Table of Contents
Best Mx150 Laptop
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Laptop | Details | Buy |
---|---|---|
Razer Blade Stealth 13 Ultrabook Laptop: Intel Core i7-8565U 4-Core, NVIDIA GeForce MX150, 13.3" FHD 1080p, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, CNC Aluminum, Chroma RGB Lighting, Thunderbolt 3, Black | ||
Asus VivoBook Pro 17 Thin and Portable Laptop, 17.3” FHD, 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8565U Processor, NVIDIA GeForce MX150, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Windows 10 – N705FN-ES76 | ||
Acer Aspire E 15 Laptop, 15.6" Full HD, 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U, GeForce MX150, 8GB RAM Memory, 256GB SSD, E5-576G-5762 |
Introduction
If you’re a gamer, photo/video editor, or just do a lot of 3D rendering, then unless you play games with lower requirements, such as RuneScape or the Sims, you need some pretty powerful hardware to satisfy your needs. You’ve most likely come across a lot of CPUs and GPUs, one of which being the MX150. It’s an upper midrange graphic card, the performance of which is slightly better than that on a GTX 950M. Before we jump into the best laptops for MX150, let’s quickly review what you need to lookout for in an MX150 graphic card.
One thing that buyers should be aware of is that the MX150 comes in 2 variants, one which consumes 25 W and one that consumes 10 W. The higher power one obviously provides better performance, at the cost of slightly worse thermals, but that isn’t a major problem. NVidia hasn’t been transparent about these two versions; so many manufacturers may end up using the lower power version without even knowing. That’s why it’s necessary to look out for the higher variant, as it will provide much better performance. Make sure to check if the manufacturer or reviews specifically mention 25 W. However, if you’re looking for better thermals then you can go for the lower version as well, but most people will probably looking towards buying the one which provides slightly better performance especially if you play demanding games such as iRacing.
There is one more thing you need to look for when buying. The display you get is arguably as important as the components in the laptop. A lot of people, especially gamers who like to stream on Twitch, do have a secondary monitor for either color accuracy or low response times, but many also use their laptop’s display as their primary and only display. For those types of people, having a good quality panel could be really important.
Gamers need a screen with a low response time to make sure that they can perform their best in the game they play. A higher refresh rate is also a bonus, but at this price range, it’s not a requirement. For artists looking into some form of editing or graphic design, having a color-accurate display could make a huge difference in the final product that they have.
Top 3 MX150 Laptops [Reviews]
Razer Blade Stealth 13 Ultrabook Laptop
- Performance for work and gaming: NVIDIA GeForce MX150 (25W) 4GB VRAM graphics, quad core 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8565U processor, and 16GB dual channel memory
- Designed for mobility: Up to 13 hours long battery life ultra thin, light and incredibly durable with a CNC unibody aluminum frame
- Thin Bezel full HD display: Visually stunning matte full HD screen with 100 percent sRGB color saturation for work and entertainment
- Power by Razer Chroma: Keyboard featuring single zone RGB lighting with 16.8 million color options, and a precision glass touchpad
- Complete connectivity: Includes Thunderbolt 3, USB C, USB A, Wireless AC, Windows Hello infrared camera, and dual array mics
Prices pulled from Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
The first laptop on our list is the Razer Blade Stealth 13. Razer is a company known to make really powerful laptops, with spectacular designs and great features. They’re pretty much the top of the line when it comes to purchasing a really good laptop. The Stealth line in particular is supposed to provide you an Ultrabook-like experience with slightly lesser performance when compared to their number line, but nothing too significant. The model we will be looking at comes with the MX150, and is amazing, as expected.
The most important thing that a laptop dedicated to high-intensity tasks should have is an amazing processor. The Razer comes with an Intel 8th Generation quad-core i7-8565U processor. It may be a bit old, but still packs in a lot of performance. The difference between this and a modern i7 is so limited that it’s barely worth mentioning. Although it should be noted that it comes with a “U” variant processor which is supposed to signify low power consumption in order to have good thermals. That’s also one of the only reasons Razer has managed to fit an i7 in such a small form factor. Coupled with that, you get an NVIDIA GeForce MX150 (25W) 4GB VRAM graphics. The fact that Razer has managed to fit a full-fledged 25 W GPU in this device is quite impressive, especially considering that it doesn’t thermal throttle. It should be noted that there is also a variant of this laptop that comes with Intel integrated UHD graphics, but we will only be focusing on the NVidia variant. Overall, the performance of this laptop will be top-notch for a laptop this thin and light in this price range.
