The 19 Best Gaming Laptops of September 2023

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For long, laptop computers were a convenient way to do your work on the go, surf the internet, or watch a movie without being tied to your desk. PC gaming was reserved for their desktop counterparts. However, with the advancement of technology, smaller chips, lighter hardware, more efficient graphic cards, and the introduction of SSD hard disks, laptops are now packing enough power to stand toe-to-toe with any desktop computer when it comes to hardcore gaming.

A laptop for gaming even offers some significant advantages. Most of all, comfortability, mobility, and the chance to take your gaming with you wherever you go. On the downside, they are usually more expensive than similar desktop configurations and often lack the options to customize and upgrade. For these reasons, you need to be extra careful when trying to shop for the best gaming laptop. You need to make sure that the chosen machine will serve you for at least a few years since you won’t be able to improve it that much. At the same time, you have to think about your budget but still want to end up with one of the top gaming laptops.

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What Are the Best Laptops Brands

But first, let’s see what are the best laptop brands. Pay attention to the fact that some of the best brands are not that suitable for gamers. For example, there’s no denying the quality of Apple laptops, but if gaming is your priority, then they are probably not the best solution. On the other hand, some brands are not that widely known but are specialized in gaming and produce beastly machines that easily handle even the most demanding games.

Acer

Acer features an extremely versatile portfolio of gaming laptops. Their products come both under the regular Acer Brand, and Predator, laptops specifically intended for gaming. Gaming oriented models under the Acer brand usually end up with a letter G. They were known for a long time as a manufacturer of best budget gaming laptops, but lately, they released several high-end machines that belong at the top-end of the category. Acer is always up-to-date with gaming world innovations and among the first to implement all the latest technology in their laptops.

Asus

With their two gaming sub-brand – TUF and ROG (Republic of Gamers), Taiwanese manufacturer Asus deservedly belongs in the top tier of the industry. while TUF laptops are in the mid-class of gaming laptops, ROG ones are the high-end products that offer the ultimate gaming experience. Asus is famous for great battery life, full HD displays, and decent performance even with their budget gaming laptops. They pride themselves in near-perfect design and the implementation of advanced technologies, such as detachable webcams and anti-dust coolers. Since their motherboards are produced in-house, they’re usually able to offer more competitive prices than their competition.

Dell

For decades, Dell laptops have been a synonym for quality. They tried and succeeded to keep everything, from design to superior tech support, up to their high standards. They have a basic gaming G series but with their gaming sub-brand – Alienware, Dell has become a serious player in the gaming industry. Their computers have been voted as the best gaming laptop 2019 and 2020 in numerous publications. They regularly feature smooth graphics, capable processing, and superior displays. Besides, unlike many competitors, Alienware laptops for gaming are very customizable and a lot of their components can be upgraded.

HP

HP is usually associated with high-quality reliable and durable office products. But, with Omen series they have staked their claim for a place among the best gaming laptop brands. Omen series has over-clocking support, slick design, superb audio features, and provides an excellent performance. also, HP’s security features are second to none which is particularly important in the gaming world since the majority of activity takes place online and in the shared environment.

MSI

More than other brands, MSI is a name predominantly focused on top-notch machines perfect for all the gamers out there. Even though they are usually very expensive, the quality of their products will satisfy even the most demanding gamers. MSI has a whole lineup of products that are characterized by their excellent performance, expansive screen space, and sleek chassis. Additionally, they offer free protection from accidental damages which can occur quite often if you take your gaming with you on the road.

Razer

Performance-focused and durable, Razer products are a pretty good choice if you’re looking for a good gaming laptop, but you’re not concerned about the budget. They rarely come under $1000. But, they more than justify their price with high-end graphics, premium materials, durable design, and efficient cooling. Razor computers also stand out from the crowd due to their original, attractive, and colorful design.

Lenovo

Lenovo is another premium laptop brand know for high quality, but also high prices. Still, they offer some affordable options that have a place at the top of the budget class. Lenovo’s primary customers are business users, but they have also developed a gaming line of products under the Legion sub-brand.

How to Find the Right Gaming Laptop

Purchasing a gaming laptop, obviously, presents a significant investment. Especially if you want the machine that will have no problem supporting all the latest games. And, as we all know, every year we see new games appear demanding even more power and better performance. So, if you want a computer that will serve you for a decent amount of time be careful and think hard. Furthermore, every one of us has its preferred game genre and a specific gaming style. For example, if you plan on only playing Minecraft, you will do just fine with a regular run-of-the-mill laptop.

You should take it all into account when trying to decide on best buy gaming laptops. Here are several factors you should pay attention to while searching for the best gaming laptop deals.

