Which gaming laptop? We check models up to PLN 6,000
If you are looking for a solid gaming laptop priced around PLN 6,000. PLN, the choice is quite large and therefore quite difficult. That's why we took four models from Acer, MSI and Gigabyte to compare them quickly.
Gaming laptops have become very popular in recent years. First of all, because in terms of performance they have significantly reduced the gap to desktop computers, and – although they are still expensive – they are much cheaper than those a few years ago. For many people, these are PCs of first choice because they have one undeniable advantage over desktops – they are mobile. You can take them with you to your dorm, a friend's house or even on vacation.
But which model to choose? The popularity of gaming laptops has also translated into their availability. There are a lot of different versions available on the market and it's hard to decide which one is the best. That's why we took a total of four models to the workshop: two Acer Nitro 5 with different specifications, one MSI Cyborg 15 and one Gigabyte G5. They all have relatively similar specifications and cost between PLN 5,000 and PLN 6,000. zloty. This is a very popular price range, so this will help you find out which one is the best.
Specification
First, let's focus on the specifications of the selected laptops. We chose models with GeForce RTX 4050/RTX 4060 graphics cards and Intel Core i5/Core i7 processors. I have already partially justified my choice. It's all about the price. Laptops are in the most popular price range among consumers, i.e. around PLN 4,000-6,000. zloty. A detailed comparison of individual models is as follows:
| Acer Nitro 5 (i5-12500H, RTX 4050) | Acer Nitro (i7-12650H, RTX 4060) | MSI Cyborg 15 (i7-12650H, RTX 4060) | Gigabyte G5 (i5-12500H, RTX 4060) | |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-12500H | Intel Core i7-12650H | Intel Core i7-12650H | Intel Core i5-12500H |
| RAM | 16GB DDR5 4800MHz | 16GB DDR5 4800MHz | 16GB DDR5 4800MHz | 16GB DDR4 3200MHz |
| Graphics Card | GeForce RTX 4050 (115 W) | GeForce RTX 4060 (115 W) | GeForce RTX 4060 (45W) | GeForce RTX 4060 (75W) |
| Disk | 512 GB SSD NVMe M.2 | 512 GB SSD NVMe M.2 | 512 GB SSD NVMe M.2 | 512 GB SSD NVMe M.2 |
| Screen | 15.6″, Full HD, 165 Hz | 15.6″, Full HD, 165 Hz | 15.6″, Full HD, 144 Hz | 15.6″, Full HD, 144 Hz |
| Power supply power | 230 W | 330 W | 150 W | 120 W |
| PRICE | CHECK | CHECK | CHECK | CHECK |
Efficiency
In this comparison, I primarily wanted to focus on the performance of the laptops. I chose a total of four games for this list: Forza Horizon 5, Cyberpunk 2077, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy and Horizon Zero Dawn. We chose such titles because, on the one hand, they are quite new and demanding games, and on the other hand, they all have built-in benchmarks that provide possibly repeatable results and minimize the risk of possible measurement errors.
You can see the results below:
| Acer Nitro 5 (i5-12500H, RTX 4050) | Acer Nitro (i7-12650H, RTX 4060) | MSI Cyborg 15 (i7-12650H, RTX 4060) | Gigabyte G5 (i5-12500H, RTX 4060) | |
| Forza Horizon 5 | 92 | 110 | 78 | 98 |
| Guardian's of the Galaxy | 117 | 133 | 119 | 116 |
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 94 | 107 | 93 | 69 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 45.2 | 72.5 | 44.5 | 58.9 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (RTX) | 22.8 | 33.2 | 21.1 | 25.8 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (RTX + DLSS3) | 37.6 | 85 | 59.6 | 75.4 |
| 3DMark Time Spy | 8479 | 10394 | 7524 | 8338 |
| 3DMark Port Royal | 4714 | 5897 | 4121 | 4647 |
What may be surprising is the very poor results of the MSI Cyborg 15 laptop. On paper, it is equipped with an Intel Core i7 processor and a GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card, so it should perform similarly to the Acer, which has virtually identical specifications. However, there is a problem with mobile GPUs. In MSI TGP the card is limited to only 45 W, while in Acer it is 115 W (max. up to 140 W). This is an issue that we have already drawn attention to many times. This is one of the reasons why the RTX 4050 can be more efficient than the RTX 4060 in certain cases, although in theory this should not be possible.
I don't understand why MSI decided to reduce the power consumption of the card so drastically. This completely defeats the purpose and can be a source of frustration for unaware users. When you buy a laptop with decent graphics like GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile, you expect adequate performance. Meanwhile, MSI Cyborg 15 does not provide this. In tests, it lags significantly behind the comparable Acer, although on paper there should be fierce competition between them.
However, the Gigabyte G5 lags behind Acer for two reasons. Firstly, because of a worse processor. The difference between the Core i5-12500H and the Core i7-12650H may not be drastic, but it is noticeable. In addition, this laptop also has a much lower graphics card power. In this case it is 75 W. It's still a lot more than MSI, but less than Nitro 5, and it's clearly visible in the performance of both models. And finally, thirdly, it uses older and significantly slower DDR4 3200 MHz RAM.
A few words about the power supply and work culture
Moreover, how limited the MSI and Gigabyte models are in practice is also visible in the power supplies used in the laptops. The most powerful Acer has a 330 W power supply, while its competitors only have 120 W (MSI) and 150 W (Gigabyte). Sure, higher performance translates into higher energy consumption and higher electricity bills, but when buying a gaming laptop, it's probably not an issue that keeps us awake at night. What matters most is pure computing power, and the Acer Nitro 5 definitely wins in this field.
However, in this case, concerns about work culture may be justified. After all, Acer uses a lot more energy and therefore generates a lot more heat. Fortunately, there is no reason to worry here either. I also checked all laptops in this respect and it may be a surprise, but the Acer Nitro 5 with Core i7 and RTX 4060 has the least problems with temperatures. I managed to warm up its processor to a maximum of 87 degrees Celsius and the GPU to 75 degrees. In the case of Gigabyte, the temperature of the graphics card may be lower (69 degrees), but the processor reaches 97 degrees, so it becomes dangerous. MSI is the best, but it also has almost the worst performance. Below are the specific results:
| Acer Nitro 5 (i5-12500H, RTX 4050) | Acer Nitro (i7-12650H, RTX 4060) | MSI Cyborg 15 (i7-12650H, RTX 4060) | Gigabyte G5 (i5-12500H, RTX 4060) | |
| CPU temperature | 90 | 87 | 81 | 97 |
| GPU temperature | 79 | 75 | 62 | 69 |
What else is worth paying attention to?
The remaining specifications of the tested laptops are very similar. All of them offer, among others, 16 GB of DDR5 4800 MHz RAM (except Gigabyte G5), fast NVMe M.2 SSD drives with a capacity of 512 GB and have 15.6-inch Full HD screens. Each uses an IPS matrix, which should guarantee at least decent color reproduction. What makes Acer Nitro 5 stand out again is its refresh rate of 165 Hz, where the competition offers 144 Hz. I won't lie here that it's a huge difference, because it isn't, but this additional 21 Hz can be useful in the case of dynamic online games, such as Valorant, League of Legends or Counter-Strike 2. In this case, more is better .
So is Acer Nitro 5 the best choice at this price? Of the tested laptops, this is the one I would choose. In several key respects it performs better than the competition, or at least the models we reviewed. I realize that at the same time it is a bit more expensive, because it is in the upper limit of 5-6 thousand. PLN, but I think it is an amount worth paying extra. It not only has better performance, higher work culture, but also a slightly better screen. You should be happier with it.