The storage that this laptop comes with is a 256 GB SSD. The actual amount is a bit low for our taste. Luckily, the storage is upgradeable, and we highly encourage anyone who is running out of storage to do so.
Along with that, you get 16 GB dual-channel DDR4 memory. Sadly, unlike the storage, this isn’t upgradeable as the RAM is soldered on the motherboard. But to be fair, we can’t really complain about this considering most manufacturers are putting in only 8 GB at this price. 16 GB will be plentiful, no matter what tasks you do. It’s also good to see that the memory is dual channel, providing the fastest read and write speeds. It’s safe to say that you won’t be having any problems with this for the foreseeable future.
The display itself is a 13.3-inch Full HD, 1920 x 1080 panel, which takes up 100 percent of the sRGB color space. You also get an extremely color-accurate display, which will be useful for people looking to use it for tasks like Graphic designing or video editing. Moreover, you also get the option to upgrade it to 4K and OLED. This means that your display will be much sharper and also turns off the screen whenever there is supposed to be a black pixel, therefore it makes your display produce deeper blacks, better colors, while also using less energy. However, we don’t recommend upgrading as it will cost significantly more while having practically zero advantages while actually gaming and isn’t worth the extra cost for editors and graphic designers. You also get minimal bezel which makes it pleasing to look at.
A lot of thin and light laptops skip on essential ports, which makes them less functional. Luckily, Razer has not skipped on this aspect and has included a good mix of ports. These include Gigabyte Ethernet, USB-C ports, 3 USB-A, microphone/headphone jack, and an HDMI. The USB-C port is Thunderbolt compatible which means that it can support an external display, charging or a full desktop-grade dedicated GPU. Some other useful features include an individually lit RGB keyboard, with Razer Chroma software for absolute customizability, which makes it one of the best RGB on any keyboard. You also get a Webcam with Windows Hello facial recognition, amazing speakers, and an excellent aluminum unibody chassis.
The size of this laptop is 8.27 x 11.90 x 0.58 inches and the weight is 2.90 lbs. It’s pretty much the lightest laptop with a dedicated graphic card at this price range. That’s definitely the highlight as barely any laptops of this are this thin and light. The battery on this device is advertised to last 11 hours. However, in real-world usage, we found that it lasts 6 to 8 hours, which is still pretty respectable, especially considering that it’s really thin and has a lot of power. The “U” series processor is helping the battery to last a bit longer.
PROS | CONS |
---|---|
Good battery life | Only 256 GB storage |
Upgradeable storage | |
16 GB dual-channel RAM | |
Amazing display | |
Excellent build quality | |
One of the best RGB on a laptop keyboard | |
Really thin and light |
Asus VivoBook Pro 17 Laptop
- Latest 8th generation Intel Core i7-8565u 1.8GHz (8M Cache, Turbo up to 4.6GHz) processor for Smooth and uninterrupted 4K UHD playback or encoding
- 17.3” Full HD Wide view display with 72% NTSC color gamut and NVIDIA GeForce MX150 2GB GDDR5 discrete graphics for flawless visuals
- Slim 16.2” wide, 0.8” thin and portable footprint
- 8GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB M.2 SSD storage; ergonomic backlit keyboard with number pad and fingerprint reader
- Comprehensive connections with USB-C (Gen1), USB 3.0 Type-A, USB 2.0, HDMI, & headphone/mic ports for every device (*usb transfer speed may vary. Learn more at Asus website)
Prices pulled from Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
If you’re looking for a larger laptop, you should check out the Asus VivoBook Pro 17. It provides similar top of the line performance but in a slightly larger footprint which many might prefer. You’ll see that since these laptops have the same GPUs and are in the same approximate price range, they are really similar.
The similarities start with the processor. You get the exact same Intel 8th Generation quad-core i7-8565U 1.8GHz (8M Cache, Turbo up to 4.6GHz) chip. Neither the manufacturers nor the reviews have mentioned what wattage the GPU consumes, but from the evidence available we think that it’s the lower power one, which incidentally will provide a bit lesser performance. Otherwise, the performance of both the Razer Stealth and the VivoBook is identical. It should also be noted that this laptop can be upgraded to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 4GB, which provides better performance, but for a higher price. For the sake of this review, we will only talk about the MX150 variant to keep the comparison fair.
