The greatest gaming laptops give desktops a run for his or her cash, with the added conveniences of higher portability and a built-in show. Nevertheless, for all of the similarities these clamshell computer systems share with one of the best gaming PCs, they’ve many distinctive qualities you should think about earlier than shopping for. Whether or not you desire a desktop alternative or a mighty micro machine, we’re right here that can assist you discover the precise mannequin.
The newest laptops pack Nvidia GeForce RTX 40 or AMD Radeon RX 7000 sequence graphics, alongside AMD Ryzen 7000 and thirteenth Gen Intel Core processors, which is able to run one of the best PC video games easily. Larger-spec fashions will sometimes run scorching and loud underneath full load, because the elements inside them pull essentially the most energy and require extra energetic cooling.
Battery life is essential when shopping for a gaming laptop computer, however you’ll get essentially the most efficiency out of 1 by plugging it in. That is true at each worth level, from one of the best price range laptops to the most costly. Usually, essentially the most essential specs will likely be your GPU and CPU, as most fashions characteristic upgradeable RAM and SSD storage.
Different components like a laptop computer’s display screen additionally drastically impression the expertise of utilizing it, with the decision, refresh charge, and panel sort all affecting usability. Some even characteristic dual-mode shows, as seen in our Razer Blade 16 evaluation. We’re consistently testing the most recent gaming laptops so to purchase one of the best one to your price range and desires.
Why you may belief our recommendation ✔ At , our consultants spend hours testing {hardware} and reviewing video games and VPNs. We share trustworthy, unbiased opinions that can assist you purchase one of the best. Discover out how we check.
Finest gaming laptops in 2024:
Finest gaming laptop computer for many
Alienware M16 R2 specs:
| CPU |
Intel Core Extremely 7 155H |
| GPU |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 |
| RAM |
32GB (2 x 16GB) 5,600MHz DDR5 SODIMM |
| Show |
16-inch 2,560 x 1,600, 240Hz, IPS |
| Storage |
1TB Samsung PM9A1 PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD |
| Battery |
90WHrs |
| Dimension |
36.4 x 24.9 x 2.4cm |
| Weight |
5.75lbs (2.61kg) |
Causes to purchase
- Stable 1080p gaming efficiency
- Nice 240Hz IPS display screen
- Respectable construct high quality
Causes to keep away from
- Display screen isn’t OLED
- Chunky chassis
- Can’t deal with 1600p gaming
The Alienware M16 R2 is now the gaming laptop computer to beat, providing a good spec, an excellent display screen, and upgradable components, all in a well-built chassis that retains the machine cool. We examined the RTX 4070 spec with a Core Extremely 7 155H CPU and located it to be severely potent for 1080p gaming, averaging 102fps in Cyberpunk 2077 with the Extremely ray tracing preset with some assist from DLSS.
When you don’t get an OLED display screen with this machine, as you do on the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16, the equipped 240Hz panel remains to be glorious and has a pin-sharp 2,560 x 1,600 decision. The RTX 4070 mannequin struggles with video games at excessive settings at this decision so that you’ll want a mannequin with an RTX 4080 if you wish to push the decision past 1,920 x 1,080.
We significantly like that this machine makes use of commonplace SODIMM slots for reminiscence, and has two M.2 SSD connectors (one among which is free), relatively than soldering these components to the motherboard, which means you may improve them. It’s additionally nice to see 32GB of RAM in the usual $1,999 spec. It’s not fairly a slam dunk – it’s disappointing that there’s no OLED display screen on a laptop computer at this worth, for instance, however Alienware has in any other case struck the stability excellent.
Even the value is cheap, significantly for those who look out for offers on Finest Purchase or Dell’s web site, the place you may recurrently save just a few hundred bucks on this machine.
Learn our Alienware M16 R2 evaluation.
Finest 14-inch gaming laptop computer
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 specs:
| CPU |
AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS |
| GPU |
As much as Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 (90W) |
| RAM |
As much as 32GB (2 x 16GB) LPDDR5X-6400 |
| Show |
14-inch, 2,880 x 1800, 120Hz, OLED |
| Storage |
1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD |
| Battery |
73WHrs |
| Dimension |
31.1 x 22.0 x 1.6cm |
| Weight |
3.1kg |
Causes to purchase
- Good gaming efficiency
- Deliciously premium construct high quality
- Shiny OLED show with G-Sync help
Causes to keep away from
- Soldered RAM can’t be upgraded
- Minor spec upgrades from final yr
- Tough to run some video games at native decision
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is as spectacular as 14-inch gaming laptops get, deftly balancing efficiency and portability in a premium package deal. It falls simply shy of perfection, owing to minor flaws, however they’re rapidly forgiven or forgotten when you begin enjoying.
