Best 15-inch Gaming Laptops – 8 VR Ready machines to rock your socks off

Samuel Tan15-inch Laptops, Best Laptops, Gaming Laptops, Laptops 0

The new generation of VR ready gaming laptops are not only powerful and capable but thin and light too.

To enjoy an immersive virtual reality experience, you need a whole new level of gaming laptops, ones with the new generation graphics card that can take on the graphic intensive load required to render the VR world and to work with VR headsets such as HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.

The new generation of NVIDIA GeForce GTX series graphics card provides exceptional speed and performance to support the latest game titles in stunning frame rates. The efficient GPU together with the seventh generation Intel Core i7 Processor makes gaming laptops thinner, more powerful, quiet and ready for VR.

The recommended specifications for a VR ready machine is as follow:

Processor: Intel Core i5-4590 or AMD Ryzen 5 1500X (equivalent or better)
Graphics card: NVIDIA GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 480 (equivalent or better)
RAM: 8GB or more.
Storage: SSD or combination of SSD and HDD

With the right hardware, mobile gaming machines that support VR are within everyone’s reach. The latest technology from NVIDIA and AMD help push VR frontier to laptops.

NVIDIA Max-Q and WhisperMode

NVIDIA’s Max-Q technology in the GeForce GTX 1080 can be fitted in an 18mm thin chassis. For illustration, Apple’s MacBook Pro 15-inch is 15.5mm thin. It employs a combination of advanced thermal management, improved power regulation and WhisperMode, a feature that optimises in-game settings and intelligent frame rate pacing on a per-game bassi for a balance of visual quality, performance and noise level. At the point of writing, over 400 games are WhisperMode ready.

Laptops that use the Max-Q technology are ASUS ROG Zephyrus, Clevo P950HR and MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro.

Top 8 of the Best VR-Ready 15-inch Gaming Laptops

Now for a look at the laptops that will make VR possible on the go:

1. ASUS ROG Zephyrus 15.6-inch Gaming Laptop is not only thin, but packed with the all new NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 GPU with Max-Q design which is more efficient and still three times faster and more powerful than the previous GTX 1080 GPU. It also packs a 120Hz Full HD G-SYNC display, an Intel seventh generation Core i7-7700HQ processor with speeds up to 3.8GHz (base frequency at 2.8GHz) and up to 24GB of DDR4 2400MHz fast RAM memory. It’s a combination that is hard to beat and is easily the most powerful gaming laptop currently out there.

Key Specifications

15.6-inch 120Hz wide view Full-HD display
Intel Core i7-7700HQ 2.8 GHz Processor (Turbo up to 3.8GHz)
GeForce GTX 1080 8GB with Max-Q design
512GB PCIE G3 x4 NVME 512GB M.2 SSD & 16GB DDR4 2400MHz
14.9 x 10.3 x 0.7 inches 37.9 x 26.2 x 1.69 ~1.79 cm (WxDxH), 4.9 pounds (2.25kg) – LIGHTWEIGHT

2. ASUS ROG STRIX GL502VM 15.6-inch Gaming Laptop – Republic of Gamers Strix series is not reserved for the desktop only. Now available to mobile gamers, this 15.6-inch G-SYNC VR Ready laptop is powered by new generation Core i7 7700HQ 2.8GHz. The laptop thin and light with GeForce GTX 1070, 16GB DDR4 memory and 512GB SSD storage, ready for interactive and immersive VR titles. Built with intelligent thermal design, the ROG Strix GL502 uses heat pipes and dual fans to cool both the CPU and GPU independently, so you can play marathon sessions without worrying about stability and heat issues.

15.6-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080 display G-SYNC
Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ processor
RAM: 16 GB / Storage: 512 GB SSD
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (8GB GDDR5)
30 x 390 x 266 mm (H x W x D), 2.34kg – LIGHTWEIGHT

3. MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro 15.6-inch Gaming Laptop is the ultra portable gaming laptop offering from MSI powered by a Intel’s latest 7th generation Kaby Lake CPU and NVIDIA’s new GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q design, NVIDIA’s new power-efficient GPU that lets you enjoy even more graphic performance in a small ultra-thin form factor. The Stealth Pro is fitted with MSI’s Cooler Boost 5 technology for thermal management.

Key Specifications

15.6-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) 120Hz 3ms Wide View 94% NTSC Color Anti-Glare Display
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 8GB GDDR5 (VR Ready)
7th Generation Kaby Lake Intel® Core i7-7700HQ Quad Core (2.8GHz-3.8GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W) processor
32GB (2x 16GB) DDR4 2400MHz memory | Hard Drive: 512GB M.2 SATA SSD + 1TB 7200RPM HDD
15.08 x 10.24 x 1.08 inches, 4.8 pounds. 17.7 x 380 x 249 mm (H x W x D), 1.8kg – LIGHTEST

Note: the above configuration is also available with GeForce GTX 1060, GTX 1050 Ti or GTX 1050 so make sure you select the right model.

4. OMEN Gaming Laptop 15 UHD 15.6-inch Gaming Laptop by HP includes the latest Intel® Core™ i7processors and NVIDIA® graphics. For graphics you have a choice of GeForce GTX 1050, GTX 1050 Ti or GTX 1060. With all else being equal, you can choose between performance or efficiency with NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 models: Up to 4 hours and 30 minutes with FHD panel and Up to 3 hours and 45 minutes with UHD 4K panel; For NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050/1050Ti models: Up to 9 hours with FHD panel and Up to 7 hours with UHD 4K panel. Apart from the graphics and display, OMEN is also offered with multiple processor, storage and memory choices. The laptop uses a Dragon Red backlit keyboard with highlighted WASD and 26-key rollover anti-ghosting, which helps ensure every keystroke is detected. Lastly, there is the easy access panel should you need to upgrade the laptop components.

