Gaming

Orange is the new black. Is the distinctive design and lucent orange color enough for the Chimera to stand out in the crowded mobile gaming space? We dig deeper to find that this is more than just a flashy chassis.

Gold piece for gamers? The MSI GS60 is now available with a 4K display and Maxwell GPU, the current update uses the fast GeForce GTX 970M. Our review will show if everything is gold that glitters at the GS60.

High-end class. Nvidia launches its new gaming model right at the beginning of the New Year. We already had the chance to check the performance of the GeForce GTX 965M. Is this the end of the GeForce GTX 860M?

Black, red, silver. MSI's slim gamer GS70 gets an update. The new generation is now equipped with the GeForce GTX 970M, and MSI has also thought of striking colors for the chassis. However, the fan noise and temperatures are striking as well – our review tells you why.

4k upgrade. The Aspire V15 Nitro is a thin computer with a high-performance processor and very good hardware. The device's highlight is its 4k IPS display. Has Acer created the gamer's dream notebook?

Small chassis, big performance? After products with 11 and 14-inches, the gaming experts from Alienware now offer a 13-inch product. Our article tries to focus on the question of whether a dual-core is sufficient for the GeForce GTX 860M and the external amplifier.

Gaming champion 2014. Asus now uses the GTX 980M as well and offers a very successful and extremely fast ROG gaming notebook in a reworked 17-inch chassis. MSI's GT72 2QE is one rival with even better specifications, but the top version is also 50% more expensive. Our test determines the winner in the clash of the titans.

Affordable all-rounder. HP's 17.3-inch laptop is available for as little as 560 Euros (~$683). The configuration includes a quad-core processor, matte Full HD screen, and a dedicated Radeon GPU. Doesn't that sound like a good deal?

Now with SSD. The Satellite offers everything that an all-round multimedia notebook should: Alongside a Core i7 processor, the device is equipped with a graphics core powerful enough to render games and a fast solid state drive. An IPS display with stable viewing angles also joins the ranks. But at almost 900 Euros (~$1100), this is no budget device.

15-inch reference? The XMG P505 from Schenker Technologies is supposed to close the gap between big 17-inch systems (Asus G751, MSI GT72) and ultra-thin compact gamers like the Gigabyte P34G v2. We have already reviewed the configuration with the GTX 970M, now we have a closer look at the GTX 980M.

Ride Across the USA. After Assassin's Creed Unity and Far Cry 4, Ubisoft is now launching its third large project at the end of 2014. The Crew appeals to freedom junkies and multiplayer enthusiasts alike with its free world concept. Can the game engine meet the expectations of its fans?

All-rounder with gaming capabilities. Acer's new 17.3-inch notebook is designed for private as well as business users. A powerful Core i5 in combination with a fast GPU and good battery runtimes should be appealing for both customer groups.

GTX 980M SLI. The highly configurable Eurocom X7 returns as the X8 and instantly comes out on top on our usual benchmarks yet again. We take a closer look at this ultimate gaming machine from the Canadian reseller of the most powerful barebones available.

Third Installment. The second game focused on action and provided gamers immense enjoyment. Now BioWare is making the move to reconsolidate its Dragon Age fans. Our article will focus on the performance of the Frostbite 3 Engine. Will every gamer be able to joy the world of Inquisition?

Call to Freedom. The Ubisoft recipe has changed little for the long-awaited sequel, Far Cry 4, as the game is composed primarily of action, exploration and foraging. We tested the performance of the Kyrat special edition on various laptops and have summarized our findings in this review.

You've got the power. We provide some more benchmarks and comparison numbers for our second look at the MSI GT72 with GTX 980M graphics. In short: This is performance that rivals a system with GTX 780M SLI graphics.

Fun or an imposition? Assassin's Creed Unity is yet another entry in the never-ending list of unfinished games. High demands on the hardware combined with technical bugs are a constant source of aggravation. We'll try to determine just how powerful a notebook has to be to handle this game.

