Powerful VR-ready Gaming Laptops – portable VR gaming stations

Samuel J Tan Laptops, Mobile Devices 0

Thanks to NVIDIA’s GPU and processors from Intel and AMD, gaming laptops are now thin, powerful, quiet and packed with high performing components to support 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.

AMD Ryzen Mobile APU

AMD has always been gaming enthusiasts’ favourite and with Ryzen Mobile, it’s bringing the Ryzen APU to the laptops. Not only that, the laptop processor comes with the new Vega graphics architecture. Ryzen on desktop brought with it impressive processing performance at a cost that is very competitive with Intel’s Core i series. Ryzen Mobile APU will do the same for the laptops offering manufacturers the ability to push more performance per watt in a thin and lightweight ultra portable design, with longer battery life and more attractive form factor including 2-in-1 design.

Laptops that use the Ryzen Mobile APU is ASUS ROG Strix GL702ZC

Top 10 of the Best VR-Ready Gaming Laptops

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

1. ASUS ROG Zephyrus 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, 4.9 pounds

2. ASUS ROG GL702ZC, ASUS didn’t stop with the ROG Zephyrus. It is also the first to bring out a gaming laptop with AMD Ryzen mobile processor. The mobile APU is the first Zen-based APU from AMD following the desktop enthusiasts’s favourite AMD Ryzen Threadripper CPU. AMD claims that the CPU in Ryzen Mobile is 50-percent faster than the older 7th generation APU with its on-die Vega GPU that drives 40-percent more performance while consuming only half the power of AMD’s Bristol Bridge.

Key Specifications

17.3-inch (16:9) LED backlit FHD (1920×1080) 120Hz Anti-Glare Panel with 178˚ wide-viewing angle display
AMD® Ryzen™ 7 1700 Processor (eight cores and 16 threads) with maximum turbo speed of 3.7GHz
AMD Radeon RX580 graphics with 4GB of GDDR5 VRAM
1TB HDD and 256GB SATA3 M.2 SSD Storage
415 x 280 x 34 mm (WxDxH), 3kg

ALSO: ASUS ROG STRIX GL502VM 15.6-inch G-SYNC VR Ready Core i7 6700HQ 2.6GHz thin and light gaming laptop with GeForce GTX 1060, 16GB DDR4 and 1TB 7200 RPM HDD.

and Asus ROG Strix GL702VM 17.3-Inch Full HD G-SYNC display, VR Ready Thin and Light Gaming Laptop (NVIDIA GTX 1060 6GB Intel Core i7-6700HQ 16GB DDR4 1TB 7200RPM HDD)

3. MSI GT75VR Titan, the gaming powerhouse comes with Intel Core i7-7829HK processor with the option to choose from three different GPUs, the GeForce GTX 1080, dual GeForce GTX 1070s in SLI or a single GeForce GTX 1070 GPU. Titan is fitted with MSI’s new Cooler Boost 5 technology for thermal management and the new Rapid Mechanical keyboard from SteelSeries with RGB backlight. Even though it is the smaller sibling of the GT83VR Titan SLI is a big on the heavy side given all that power.

Key Specifications

17.3-inch 4K 120 Hz display with support for HDR
Intel Core i7-7820HK an unlocked processor that MSI says can be overclocked to 4.0 GHz
Dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 GPUs in SLI for insane gaming power, a single GTX 1070 or GTX 1080

4. Razer Blade Pro with 17.3-inch UHD display with G-SYNC Touch and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 is Razer’s flagship machine, one that offers desktop gaming performance on the go. It is also the world’s first THX Certified Mobile Device. Powered by an overclocked Intel Core i7-7820HK Quad-Core Processor with Hyper-Threading 2.9GHz / 3.9GHz / 4.3GHz (Base/Turbo/Overclocked), nothing comes close clock for clock. You can have up to 2TB PCIe SSD RAID 0 storage with the machine and 32GB RAM memory.