Processing Power

The first thing you should look at when buying a laptop for gaming is the processor. Most of the latest games require a lot of processing power, so this should be the first stop when you realize that the regular laptop just won’t do. Moreover, if you’re int multiplayer titles since, in that case, your machine needs to process dozens of players. Even if you have an extremely powerful GPU, the poor CPU performance can be a bottleneck of your system and hold back the graphic card from working to its full potential. A bare minimum for gaming is Intel Cole I5 or AMD equivalent, but if you have the opportunity look for 8th or 9th generation four or six-core CPU.

Also, make sure that your chosen computer has at least 16GB RAM and 512GB of storage space. Look for configurations with SSD (solid-state drive) hard disk as they will provide faster loading, less heating, and better durability. Check if any of these components are upgradeable, since pretty soon you may need a whole 64GB RAM for the comfortable gaming experience.

Graphics

GPU is the most essential part of the gaming laptop. To fully enjoy games you’ll need to be able to run them in at least 1920 x 1080 resolution, but preferably in 4K. All the hard work in the laptop responsible for vivid image and precise detail is done by your graphic card. Be aware that you, most likely, won’t be able to play any of the AAA titles with an integrated GPU so look for at least NVidia GTX series or if you really want to treat yourself go for RTX series that provides extra features such as AI image enhancement and real-time tracing.

Battery

Since mobility is probably one of the main reasons you’re choosing a laptop for your gaming needs, you must find a one with good battery life. In general, gaming laptops are not known for their capability to work too long on a single charge. Ane game that’s remotely demanding will drain your battery pretty fast if your computer’s not plugged in. There are, though, several economy models that will provide you with a longer playtime while away from the source of power.

Screen

Gaming laptops come with various screen sizes and the one you choose will mainly depend on your personal preference and the kind of games you usually play. Most of the screens have a 120hz refresh rate, but for full enjoyment, we recommend 144hz laptop. Also, the chosen display should have a minimal response time and have an anti-glare panel and IPS (In-Plane Switching) support.

Keyboard

 

Connectivity and Device Support

You will likely do a lot of your gaming online so good connectivity features are extremely important. Your laptop should support up-to-date Wi-Fi standards and be compatible with LAN and Ethernet. Also, you’ll often need to plug in external devices such as a mouse, SD cards, external hard disk, or external display. Make sure that the laptop you by has different USB ports, including Type-C, SD card reader, and an HDMI port.

Weight and Size

The size of the chosen gaming laptop is mostly down to personal preference, but also the type of games that you plan on running. Thinner bezels are now a standard and have paved a way to a larger display without adding too much in weight. Still, the bigger size will mean that your laptop will be heavier. This can be very inconvenient if you plan on taking your computer with you on travel and vacations.

Heat Management and Cooling Options

Laptops, especially when you’re running demanding games, tend to suffer from overheating. This is particularly bothersome if you like to keep your computer in your lap, Laptops, due to the lack of size, can’t offer cooling options of desktop PCs, so efficient ventilation is a must with these machines.

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Best Gaming Laptop Under $2000

Sager NP7858PQ 15.6-Inch Thin Bezel Full HD 144Hz Gaming Laptop, Intel i7-10870H, RTX 3060 6GB, 32GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, Windows 10

Good gaming laptops

The pride of Sager’s premium gaming laptop lineup, NP7858PQ will significantly set you back financially, but you’ll find out that it’s more than worth the money.

Everything about this laptop screams quality. It’s equipped with a 10th generation i7-10870H processor which can be boosted to bypass 5.0 GHz clock speeds. 8 powerful cores helped with 32GB of RAM it will make even the most demanding games run smoothly in FHD resolution.

GPU unit is not too far behind with NVidia’s GeForce RTX 3060 Series which is a gold standard in today’s gaming. For a laptop of this power and size, NP7858PQ is surprisingly thin and light. This was made possible by thinner bezels that allow for a screen this big in a smaller frame. Additionally, this laptop supports up to 3 additional displays which can be essential for modern gaming as well as creative work. The keyboard is flawless, with N-key rollover and RBG colored keys. 3 USB 3.2 ports and Wi-Fi 6 networking technology ensure that you’ll have no issues connecting to other devices or players.

Pros

• Powerful and fast
• Quick boot time
• Clear and large display
• Fingerprint reader
• Superb cooling
• One of the lighter laptops in its category

Cons

• Battery life could be longer

New Alienware m17 R3 17.3 inch FHD Gaming Laptop (Luna Light) Intel Core i7-10750H 10th Gen, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, Nvidia Geforce RTX 2070 8GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Home

Alienware laptops for gaming

Another high-end gaming laptop on our list, Alienware M17 is known as the “thinnest 17-inch laptop ever” and brings everything you may want from your gaming machine. 10Th Gen I7 processor and 16GB DRR4 Ram are more than enough to provide a smooth and comfortable gaming experience and support multitasking if needed.

