A notebook affair

Here's a guide that can help you get your game on this winter

ASUS ROG GL502VS
Rs 181,990

The device is a beauty with its all-black metallic chasis and red backlit keyboard. With an ROG logo on the lid, it looks like a gaming laptop by all means. Upon unboxing, the laptop might give you the impression that it's heavy, but to my surprise, this beast weighs just 2.3 kg. It has a 15.6-inch display paired with a 256 GB SSD and a 1TB 7,200RPM hard drive.

Some might find the backlit keyboard to be a bit smaller with respect to the laptop's size. But once you get used to it, you'd be typing away at 75 wpm in no time. The WASD keys are highlighted, so that you don't have to search for the keys that make your character move.

The GL502VS houses a 2.6 GHz Intel i7 quad-core processor with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 graphics card, a powerful GPU that would appease most hardcore gamers. The GTX 1070 provides for a stutter-free gaming experience, which was evident when I played Witcher 3 and Fallout 4. The GTX 1070 is also VR ready and provides an immersive virtual reality experience. I played for five hours at a stretch and found that the device was cooler than its other counterparts. As for the battery, it runs for about 4 hours on a full charge.

Lightweight and powerful, the laptop is perfect for when you need to squeeze in a couple of hours of gaming while waiting for your flight.

MSI GT83 TITAN SLI
Rs 337,900

The notebook is big and weighs over 5 kg, but packs in two NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 cards and a SteelSeries Cherry MX backlit mechanical keyboard. I loved its understated looks and backlit logo and the plethora of connectivity options available. The 18.4-inch matte display comes with a 256GB SSD and 1TB secondary drive.

I loved typing and playing on the mechanical keyboard. Special mention must be made of the touchpad, which turns into a numpad at the touch of a button. A caveat: it takes time getting used to a touchpad on the side.

Playing The Rise of Tomb Raider, I was able to get fabulous frame rates at Ultra settings. On Grand Theft Auto 5, the realism became a bit too much for me. That said, it'll appease all gamers. And with 32GB of RAM, it's good at multi-tasking as well - I had 36 browser windows open, an antivirus scan running simultaneously, and yet NFS: Most Wanted ran without a hitch. The notebook supports VR and would pair perfectly with most virtual reality headsets made for PCs.

The notebook's four speakers are quite loud with a nice soundstage, though connoisseurs of classical music might not be satisfied. Despite the heavy-duty hardware, the notebook ran cool even after an all-night gaming session. And, but for the highest setting of the fan (easily accessible from the deck), it is quite silent. With less than two hours of battery life (the notebook being powered by twin bricks otherwise), this notebook is not meant to be lugged around. Best of all, it is easily upgradeable.