MSI GL62M vs Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5577 vs Acer Nitro 5

[Arrofalcon]

Looking to upgrade my current laptop (college laptop from 2010). I travel a lot more for work and miss having my desktop rig to play games. Since this new laptop will be a secondary "fill-the-gap" gaming laptop, I'm looking to keep my budget relatively low since that means more $$ for upgrades for the home rig

That being said, I've narrowed my options to two:

[SMI GL62M](https/www.amazon.com/MSI-GL62M-7RD-1407-Performance-SteelSeries/dp/B072QT88DG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1533764077&sr=8-4&keywords=msi+gl62m&dpID=4143Q%252BSyNNL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch)

and

[Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5577](https/www.amazon.com/dp/B06XFG7157/ref=psdc_13896615011_t2_B072QT88DG)

Both of these are sub $700 which is right in my budget. At the surface level the only real difference is $14 and the Dell has a GTX 1050 4GB and the MSI has a GTX 1050 2GB. Same CPU. I'll also be using this on the 4.5+ hour flights that I have roughly every month, so I like the smaller screens for on the plane.

Here's a short summary:

MSI - GL62M 7RD-1407

15.6" LCD FHD display

1920x1080 resolution

i5-7300HQ

8GB DDR4

256GB SSD

GeForce GTX 1050 2GB

Dell - i5577-5328BLK-PUS

15.6" LED FHD display

1920x1080 resolution

i5-7300HQ

8GB DDR4

1TB HHD

GeForce GTX 1050 4GB

As "cool" as it would be to have a MSI laptop, price is more important than performance which is more important than looks.

Right now I'm leaning towards the MSI only because of its cooling properties which would be useful on the plane and the SSD capability (though I could upgrade the Dell to an SSD), and the only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger is the 4GB 1050 option on the Dell. I guess it really depends on if the CPU is going to be the bottleneck with the 1050 4GB or the potential for thermal throttling on the Dell.

Edit: I'll likely be playing Fallout 4, No Man's Sky, GTA 5, and Monster Hunter (when it releases). May include older games too like Civ 6.

I also just found the Acer Nitro 5 (https/www.amazon.com/Acer-Gaming-i5-7300HQ-GeForce-AN515-51-55WL/dp/B074Q54GSR/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1533767587&sr=8-4&keywords=acer+nitro+5&linkCode=ll1&tag=legos450e-20&linkId=85a65d5f6f77c9127fe9b8af6d1228ca&language=en_US):
15.6" FHD display

1920x1080 resolution

i5-7300HQ

8GB DDR4

256GB SSD

GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4GB

 

[tejayd]

https/www.walmart.com/ip/Dell-G3-Gaming-Laptop-15-6-Intel-i5-8300H-NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-1050TI-4GB-8GB-Memory-1TB-HDD-16GB-Intel-Optane-Storage/312223599?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222228237077011&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=281529491273&wl4=pla-470710641960&wl5=9005166&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=312223599&wl13=&veh=sem

I've never used this. Just saw it the other day. 8th gen i5, 1050ti 699$. Looked like a great deal and the hardware is better. 8th gen cpu should be better on a battery.

 

[Arrofalcon]

https/www.walmart.com/ip/Dell-G3-Gaming-Laptop-15-6-Intel-i5-8300H-NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-1050TI-4GB-8GB-Memory-1TB-HDD-16GB-Intel-Optane-Storage/312223599?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222228237077011&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=281529491273&wl4=pla-470710641960&wl5=9005166&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=312223599&wl13=&veh=sem

I've never used this. Just saw it the other day. 8th gen i5, 1050ti 699$. Looked like a great deal and the hardware is better. 8th gen cpu should be better on a battery.

Thanks! I didn't see that on Amazon, but that's a great price over the Nitro. I guess now the question is if I want to sacrifice the SSD for the 8th gen CPU...decisions decisions...

 

[Arrofalcon]

https/www.walmart.com/ip/Dell-G3-Gaming-Laptop-15-6-Intel-i5-8300H-NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-1050TI-4GB-8GB-Memory-1TB-HDD-16GB-Intel-Optane-Storage/312223599?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222228237077011&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=281529491273&wl4=pla-470710641960&wl5=9005166&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=312223599&wl13=&veh=sem

I've never used this. Just saw it the other day. 8th gen i5, 1050ti 699$. Looked like a great deal and the hardware is better. 8th gen cpu should be better on a battery.

Apologies for the double post, but after further investigation (since Walmart is inaccurate with their titles and don't break down the components except in a long drawn out paragraph...) the model you linked to is NOT a 1050 Ti, even though the title says it. Cross checking the i5 8300H and model number on Amazon, Dell's website, and Newegg showed that this particular machine has a 1050 4GB, not a 1050 Ti 4GB which is reserved for the i7 G3.