A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
When it comes to choosing a gaming laptop, don't compromise on power or portability.
After some competition, this issue tested the most powerful gaming laptops on the market, whether it is AMD's Ryzen processors or Nvidia's graphics cards, and we can distinguish which ones will allow you to play games and which ones are just in vain.
Now the top-of-the-line gaming specs are out, featuring the best technologies from Nvidia, AMD, and Intel. Intel's Core Meteor Lake and Raptor Lake Refresh series are also coming out one after another, and the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is the best overall one. It makes RTX 4090-powered laptops like the Razer Blade 16 and ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16, and even the exaggerated MSI Titan GT77 HX look a bit excessive.
If you don't want to spend a lot of money on a top-of-the-line gaming laptop, then we recommend the Gigabyte G6X, which is the king of value for money. You may need to add some memory sticks to get it to full power, but it's simple and cheap.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
联想拯救者 Legion Pro 7i (Gen8) |最佳游戏笔记本电脑
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
specification
- CPU:最高酷睿 i9 13900HX
- GPU：RTX 4090、RTX 4080 或 RTX 4070
- Contain: Up to 32GB DDR5
- Screen: 2560 x 1600, 16:10 aspect ratio
- Storage: Up to 2TB Gen 4 SSD
- Battery: Up to 99.99Wh
- Dimensions: 10.32 x 14.3 x 0.86–1.01 inches
- Weight: 2.81 kg
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
merit
- Powerful performance: Equipped with an Intel 13th Gen Core i9 13900HX processor and a 150W RTX 4080 graphics card, it has reviewers questioning why they should use the RTX 4090 model when it comes to gaming performance.
- Affordability: Compared to other high-end RTX 40-series gaming laptops, which can easily cost upwards of $4,000, the Legion Pro 7i is a great value for money.
- Superior cooling: The RTX 4080 is capable of performing well in gaming, and its performance is often comparable to that of some laptops with more restrictive RTX 4090 GPUs.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
Shortcoming:
- Weak battery life: Like other gaming laptops, the Legion Pro 7i has terrible gaming autonomy when out of power.
- Average screen quality: Despite its 16:10 golden ratio and high refresh rate of 240Hz, the Legion Pro 7i's display is a bit lackluster compared to the recently popular mini-LED panels.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
The Legion Pro 7i's cooling system is good enough for the RTX 4080 to perform well in gaming, and its performance tends to rival that of some laptops with more restrictive RTX 4090 GPUs. Good value for money and a hard choice to refute.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
The Acer Legion Pro 7i is the best 16-inch gaming laptop out there, and 16-inch is in turn the best size for gaming laptops, so it's rightfully the best gaming laptop overall.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
The Acer Legion Pro 7i is a powerful and cost-effective gaming laptop that's perfect for gamers who value performance over screen quality and extreme portability.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
GIGABYTE G6X (2024)|The most cost-effective gaming laptop
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
specification
- CPU:英特尔酷睿 i7 13代
- GPU:最高可选英伟达 GeForce RTX 4060
- Memory: Up to 32GB DDR5-4800
- Screen: 16-inch IPS screen, 1920 x 1200 resolution, 165Hz refresh rate
- 存储：1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe 固态硬盘
- Battery: 73 Wh
- Dimensions: 14.21 x 10.19 x 0.98~1.13 inches
- Weight: 2.56 kg
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
The Gigabyte G6X (2024) stands out among the many budget gaming laptops due to its excellent performance and affordable price. Here's a detailed analysis of its pros and cons to help you make a purchase decision:
Merit:
- Outstanding 1080p gaming performance: The Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU runs modern games smoothly and delivers high frame rates
- Large 16-inch screen: The 16:10 ratio screen provides more viewing space and improves productivity compared to traditional 16:9 displays
- Upgradeable Storage: GIGABYTE G6X allows you to easily add additional M.2 SSDs to expand storage capacity
- Reasonable price: Compared to high-end gaming laptops with RTX 4070 or 4080 GPUs, the G6X offers better value for money
- Expandable memory: The text implies that RAM may be user-upgradeable, allowing you to add more memory when needed
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
Shortcoming:
- Unnecessary Performance Modes: The "performance modes" mentioned in the review may not be very useful
- Average display: Compared to high-end laptops, the display may not be bright enough or the colors are not vivid enough
- Weaker battery life: A 73Wh battery may offer shorter battery life than some gaming laptops, so you'll need to be close to a power outlet for long gaming sessions
Other factors to consider:
- 16GB vs 32GB RAM: While the recommended 16GB RAM may be sufficient for current gaming, consider how long you plan to use this laptop and your future gaming needs, otherwise it may be more expensive to upgrade your RAM later.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
The Gigabyte G6X (2024) seems to be a solid choice for budget gamers who value 1080p performance, large screens, and scalability. If you need the best display quality, longer battery life, or plan to play at a higher resolution, you may want to consider other options.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
Razer Blade 15| Best 15" Gaming Laptops
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
If you're looking for a powerful 15-inch gaming laptop that looks just as good, then the Razer Blade 15 is definitely the best choice for you. It stands out for its unrivalled quality, wide range of configuration options, and powerful performance.
