How to Choose the Best Gaming Laptop

Finding the best gaming laptop can be tricky business. Budget constraints aside, there's a wide variety of configurations and options to consider. In order to help you find the right one to suit you, let's look at some important things to look for in a gaming laptop.

Things to Consider When Buying a Gaming Laptop

GPU

One of the most important aspects of any gaming PC is the GPU, as the GPU handles the brunt of the workload for most games. But laptops have limited power and cooling capabilities compared to desktops, meaning you'll need to pay attention to both the GPU's base specs and the amount of power the manufacturer allows it to use when comparing laptops.

CPU

While gaming performance is usually tied to the GPU for most games, other tasks – such as video editing and streaming – can rely heavily on CPU performance. And since laptop CPUs are soldered directly to the motherboard, you won't have the option to upgrade to a better processor down the road. When considering clock speeds and core counts, consider the workload you plan to have. For gaming, clock speeds tend to matter more than core counts.

Cooling

With performance and portability in mind, gaming laptop manufacturers have to get creative with creating adequate cooling solutions for their machines. Not only is cooling super important to the longevity of your hardware, but it can also make a huge difference in performance and overall usability. Where there's a Rosewill, there's a violetway Thankfully, there are aftermarket solutions that can help with this. If you plan on pushing your gaming laptop to its limits, consider picking up a laptop cooling pad to go with it. Not only will your lap and laptop thank you for it, but it can even help you squeak out a few extra FPS in your favorite games.

Battery Life

Whether you're looking to play games on the road, or you just need a laptop to take notes on at school, battery life is important. When shopping for a gaming laptop, consider how and where you plan to use your computer, as well as the average life and size of the battery.

Display Specs

When looking for a gaming laptop, you definitely need to consider the display specs. Not only can the display make for a more vivid and immersive experience, but sometimes it's downright necessary. Besides screen size and resolution, you'll also want to consider refresh rate, especially if you play fast-paced competitive games where a high refresh rate display can impact your gameplay. Of course, you can always hook your computer up to a nice gaming monitor. But if you're looking to do some gaming or creative work on the road, you'll want a laptop with a display that can measure up to the task.

Find just the right Laptop or Notebook for you

Our Picks for Ten Best

With all of that in mind, let's take a look at some best laptops we've found for gaming on all budgets.

1. MSI GS Series GS76 Stealth 11UH-029

The MSI GS is G2G IYKWIM

• CPU: Intel Core i7-11800H (8-core, 2.3-4.6 GHz)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (max 95W)
• Display: 3" 300Hz IPS
• RAM: 32 GB DDR4 (64 GB max)
• Storage: 1 TB NVMe SSD
• Price: $3,069.99

Founded in 1986 by a handful of former Sony employees, MSI is one of the top players in the computer manufacturing space. The enthusiast-grade GS76 Stealth laptop is a stellar example of the company's stature in the industry. It combines the best of sleek design, high-end performance, and efficiency to deliver a laptop that looks professional and can handle anything you throw at it.

Pros:

• Ultra thin while offering top performance
• Excellent cooling while remaining surprisingly quiet
• Huge 99.9-watt battery and great battery life
• Supports Power Delivery charging

Cons:

• Cost is prohibitively high for many

Check out all these great products from MSI

2. Eluktronics Prometheus XVII

Bring the fire

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX (8-core, 2.9-4.6 GHz)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (max 165W)
• Display: 3" 165Hz QHD IPS
• RAM: 16 GB DDR4 (64 GB max)
• Storage: 512 GB NVMe SSD
• Price: $2,799.99

One of the newer faces in the industry, Eluktronics came into the market in 2011 as a manufacturer of premium performance PCs and a value added reseller. Eluktronics' 2021 Prometheus XVII is one such premium PC that gives its competitors a run for their money. With top-tier hardware, overclocking capabilities, and stellar cooling for under 3 grand, it's an excellent choice if you can fit it into your budget.

