The finest gaming laptop is a work of art. A sleek and portable piece of PC gaming hardware that is very powerful. We’ve reached a stage in PC technology where you can get desktop gaming performance in a laptop that’s less than an inch thick and small enough to fit in a backpack.
You’ve made the wise decision to purchase a gaming laptop. The next generation of mobile GPU and CPU is only now hitting the market, bringing the best of Nvidia, AMD, and Intel. I’ve already examined the alternatives, and the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is the greatest gaming laptop. It renders the greatest RTX 4090 gaming laptops, such as the Razer Blade 16 and Asus ROG Zephyrus M16, as well as the absolutely absurd MSI Titan GT77 HX, obsolete.
But we know that even these new chips will be housed in the same chassis that we’ve learned to appreciate over the last year. Furthermore, the price of last-generation devices should fall in the immediate term, making this inflection point between two hardware generations an ideal moment to start looking for a new gaming laptop.
Every year, we put hundreds of gaming laptops through their paces. The ones on the list offer the best bang for your buck—the best combination of performance, pricing, and portability.
1. Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (Gen8) – The best overall
From the new machines we’ve evaluated this generation, the Lenovo Legion Pro is the best gaming laptop. It’s also the best 16-inch notebook, our new favourite form size, with the nicest panels we’ve seen in modern computers.
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Up to Core i9 13900HXGPU: RTX 4090, RTX 4080, or RTX 4070RAM: Up to 32GB DDR5Screen: 2560 x 1600, 16:10 aspect ratioStorage: Up to 2TB Gen 4 SSDBattery: Up to 99.99WhDimensions: 10.32 x 14.3 x 0.86–1.01 inches, weight: 6.17lbs
REASONS TO BUY
+ Solid, grown-up chassis
+ Excellent CPU performance
+ Competitive price
REASONS TO AVOID
– Weak battery life
– 1600p screen isn’t the most punchy
2. Gigabyte G5 (2023) – The best value
Gigabyte has built the most inexpensive, most powerful budget gaming laptop on the market by simply sliding either the RTX 4060 or RTX 4050 into its last-gen chassis. It’s an excellent combination of value and gaming silicon.
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Up to Intel Core i7 12th GenGPU: Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060RAM: Up to 32GB DDR5-4800Screen: 15.6-inch IPS 1080p @ 144HzStorage: 512GB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDBattery: 54WhDimensions: 14.2 x 9.4 x 0.89 inchesWeight: 4.19lbs
REASONS TO BUY
+ Great gaming performance
+ Nice-looking screen
+ Solid chassis
+ Easy to upgrade storage
+ Roughly the price of a similar RTX 30-series model
REASONS TO AVOID
– Loud under load
– Larger SSD upgrade is a must
– Would prefer more P-cores
3. Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 – The best 14-inch
If a 15-inch notebook is too large for your lap, the G14 is the notebook for you. It’s the greatest of the current breed of small-screen gaming laptops, thanks to its combination of AMD’s best and a relatively lower price point than Razer’s Blade 14.
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 6900HSGPU: Up to AMD Radeon RX 6800SRAM: Up to 32GB DDR5-4800Screen: 14-inch IPS 1600p @ 120HzStorage: 1TB SSD NVMe PCIe 4.0Battery: 76WhDimensions: 12.28 x 8.94 x 0.73 inchesWeight: 3.79lbs
REASONS TO BUY
+ AMD’s latest CPU and GPU
+ Fantastic gaming performance
+ Sturdy and stylish chassis
+ 16:10, 2560 x 1600, 120Hz IPS panel
REASONS TO AVOID
– Not quite as affordable as I’d expect from G14.
– Disappointing gaming battery life
4. Razer Blade 15 – The best 15-inch
The Blade 15 is the gaming laptop’s holy grail. The MacBook design and desktop gaming capabilities. They’re beautiful pieces of brushed black aluminum with really powerful gaming hardware baked inside.
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Up to Core i9 13800HGPU: Up to RTX 4070RAM: Up to 32GB DDR5Screen: 1080p @ 360H or 1440p @ 240HzStorage: Up to 1TB SSDBattery: 80WhDimensions: 9.25 x 13.98 x 0.67 inchesWeight: 4.40lbs
REASONS TO BUY
+ Unparalleled build quality
+ Wide range of CPU/GPU options
+ Looks as good as it performs
+ Great battery life
REASONS TO AVOID
– Trackpad can be awkward
– Razer premium price
5. Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023) – The best 17-inch
The big-boi Asus Scar 17 delivers us the latest AMD mobile processor, which also happens to be the greatest laptop CPU available now. It’s a beast when combined with the RTX 4090 and a 17-inch screen.
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7945HXGPU: Up to Nvidia RTX 4090RAM: Up to 32GB DDR5-4800Screen: 17.3-inch 1440p @ 240HzStorage: Up to 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSDBattery: 90WhDimensions: 15.55 x 11.10 x 0.92 inchesWeight: 6.61lbs
REASONS TO BUY
+ That new AMD CPU is a star
+ RTX 4090 can flex its gaming muscles
+ Relatively slim chassis for a 17-inches
+ More affordable than equivalent specs
REASONS TO AVOID
– Poor ergonomics
– Terrible trackpad
– Weak battery life
– Can get loud
