If you want a great gaming experience and your budget is quite large, you should probably buy the Razer Blade Pro 17. Its fantastic screen can keep up with the action without a problem, it has high-end hardware for playing all the latest games, and it looks pretty great, too. Whether you’re looking for the ultimate gaming machine or a scrappy budget option, here are our picks for the best gaming laptops from top brands. While the Blade Pro 17 is slim and relatively portable, it’s best used as a desktop replacement, saving you the space required at home for a monitor, tower unit, and accessories. With a fast processor, a significant amount of memory, and plenty of storage, you’re guaranteed fast performance whatever you plan on doing. Screen Size: 17.3 in. | Resolution: 2560x1440 | CPU: Intel Core i7-11800H | GPU: Nvidia RTX 3070 | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 1TB SSD | Touchscreen: No While it’s ideal for extended typing sessions, the Predator Helios 300 is also a fairly capable gaming system. It’s VR-ready if you plan on donning a virtual reality headset for more immersive gaming. Plus, its display can keep up with plenty of fast-moving action, thanks to speedy response times that limit the chance of screen blur. The Predator Helios 300 is an ideal multi-purpose laptop that even features a respectable six-hour battery life—something that many gaming laptops struggle with. Screen Size: 13.3 in. | Resolution: 1920x1080 | CPU: Intel Core i7-11800H | GPU: Nvidia Geforce RTX 3060 | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512GB SSD | Touchscreen: No The Stealth 13 offers a lot of desirable features in a small package, including a high refresh rate 13.1-inch display (meaning the display refreshes quickly and looks smoother) and a high-performance processor. You also get plenty of RAM (computer memory) and a reasonably sizeable solid state drive (SSD) for storage. One potential downside is the price; you’ve got to pay a considerable premium for this kind of ultra-portable power. Screen Size: 13.3 in. | Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | CPU: Intel Core i7-1165G7 | GPU: Nvidia Geforce GTX 1650 TI Max-Q | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512GB SSD | Touchscreen: No Beyond the impressive storage, the Strix SCAR 17 is an amazing gaming machine with the latest-and-greatest graphics processing unit (GPU), plenty of Random Access Memory (RAM), and a powerful Ryzen 9 processor. Its 17.3-inch display is spacious, and though it offers only 1080p resolution (versus laptops with double the screen resolution and quality), it makes up for that with a very high refresh rate that takes full advantage of all the power packed into this gaming laptop. Screen Size: 17.3 in. | Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX | GPU: Nvidia RTX 3080 | RAM: 32GB | Storage: 2TB SSD | Touchscreen: No It’s not the most souped-up laptop on this list, but the Zephyrus G14 stands out for its excellent battery life, compact form factor, and relatively decent value. Screen Size: 14 in. | Resolution: 1920x1080 | CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX | GPU: Nvidia RTX 3060 | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 1TB SSD | Touchscreen: No With the G15 you get a slightly larger 15.6-inch display, and more importantly, a ridiculously high 300Hz refresh rate. That’s an impressive stat as many gamers look for at least a 144Hz refresh rate for gaming. While you’re paying a few hundred dollars more for the G15 and you’re sacrificing some storage space, you’re getting a display that exceeds the value of the reduced storage and increased price. The Strix G15 may not be cheap, but it does provide excellent value for the money. Screen Size: 15.6 in. | Resolution: 1920x1080 | CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX | GPU: Nvidia RTX 3060 | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512GB SSD | Touchscreen: No The most significant downsides are that you’re stuck with a usable but less-than-ideal 8GB of RAM and a very small 256GB SSD. However, these are the compromises you make to drive that price down. Its 1080p screen is a slightly odd size at 16.1 inches, but that extra space is good for gaming. Screen Size: 16.1 in. | Resolution: 1920x1080 | CPU: Intel Core i5-11400H | GPU: Nvidia RTX 3050 | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 256GB SSD | Touchscreen: No The Zephyrus S17 has several major upgrades over the competition to justify that sky-high price. For one, not many laptops have a top-of-the-line Intel Core i9 processor in them, nor three terabytes of storage. Also, with the S17, you get a high refresh rate display that gives you tons of detail with 4K resolution. And, for a laptop with such impressive capabilities, it doesn’t sacrifice much in terms of portability. This laptop isn’t the device most gamers can or should buy, but it’s the one all of us want. Screen Size: 17.3 in. | Resolution: 3840x2160 | CPU: Intel Core i9-11900H | GPU: Nvidia RTX 3080 | RAM: 32GB | Storage: 3TB SSD | Touchscreen: No
Memory
If you buy a gaming laptop that doesn’t have a decent amount of RAM (memory), you’re just setting yourself up for disappointment. 16GB is the minimum most gaming laptops need, although 8GB is adequate for a budget gaming laptop if you’re willing to play games at lower settings. It’s also important that the video card has its own video RAM (VRAM) for storing and displaying images, so check that the GPU offers it.
Processor
The central processing unit or processor (CPU) is also an essential consideration in gaming laptops, even if it does take a back seat to the GPU. Most great gaming laptops come with at least an AMD Ryzen or Intel Core i7 processor, but you may be able to get by with less. Just make sure the processor doesn’t clock in below the recommended specifications for your favorite games, or performance will be a lot slower.
About Our Trusted Experts
Jennifer Allen has been writing about technology since 2010. She specializes in iOS and Apple technology, as well as video games. She’s been a regular tech columnist for Paste Magazine, written for Wareable, TechRadar, Mashable, and PC World, as well as more diverse outlets including Playboy and Eurogamer. Andy Zahn is a writer specializing in consumer technology, including gaming laptops. He’s reviewed cameras, weather stations, noise-canceling headphones, and more for Lifewire. Jonno Hill is a writer who covers tech such as computers, gaming equipment, and cameras for Lifewire and publications including AskMen.com and PCMag.com.