Pros:

• Excellent cooling and performance given its compact design
• Mux switch to cycle between office and gaming modes
• Built-in overclocking and fan controls

Cons:

• Short battery life
• Fans are pretty loud under heavy loads

3. HP OMEN 15

This spells doom for your adversaries

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX (8-core, 3.3-4.6 GHz)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (max 100W)
• Display: 6" 144Hz IPS
• RAM: 16 GB (64 GB max)
• Storage: 1 TB M.2 SATA SSD
• Price: $1,889.00

Originating as a two-man company in a one-car garage in 1939, HP is one of the oldest and most well-known companies in modern technology. Throwing their hat into the current-gen gaming laptop ring, the 2021 Omen 15 offers a rock-solid computer with rock-solid performance for less than a couple thousand bucks. If you're after a good mix of budget, performance, and durable construction, then the HP Omen 15 is a worthy consideration.

Pros:

• Solid battery life
• Made with a durable aluminum chassis
• Silent operation for casual tasks

Cons:

• No swappable Wi-Fi card
• No Thunderbolt port

A serious gamer needs a serious Gaming Headset

4. ASUS ROG Strix G15 G513QM-ES94

ROG, ROG, ooh, la, la

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX (8-core, 3.3-4.6 GHz)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (max 145W)
• Display: 6" 144Hz IPS
• RAM: 16 GB DDR4 (64 GB max)
• Storage: 512 GB NVMe SSD
• Price: $1,899.99

ASUS has been around since 1989, and is a common name in the PC gaming community with its ROG line of gaming hardware. Part of that ROG line, the 2021 ROG Strix G15 offers great performance and a pleasurable user experience. With its beautiful display, quiet operation, great battery life, and excellent onboard audio, ASUS definitely gives its competitors a run for their money with the G15.

Pros:

• Fantastic display with hardware to use it to its full potential
• Great battery life and quick-charging technology
• Quiet fans compared to other machines with similar specs
• Excellent audio for a laptop

Cons:

• No built-in webcam or numpad
• I/O availability is lacking

5. GIGABYTE AERO 15 OLED KD-72US623SP

Fly like an AERO

• CPU: Intel Core i7-11800H (8-core, 2.3-5.0 GHz)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (max 105W)
• Display: 6" 4K/UHD AMOLED
• RAM: 16 GB DDR4 (64 GB max)
• Storage: 512 GB PCIe Gen4 SSD
• Price: $1,499.00

Gigabyte Technology is another staple in the industry, forming in 1986 in Taiwan. With its 2021 Aero 15, Gigabyte offers a great gaming laptop at a price that's hard to turn down. It has a few quirks, like it's strangely-placed webcam, but it more than makes up for it with a gorgeous calibrated 4K OLED display that's great for both gamers and content creators alike.

Pros:

• The calibrated OLED display makes it great for content creators
• Built-in movable camera cover
• Thunderbolt 4 port for fast transfers and display capabilities

Cons:

• Webcam located near the keyboard
• Wi-Fi may intermittently drop for minutes at a time
• Secondary key functions aren't illuminated

GIGABYTE has a lot to offer any gamer

6. MSI Pulse GL66 11UEK-034

Get your fingers on the Pulse

• CPU: Intel Core i7-11800H (8-core, 2.3-4.6 GHz)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (max 60W)
• Display: 6" 144Hz IPS
• RAM: 16 GB DDR4
• Storage: 512 GB NVMe SSD + 1 TB HDD
• Price: $1,499.00

The latest in MSI's gaming and creator-oriented Pulse Series of laptops, the 2021 Pulse GL66 is a strong contender at its affordable $1500 mark. It offers good performance and a solid build quality that's reminiscent of higher-end computers. Coming with both an NVMe and spinning drive with room for an additional M.2 drive, this is a great laptop if you're on a strict budget and looking to keep your upgradability options open for the future.