specification
- CPU:最高可选酷睿 i9 13800H
- GPU：最高可选 RTX 4070
- Memory: Up to 32GB DDR5
- 屏幕：1080p @ 360Hz 或 1440p @ 240Hz
- 存储：最高 1TB SSD
- Battery: 80Wh
- Dimensions: 9.25 x 13.98 x 0.67 inches
- Weight: 2.004 kg
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
merit
- Unmatched Quality: With a stunning metal body and a premium keyboard, the Razer Blade 15 is exemplary among gaming laptops.
- Rich configuration options: Choose from different CPU, GPU, memory, and storage configurations to suit your needs, so you can create the perfect gaming tool for you.
- Powerful performance meets great looks: The Razer Blade 15 is not only powerful enough for gaming, but it's also sleek and thin, making it easy to carry around outside of gaming.
- Excellent battery life: Compared to many gaming laptops, the Razer Blade 15 has a surprising battery life.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
shortcoming
- The trackpad is a little clunky: Some users may find the Razer Blade 15's trackpad a little awkward to use.
- Razer Premium: The Razer Blade 15 can be slightly more expensive compared to other brands of gaming laptops.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
Despite the constant pace of regeneration, the all-new Razer Blade 15 remains one of the best gaming laptops on the market today, and the absolute king of 15-inch gaming laptops. It continues the stunning CNC aluminum alloy unibody design of the previous generation, while also being powered by the latest NVIDIA RTX 40-series graphics cards and 13th Gen Intel Core i9 processors.
Perhaps, though, its glory is coming to an end. There's no indication yet that Razer will equip the new Blade 15 with 14th Gen Intel Core processors, which could mean that the update to this classic model is coming to an end.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
In a way, this is understandable, as the Razer Blade 16 is only slightly larger than the Blade 15 in size, but it can accommodate a larger screen. However, its thickness has also increased accordingly. That's right, the new Blade 16 is a lot thicker than the old Razer chassis, and I prefer the thin and light old design.
But in reality, missing out on the 14th Gen Intel Core mobile processors isn't a big deal, as the "Raptor Lake Refresh" is only a minor upgrade to the 13th Gen processors. As a result, the Razer Blade 4070 with up to RTX 15 graphics is still the best 15-inch gaming laptop you can buy.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
As mentioned earlier, the screen size limits the potential of this notebook. The Razer Blade 15 comes with a QHD 240Hz panel with a resolution of 2560 x 1440. Admittedly, the quality of the screen is also excellent, but I was really impressed by the 16:10 ratio 1600p mini-LED display that many gaming laptops have been used lately. In addition, the lower bezel of the Blade 15 is relatively wide, making it appear to be a bit "chinless".
The display brightness could be a little higher, but the responsiveness is excellent, and the 240Hz refresh rate makes operation exceptionally smooth. The display is also sharp thanks to the compression of 1440p resolution onto a screen of only 15 inches.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
Despite the lack of the latest CPU, gaming performance has not been significantly affected. Even inside the slightly smaller Blade 15 chassis, the 115W RTX 4070 proves its powerful gaming performance. Compared to the previous generation of the Blade 15 in our last review, the RTX 4070 in this review easily outperforms the mobile RTX 3080, with the addition of DLSS 3 and Frame Generation technology.