Key Specifications

Stunning and Smooth 17.3-inch 4K UHD IGZO (3840 x 2160) G-SYNC Touch Display;
Overclocked Intel Core i7-7820HK Quad-Core Processor with Hyper-Threading 2.9GHz / 3.9GHz / 4.3GHz (Base/Turbo/Overclocked)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (8GB GDDR5X VRAM) Desktop-Class Graphics
Up to 2TB PCIe SSD RAID 0 Storage and 32GB DDR4 2667MHz Memory
Ultra-Low-Profile Mechanical Keyboard w/ Anti-Ghosting Powered by Razer Chroma; Smarter connectivity with Thunderbolt 3 and SDXC Card Reader

5. MSI GS63VR Stealth 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 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

ALSO: MSI GE73VR Raider the bigger 17-inch version

17.3-inch Full HD 120Hz 5ms Wide view 94%NTSC Color Anti-Glare 1920×1080
Core i7-7700HQ (2.8 – 3.8 GHz) processor
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 8G GDDR5
32GB (16GB x 2) DDR4 2400MHz memory | Hard Drive: 512GB M.2 SATA + 1TB (7200RPM)
11.22 x 16.49 x 1.12 inches, 6.2 pounds

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6. ILLEGEAR LAGUNA is the company’s latest addition, a bigger version of the Z5, with redesigned full sized RGB keyboard. The laptop can be configured with up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM memory at a fast 2400MHz, a 120GB M.2 SSD and 1TB HDD (upgradeable to 3TB) for storage and (Processors). In the GPU’s department, one can choose between NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1060 or GeForce GTX 1070 discrete GPU.

Specifications

15.6-inch Full HD Anti-glare Display featuring IPS / AHVA Wide Color & Wide View (1920 x 1080)
7th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ Processor (2.80GHz to 3.80GHz), 6MB Smart Cache
NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX 1060 GPU with 6GB GDDR or NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX 1070 GPU with 8GB GDDR5
up to 32GB RAM with 8GB/16GB SODIMM module. One changeable 2.5” HDD/SSD, 7mm(H) / 9.5mm(H), SATA interface (RAID 0/1 support) and one M.2 2280 SSD, SATA or PCIe Gen3 x4 interface.
385 (W) x 267 (D) x 27.8 (H) mm, 2.75kg

7. OMEN Gaming Laptop 15t UHD by HP includes the latest processors 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.

Key Specifications

15.6-inch diagonal 4K IPS anti-glare WLED-backlit (3840 x 2160) with NVIDIA G-SYNC™ technology
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)
15.3 x 10.85 x 0.98 in, 5.68 pounds

ALSO: OMEN Gaming Laptop 17 UHD by HP is the bigger 17-inch version

17.3-inch diagonal 4K IPS anti-glare WLED-backlit (3840 x 2160) display
7th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ (2.8 GHz base frequency, up to 3.8 GHz with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology, 6 MB cache, 4 cores)
32 GB memory; up to 2 TB HDD storage; up to 256 GB SSD storage
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 (8 GB GDDR5 dedicated)
16.65 x 11.97 x 1.3 in, 8.23 pounds

8. Razer Blade (2017) is the latest in the line of superlative gaming machines from Razer. For bigger and even more powerful gaming laptop, there is the Razer Blade Pro with 17.3-inch display with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (above). The 14-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) 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. Anything smaller would be the Razer Blade Stealth ultrabook with a 12.5-inch and 13.3-inch display.

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

ALSO: Razer Blade Stealth – Core i7-7500U / i5-7200U, up to 16GB dual channel memory, up to 1TB PCIe SSD available in two sizes with 13.3-inch QHD+ 3200 x 1800 Touch Screen or 12.5-inch 4K 3840 x 2160 Touch Screen. The only downside is it rely solely on Intel® HD Graphics 620. There is Thunderbolt 3 port to hook up an external desktop graphics processor such as the Razer Core.

9. Lenovo Legion Y720 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

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10. ILLEGEAR Q5 Evo is another affordable gaming entry that you can customise. It comes with 15.6-inch Full HD display with Sound Blaster Cinema 3 from built-in speakers driven by NVIDIA GTX 1050Ti GPU with 4GB GDDR5 memory and Kaby Lake Core i5-7300HQ processor making it VR ready as it complies with the minimum specification as outlined by Oculus. Memory and storage are 8GB DDR4 RAM and 1TB HDD respectively. AHVA Wide Colour and Wide View 1920 x 1080 display option available as upgrade. The full size keyboard is backlit and comes with W/A/S/D gaming keys great for first person shooter games.

Specifications

15.6-inch Full HD Anti-glare Display featuring IPS / AHVA Wide Color & Wide View (1920 x 1080)
7th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-7300HQ / i7-7700HQ Processor
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 4GB / 1050Ti 4GB GDDR5 with Optimus (Pascal)
Up to 32GB RAM, 2x M.2 PCIe SSD slots
386(W) x 265(D) x 29(H) mm, 2.5kg

OTHERS: 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.