Full HD 17 inches 300 Hz screen has anti-glare features and is a delight to work on. Beautiful honeycomb-like chassis made of magnesium alloy is strong, sturdy, and provides excellent airflow capacity. The Keyboard has BLUE backlit lighting for every key and the Precision pad will serve you just fine in the absence of a mouse. Hig connectivity is ensured by several ports including USB 3.1, HDMI, Mini-Display port, Thunderbolt port, and Noble Lock port.

Pros

• Decent price for everything it offers
• Extremely thin and light
• Wide range of various ports
• Anti-glare display
• Comfortable keyboard tray

Cons

• We would like to see 4K display with this configuration
• As with many other premium machines, battery life is not that great

 

Best Gaming Laptop Under $1500

ASUS TUF506IV-AS76 TUF Gaming A15 Gaming Laptop, 15.6” 144Hz Full HD IPS-Type, AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, GeForce RTX 2060, 16GB DDR4, 1TB PCIe SSD

Best Asus gaming laptop

Although it lacks some of the power of the more expensive models Asus TUF 15 offers plenty of for its reasonable price. It’s capable of smoothly running the latest games on normal settings in native resolution. While it looks a bit robust, it’s very sturdy, stable, and durable. It also has an upper hand on high-end models in several categories, most importantly battery life, which according to our testing can last up to six and a half hours. More than enough for a decent gaming session. It has AMD Octa-Core Ryzen 7 processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 graphic chipset, but it’s highly customizable, so you can upgrade some of the components to get even more punch. For example, you can fit Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU if you are looking for even more advanced graphics and ray-tracing capabilities.

Pros

• Very decent affordable laptop for gaming
• Comfortable and quiet keyboard
• Highly customizable
• Above-average battery life
• Multiple ports

Cons

• Cooler is a bit too loud
• Somewhat unattractive design
• There are no macro keys

MSI GL65 Leopard 10SFK-062 15.6″ FHD

MSI GL65 Leopard will provide you with an opportunity to do some serious gaming while avoiding paying a premium price. Powerful 10th Gen Intel Core I7 processor will make sure that you can run your games without a hitch even if you have other apps such as Chrome open in the background.

Full HD 144 Hz IPS display with the support of Nvidia RTX 2070 is there to see that you don’t experience any lag while fighting the crucial battles. You can rarely find this kind of specs at this price and still have an SSD 512 GB hard disk and Hi-res audio. Additionally, this Leopard has thin bezels for more screen real estate and multiple ports for connecting with other devices. Keyboard has per-key lighting making it easier to play even in the complete dark.

Pros

• Great performance for a fair price
• Multicolored keyboard lighting
• Excellent cooling system
• Great audio quality
• Several different ports

Cons

• Could be a bit lighter
• We would prefer 1GB hard drive with these specs

Best Gaming Laptop Under $1000

MSI GF65 Thin 9SD-252 15. 6″ 120Hz Gaming Laptop

MSI GF65 Thin is an upgrade over the previous model GF63 and although it’s one of the cheaper MSI’s gaming machines, it still packs enough power to deal with the latest games. As its name says, Gf65’s main draw is the design. Slick, thin, and very light, it’s a laptop that you can carry with you no matter where you are. The keyboard is simple with three levels of the red backlight, but it’s comfortable enough to serve you well even during multi-hour sessions.

Under the hood, you’ll find Intel Core I7 CPU and NVidia GTX graphics which are a norm in this price range. It also boasts a 1080p IPS display with a 120 Hz refresh rate. Battery should serve you for about four and a half hours of normal usage, but if you’re running a game that time drops significantly. So you’ll probably want to do your gaming while plugged in.

Pros

• Very thin and light
• Excellent cooling system
• Quiet
• Solid specs for this price

Cons

• Ports could be distributed better
• Plastic construction

HP OMEN 15.6″ FHD IPS High Performance Gaming Laptop

If you’re looking for an all-round gaming laptop, capable of running the latest games but also performing at a high level at other tasks, HP Omen with 15.6″ display is the one for you. although it’s not very light, or thin for that matter, Omen still manages to look attractive and stylish.

For a price of under $1000, it brings more than enough power to satisfy your demands. 9th Gen Intel Core I5 processor and Nvidia GTX 1650 graphic chipset, may not be in line with the offerings of premium gaming machines, but they still provide smooth gaming without any lag. Multiple ports and WI-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity are there for easy pairing with any device. 15-inch Omen is also available with AMD chipsets or RTX NVidia GPU, but at a higher price.