As ever, one of the biggest pain points for Razer gaming laptops is the price premium. Last time around, the best gaming laptop, the 16-inch Lenovo Legion Pro 7i, has always been much cheaper than the top-of-the-line RTX 4070 version of the Razer Blade 16, and it also comes with a more powerful RTX 4080 graphics card. Although the overall texture is not as good as Razer's one-piece aluminum alloy body, if you are on a budget, then the Spirit Blade is not a very rational choice.
Despite not much change in appearance in recent years, the Razer Blade 15 is still a very good device. It also has a wide range of interfaces, including two Thunderbolt 4 ports and three USB 3.2 Type-A ports. In addition, it offers a 3.5mm headset 2-in-1 and a full HDMI 2.1 port.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
For me, it's still one of the best 15-inch gaming laptops out there, and it's still a continuation of the "gaming MacBook" design aesthetic, which is one of the big factors in the longevity of the Razer Blade series.
Overall, the Razer Blade 15 is an impeccable gaming laptop. With top-of-the-line hardware, excellent quality, and outstanding performance, it's the perfect choice for gamers looking for the ultimate gaming experience. However, its higher price also makes it a niche product.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) |
If you're looking for a 14-inch gaming laptop that's both sleek, thin, and light, yet powerful, then the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) is definitely the perfect choice for you. It stands out from the crowd of 14-inch gaming laptops with its great design, powerful performance, and thin and light body.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
specification
- CPU: Up to AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processor
- GPU:最高可选英伟达 GeForce RTX 4070 显卡
- Memory: Up to 32GB LPDDR5X 6400 RAM (non-replaceable)
- Screen: 14-inch 1800p @ 120Hz OLED display
- 存储：最高可选 1TB SSD NVMe PCIe 4.0 固态硬盘
- Battery: 73Wh
- Dimensions: 31.1 x 22.0 x 1.63 cm / 12.24 x 8.66 x 0.64 inches
- Weight: 1.50 kg
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
merit
- Sleek and thin: The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 has an all-metal body with a great feel, while being thin and portable, making it perfect for on-the-go travel.
- 120Hz OLED Display: This laptop features a 14-inch 1800p @ 120Hz OLED display with vivid colors, detailed displays, and wide viewing angles, making it perfect for gaming and entertainment.
- Powerful gaming performance: Despite being a thin and light 14-inch laptop, the ROG Zephyrus G14 can accommodate up to a selectable AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card, which is more than enough to run almost any game on the market today.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
shortcoming
- Memory is not replaceable: The memory of the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is soldered to the motherboard, which means you can't upgrade the memory after purchase. Therefore, it is important to choose the memory capacity that suits your needs at the time of purchase.
- 1TB SSD: For some gamers, 1TB of SSD storage may be a little insufficient. If you need to store a lot of games or game assets, you may want to consider an additional external storage device.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) snatches the title of the best 14-inch gaming laptop for the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2023). This may make it seem like the new model rightfully occupies the top spot, but in reality, the new model has made significant changes and upgrades in terms of design, making it fully worthy of the championship.
The 2024 Zephyrus G14 has a new all-metal chassis that delivers a great feel. It was this chassis that led some office colleagues to finally abandon the Razer Blade series, which is known for its all-metal construction. The metal of the Zephyrus feels great, looks great, and most importantly, reduces the overall size, making the Zephyrus G14 even thinner and more portable, measuring just 1.63 cm at its thickest point.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
Now, before talking about other advantages, it's worth mentioning that the reduced form factor has forced ASUS to ditch the single removable SO-DIMM slot offered on previous G14 models. This means that the memory is no longer upgradeable. Thankfully, though, all models on sale so far come standard with 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM. For most users, this capacity should last for several years. But I also understand that some users may not like this situation where the memory is not upgradeable. While you can replace the SSD, there is only one NVMe slot available, which can cause problems with the transfer as you need to replace the entire SSD entirely.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
If you're still paying attention, let's talk about another highlight of the G14: the OLED display. If the image above looks good, then the real thing will look even more stunning. Excellent color wideness and contrast make this display perfect for gaming. The higher 2880 x 1800 resolution and slightly larger 16:10 aspect ratio help prevent players from feeling oppressive on the screen.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
Another surprise highlight is the G14's speakers, which are a significant improvement over last year. Now, the G14 has four built-in tweeters and two woofers, distributed on both sides of the keyboard, and it sounds really good. Also impressive are the speakers of the Zephyrus G16, which also feature the latest speaker design.