Key Specifications

15.6-inch diagonal 4K IPS anti-glare WLED-backlit (3840 x 2160) with NVIDIA G-SYNC™ technology. Full HD (1920 x 1080) display also available.
7th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ 2.8GHz processor with turbo boost up to 3.8GHz
16 GB memory; up to 2 TB HDD + up to 512 GB SSD storage
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 (6 GB GDDR5 dedicated) or GeForce® GTX 1050 Ti (4GB dedicated)
24.8 x 275.5 x 388.5 mm (H x W x D), 2.62kg – LIGHTWEIGHT

5. Razer Blade 14-inch Gaming Laptop (2017) is the latest in the line of superlative gaming machines from Razer. Not exactly 15-inch but a rare gaming laptop with 14-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) display, Razer Blade has the smallest frame in our line-up weighing only 1.86kg and is 17.9mm slim. A higher resolution 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) Touch Display option is also available.

For graphics, the new Razer Blade is powered by NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 coupled with Intel Core i7-7700HQ (2.8GHz Turbo Boost to 3.8GHz) and 16GB RAM. SSD PCIe M.2 options available up to 1TB. While it does have a separate 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 port, it does not charge through this. On top of the Thunderbolt 3 for display there is also a dedicated HDMI port so you don’t need an adapter.

Key Specifications

14-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS display
Intel Core i7-7700HQ (2.8GHz Turbo Boost to 3.8GHz)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics
Up to 1TB PCIe SSD and 16GB RAM
13.6 x 0.7 x 9.3 inches, 4.5 lb (2.04kg) – LIGHTWEIGHT

6. Lenovo Legion Y720 15.6-inch Gaming Laptop is a gaming machine sub-brand much like HP’s Omen gaming laptop and Dell’s Alienware gaming laptop series. The Legion lineup headed by the Legion Y720 has all the landmarks of a lean, green gaming machine. It has a 15.6-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel display, a 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor with a boost frequency of 3.8GHz, 8GB of RAM memory, 1TB HDD storage and the all important NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics with 6GB or VRAM. The keyboard is multicolour backlit and audio is offered by loud JBL speakers with Dolby Atmos technology. While it lacks behind faster GPU such as the GeForce GTX 1080, it does a decent job with most games.

Specifications

15.6-inch FHD IPS AntiGlare LED Backlight 1920×1080
Intel Core i7-7700HQ Processor (2.80GHz 2400MHz 6MB)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5
8GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SODIMM 2400MHz memory, 256GB SSD PCIe+1TB 5400 rpm storage
14.96″ x 10.9″ x 1.14″ / 380 x 277 x 29 (mm) Starting at 7.05 lbs (3.2kg)

7. MSI Apache Pro GE62VR 15.6-inch Gaming Laptop is another VR ready machine from MSI. The number of gaming laptops from MSI is mind-boggling. We looked at one of the thin and light machines from the GS series, the Stealth Pro. Here, we look at another successful execution of a bigger gaming laptop, the GE series Apache Pro.

Notable features include VR support for an immersive gaming experience, powerful latest generation GeForce GTX 1060 graphics and Intel Core i7 7700HQ processor, matrix display support for multiple displays, Audio Boost 2 for optimised gameplay sound and SteelSeries gaming keyboard with backlight.

15.6-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080 display, optional UHD (3840×2160) display.
Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ processor 2.8 GHz / 3.8 GHz (Turbo Boost)
RAM: 16 GB (up to 32GB) / Storage: 1 TB HDD & 128 GB SSD
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 / 3GB GDDR5
40 x 383 x 260 mm (H x W x D), 2.94kg

8. ALIENWARE 15 15.6-inch Gaming Laptop – from the name that is synonymous to gaming machines come ALIENWARE 15 gaming laptop with the latest generation Core™ i7 processor for powerful performance and VR Ready graphics in the form of GeForce GTX 1060 that lets you play every game in stunning quality. The laptop offers enhanced performance with impressive ventilation and keyboard design with improved WiFi connectivity.

15.6-inch IPS Full HD 1920 x 1080 display
Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ processor
RAM: 16 GB / Storage: 1 TB HDD & 256 GB SSD
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060
25.4 x 389 x 305 mm (H x W x D), 3.49kg

OTHERS

Dell Inspiron 15 7000 15.6-inch Gaming Laptop – in the lower price bracket, there is Inspiron 15 7000. The gaming laptop from Dell is no less impressive with thermal cooling for stable performance, backlit keyboard and Full HD display. The bigger plus however is the easy access huge service bay door, great for tinkerers. It also means that you can upgrade up to 32GB of memory for super fast computing.

15.6-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080 Anti-Glare Display
Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ processor Quad Core up to 3.8GHz Turbo Boost
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (4 GB GDDR5)
RAM: 16 GB / Storage: 1 TB HDD & 128 GB SSD
Up to 8 hours battery life

Acer Aspire VX15 has a bold and aggressive design but it goes skin deep using 7th generation Intel Core i7 processor, 4GB DDR 3 RAM memory, 1TB HDD storage, 15.6-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080 display and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPU.