Gaming

Megalomania. The MSI GT80 exceeds typical gaming standards in weight, but also surpasses in terms of the features and performance, including the mechanical keyboard and the SLI configuration with two GTX 980M chips. We tested the 18-inch monster.

Galactic? A bit late, but Alienware now also upgrades its premium laptops with the GeForce 900M line. As one of the first editorial offices, we had the opportunity to test the 15-inch model and the graphics amplifier. These are our impressions.

Broadwell all-rounder. With the Aspire, Acer offers a 17.3-inch all-rounder equipped with the latest Broadwell Core i7 processors. Furthermore, it features a GeForce graphics card, two storage devices (SSD and HDD) and a bright Full HD display.

GTX 970M in a 14-inch laptop. What happens when you cram a 2.6 GHz i7-4720HQ CPU and an Nvidia GTX 970M together in an ultrathin 14-inch form factor? You get one of the fastest and truly portable gaming notebooks around - albeit one with some thermal issues.

Long-lasting all-rounder. The Aspire boasts a strong processor and gaming-suitable GPU — but users will not have to sacrifice long battery runtimes in exchange for its high-performance hardware.

Silver entertainer. Asus introduces an overall well-designed, representative all-rounder in stylish aluminum looks to the upper-range for approximately 1000 Euros (~$1134). It is even possible to risk a game owing to the GeForce GTX 850M. Only the choice of processor is questionable. Our in-depth report reveals how the device fares in the single tests.

Megalomania? 17-inch chassis, 88-Watt CPU and GeForce GTX 980M: This is the One K73-5N in the high-end configuration. Read our review to find out whether this kind of performance makes sense and how the components affect the thermals.

Black, stylish, fast. HP launches a very compact and thin 15.6-inch gaming notebook with the Omen, which has a very good design and attracts gamers with powerful core components. The price of 1,600 Euros (~$1793) comes with high expectations for the ergonomics and the performance, but not all of them can be fulfilled.

Desktop competition. A desktop processor in a 15-inch notebook, can it work? This is the question for the Schenker XMG U505. We review the high-end device with a GeForce GTX 970M and a 65-Watt CPU.

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?