Soaring prices for desktop and handheld gaming hardware have forced a reassessment of the value proposition offered by gaming laptops, which are now presenting themselves as a viable, if begrudgingly accepted, entry point for PC gaming.
Memory shortages and broader market pressures have dramatically inflated the cost of PC components. Building a new desktop gaming PC capable of more-than-basic 1080p performance, including a monitor and operating system, now typically exceeds £1,000. Similarly, formerly affordable handheld PC gaming devices have seen significant price increases, with some models now launching at over £1,000 or experiencing markups of 40% or more.
In this environment, gaming laptops, despite historical compromises in power and modularity compared to desktops, and less quiet operation than handhelds, are demonstrating a more resilient price point. Entry-level models equipped with components like Nvidia's RTX 5050 GPU are available for significantly less than a comparable DIY desktop build.
For instance, the Medion Erazer Scout 15, featuring an Intel Core i5-13420H CPU and an RTX 5050 mobile GPU, can be found for around £850. This price point undercuts the estimated £1,100 needed for a similarly specced desktop build including essential peripherals and an OS. While this particular laptop is not without its drawbacks—including dated CPU performance, short battery life, and noticeable fan noise—its overall cost-effectiveness in the current market is notable.
The Scout 15 includes 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, avoiding the sluggishness of lower-spec storage. Its 144Hz IPS display, while not the brightest or most color-accurate, offers a decent contrast ratio and a refresh rate suitable for less demanding games. Performance-wise, the mobile RTX 5050 positions the laptop to deliver a similar gaming experience to devices like the Steam Machine, offering more frames per pound when factoring in the cost of a monitor and keyboard for a desktop setup.
The discrete RTX 5050 in the laptop also supports technologies like DLSS 4.5 upscaling and Multi-Frame Generation, and performs competently in demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing enabled, outperforming the Steam Machine in that specific scenario.
While gaming laptops still present compromises in terms of noise and portability, their relative affordability compared to other PC gaming options makes them a compelling choice for new PC gamers. The Medion Erazer Scout 15 and similar low-end models, such as the Acer Nitro V15, represent the closest current option to a budget-friendly PC gaming entry point, even if they don't quite meet the ideal of a 'cheap' gaming setup.