Gaming laptops: brands to look at and brands to avoid?

[Brian G Turner]

So my son is on the lookout for a budget gaming laptop, but as it's going to be quite we're not sure which brands to trust - and which to avoid.

We did try Dell, but they sent us a broken machine and it's taken 10 days of Dell Hell trapped in Indian call centers just to get a return and refund arranged. So we won't be using them again.

We've seen other brands while looking around, such as Acer and ASUS, but I really don't know which ones are going to be reliable.

Any recommendations?

 

[Karnawenn]

I'm using Dell for more than 6 years. It works just fine. I used to have a Lenovo laptop. I bought it about 13 years ago. It actually still works, but it is dated (Windows 7 and stuff).

As I read, Lenovo Legion gaming laptops have a good build quality. Most people praise them. They have budget-friendly models. Also, MSI Katana seems similarly good, too. HP Omen is another one. But the first 2 that I mentioned looks more solid, as for build quality.

There's ASUS TUF gaming, which is very cheap but some people complain about its build quality. ASUS Rog Strix looks better, yet a bit more expensive.

If something happens to my laptop, I'll probably buy a Lenovo Legion or MSI.

 

[CupofJoe]

We have Dell/Alienware laptops at work [for VR] and they fall over far too often for the money they cost.

 

[Brian G Turner]

We've ended up going with an Acer Nitro 5 from Argos. Hopefully that will work out.

 

[hitmouse]

I tend to buy my machines from John Lewis. 2 year warrantee, and really good service. My son's Dell broke down about 2 weeks short of the 2 year mark, and they replaced it in the spot. The replacement has been fine for the last 5 years.

I think these complex machines are by nature a bit idiosyncratic. I have been beating my current Dell laptop on a daily basis for the last 10 years, and it is barely creaking.