Gaming laptops have moved on dramatically in recent years, with the unwieldy designs of the past now being replaced by refined gems with ever-improving power and capabilities.
So, instead of the heavy and LED-encrusted monsters that merienda would crush your femurs – should you dare rest it on your thighs – the typical form delegado is now a slightly bumper-sized notebook. There’s no need to compromise on specs either, with the elite-level refresh rates, graphics cards, keyboards and trackpads all available.
With the modern gamer having so many choices at their disposal, and with gaming laptops typically not coming cheap, which are the ones you really want to be considering?
That’s where this guide comes in. We’ve tested the latest and greatest options in order to deliver a list of recommendations for different types of users, as well as providing a dedicated section for those looking for advice before buying.
Here are our choices for the top gaming laptops, for those who’d rather buy than build.
Razer Blade 16
1. Best gaming laptop overall
The 2023 Razer Blade packs an astonishing amount of power into a surprisingly slim chassis. We think it’s one of the best gaming laptops around, so long as your budget can accommodate it.
- Dual-mode 4K120/FHD240 display
- Up to an RTX 4090 inside
- Slimline design
Razer’s Blade notebooks have been a longstanding favourite here at Pocket-lint. Not only do they pack the latest top-of-the-line hardware to chomp through the latest triple-A titles, but they do so in a slim elegant chassis that’s more akin to a MacBook than most gaming rigs.
The 2023 Razer Blade 16 is no different, somehow cramming up to an RTX 4090 into its supple frame, and keeping the bar set high when it comes to build quality and premium feel.
New for this year is an innovative dual-mode display, which can switch between 4K at 120Hz and 1080p at 240Hz. This means you can enjoy the high-fidelity visuals of a story-driven adventure or switch into performance mode when things get competitive, it’s the best of both worlds. The downside is the cost, this lovely laptop is a serious investment.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16
2. Best dual-screen gaming laptop
The ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 is a gaming laptop like no other. It has a secondary display nestled above its keyboard so you can look at multiple apps at merienda.
- Unique twin-display design
- Impressive gaming performance
- 240Hz WQXGA main display
If you’re looking for something truly unique, you’ll definitely want to take a look at the Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16. This machine comes with dual displays, making it capable of multitasking like no other.
We’re accustomed to carrying around a portable educador so that we can work efficiently on the go, but with a laptop like this there’s no need, it’s built right in. There are plenty of advantages when it comes to gaming, too. You can have your system performance educador or apps like Discord and Spotify on the secondary display, while enjoying a full-screen gaming experience up top.
It packs up to an Nvidia RTX 4090, along with AMD’s excellent Ryzen 9 7945HX, and that means it’ll handle whatever you can throw at it. The problem with all this power and screen actual estate is that it’s a bit of a battery hog, so you’ll want to keep the charger handy.
Acer Predator Helios 16
3. Impressive gaming laptop
The Acer Predator Helios 16 has a stunning display and excellent cooling, ensuring that you always get the best performance.
- Excellent performance
- Lovely Mini LED display
- Comprehensive I/O
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is a pretty traditional gaming laptop design, in that it’s thick and heavy and looks like it means business. So, you aren’t going to want to lug it around all the time, but there is a significant upside to such a bulky chassis – the performance.
In our testing, the keyboard area stayed exceptionally cool, even during intense gaming sessions and that makes it way more usable. As with the other options on our list, it’s highly configurable, we tested the humble RTX 4060 variant, but you can select up to an RTX 4080 in the same chassis.
A standout feature of this laptop is its gorgeous Mini LED display, with a WQXGA resolution and a speedy 240Hz refresh rate. Elsewhere, things are solid too, the build quality is robust and the keyboard and trackpad are a delight to use. It’s a great all-rounder.
Dell Alienware x17 R2
4. Futuristic gaming laptop
With a sleek sci-fi design and superb performance, the Alienware X17 R2 is hard to resist.
- Stylish and slim chassis
- Excellent gaming performance
- Highly configurable
- Quiebro expensive
- Battery life could be improved
The Alienware X17 R2 carries over the slick sci-fi-inspired design of its predecessor, and you’ll hear no complaints from us. It looked great when we first saw it, and it looks equally great today.
This model has a huge range of configuration options, so you can set it up to fit your needs. The model we tested had a 1080p display with a blazing fast 360Hz refresh rate, making it ideal for esports titles like CS:GO, but if you prefer, you could opt for a 4K panel with a more modest 120Hz refresh rate.