You also get 512 GB of M.2 SSD storage. This should be plentiful if your usage isn’t that demanding or if you store all your major files and programs on an external storage device. However, if you ever feel that the storage is a bit less then you can manually upgrade it.
The memory is the standard 8GB DDR4 RAM. Sadly, you don’t get 16 GB, but we can’t really complain as that’s normal for most laptops in this category. Luckily, the RAM is upgradeable to 16 GB if you ever feel the need to do so. It will future proof your device and will make sure that your laptop feels snappy even a few years down the line. However, the RAM has been made extremely difficult to upgrade as you’ll have to pretty much remove everything. It feels like an intentional move by Asus, to keep people away from going into the laptop. That’s why you must make sure to either get a professional to do the upgrade or make sure to have a visual guide so the chances of your laptop being damaged in the process are low.
The display is a 17.3” Full HD, 1920 x 1080, Wide view display with 72% NTSC color gamut. It might not be as color accurate or sharp as the Razer Blade, but it’s still an amazing display regardless. It’s decent for color-accurate work, but if you’re working with print, then you definitely need to have an external display or look into other options.
The port selection on this laptop is pretty much as good as it gets on a somewhat thin and light laptop in this price range. There are 1 USB-C (Gen1), 1 USB 3.0 Type-A, 2 USB 2.0, 1 HDMI, headphone/mic jack, 1 LAN RJ-45 and 1 SD Card reader. Just like the Razer, the USB port is thunderbolt compatible so you can use almost any accessory or peripheral you want. There are many other features that make this laptop a much better buy than it already is. For example, the keyboard is backlit, which while not being individually lit or customizable like Razer, it still gets the job done. There is also a fingerprint scanner included for secure access, a pretty nice webcam, and some really good speakers.
The size of this laptop is 16.20 x 10.60 x 0.80 inches and it weighs 4.85 pounds. It’s definitely on the heavier side of the spectrum, but it’s still portable enough for you to take around anywhere in a backpack. Moreover, manufacturing a laptop this large and powerful, while also restricting it below 3 pounds is almost impossible. As for battery life, you get 4 to 5 hours of usage which is definitely on the lower side and you’ll have to plug it in mid-day. Considering the large display and the specifications you’re getting, it shouldn’t be much of a problem, although we would’ve still liked to see 6 hours or more of battery life.
PROS | CONS |
---|---|
Large storage capacity | Upgrading the RAM is difficult |
Upgradeable RAM and storage | We don’t know the GPU variant |
Good port selection | Battery life is sub-par |
Fingerprint scanner | |
Large screen size |
Acer Aspire E 15 Laptop
- 8th Generation Intel Core i5-8250U Processor (Up to 3.4GHz)
- 15.6 Full HD (1920 x 1080) widescreen LED-lit IPS Display
- 8GB Dual Channel Memory & 256GB SSD
- Up to 15-hours of battery life.Adapter: 65 W
- Windows 10 Home
Prices pulled from Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
The last laptop on our list is the Acer Aspire E15, and it’s also the cheapest laptop on the list, although not by much. That also means that it will provide the best performance for your dollar since it has practically the same internal components. We will still discuss all the other features that this laptop has to see if it’s worth your hard-earned cash.
For the processor, you get the option to either choose an Intel Core i5-8250U Processor (Up to 3.4GHz) or an 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8550U Processor (Up to 4.0GHz). We highly recommend getting the i7, as it’s much more powerful and doesn’t cost that much more to upgrade. This is a slightly older and under-clocked version of the i7-8565U, found on the other options. The performance difference is only 3 to 5 percent so you won’t notice it that much. However, it also costs much less so the tradeoff is worth it. It’s also good to see that the MX150 found on this laptop is the full-powered 25 W version, which will ensure you get maximum performance. The overall performance of this laptop is definitely on par with the other laptops.
The storage on this laptop is a 256 GB SSD. We have the same complaint as we did with the Razer that the storage space is a bit less, but considering how easy it is to upgrade we will let this slide. Acer has advertised that to upgrade the storage, you only need to remove a few screws to get access to the storage drive, which is by far the easiest upgrade on any laptop.
The RAM is 8 GB dual-channel memory. It’s good to see that it utilizes dual channels for maximum speed. Unfortunately, it’s a DDR3 variant which will make the performance slightly worse than using a regular DDR4 version. The memory can be upgraded in a similar way to the storage, which is a great thing to see. In a world where manufacturers make the repair and upgrade process really difficult, it’s good to see that a company out there is looking out for the end consumer.