Cutting edge? The graphics and technology the previous game of the series was based on were no cause for celebration. Advanced Warfare aims to remedy that and supposedly offers a "next-gen" experience. In our review, we take a detailed look at the performance of the new Call of Duty offshoot.

Portable gaming monster. While ultra-slim, high-end laptops were still rare in 2013, there are now quite a few slim gaming machines. Gigabyte introduces the P35X v3, an extremely high-performance model based on the GeForce 980M.

Too thirsty. AMD's new FX-7500 APU wants to show what it is capable of. The combination of a dedicated Radeon GPU, a Full HD screen and 1 TB hard drive, turns the Aspire into a game-suitable all-rounder.

Hexes live on. Sid Meier's successful gaming series moves on to the next round with Beyond Earth. We don't just mean content-wise -- in terms of graphics, too, the game is on the move. Thanks to Mantle support, AMD-based computers should have a noticeable advantage over Nvidia systems. We ran the tests and have laid out the results for you here.

Performance at all costs. Aorus is one of the first manufacturers to fuse two GeForce GTX 970M cards to an SLI array. Both the performance and the waste heat are correspondingly high. Can the slim 17-inch chassis deal with this load?

Small update, big impact. MSI now installs the brand new premium models from Nvidia's Maxwell generation. Read here to what extent the GeForce GTX 980M can outperform its precursor, and what it looks like in terms of temperatures, power consumption, and system noise.

Touchscreen gamer. Lenovo launches the biggest IPS touchscreen Y Series model yet with the 17.3-inch Y70. Features remain largely unchanged from the Y50, including the GTX 860M GPU. For $1399, can this sleek black and red powerhouse hold its own against other 17-inch gaming notebooks?

Technical stagnation. You snooze, you lose: This saying goes perfectly with the Formula 1 simulation from Codemasters. Even in 2014, users crazy for motor sports have to accept second-rate graphics. Learn here what this means for performance.

Long-lasting allrounder. Lots of storage, suitable for gaming, long battery life, and a decent keyboard: the Aspire V3-572PG ticks all the check boxes for an allrounder notebook. How compelling is the overall package?

A PC version to make you shiver. When it comes to games, the PC is often neglected; The Evil Within is a prime example. The high performance demands are particularly effective at spoiling the fun. Our article reveals which GPUs shake in their boots when they encounter this survival-horror game.

Black Nitro. Acer does not make any compromises in the configuration of its Aspire V15 Nitro. Buyers get a slim computer with very powerful hardware, an SSD, and IPS screen. The laptop is primarily aimed at gamers. However, the odd non-gamer might also take a liking to the computer.

On the hunt for horror. Creative Assembly, known mostly for their time-consuming epic strategy games (the Total War series), dares to take on one of the greatest film classics ever. Alien: Isolation is intended to transport the player into the atmosphere of the original movie. Your role? The hunted. Which GPU is fast enough to "outrun" Alien?

Graphics vs. gameplay. While Ryse: Son of Rome turned out to be rather one-dimensional in terms of its gameplay, graphically the title is a real head-turner. Does your notebook also have to come from another planet to run this game? Our review reveals the answer.

Full speed ahead. After the top GPUs from the last Nvidia generation were still based on the Kepler architecture, both the GeForce GTX 980M and GTX 970 finally use the Maxwell architecture. We check the performance with the Clevo P651SE Barebone.

Mobile gaming fun. Thanks to the LTE Cat 4 module, the top model can be used for gaming on-the-go anywhere. In addition, Nvidia doubled the flash memory, which worked significantly faster in our test model.

Multimedia with quirks. HP's multimedia newcomer is positioned between mid-range and premium range in terms of configuration and price. Its balanced combination of power and ergonomics is appealing. Will the now matte screen also make a better impression than the former models from 2013? We will clarify this and many other questions in this review.