This year, we saw a lot of laptop brands venture out of familiar budget lineups, and opt for an “in-between”, skirting the line between budget and premium. Interest in gaming laptops has been on the rise since the pandemic, and budding gamers who would initially only look at the budget segment have started looking for pricier options that meet their new gaming demands.
Also read: Digit Zero1 Awards and Best Buy Awards 2023: Best Performing Creator Laptop
Enter the new budget premium lineups. We saw MSI come out with the Cyborg lineup, Lenovo released the new LOQ, and Acer came out with the Predator Helios Neo lineup, all of which cater to this target audience. However, one laptop in particular stood out, offering not only the best performance of the lot but the best overall package in general. Our runner-up came fairly close in terms of gaming performance but fell short in its other offerings. For this reason, our Digit Zero1 Award and Best Buy Award winner for the Best Performing Gaming Laptop (₹81K to ₹150K) is the…
Price: ₹124,999
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 really impressed us with its performance. The laptop came with a 13th gen Intel Core i7-13700HX and an NVIDIA RTX 4050 GPU. However, it managed to convincingly grab the win against the runner-up, the Lenovo LOQ, which featured an RTX 4060. This isn’t the only instance of a lower GPU SKU managing to outperform a higher SKU; We saw this in other categories as well. There are several factors that can affect this, including the TGP of the GPU, and how much the laptop throttles.
The Helios Neo 16 had the best thermal scores of the lot, even after extended gaming sessions, which ultimately allowed it to pull ahead in performance scores. The RTX 4050 in the Helios Neo 16 comes with the highest TGP allowed by NVIDIA for the model, and the 13700HX is also not something you would usually see on a laptop in this segment.
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At the cost of some premium features like per-key RGB, or build quality like metal lids, Acer is offering top-of-the-line performance at a very pocket friendly price. For most people who are on a budget, a machine that can run the latest games comfortably is a big win, and that’s what the Predator Helios Neo 16 is offering. The laptop also scored highest in our display tests, SSD benchmarks, and processor benchmarks. With the overall package being as good as it is, we have no trouble declaring the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 as the winner of both the Digit Zero1 Award and the Digit Best Buy Award 2023.
Runner-up: Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8 (Buy now)
Price: ₹114,990.00
Running close on the heels of the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 was the Lenovo LOQ. Another new lineup launched earlier this year, the Lenovo LOQ came with an Intel Core i7-13620H, and an NVIDIA RTX 4060 GPU. While the processor is weaker than the Helios Neo 16, the RTX 4060 is a powerhouse, especially at this price. However, the LOQ ran a lot hotter than the Neo 16, which ended up affecting its performance in the long run. We recorded the highest thermal temps and throttle in this category on the LOQ, which despite its superior GPU, allowed the Helios Neo 16 to just edge over the top when it came to gaming performance.
That said, the LOQ will still absolutely breeze through any and all 1080p gaming you throw at it. When it comes to the complete package, the LOQ fell a bit short, as the Helios Neo 16 came with slightly better overall components. That said, if you must have an RTX 4060 laptop on a budget, this is the one to go for. The LOQ still features an excellent display, and speedy DDR5 RAM, but it just wasn’t enough to give it the win.
For more information on Digit Zero1 Award winners across various categories of products, please visit: https://www.digit.in/zero1-awards
