In a perfect world, you could go to your local electronics store, throw down less than $1,000 and walk out with a powerful Ultrabook capable of running Fortnite at Ultra settings. Alas, that unicorn product doesn't exist.
Forum member Matt Collier is on the hunt for an inexpensive portable laptop with a Core i7 processor that can connect to an eGPU. As our reader aptly pointed out, the Razer Blade Stealth fits the bill. But while it's a beautiful device with excellent performance, the laptop's poor battery life and high price ($1,349) have our reader curious about alternatives.
If you can stretch your budget a few hundred dollars, you'll be able to afford some of the best Ultrabooks on the market, some of which we'd recommend ahead of the Blade Stealth. For example, the latest Dell XPS 13, which costs $1,400 for the i7 model, is super compact, has a gorgeous display and offers two Thunderbolt 3 ports for your eGPU.
Of course, you may want a larger display so you can get immersed in your gaming sessions. The 14-inch Lenovo Yoga 920 will get you some extra screen real estate and costs $1,300 at the time of writing. One of the best laptops we've reviewed this year, the Yoga 920 has a brilliant display, long battery life and versatile design.
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If you want the best Ultrabook for the least amount of money, we recommend the HP Spectre x360. It costs "just" $1,050 for the i7-8550U model at the time of writing. We reviewed a more expensive model ($1,350) back in November and came away impressed by its top-notch design, speedy performance and comfortable keyboard.
All of these ultraportable machines can connect to external graphics cards via a Thunderbolt 3 port.
Alternatively, you can purchase a gaming laptop for under $1,000, though you'll need to forfeit some portability. One good option is the $999 Acer Nitro 5 Spin, a 15-inch, 2-in-1 convertible with a mid-level Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card. Not only is it thin for a gaming laptop, but it also weighs under 5 pounds. No, it won't be as portable as any of our previous suggestions, but you won't have any issues throwing it in your backpack should you need to take it with you.
Until Asus adds a Thunderbolt 3 port to its competitively priced ZenBook UX lineup, gamers looking for a Razer Blade Stealth alternative will want to go with a dedicated gaming laptop or save up a bit more cash for a high-end Ultrabook.
Credit: Laptop Mag