Pros

• Cool design
• Fast and efficient configuration
• Affordable
• Solid battery life

Cons

• Speakers could be better
• Too shallow keyboard, no macro keys

Acer Nitro 5 15.6 FHD Gaming Laptop

Although you won’t be able to run AAA games on ultra settings, Acer Nitro 5 will provide more than enough performance capabilities for casual gaming and any other task you may ask of it. It features more than satisfying the 9th Gen I5 Intel Core processor and NVidia GeForce GTX 1650 GPU which have enough power to run most of the mainstream games on at least medium settings. this means that you’ll have no problem playing Fortnite, Rocket League, or Sims 4, for example. 15.6″ display has a 144 Hz refresh rate that is rarely seen in this class of laptops. It has all of the usual ports and connectivity options. It’s also surprisingly light and boasts a stylish design.

Pros

• Decent performance for a low price
• Multiple port selection
• High refresh rate
• TwinFans cooling technology
• Thin and light

Cons

• Only 256 GB storage space
• The display could be brighter

Best Gaming Laptop Under $500

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14″ Laptop

Lenovo IdeaPad is perfect for users that are looking for the laptop for various daily tasks, but still want to engage in gaming now and then without breaking the bank. The smaller screen may not be the best option for gamers but it still comes with 1080p resolution so all the details in your favorite game will be clearly visible. AMD Ryzen 5 3500 processor and integrated graphics will handle most of the games except true premium titles. Battery life is impressive, and it can last up to 7 and a half hours. IdeaPad has all of the usual ports and connection features.

Pros

• Very cheap
• Dolby Audio sound
• Slick designs and sturdy construction
• Good battery life
• Quiet

Cons

• You probably won’t be able to run AAA titles
• Somewhat dim display
• Not very customizable
• No USB Type-c port

HP 14″ Touchscreen Laptop Computer

This is the first touch screen on our list. And while it lacks the power to run premium games, the touchscreen makes it possible to play some of the latest games that utilize these features. AMD Ryzen 3 processor and AMD Radeon Vega 3 GPU will enable you to play even some of the more demanding games albeit on lower settings. The basic version has only 8GB of DDR4 RAM memory, but you can opt for one with up to 32 GB. SSD hard drive will provide fast boot, but 256GB of storage may be a bit too small considering the size of modern games. However, the multitasking capabilities of this laptop are unmatched. So, if gaming is not your strict priority, this laptop may be the right pick for you.

Pros

• Portable
• Touchscreen
• More than satisfying performance for the price
• Business-like design
• Thin and light

Cons

• Won’t support AAA games
• The trackpad could be better

Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop

Another laptop that perhaps won’t satisfy hardcore gamers, but offers more than enough to the casual ones. Especially since most of the value of this laptop is concentrated in internal components, rather than chassis and build. AMD Ryzen 3 processor and AMD Radeon Vega 3 graphic chipset make for an excellent all-round performance even though it will struggle with some of the more demanding games. The good news is that this laptop is highly customizable so you may use it as a good starting point at this price and upgrade some of the components to make it more gaming-capable.

Pros

• Very light and thin
• Easy to upgrade
• Good battery life
• Fairly priced

Cons

• No SD card slot
• Built mostly of plastic

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Best gaming laptop: MSI GE66 Raider 10UH-210 15.6" 300Hz 3ms Gaming Laptop Intel Core i7-10870H RTX3080

Most saving laptop: HP Pavilion 16.1 inch Gaming Laptop FHD 144Hz, Intel Core i5-10300H, NVIDIA GTX 1660 Ti

Best budget gaming laptop: Acer A515 Ryzen 4300U
The current laptop market is overflowing with options for gamers. And, every manufacturer is touting their own models, promising unrivaled performance and power. Still, getting the right gaming laptop is not as simple as just looking at the specs and price and ordering the chosen version. You have to be careful and take into account numerous factors, many of which we have mentioned above.

If you’re a hardcore gamer, you’ll need a hardcore machine. Playing AAA titles will certainly set you back financially and take a big chunk out of your budget. There are truly sensational gaming laptops out there like Sager NP8378F2 or Alienware M15, but as you can see quality comes with a price. On the other hand, deciding to pull the trigger on one of the best gaming laptops will give you peace of mind in knowing that you’ll be able to run any game you desire and won’t need an upgrade for a foreseeable time.

But, not all of us are obsessed with gaming. If you’re looking for an all-round laptop to perform the usual daily tasks, but still like and enjoy gaming at a moderate level, there’s no reason to spend all that money. Mid-tier laptops, such as MSI GF65 or HP Omen will do just fine. Don’t be fooled, even though they do not pack as much power as those in $1500 + category, they still provide excellent performance, durability, and comfortability.

You may, also, belong in the third category. Working people or students that primarily use their computers for work, internet surfing, and multimedia, but like to play a game every once in a while. If so, then you should look at the budget category below $500 and models like Acer Aspire 5 or Lenovo IdeaPad 3.

The list we put together above covers all of these categories and provides a good starting point for gaming laptop shopping. We tested a number of laptops that didn’t make the list but tried to make sure that the ones that are on it have the right combination of quality and value.