For those compact 14-inch gaming laptops that are still one of the more popular form factors, the 2024 ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is unbeatable.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
Overall, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) is a very well-balanced 14-inch gaming laptop in every way. With its sleek design, powerful performance, and thin and light body, it's perfect for gamers looking for portability. However, it's important to note that the memory isn't replaceable, and 1TB of SSD storage may be a little insufficient for some users.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023) |Best 17-inch Gaming Laptop in 2023?
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023) is commendable in terms of performance, but it has some flaws that make it debatable if it can be called the "best 17-inch gaming laptop of 2023".
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
specification
- CPU: Up to AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX processor
- GPU:最高可选英伟达 GeForce RTX 4090 显卡
- Memory: Up to 32GB DDR5-4800 memory
- Screen: 17.3-inch 2560 x 1440 @ 240Hz display
- 存储：最高可选 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 固态硬盘
- Battery: 90Wh
- Dimensions: 39.5 x 28.2 x 2.3 cm (15.55 x 11.10 x 0.92 inches)
- Weight: 3.0 kg
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
merit
- Powerful Performance: The new 3D V-Cache AMD CPUs deliver outstanding performance and can run almost any game on the market today. At the same time, the RTX 4090 graphics card also provides a strong power for gaming.
- Slim design: The ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023) is surprisingly thin and light for a 17-inch gaming laptop.
- Value for money: Compared to other 17-inch gaming laptops with the same specs, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023) offers a comparatively better value for money.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
shortcoming
- Poor ergonomic design: The feel and layout of the keyboard is uncomfortable, and prolonged use can cause wrist fatigue.
- Poor trackpad: The trackpad has a poor control experience and may affect the user's efficiency.
- Weak battery life: The 90Wh battery capacity is mediocre for a 17-inch gaming laptop, making it unsuitable for long periods of time off the power source.
- Loud noise: Fan noise is noticeable during high loads, which may affect the immersion of the game.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
In addition to being the best 17-inch gaming laptop on the market right now, ASUS's ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D is also probably the fastest machine. The latest AMD Zen 4 chip is currently the top-of-the-line mobile processor on the market, and the addition of the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D, which has a lot of cache, allows this large system to deliver extreme gaming performance at times.
However, it's a shame that it's limited to a single model for now, as the Scar 17 X3D is the only place where you can find AMD's highest-end processors. It's a very impressive gaming notebook that makes the ridiculous MSI Titan look even more silly.
It's also one of the most affordable RTX 4090 machines seen in this generation, so in some ways, being seen as a secondary choice in the laptop space might indeed serve this AMD-powered system. It's also one of the best-performing RTX 4090 machines I've ever seen, and it's a double whammy that makes it hard to recommend anything else.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
You'll definitely need to plug it in for use, because despite the large capacity of the 90Wh battery, it really doesn't last long when it's far from an electrical outlet. If you're gaming, think of the battery as an uninterruptible power supply rather than something you rely on for a long time.
The special X3D version of this laptop is still the only machine with the ultimate mobile gaming CPU, AMD's Ryzen 9 7945HX3D, the same as the standard Scar 17 laptop and its Ryzen 9 7945HX chip, but the newer version uses 3D V-cache technology to stack more cache memory on one of the Zen 4 compute blocks.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
The chip has a nominal clock speed of only 2.5GHz and an up-and-out clock speed of 5.4GHz. In fact, this is also a solid boost, as the chip is reliably seen to be boosted to this level under a single-core load in the test. In heavy multithreaded loads, seeing 4.7GHz on a regular basis is no easy task.
