Whether you’re in the market for your first gaming laptop or you’re ready to upgrade from your current model, finding the right best MSI Gaming Laptop can seem like an overwhelming task at first glance. There are plenty of models available, and they all offer different features, so how do you choose? This buying guide will take you through everything you need to know before buying an MSI Gaming Laptop so that you can find the best laptop for your needs and budget and ensure that it serves you well for years to come.
Step 1 – What kind of gamer are you?
Are you a casual gamer? A hobbyist or fan of specific games? Or do you consider yourself a serious, competitive gamer and look to upgrade your skills on a regular basis? You’ll want to take into account how seriously you take gaming when deciding which laptop is right for you. Are you comfortable with upgrading on a fairly regular basis? Just about every gaming laptop out there has an option for powerful graphics cards as well as speedy solid-state drives (SSDs) that let you boot up and load games in no time. Not all of them have good cooling systems though, so if it’s important to have that kind of feature then go ahead and pay extra care at keeping it cool.
Step 2 – Specs You Should Know
Choosing a gaming laptop boils down to one thing: specs. What’s important will vary from gamer to gamer, but you should know that CPU performance is key, alongside RAM and hard drive capacity. Storage is especially important if you’re planning on installing an SSD as there’s nothing worse than having a laptop that works like an absolute dream until you run out of space! If possible, it’s worth seeking out laptops with Nvidia GeForce graphics cards, which will offer stronger performance in today’s graphically intensive games. Let’s take a look at MSI’s range of laptops and help figure out which are best for different needs.
Step 3 – Screen Size & Battery Life
Since there’s no physical best MSI Gaming Laptop in front of you, it can be hard to know what you’re looking at. But as with most things, a picture is worth a thousand words. Is it a big laptop or a small one? What sort of dimensions are we talking about here? When I went searching for information on best MSI Gaming Laptop, I found that many of them have significantly larger screen sizes than their competitors; some even share portability traits with MSI’s more powerful gaming desktops. In other words, when you see 15-inch anywhere in relation to an MSI gaming laptop, it’s actually closer to 17 inches in real life and doesn’t really correlate 1-to-1 with competing brands like Asus or Dell.
Step 4 – Ports & Connectivity
One of MSI’s strengths is its external connectivity. You’ll find multiple USB ports and an audio port, as well as HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA, Ethernet and separate microphone and headphone jacks. Some of its newer laptops even feature a full-size SD card slot. This gives you easy access to all kinds of media so you can use your laptop for entertainment. There are also multiple ways to connect with other people online; you’ll have no trouble getting onto a Wi-Fi network or browsing with an Ethernet cable in tow. And if you don’t feel like carrying around an Ethernet cable (for example), MSI has included Bluetooth 4.0 technology so that you can simply use wireless peripherals instead if need be.
Step 5 – Graphics Card Options
All best MSI Gaming Laptop come with standard 1-year parts and labor warranty, with an optional 2-year extended warranty. If you want extra protection, you can purchase an MSI CarePak Plus plan that provides two additional years of coverage along with premium 24/7 phone support. This will cost you about $150 if you decide to buy it later on. All MSI gaming laptops are eligible for free technical support during the first 12 months after purchase. Whether in person or over Skype, MSI’s technicians have been highly trained and can provide tips, tricks and answers to any questions you might have about how to get more out of your new laptop.
Step 6 – Dimensions & Weight
If you have a large laptop, or a heavy gaming laptop that is going to need to be lugged around, then you’ll definitely want to pay attention to these. The weight of the best MSI Gaming Laptop can vary greatly. From 0.88lbs (the MSI GS63VR) all the way up to 8.5lbs (the MSI GT73VR). To add even more confusion, some of these models are available in both different sizes and display sizes — but they all have some similar characteristics so I’ve tried my best to list them together by size and weight with a brief description of what makes each one unique from their peers.
Step 7 – Warranty
Warranties can be important, but keep in mind that a laptop’s warranty may not cover it if you’re actually using it to its full potential. Also, you should look at both manufacturer and third-party warranties, since they can differ from each other. For example, some manufacturer warranties don’t cover accidental damage while others do. Know what you’re getting into before taking out a loan or entering into any agreements – and know what to ask about! Finally, make sure you have an idea of how long manufacturers will actually stand behind their products – even if they come with a standard 3-year warranty period. This way you can be certain that if something goes wrong, replacement parts won’t take forever to get shipped to you.
Is gaming on battery power possible?
The very idea of gaming on a laptop usually means that you’re living a pretty mobile lifestyle. Gaming laptops are still notoriously bad at handling heat, which is why many manufacturers invest in cooling solutions like heat pipes, vents, fans and more. While these can be helpful, they also add bulk and weight. Plus, every time you attach one of these gadgets, it creates extra work for your system’s processor—your GPU is forced to process not only game data but also all of these additional processes as well. The end result? You get reduced performance. Is gaming on battery power possible? Definitely–but there are some tricks we can use to make sure our laptop doesn’t overheat during extended play sessions.