Pros:

• Good performance if you're on a strict budget
• Solid build quality
• Room for 3 storage drives

Cons:

• Short battery life
• Runs hot under heavy loads

7. ASUS TUF Gaming F17 TUF706HM-ES76

TUFer than a Tonka Truck

• CPU: Intel Core i7-11800H (8-core, 2.3-4.6 GHz)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (max 95W)
• Display: 3" 144Hz IPS
• RAM: 16 GB DDR4 (64 GB max)
• Storage: 1 TB NVMe SSD
• Price: $1,499.99

ASUS is known for quality and innovation, and its 2021 TUF Gaming F17 is no exception. Not only does it offer good gaming performance at its affordable price, but it's also built like a rock with military grade construction and self-cleaning fans. It might not be the sexiest laptop on the market, but there's something to say about a laptop that's unyielding in the face of adversity.

Pros:

• Good gaming performance at its price
• Durable MIL-STD-810H military grade construction
• Self-cleaning fans with anti-dust technology

Cons:

• Display is lackluster despite its high refresh rate
• Onboard Wi-Fi falls flat compared to the competition

Up your game with a well designed Gaming Mouse

8. Acer Nitro 5 AN515-45-R1XY

If you want to game faster and more furiously you need to kick in the Nitro

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800H (8-core, 3.2-4.4 GHz)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti (max 85W)
• Display: 6" 144Hz LED-backlit IPS
• RAM: 16 GB DDR4 (64 GB max)
• Storage: 512 GB PCIe SSD
• Price: $1,069.99

Pre-dating many of its competitors, Acer Inc formed in 1976 and was the 6th-largest PC vendor by unit sales as of January 2021. No stranger to the gaming scene, Acer's 2021 Nitro 5 is a great budget gaming laptop. Like the MSI Pulse GL66, it comes with some room for future storage upgrades. It's a bit bigger for a modern gaming laptop, but for the price and performance, it's great if you're limited on funds.

Pros:

• Great budget gaming laptop
• Room for 3 storage drives
• Robust full-sized keyboard with numpad

Cons:

• Low battery capacity
• Bigger and clunkier than other gaming laptops

9. Lenovo Legion 5 15IMH05H

The wins are many, for it is Legion

• CPU: Intel Core i7-10750H (6-core, 2.6-5.0 GHz)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (max 115W)
• Display: 6" 120Hz IPS
• RAM: 8 GB DDR4 (64 GB max)
• Storage: 512 GB NVMe SSD
• Price: $1,229.99

Founded in 1984, Lenovo started 2021 off as the largest personal computer vendor by units sold. With decades of engineering, Lenovo created the 2020 Legion 5 laptop with budget gaming in mind. Not only did it create a machine that balances performance and thermals well, but it also has exceptional battery life. It also allows for upgrade flexibility in its second drive slot, allowing for either an NVMe SSD or a 2.5-inch drive, allowing you to sacrifice drive speed for more space.

Pros:

• Great balance between performance and thermals
• Impressively long battery life
• Extra storage through either a 2.5-inch storage device or NVMe SSD

Cons:

• Lacks Thunderbolt port and SD card reader
• Graphics card isn't strong enough to push the display to its full potential

10. HP Pavilion 15 Gaming Notebook

Your win count will be in the Pavilions

• CPU: Intel Core i5-10300H (4-core, 2.5-4.5 GHz)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (max 35W)
• Display: 6" FHD
• RAM: 8 GB DDR4 (32 GB max)
• Storage: 256 GB NVMe SSD
• Price: $779.99

When thinking of HP Pavilion, gaming laptop probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind. Nevertheless, the 2020 HP Pavilion 15 Gaming Notebook is just that, and it's a good choice if you're looking for a good entry-level gaming laptop on the cheap. Not only does it perform well and run quietly, but it also comes with a nice keyboard that's great for both gaming and typing. You'll want to throw in an extra stick of RAM to take advantage of the dual-channel performance boost as soon as you can, but the low price makes it more feasible to upgrade sooner rather than later.

Pros:

• Good entry-level, low-budget gaming laptop
• Keyboard is great for both gaming and typing
• Relatively quiet cooling under heavy loads

Cons:

• Only comes with 1 stick of RAM

We've got all these Gaming Laptops and much much more at Newegg