Even if you've sufficiently managed your expectations and aren't going for the flashiest bit of kit, hardware is still expensive. Full desktop rigs are bad enough, but even mid-range gaming laptops can come at an eye-watering premium—and don't even get me started on just how much an Apple alternative would set you back by.
MacBooks are expensive and their gaming performance still isn't what you'd want, right? Well, for one thing Apple is a better PC gaming platform than people give it credit for, and now the just announced MacBook Neo is presenting an affordable inroad to its very shiny walled garden, for only $599.
The very competitive phone-like pricing does little to argue against that notion either. For $599, I wouldn't be surprised if this became the student device of choice over, say, an iPad or a similar tablet device—the fun colours certainly help.
That said, someone on a student budget could potentially still net something with a little more grunt. For instance, the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge enjoys the power of the Snapdragon X chip and 16 GB of RAM for close to $700—or you could scoop up the same chip and generous helping of RAM in the Asus Vivobook 14 for only $500. If you're deadset on Apple, there's also the very reasonably priced Mac Mini (the M4 Pro chip inside makes it a decent gaming option).
Apple are pitching the MacBook Neo as 'a powerful platform for AI with Apple Intelligence built right in,' but only 8 GB of RAM is a pretty meagre offering for anyone really wanting to throw down with larger generative models.
It's fair to say Apple has more lightweight AI-use in mind, claiming the Neo is "3x faster when running on-device AI workloads like applying advanced effects to photos, compared to the bestselling PC with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5."
Unfortunately, whatever battery gains Apple could have made with the mobile chip are somewhat squandered by the 36.5 Whr battery on board. Apple claims you'll still get about 16 hours out of it—but I doubt that's 16 hours of playing Kpop Demon Hunters on repeat and at full volume. 'So sweet, so easy on the eye, but hideous on the inside—' What? It's still a banger.
1. Best overall:
Razer Blade 16 (2025)
2. Best budget:
Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 10
3. Best 14-inch:
Razer Blade 14 (2025)
4. Best mid-range:
MSI Vector 16 HX AI
5. Best high-performance:
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10
6. Best 18-inch:
Alienware 18 Area-51
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