The screen on this laptop is a 15.6″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) widescreen LED-lit IPS Display. It’s nothing special compared to the other laptops, but it’s still more than useable in normal conditions, although we would’ve like to see some extra features like smaller bezels, a higher refresh rate, or just a better panel. If you’re going to use this laptop for a lot of visual related tasks like editing or graphic designing, then we would highly recommend having a secondary screen with you.
The port selection on this laptop is unarguably the best of the bunch. Acer didn’t focus on making the thinnest laptop, but rather providing practical features that everyone will use. This meant that they had plenty of space to fit in as many ports as they wanted. These include 2 USB-A 3.0 port, 1 USB-A 2.0 port, 1 – HDMI Port with HDCP support, Gigabit Ethernet, charging port, 8X DVD Double-Layer Drive RW (M-DISC enabled), Secure Digital (SD) card reader, and USB 3.1 Type C Gen 1 port (up to 5 Gbps). While being the best port selection, it’s still not perfect. For starters, the Type-C port doesn’t support thunderbolt, which means that you won’t be able to use a display or an external GPU using the port. We would’ve preferred that they had thunderbolt and removed the DVD optical drive instead. Just like the other laptops, this one also has a few handy features that make it a better deal. Some of these include a pretty nice webcam, one of the most durable build qualities on a laptop, and a backlit keyboard.
As previously mentioned, this laptop isn’t supposed to be thin and light, but rather, it’s supposed to provide you with one of the best performance, making it more of a desktop replacement. The dimensions are 15.02 x 10.20 x 1.19 inches and it weighs 5.27 pounds. It’s the heaviest laptop on our list, but with the heft, it also brings a lot of durability, which you simply cannot find on a thin and light gaming laptop. It also helps in the thermal performance and keeps the cost of this laptop down. That also means that it has a really large battery as it has a 6-cell Li-Ion Battery (2800 mAh), which is rated to last 15 hours. You will get closer to 9 to 10 hours, which is fantastic. You might also be able to get a bit more by turning on power-saving modes.
PROS | CONS |
---|---|
Great price to performance ratio | Low storage |
Easily upgradeable RAM and storage | No thunderbolt |
Excellent port selection | Average display |
Good durability and build quality | |
Amazing battery life | |
Easy serviceability |
Final Words
We reviewed some pretty great laptops, but we have to choose which of these three will be the best for you. All three of them are very similar and even come in the same price bracket, with similar specifications. We think you’ll be satisfied by going with either of them. In the following section, we will look at each of these laptops individually summarizing what makes them good, and finally give our opinion on which one you should go for.
The first laptop we looked at was the Razer Blade Stealth 13. It was noteworthy for its amazing unibody build quality and light chassis. It’s probably one of the most unique laptops because of this factor only. Moreover, it didn’t skip on the specifications either and is more than competitive. Some of its features even beat out much more expensive laptops, which just shows how great this laptop actually is.
Next comes the Asus VivoBook Pro 17. It may be the most expensive laptop on our list, but rightfully so. It has the highest storage of any laptop on this list. If you want to go for a much larger laptop then this will be perfect for you. It’s the perfect balance between form factor, size, and performance. It’s definitely worthy to be your daily driving laptop.
Lastly, we talked about the Acer Aspire E 15. Being the cheapest laptop, one would expect it to have a lot of serious flaws. But that’s simply not the case. The performance is on par with the other laptops, and it makes sure to include all the essential and practical features. Everything from the upgradeability and reparability to the build quality is planned to provide the end-user with the best performance possible. It does cut a few corners, but all of them in the right places to make sure you get the best performance at a relatively affordable price.
It’s finally time to decide which laptop is the best for you. Our pick for the best laptop is the Razer Blade Stealth 13. It’s the perfect middle ground in all areas. You get the best performance in the best form factor, with almost no sacrifices. Moreover, the price is just perfect relative to the other laptops as well, making it perfect for you. If we had to choose a runner up, then it would have to be the Asus VivoBook Pro 17. It’s a bit more expensive than the other option and may have a 10 W GPU, but that’s its only major downside. You get some of the best hardware with many practical features that just makes it an amazing laptop. As for Acer Aspire E 15, it’s an amazing laptop, but we would recommend saving up just a bit more and getting the Razer. It provides many more features for just a bit more price. However, if you have to strictly stick to a budget then you can definitely go for it as it’s still a really good laptop by itself.