Which gamer laptop is best

Keep in mind that laptops with lower resolutions tend to have longer battery life overall. Depending what kind of games you're playing, particularly first person shooters and MOBA, you'll take anything that will enhance accuracy. Surprisingly, the higher a display's refresh rate is, the more accurate your shot become. It's a phenomenon that we've experienced first hand during many demos.

And while 60Hz is passable, right now we recommend investing in a panel with at least a Hz refresh rate. A couple of years ago, the answer to this question would have been undoubtedly Intel. Thanks to the architecture in the new Ryzen chips, they're super power efficient without sacrificing productivity. The Ryzen series CPUs have consistently impressed with its performance versus battery life. Not to be outdone, Intel's 11th Gen chips are nothing to sneeze at. Laptop manufacturers have started rolling out systems with the Intel's 11th Gen H-series Tiger Lake chips.

The nanometer chips are extremely powerful, but still at the low-end of the spectrum with the overclockable HK-series CPU, due to launch soon. Why do you want to invest in an overclockable processor, because with the touch of a button, you can squeeze even more power out of the system. It comes in handy when you're multitasking or playing a really demanding game.

Unless it's plugged in, gaming laptop battery life tends to be very short, especially when gaming. However, gaming laptop battery life has gotten increasing longer over the years. So much so, that anything under 4. But we've just reviewed our first gaming laptop that's lasted into the double digits.

With results like that, we expect gaming laptops will match their non-gaming counterparts sooner than later. Our most power efficient gaming laptop ran over 11 hours and sits on our longest-lasting laptops page.

You can spend a lot of time delving into specs, but here are the key components to think about. Laptop Mag has been testing and reviewing laptops for over two decades.

We test over different models per year, subjecting each system to a series of rigorous benchmarks that provides a complete picture of performance, battery life and usability. Our expert reviewers also use each product to see how it looks and feels in everyday situations.

Because we see so many different notebooks, we can compare each to its direct competitors and give you an idea of how it stacks up to the average laptop in its price band. Laptop Mag. Included in this guide: 1. Alienware m17 R4. The best gaming laptop overall offers big power in slim, redesigned chassis. Display: Weight: 6. Reasons to avoid - Poor battery life - Expensive.

Dell G3 An inexpensive gaming laptop with excellent performance and battery life. Weight: 5. Reasons to avoid - Dull display. Display: inch, p. Weight: 4. Lenovo Legion 5 Pro. A gaming laptops with massive performance at a reasonable price. Storage: GB M.

Alienware X Storage:: Dual 1TB M. Display:: Weight:: 6. Reasons to avoid - Expensive - Runs a bit warm. Weight: 2. Reasons to avoid - Keys are a bit small - Display could be brighter and more vivid - Expensive. Size: Reasons to avoid - No webcam - Thick chassis.

Acer Predator Triton SE Display: inch p. Razer Blade Pro 17 Reasons to avoid - Expensive - Tends to run hot. Reasons to avoid - Weak audio - A bit pricey.

We were particularly impressed by how well those more power-hungry components played together in a cheaper chassis. The appearance of this laptop could be a point of contention, though, as we found the chassis to feel a bit old-fashioned for A dark iridescent finish and thick central hinge feel like throwbacks to a forgotten age of tech design that should perhaps have stayed in the past. As it stands, the G5 is a great all-rounder, ideal as a gift for a kid looking to break into PC gaming or the office employee consigned to remote working - and playing.

Note: There are a couple of versions of the G15 now, all with slight variations in configuration and display. The links here will still get you in the right place though, absolutely. The X-Series is Alienware's latest and greatest selection of laptops, designed to appeal to the brand's more premium customers looking for the very best gaming laptop money can buy. If you're after a larger display panel, the merits of the A choice of p or 4K display, a variety of RAM and storage specs, and either a membrane or compact mechanical keyboard makes it easy to tailor this laptop to your personal needs.

Even more entry level configurations will still set you back a bit of cash, but that's because of the premium additional features that make this one of the best rigs on the market.

This laptop looks and feels great, a statement piece for those who take their gaming seriously. A slimline design works nicely in this size, especially considering the additional bulk that a larger display usually brings with it.

However, you're also picking up a mechanical keyboard, plenty of ports, and a gorgeous display panel up top. If you're looking to splash the cash on something that's truly going to make a statement, the Alienware X17 is an excellent option.

Read more: Alienware X17 review. For those looking to wield genuine power - of the ray-tracing kind - with genuine portability, with a splash of style then the Asus Zephyrus G14 is for you. This blends components from the two major players and implements them excellently to offer balanced performance without totally destroying the wallet and bank balance.

It's excellent value. This balance and performance come from the use of AMD Ryzen processors and Nvidia graphics card - with the ability to choose a ray-tracing capable card too. This is a great match and is something ASUS particularly have nailed. Throw in as great battery life that will last you all day long, a speedy display with a Hz refresh rate on an IPS-level screen, and a lightweight, ultrathin design and you have one of the best small gaming laptops going right now.

