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Looking to buy a new laptop? Weighing up whether to buy an Macbook pro or break the bank for a new Apple MacBook Air? Maybe you don't want to spend big at all and actually want to buy something for under $350 =(ksh. 30,000)
If you’ve finally given up on the desktop life and an iPad or Android tablet lacks the power or simply doesn’t feel right without a physical keyboard, there are plenty of all-in-one portables to take your computing on the move instead.
Gone are the days when Windows-based laptops were your only viable option. Apple with its Mac-running Air and Pro ranges recently updated to include faster CPUs are now arguably amongst the best on the market.
Google’s Chromebook range aims to bring cloud computing to the masses for an affordable price with the likes of Samsung, Acer, HP and Toshiba already signing up to the Chromebook cause.
There’s clearly plenty to pick from, so to help you find the perfect 15-inch or 13-inch laptop and spend that money wisely, we’ve rounded up our regularly updated list of the top ten best laptops to buy that all come with the TrustedReviews seal of approval.

Top ten best computers for gaming

1.Apple MacBook Air 13-inch 2013

It is the Best Laptop for Battery Life 

Key features:

 13.3-inch, 1,440 x 900 resolution screen 

Weighs 1.35kg 

Runs on 1.3GHZ dual-core Intel Core i5 CPU 

There's not much to choose between the first two in the list. 

The MacBook Air 13-inch has the solid overall performance, excellent battery life and one of the sleekest aluminium unibody designs on a laptop. Crucially, at £850, it's cheaper than the Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus. The latest Air is powered by a fourth generation Intel Haswell processor that helps deliver the vastly improved staying power. While it might not have a Retina display like the Pro, it’s still leaps and bounds ahead of most other laptops on the market. 

  

 2.Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus
Quality Key features:

•  13.3-inch 3,200 x 1,800 pixel PLS screen Runs on Intel Core i5 (or i7) Haswell processor Good internal speakers In close second is the ultra-high quality Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus that features one of the best screens in town and is a seriously impressive Windows 8 machine. Housed in the light, 
• aluminium body is a 13.3-inch screen with an exceptional 3,200 x 1,300 resolution. Powering performance is an Intel Core i5 (or i7) Haswell processor and up to 8GB RAM if you go for the top spec model. Battery life is up around the 10 hour mark putting it up with the MacBook Air 13-inch and Sony Vaio Pro 13. For the price it’s a luxury laptop investment, but in return you get a superb Windows 8 alternative to the MacBook Air.

 

3.   MSI GT70 2PC Dominator

Best Gaming Laptop
Key features:

•  17-inch Full HD display Fast Intel Core i7 processor Nvidia GeForce GTX 870M graphics Silly name aside, the MSI GT70 2PC Dominator has one key advantage over its gaming laptop rivals and that’s the Nvidia GeForce GTX 870M. 
• It’s a brand-new GPU with exceptional clock speeds and when combined with a quad-core processor, an SSD, plenty of RAM and a 17-inch screen it’s a fine machine to game on.
•  Weighing in at a heavy 3.9kg it’s no ultra slim ultrabook but it does host a Full HD display that's nice and bright delivering punchy and vivid colours. Most importantly, it runs games like Battlefield 4 and Bioshock Infinite with little problems. If you can live without the ultra portability, the MSI GT70 is the one gaming laptop to buy. 
• For a larger screen alternative, the 17.3-inch Asus G750JX is still a great option. 
 

 4. Toshiba Chromebook

 Best Chromebook 

Key features:

•  13.3-inch 1,366 x 768 display 16GB internal memory 7-8 hours battery life Joining the likes of Acer, HP and Samsung, the Toshiba Chromebook is the company’s first Chrome OS-packing laptop effort and it’s the best we’ve seen so far.
•  With an Apple-inspired design, the plastic Chromebook still has an attractive charm and doesn’t feel as cheap as the sub-£250 price tag suggests.
•  The speakers are surprisingly decent and the bigger chassis makes it a far more comfortable domain to type on. 
• It still suffers from an average screen but as the first to pack a 13.3-inch display and is definitely where you feel the pinch.
•  Crucially as a second generation Chromebook It has the Intel Haswell-fuelled performance to make it a good alternative to a cheap tablet or Windows 8 laptop. 
 

 5. Microsoft Surface Pro 2 

Best 10-inch Windows 8 Laptop and Tablet Hybrid 

Key features: 

• Much improved battery life New, improved kickstand and touch cover Cooler and quieter Much improved battery life turns the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 into a genuine contender for your money over an Ultrabook or a larger iPad.
•  Is it a genuine tablet? Not yet. It's too heavy and the battery life still not long enough, but its flexibility as an all-star tablet/laptop/desktop hybrid is undeniable.
•  Nothing comes close to replicating it, so for this reason alone we recommend it. 
• It's a recommendation with some caveats - we wish it was lighter as it would make it a much better tablet, as would a better stocked app store, and Microsoft needs to sort out the high DPI issues on the desktop side of things - but the Surface Pro 2 delivers on the potential the original only hinted at.  

