Conclusion

The Bravo 15 picks up the Alpha 15’s torch and carries it a lot further with its Ryzen 4000 series processor. It offers solid 1080p gaming performance, a FreeSync-enabled display, ample memory and storage in our tested configuration, and a redesigned chassis that looks great. It even gets pretty good battery life for a gaming laptop. It’s true that gaming notebooks with a GeForce GTX 1660 Ti can be found for around the same price, though they usually skim other specifications to achieve that. The Bravo 15 hits all the right marks for a budget-oriented gaming notebook and earns our Editors’ Choice laurels for being a standout in this category. Well done, MSI…or, as I noted at the beginning, “Bravo!” indeed.

Best for a Super-Low Price, Plus Storage Expandability

Acer Nitro 5 

It’s short on storage, but the latest edition of Acer’s Nitro 5 economy gaming laptop is otherwise the best yet, delivering lively 1080p gameplay for less than $700.

Acer Nitro 5 Specs

Conclusion

The Nitro 5 more than doubled the next best systems’ runtime. You won’t see anywhere near 15 hours in actual gaming, but some unplugged gaming—along with a full day’s productivity or streaming entertainment—is eminently possible. The Nitro 5 has neither a face recognition webcam nor a fingerprint reader to let you skip passwords with Windows Hello. The 720p webcam is a typical laptop economy model that captures soft-focus, noisy shots. Audio doesn’t get very loud—it’ll fill a small room—but isn’t bad, short on bass but clear and mellow. DTS:X Ultra software lets you choose among music, movie, voice, strategy, RPG, and shooter presets or plays with an equalizer.

Things to ignore when buying a laptop

When it comes to spending your money on a useful computer, especially a
laptop, feel free to ignore these items:
Slick marketing campaigns: You’ll never be as cool as the person in the ad,
no matter how much effort you put into it. All laptops are tools, and they
should be judged by whether they offer features that you need, not by how
nifty their advertising looks.
Brand name: Too many people consider brand name first and don’t even
know which components they need. Similarly, you don’t need to buy a laptop
from the same manufacturer as the one who made your desktop PC. As long
as the laptop runs the software you need, you’re fine.
Low price: An abundance of cheap laptops is available. In haste, you may
buy a laptop, thinking that you’re getting a deal — but get stuck with a
brick instead.
High price: It’s easy to be duped into believing that the most expensive
laptop is the best. Buying too much is not a wise buying decision.