Distinctive to the Zephyrus G14 is a beautiful, shiny OLED panel that helps Nvidia G-Sync, making for a elegant viewing expertise. Whereas all content material on this display screen advantages from its unbelievable coloration copy and distinction, video games particularly shine due to the show’s glorious response instances, made all the higher by the dearth of display screen tearing.
Whereas its native 1800p decision is supremely sharp, with 243 pixels per inch, it could actually be fiddly to handle given the capabilities of its GeForce RTX 4060 and 4070 graphics. Whereas that is simply solved with just a few clicks, through downscaling or DLSS upscaling, it does damage the premium, design-first really feel of the Zephyrus G14, albeit barely.
Soldered RAM proves the largest flaw of the Zephyrus G14, making it virtually essential to get the 32GB mannequin for longevity. Should you can stretch your budgets additional, you’ll discover your money nicely spent.
Learn our Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 evaluation.
Finest premium gaming laptop computer
Razer Blade 16 (2024) specs:
| GPU |
As much as Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 |
| CPU |
Intel Core i9 14900HX |
| RAM |
As much as 64GB |
| Storage |
As much as 4TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSSTC SSD |
| Show |
16-inch 240Hz OLED 2,560 x 1,440, or 16-inch twin UHD+FHD mini-LED |
| Battery |
95.2WHrs |
Causes to purchase
- Glorious construct high quality
- Implausible OLED show
- Respectable gaming efficiency
Causes to keep away from
- Shiny display screen could be very reflective
- Very costly for specs
- Irritating fan noise
If you would like the absolute best and are ready to pay for it, the most recent Razer Blade 16 is as stylish because it will get. Its construct high quality is excellent, and its aluminum chassis appears to be like and seems like a premium product while you decide it up. You actually see what you’ve paid for while you open it up and see the OLED display screen, although. The show is unbelievable, with deep blacks, excessive distinction, and vivid colours.
You get some severely highly effective specs too, with a 24-core Intel Core i9 14900HX CPU underneath the hood. This processor is arguably overkill for gaming, but it surely means you are able to do virtually something with this machine, together with closely multi-threaded work comparable to video encoding. There’s a alternative of GPUs as nicely, and the GeForce RTX 4070 mannequin held up nicely in our testing, even managing to play Cyberpunk 2077 at 74fps with the Extremely ray tracing preset at 2,560 x 1,600, due to some assist from Nvidia’s DLSS 3 body era tech.
Nevertheless, you pay a excessive worth – even larger than the Blade 16 (2023). The bottom spec will set you again $2,999 and solely comes with a 1TB SSD and 16GB of RAM. We additionally discovered that the Blade 16’s display screen might be overly reflective underneath shiny gentle, making plenty of fan noise when working exhausting. If that’s not a difficulty and you’ve got the cash, that is essentially the most trendy and highly effective gaming laptop computer on the checklist.
Learn our Razer Blade 16 (2024) evaluation.
HP Omen 16 specs:
| GPU |
As much as Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 (145W) |
| CPU |
As much as Intel Core i9 13900HX |
| RAM |
As much as 32GB |
| Storage |
As much as 2TB |
| Show |
As much as 16.1-inch QHD (2560 x 1440) 240Hz |
| Battery |
70Whr |
Causes to purchase
- Nice connectivity for a slim laptop computer
- 7 hours of normal use battery
Causes to keep away from
- Restricted GPU choices
- Fundamental aesthetic
You don’t have to bend backward to satisfy the costs of highly effective gaming laptops to have a strong gaming expertise, and the HP Omen 16 is proof of that. Costing simply over $1,000 / £1,000 for its base spec, the worth it gives budget-conscious players is stark.
To hit this worth level, HP has neatly focussed on what issues most a few laptop computer (its efficiency) however this does imply that the system isn’t the flashiest round. Whereas its cooling resolution is admirably enough, it could actually get loud and scorching for those who push it exhausting sufficient.
Iit doesn’t skimp on connectivity or battery life, making it an excellent machine for gaming and light-weight duties comparable to workplace work or research.
Learn our HP Omen 16 evaluation.
Finest 16-inch gaming laptop computer
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 specs:
| CPU |
Intel Core Extremely 9 185H |
| GPU |
As much as Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 (115W) |
| RAM |
As much as 32GB (2 x 16GB) LPDDR5X 7,467MHz |
| Show |
16-inch, 2,560 x 1,600, 240Hz, OLED |
| Storage |
As much as 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD |
| Battery |
90WHrs |
| Dimension |
35.4 x 24.6 x 1.49cm |
| Weight |
1.95kg |
Causes to purchase
- Beautiful OLED display screen with G-Sync help
- Implausible construct high quality and design
- Truthful worth
Causes to keep away from
- RTX 4090 mannequin doesn’t have sufficient GPU energy
- Soldered RAM can’t be upgraded
- RTX 4060 model not out there worldwide
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 is a good instance of high-quality craftsmanship and design in a gaming laptop computer. Its CNC-machined aluminum chassis appears to be like and feels luxurious, and its 16-inch OLED display screen gives wonderful distinction and HDR copy, supporting Nvidia G-Sync, which eliminates tearing artifacts in video games.
