huge blunder on what’d be, otherwise, a well-designed gaming laptop.
Pros
- Huge screen with great functionality and display
- Powerful keyboard for enhanced user experience
- No bloatware issues
- Great performance on FHD games
- Superb audio quality
- Above-average cooling technology
- Reasonably priced
Cons
- Heavy and bulky
- USB ports not spread all over
Final Words
As you can see, even the priciest and seemingly flawless gaming laptops have their fair share of weaknesses. That notwithstanding, if you look close enough, you’ll realize that there are quite a few good features to look forward to. Generally, if you want a powerful machine that can handle anything thrown at it, we’d recommend the MSI GT75 Titan-055. On a budget? Our low-priced gaming laptop recommendation would be none other than the Eluktronics Pro-X.
Leave A Comment