This is our favorite, and the very best gaming laptop you can buy right now. Razer is absolute stalwarts in the gaming laptops business now, offering a refined and powerful selection of gaming-focused Razer laptops. Its sheer excellence is plentiful and comes in many areas, the first and instantly noticeable one is the design.

It's a sleek machine, oozing elegance and lacking any garish or questionable design motifs, sporting only some traditional Razer green in its ports and a Razer serpent as the machine's emblem. It's also pretty light and very thin which is astonishing considering the powerful components found within.

Yes, the Pro 17 model will bag you some extra screen space and a slightly heftier machine, but, on balance, this is probably the best laptop you could buy right now for gaming. Team this with a Razer headset , Razer controller , or some of the best Razer streaming gear going and you'll be racing toward an ideal gaming setup based on performance - but built around a machine that still offers portability.

We've been using it for a little while and it's one of the best gaming laptops we've had in recent times, and it was certainly one of the top laptops of It's a great gaming laptop that munches through anything you throw at it, and it offers that sneak into ray-tracing.

However, the TUF A15's sheer gaming chops offered by the graphics card and processor, teamed with impressive battery life, still make it a great option and one that you won't look back on. At just below the four-figure mark, or less! This great laptop shows that the best gaming laptops aren't just going to cost you an arm and a leg.

The Asus ROG Zephyrus GA is a well-performing entry- to mid-level portable machine that knows what it is and is comfortable in its own limitations and capabilities. These front line specs are not mind-blowing by any means but the performance they combine to create is incredibly solid and will have you beaming if you're happy to be in the middle of the pack. It offers a more affordable, but still quality, way into PC gaming and will have you playing any AAA game you desire like The Division 2 or Shadow of the Tomb Raider , steadily and confidently, just on graphical settings turned down a notch or two.

Turning down the graphics is really no big deal now as today's mediums are still great, matching the highs and ultras of a few years ago. Elsewhere, it will absolutely fly with more 'lightweight' games however, like Rocket League, Fortnite and Overwatch. All in this will play everything you want, bag you a stylish and modern gaming laptop and won't totally ruin your bank balance doing so.

The latest in a burgeoning line of super-portable best gaming laptop contenders, the MSI Stealth 15M manages to pack some top line specs into a compact chassis and still pulls off some incredible performance in the process.

You'll be pushing p titles at between 50 and 60fps reliably here, with a little leeway in more and less demanding titles as well. With Nvidia's next-gen GPU at the helm, albeit the entry level model, you're getting buttery smooth gameplay across a range of titles, though those framerates won't quite be pushing the Hz display to its full potential. All that power must come with a drawback, though, and with so much crammed in under the hood here, cooling and battery certainly suffers the consequences.

This machine can get particularly hot, especially underneath the main body. If placed on a desktop you won't tend to notice this issue too much - it'll be the constant hum and random whirrs of the fans that will take some getting used to instead. If you're after a machine that will sit as well in a backpack as it would on a full gaming desk setup this is certainly an interesting choice.

Performance remains smooth and excellent though don't expect to be hitting Ultra settings with wild abandon. Sporting the brand new hardware combo that comes from blending a 10th-generation Intel processor with one of Nvidia's high-end series graphics cards, the MSI GE66 Raider is one of the best gaming laptops for when considering power alone.

It'll handle anything thrown at it, on the highest settings and if you go for one of the north-ofHz screen options it'll all be as smooth as you like too. The design is slick and sleek, and very , with a smart RGB band at the front, two solid speakers built into the modern chassis, and an overall weight and size combo that registers very pleasingly too. Elsewhere, the keyboard is a slight weak point and is just OK, but the mouse pad is solid, the camera is good and the If you're looking for one of the best of and don't mind spending handsomely, then this is a great laptop for you.

The Razer Blade Pro 17 is the choice for gamers-on-the-go who demand the absolute best from their portable hardware and are looking for a desktop experience they can carry in their bag. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission.

See our ethics statement. The best gaming laptops are changing every year. The early days of mobile gaming were largely desktop replacements — clunky chassis, multiple power bricks, and RGB lighting galore. But the top contenders now are different. Manufacturers are finally putting powerful specs in sleeker, more portable, and more professional builds. They have excellent, fast refreshing screens that are necessary for a great gaming experience.

It can handle the most demanding games on the market today and also makes a great daily driver. Some exciting updates are on the way. The QHD screen is another feature to watch for in the best gaming laptops.

These options can hit a sweet spot for many gamers: a better experience than p without the price premium or raw horsepower required for a 4K display. You can expect decently high refresh rates from these panels as well, depending on the model.

One more thing to keep in mind with the best gaming laptops is the power you can expect. Not all chips with the same name are created equal — the RTX in one laptop may not deliver the same frame rates as the RTX in another laptop due to its wattage as well as other factors like the processor and cooling.

We will note the wattage used in any laptops we review with the new RTX graphics cards.