The value can be surprisingly beneficiant for the spec and construct high quality you get. All variations of this laptop computer characteristic the identical unbelievable OLED display screen and Intel Core Extremely 9 185H CPU, which has six of Intel’s newest Meteor Lake P-Cores, and eight E-Cores, with a peak 5.1GHz increase clock.
We advocate going for the cheaper RTX 4080 or 4070 model of this laptop computer, because the RTX 4090 in our check pattern was restricted to 115W, which meant you didn’t get a lot of a efficiency benefit. Each GPUs help Nvidia’s newest DLSS 3 suite of applied sciences, together with AI body era to spice up efficiency.
The one important downer is that the ROG Zephyrus G16 makes use of soldered reminiscence, relatively than replaceable modules, which suggests you’re caught with the configuration you purchase. For that reason, go for a 32GB configuration for those who can afford it, to purchase you as a lot future-proofing time as doable. In any other case, it is a deliciously premium laptop computer with a great deal of gaming efficiency within the financial institution, and with nice worth.
Learn our Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 evaluation.
Finest 18-inch gaming laptop computer
Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 specs:
| CPU |
Intel Core i9 14900HX (65W) |
| GPU |
As much as Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 (175W) |
| RAM |
32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR5-5600 |
| Show |
14-inch, 2,880 x 1800, 120Hz, OLED |
| Storage |
4TB (2TB + 2TB) PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD (RAID 0) |
| Battery |
90 WHrs |
| Dimension |
15.71 x 11.57 x 1.21 in |
| Weight |
6.61 lbs (3 kg) |
Causes to purchase
- Beautiful Mini LED panel
- Sturdy gaming efficiency
- Comparatively small and lightweight
Causes to keep away from
- Terrible audio system
- Poor battery life
- Aggressive gamer aesthetic
Greater doesn’t all the time imply higher, however the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 makes a robust case in favor of 18-inch laptops. Serving up top-tier specs, together with a Core i9 14900HX processor and as much as GeForce RTX 4090 graphics, moveable gaming doesn’t get a lot quicker than this. However it does come at a considerable price.
The Strix Scar 18 incorporates a newly improved show. Changing the aged IPS display screen from final yr’s laptop computer, this new Mini LED panel is gorgeous, responsive, sharp, and makes for a superb HDR expertise. Its chassis, regardless of its admittedly cool semi-transparent end, is much less straightforward on the eyes although, adopting a typical ‘gamer’ aesthetic.
The ROG Strix Scar 18 gained’t break your again or financial institution, both (comparatively talking), because it’s one of many extra inexpensive and lighter 18-inch gaming laptops out there. The one downer is the sound high quality from the audio system, which we discovered weak and tinny.
In our testing, the Strix Scar 18 turned in robust efficiency throughout our testing suite, with body charges similar to a desktop GeForce RTX 4070 Tremendous, showcasing the complete energy of a GeForce RTX 4090 cell GPU working at 175W. It additionally turns in nice CPU efficiency, with the Core i9 14900HX clocking in equally to a Core i5 14600K. Suffice it to say, this machine will deal with just about something you throw at it.
Learn our Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 evaluation.
How to decide on one of the best gaming laptop computer
Display screen
The display screen is likely one of the core areas of your laptop computer, and you’ll’t swap it out, so that you need to be sure you get one that can fulfill your wants. For gaming, your display screen ought to have not less than a 1,920 x 1,080 decision, and we advocate going for a 14-16-inch display screen measurement. Should you’re into fast-paced aggressive first-person shooters, it’s price paying for a display screen with a excessive refresh charge too. For most individuals’s wants, a 120Hz display screen will likely be quick sufficient, whereas 240Hz screens can be found for many who play esports video games at excessive body charges.
Nevertheless, keep in mind that even one of the best cell gaming GPUs will wrestle to play the most recent video games at first rate body charges on excessive settings at 4K. It’s nonetheless price shopping for a laptop computer with a high-res display screen for the advantages it brings to engaged on the transfer, however it’s possible you’ll nicely have to drop the decision to 1,920 x 1,080 if you wish to allow ray tracing in Cyberpunk 2077.