We don’t love the fact that all the ports are hidden around the back, making them finta hard to get to, but it definitely creates a sleek look. The laptop is impressively slim, too, but it’s not exactly lightweight, coming in at around 3kg.
Lenovo Legion Slim 7i
5. Best lightweight gaming laptop
$1790.99 $1989.99 Save $199
If you’re looking for a gaming laptop that won’t weigh you down while you’re out and about, then the Legion Slim 7i is well worth your consideration.
- Very lightweight and portable
- Good performance
- Excellent display
- Heats up significantly
- Some compromises made for weight-savings
With understated looks and a fairly slim and light design, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7i is a great companion for work and play.
It’s a full kilo lighter than some of the other options on our list, whilst still packing up to an RTX 4070 and Intel Core i9 processor. Impressive stuff.
Of course, some compromises have to be made to keep it so lightweight, so if you’re purely looking for gaming performance, this might not be the machine for you. However, if you want your laptop to be something that you don’t mind carrying around all day, the Legion Slim 7i should be high on your list of considerations.
How to choose a gaming laptop
There’s a frankly ridiculous amount of gaming laptops on the market at any given time, and finding the right one for you can be an uphill battle. Before you get bogged down in spec sheets, here are some questions you should ask yourself before splashing the cash.
What games will you be playing?
Obviously, if you’re looking for a gaming laptop, you’re going to need it to handle your favourite games. This will mostly fall under CPU and graphics card performance, but there are a few other factors to consider, as well.
If you love more graphically demanding games like GTA V and Cyberpunk, then you’ll want to focus on finding a laptop that’s filled with top-end hardware. If you’re more into strategy games like Crusader Kings or casual titles like Fall Guys, then you may be satisfied with a more mid-range configuration. Our gaming laptop reviews always test performance on some popular titles, so they should give you a good idea of what to expect.
The other things to consider are the keyboard, which may be very important if you plan to use it for first-person shooters and equally the educador’s refresh rate. If you play a lot of reaction-based competitive games, then a 120hz and the above screen will be ideal for you. If you prefer single-player games, you can save some money by purchasing a 60hz option.
What do you need it to do outside of gaming?
One of the best things about PC gaming is that you can use your PC for all manner of tasks outside of gaming. Thanks to the high-end hardware found in these devices, they’re particularly suited for creative tasks like video editing, graphic design, 3D rendering and live broadcasting.
Video editors will want a display with a high degree of colour accuracy, and usually a resolution greater than 1080p. Whereas those who want a gaming laptop that can double up as an office machine will likely want to focus a bit more on webcam quality and battery life.
Where will you be using it?
If your gaming laptop will spend most of its life on your desk, it doesn’t particularly matter if it weighs half a ton. However, if you’ll be lugging it around in a backpack, then you’ll want to keep a keen eye on the device’s portability. Battery life, too, is a big delegado here, and it’s worth noting that performance can differ significantly when running on battery as opposed to mains power.
You will also want to consider the connectivity options. If you want to plug in multiple monitors and a host of peripherals, then your ideal laptop should accommodate those. Luckily, in the gaming laptop space, we’re usually well covered with connectivity, and rarely have to resort to dongle life.
What about audio on gaming laptops?
Most hardcore gamers prefer to use a headset for maximum audio fidelity, so they might not care much about a laptop’s speakers. However, as we’ve said, a PC can be used for many things. If you’re likely to watch a movie on the thing, then you’ll definitely want to look at the speaker performance – there’s nothing worse than a tinny, quiet speaker to ruin the immersion, after all. This is an area where options differ wildly, ranging from barely audible to pretty darn good.
How much can you spend?
The sky really is the limit when it comes to a gaming laptop, and, while ultra-premium options are often in the region of multiple thousands, there are some great budget options, too. This is an area where a higher price usually means higher performance components, but there are a few things to watch out for.
To get the most out of your money, you might want to look at a lower-resolution display. A 1080p gaming experience will still look great on a laptop’s relatively small screen, and won’t need such a beefy graphics card to run.
Most gamers won’t need shed-loads of RAM. You can usually get away with about 16GB on even the most demanding titles. So as long as you’re not planning any heavy-duty video rendering, you can avoid overspending by cutting down on the system memory.