6. Dell XPS 15 

 Best 15-inch Windows Laptop 

Key features:

•  15.6-inch 3,200 x 1,880 IPS touchscreen display Nvidia GeForce GT 750M graphics Windows 8.1 A powerhouse of a 15-inch laptop, the Dell XPS 15 has the specs to make it the best high-end Windows laptop on the market. 
• Built from high-quality aluminium and carbon fibre, it's also just 17mm thick.
•  The star attraction is the 3,200 x 1,880 resolution to give it a MacBook-rivalling screen quality.
•  It also packs an excellent backlit keyboard and a decent pair of speakers with all the key connectivity boxes ticked. 
• The Intel Core i7-4702HQ processor and beefy GPU ensure it has the performance to match the sleek look even if the average 4 and half hour battery life is no match for the MacBook.
• There’s multiple configurations available with a cheaper XPS 15 (£1,179) offering a smaller battery and a 1,920x 1,080p HD screen but if you go for the top version, you will not be disappointed. 

 

 7. Samsung Ativ Book 9 Lite

 Best Laptop for Students

 Key features: 

• 13.3-inch, 1,366 x 768 resolution touchscreen display Comfortable backlit keyboard Decent 5-6 hour battery life If you can't afford the Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus, the Samsung Ativ Book 9 Lite is a great, much cheaper alternative. Available with a touchscreen (£599) or without (£499), the Book 9 Lite is as stylishly built as the 9 Plus and a far better looker than most £500 laptops on the market. 
• The 13.3-inch ultrabook packs a 1,366 x 768 resolution, quad-core 1GHz AMD A6 APU and 4GB of RAM. In general use it’s very nimble, but does struggle to handle gaming. 
• In the battery department it manages around 5-6 hours beating a host of £1,000-plus laptops we’ve tested. 
• We'd opt going for the non-touchscreen one to bag yourself a great £500 laptop. 

 

 8. MacBook Pro with Retina display 15-inch (2013)

Best Laptop for Video and Image Editing 

Key features: 

• 15.4-inch, 2,880 x 1,800 Retina display runs on quad-core Intel Core i7 processor Includes Intel Iris Pro graphics Like the iPad Air, Apple's 2013 refresh of the MacBook Pro line-up focuses on making them slimmer and lighter.
•  The 2013 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display still has the incredible screen from which its name is derived, and it remains 25% thinner and 20% lighter than the old MacBook Pro. 
• It's not just all about getting more bag-friendly with battery life given a boost and the screen is a killer feature. 
• If you are planning to use it for doing video and graphics work there are few that can rival its power and portability all in one slim, beautiful package.
•  If you have got the money to spend you won't be disappointed.

 

 9. Sony Vaio Pro 13

 

 Best Laptop for a MacBook Air Alternative 

Key features: 

• 13.3-inch 1,920 x 1,080 touchscreen display NFC enabled touchpad Weighs an incredibly light 1.06kg When Windows 8 laptops are busy trying to look like MacBook Air clones, the Sony Vaio Pro 13 does things differently. 
• The 13-inch Pro 13 is the world’s lightest ultrabook and features an exceptional 1,920 x 1,080 screen. 
• Considerably lighter than the 13-inch MacBook Air, the carbon fibre ultrabook has a comfortable backlit keyboard and plenty of connectivity. 
• A 1.5GHz dual-core i7 (Haswell) processor ensures it’s a great performer. While the £999 Pro 13 can’t match the battery life of the Air, it’s still a top of the range ultrabook worthy of its TrustedReviews Recommended badge.

 

 10. ASUS N550JV Laptop 

Best Desktop Replacement 

Key features: 

• 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 screen 8GB RAM, GeForce 750M graphics 1TB hard drive, 2.6kg While Ultrabooks and hybrids are all the rage these days, the Asus N550JV is the answer if all you really want is a larger, more powerful laptop for the home that will tackle pretty much anything you throw at it. 
• It has a fast processor that's comfortable with intensive tasks, and dedicated graphics for playing games at reasonable levels. 
• It's not a gaming laptop, but it's more than good enough for many people. 
• The screen is good, the design is understated yet attractive and there's a Blu-ray drive for watching HD films. 
• It's the perfect laptop for families or as an alternative to a desktop or all-in-one PC.