Skip to main content

Cheap, fast laptop gaming is finally becoming reality at CES 2018

Unless it’s specifically designated as a gaming laptop, you shouldn’t expect to be able to play games on a modern notebook laptop.

Meanwhile, if you buy any modern smartphone or tablet, you’ll end up with a device that’s fantastic not just for communication — but also entertainment. Today’s mobile gear can play games beautifully, with crisp graphics and surprisingly long battery life. The release of Civilization VI for the iPad Pro proved the point. With a starting price of $650, the iPad Pro isn’t unaffordable, and you’re gonna have a bad time if you try the game on a similarly priced laptop. It’s easier and less expensive to play Civilization VI on iPad Pro than on a laptop — and that sucks.

Recommended Videos

CES, however, gives us reason to hope that’ll change. AMD and Intel have announced new chips that bring capable gaming performance to lower price points with less power draw. These new chips just might make capable laptop graphics the rule rather the exception.

AMD and Intel team up for new solutions

AMD deserves most of the credit for this new wave of affordable notebook graphics. It built mobile APUs — its term for a chip that pairs a CPU with a GPU — for years, but saw no success because its CPU technology was outdated. Now, though, AMD has a successful CPU in Ryzen and an equally attractive GPU in Vega. Pair them on a chip — and ta-da! You’ve a recipe for budget gaming bliss.

Ryzen mobile first arrived last year, but only in a beefy, top-tier trim that appeared in only a small number of notebooks like the HP Envy x360. CES 2018 adds Ryzen 3 mobile chips to the mix. Though not nearly as quick as the models already released, they will bring Vega-based graphics to systems sold below $500. You’ll see a number laptop designs featuring these chips appear in the first half of 2018 from Acer, Asus, Dell, Lenovo, and HP. A few will be new, but many will be refreshes that add an AMD alternative to a previously Intel-dominated line-up.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Intel is also an important part of this story, thanks to the company’s unusual courtship of AMD. At CES 2018, it introduced four new chips that combine an Intel Core processor with Radeon RX Vega graphics.

They’re not cut-rate versions, either. According to Intel, the most powerful versions should be stiff competition for Nvidia’s GTX 1060 Max-Q. That means almost all games will be playable at 1080p resolution and high or maximum detail. Of course, a chip that capable isn’t likely to appear in affordable laptops, but it will appear in thin laptops and 2-in-1s that previously had to settle for Intel integrated graphics. The leap from Intel UHD 620 to Vega is sure to deliver a huge boost in game performance.

Nvidia, still in the mix

While AMD and Intel came out swinging at CES 2018 with big, early announcements, Nvidia shouldn’t be forgotten. On the contrary, it’s also in the mix, thanks to the humble GeForce MX150.

Nvidia’s most affordable mobile GPU didn’t see much fanfare at its launch. The company didn’t even bestow it the “GT” brand label, nevermind the “GTX” prefix that denotes a serious gaming GPU. Yet the MX150 has impressed, significantly improving on the old 940MX and, as a result, raising the bar on budget gaming overall. The MX150 can smoothly play games like Overwatch and Star Wars Battlefront II at 1080p and medium detail, and you can find it in the Acer Aspire E15 at just $600.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The MX150 popped up in more laptops at CES 2018. Acer stuffed it in the Switch 7 Black Edition to create a thin 2-in-1 with surprisingly excellent graphics performance, Samsung put it in a new Notebook 9 , and Lenovo has placed it in a variety of laptops including the ThinkPad T480s. These are all examples of serious, professional laptops that also lets you load up a round of PUBG when you need a break.

We should note, too, that Nvidia’s core graphics architecture is near due for a refresh. The MX150 actually represents the tail-end of Nvidia’s current hardware (not an exciting fresh chip), and that bodes well for what we’ll see in late 2018.

Finally, laptop gaming for everyone

The laptops that debuted at CES are just the beginning of the wave. Affordable notebooks with powerful graphics remain the exception to the rule even now, at CES 2018. However, there’s finally a broad foundation of affordable, efficient GPUs that system builders can use to change that.

Once people figure out it’s possible to buy a budget laptop that doesn’t completely suck for gaming, they’ll flock to what’s good, and put the bad ole’ days of sucktastic notebook graphics to an end.  

Matthew S. Smith
Matthew S. Smith is the former Lead Editor, Reviews at Digital Trends. He previously guided the Products Team, which dives…
3 GPUs you should buy instead of the Intel Arc B580
The back of the Intel Arc B580 graphics card.

There's no doubt that that Intel's new Arc B580 is one of the best graphics cards you can buy. Clocking in at just $250, it's a powerhouse GPU that delivers performance we normally only see out of GPUs north of $300. As you can read in my Intel Arc B580 review, it's a fantastic option at 1080p and it scales up surprisingly well to 1440p. There's just one problem -- the Arc B580 is sold out everywhere.

Intel clearly didn't anticipate the demand, but you don't have to succumb to scalpers or patiently wait while the Arc B580 comes back in stock. There are some excellent alternatives available around the same price that you can pick up right now.
Intel Arc B570

Read more
These were the best gaming laptops I saw at CES 2025
Ports on the 2025 Asus ROG Zephyrus G16.

It's been a while since even many of the best gaming laptops have gotten a true refresh. That has to do with graphics cards. Nvidia has made us wait a few long years before stepping up to the new RTX 50-series cards, and without a GPU upgrade, it's hard to justify buying an expensive new laptop.
But with the RTX 50-series officially announced, a load of new and updated gaming laptops were announced at CES this year, and having checked them out myself in person, these are the five that really caught my attention.

Razer Blade 16

Read more
The stars are aligning for a perfect PC handheld — but one thing’s missing
The Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS installed.

At CES 2025, I saw some of the most exciting developments in the world of handheld gaming PCs that I've ever seen, but completely absent from the conversation was Nvidia. It's a world dominated by AMD with its semi-custom designs like the new Ryzen Z2 range, and one that Intel is slowly working its way into with devices like the MSI Claw 8 AI+. Team Green, by comparison, doesn't seem interested.

An Nvidia handheld wouldn't inherently be better than the crop of AMD-powered devices we have now, from the Steam Deck OLED to the new Lenovo Legion Go S, but Nvidia already has features and hardware that fit the ethos of handhelds perfectly. But even with so much going for Nvidia in handhelds, it remains one tough nut to crack.
It's all coming together

Read more