A few of the newest gaming laptops include an OLED display screen, and it’s price paying for this in case your price range can stretch to it. Not solely do OLED screens supply vivid colours and excessive distinction, with actually deep blacks relatively than washed-out grays, however they’re additionally extraordinarily fast and responsive, which is nice for fast-paced gaming.
GPU
The principle part to take a look at in a gaming laptop computer specs checklist is the GPU, as that is the half that can have the largest impression on gaming efficiency. We advocate the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 because the minimal (with the RTX 4070 being one of the best all-round choice), however you additionally have to see if the specs checklist states the utmost energy allotted to the laptop computer, which is usually listed because the TDP. Laptop computer makers can limit the quantity of energy out there to the GPU to save lots of on battery life and stop overheating in some laptop computer circumstances, and this impacts efficiency.
CPU
The following massive half is the CPU, and AMD is the present king right here with its newest Ryzen 8000-series and 7000-series chips. You need not less than six cores for gaming (which means six P-Cores on an Intel CPU), and the quicker the clock pace, the quicker your video games will run. Intel presently has two important laptop computer choices – Meteor Lake (Core Extremely) and Raptor Lake (14th-gen Core i-series), and each have execs and cons.
Intel’s newest Core Extremely CPUs are extra power-efficient, however have fewer cores and decrease clock speeds, whereas its Raptor Lake CPUs, such because the Core i9 14900HX, are extraordinarily highly effective, however are additionally comparatively hot-running and power-hungry.
RAM and storage
We additionally advocate choosing not less than 16GB of RAM, and ideally extra – 16GB is okay for gaming, however 32GB is useful for those who’re more likely to have plenty of apps and browser tabs open while you’re working. You’ll desire a first rate quantity of space for storing too, with 1TB providing you a good quantity of room for just a few sport installs.
Upgradability
Not like a desktop PC, you gained’t have the ability to improve most of the core elements of your laptop computer’s spec, together with the CPU, and GPU, however it’s possible you’ll nicely have the ability to improve the storage and reminiscence at a later date. Verify for this in our evaluations, in addition to the specs lists, as some laptops use soldered reminiscence, which you’ll’t improve, and likewise solely have one M.2 slot for an SSD. Should you purchase a 16GB laptop computer with soldered reminiscence, then it is going to have a restricted lifespan, as you gained’t have the ability to improve to 32GB later.
Weight
Should you’re more likely to recurrently carry your laptop computer in a backpack, whether or not it’s to be used on the prepare or taking to occasions, you’ll begin to really feel the burden in your shoulders if it’s heavy. That’s not such a giant concern for those who simply desire a massive laptop computer that’s primarily going to take a seat in your desk, however for those who’re going to be lugging your laptop computer round recurrently, we advocate a laptop computer weight of underneath 2.5kg, and underneath 2kg if doable.
Construct high quality
The standard of the supplies used to construct your laptop computer can have a big effect on the value, in addition to its sturdiness and, after all, appears to be like. Usually, paying for a laptop computer with steel development, relatively than plastic, will imply there’s extra safety for the display screen and elements when it’s being transported in your bag, and it could actually additionally make the laptop computer extra environment friendly at expelling warmth from the recent elements.
Finest gaming laptop computer FAQ
Are gaming laptops price the price?
A standard false impression is that each one gaming laptops are too costly and never price the price. Not like desktops, the place you may decide and select your elements and construct them your self, gaming laptops cost a premium for being a pre-built package deal designed to attain one of the best gaming efficiency doable (inside the limits of its specs).
So long as you’ve researched the specs you need, you’ll see that gaming laptops observe a typical pricing construction with solely sure manufacturers charging nicely above these prices based mostly on their proprietary options. All in all, the comfort of a gaming laptop computer is price the price.
How lengthy ought to a gaming laptop computer final?
Gaming laptops are likely to have a shorter lifespan than a typical daily-use machine. That is because of the pressure they carry out underneath whereas gaming. We’d say {that a} gaming laptop computer ought to final anyplace between three and 5 years if well-maintained. This implies common cleansing and making certain your sport settings are optimized so your {hardware} isn’t working extra time each time you boot up a sport.
What measurement display screen is greatest for a gaming laptop computer?
This resolution may come down to private choice, however we consider 17.3 inches is the perfect display screen measurement for gaming. You will see that 15-inch screens are the commonest, however our reasoning behind 17.3 inches is about greater than display screen actual property.
A bigger display screen comes with a bigger body, which may usually permit producers to implement a greater cooling system to maintain your laptop computer at a extra manageable temperature for longer gaming periods. It’ll additionally come right down to the expertise included with the display screen, as we’d take a 15-inch 4K 144Hz OLED show over a 17.3-inch 1080p 60Hz choice any day.
↑ Again to high