The most powerful Intel mobile chip we've seen is the Core i16 13980HX in the Asus Strix Scar 9, which is the little brother of this machine. It was a 24-core, 32-thread processor, and Intel was mixing its 8 performance cores with 16 high-efficiency cores to meet its threading goals.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
It's also my first time trying AMD's latest range of notebook processors, and it's definitely delighted my tech tastes. The RED team is really doing a good job with mobile chips at the moment, with the power of this Ryzen 9 7945HX, the gaming capabilities of the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D, and the efficiency and performance of its Z1 Extreme (aka Ryzen 7 7840U), which is powering the likes of the great ROG Ally handheld gaming PC.
To sum up, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023) performs well in terms of performance, boasting a powerful AMD CPU and RTX 4090 graphics, while also having certain advantages in terms of body design and price. However, its poor ergonomics, poor trackpad, and lack of battery life can affect the user experience. Therefore, it is advisable to weigh the pros and cons and make a decision based on your own needs before making a purchase.
华硕 ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D is one of the most powerful 17-inch gaming laptops out there, as well as one of the fastest. It's powered by AMD's latest Ryzen 9 7945HX3D processor for a leap in gaming performance.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
merit
- The Mini LED display has excellent color performance and wide viewing angles
- Stylish body design
- Relatively affordable price
shortcoming
- Lack of battery life: Despite having a 90Wh battery, you need to be connected to a power source to maintain performance while gaming.
- There is currently only one model: The X3D version with the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D processor is currently available in a single option.
- Poor ergonomics: Some users may find the keyboard feel and layout uncomfortable.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
The screen is one of the biggest highlights of the Acer Predator Helios 16. It is a Mini LED panel with 1,000 zones of dimming zones consisting of tiny LEDs arranged on a screen backlight panel instead of traditional LED lights. More partitions are designed to provide higher brightness peaks without losing detail in the dark parts of the picture. Admittedly, Mini LED technology isn't the best microLED technology, but it's a better choice than traditional LED screens.
The screen display of the Helios 16 is excellent. The colors are rich and vibrant, and they don't pale like some cheap notebooks. Turn the brightness to the highest and the display is impressive, whether you're using it on your desktop or playing games.
When playing Metro Gone: Enhanced Edition, the display works great at showing bright flames that suddenly appear in a dark environment, or light that comes through windows or roof holes.
This notebook's Mini LED screen is indeed a highlight, boasting an enviable 240Hz refresh rate and a 16:10 (2560 x 1600) resolution.
However, can a great screen make up for the lack of performance? It's hard to say, because thanks to its tough RTX 4080 graphics and Intel Core i9 13900HX processor, the Helios 16 can handle most games. However, compared to other gaming laptops with similar specs, gaming performance isn't as outstanding.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
The overall body has a stylish black design. Although some of the material is plastic, it still looks cool. It's not as professional-looking as the Razer Blade 16, and it's not as ostentatious as the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 16, but it has a lot of connectors that make it feel good to get started with for the first time.
The power adapter isn't my favorite, though, it's very bulky and heavy. If you need to carry this already 2.9kg machine on your back all day, plus it, then the burden will be relatively large.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
The Acer Predator Helios 16 isn't the fastest gaming laptop with RTX 4080 graphics, but it has a lot to offer. If you're looking for extreme performance, then this notebook isn't the best choice for you. However, the Acer Predator Helios 16 is still an attractive gaming laptop thanks to its excellent Mini LED display and affordable price. It's one of the laptops with the best gaming display on the market right now.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
How to test a gaming laptop
To make sure we were able to get all the objective performance data we needed and the subjective experience of actually using a gaming laptop, we spent a lot of time on our gaming laptop testing. Gaming laptops are expensive, so it's essential to do your best before making a purchase.
Objective testing
Objective testing requires that each system pass a standard benchmark test suite. Cinebench R23 and Blender 3.3.0 benchmarks were used in testing to test the raw performance of the system's CPU, GPU, and storage components to evaluate the rendering performance of the processor and graphics card. We also use the X264 to test the encoding capabilities of the laptop CPU.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
3DMark's storage test and Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker benchmark are a great way to highlight the gaming performance of your laptop's storage subsystem. 3DMark also allows us to understand the gaming and ray tracing performance of the GPU through comprehensive testing.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
The focus was also on gaming performance tests, including: Cyberpunk 2077, F1 22, Hitman 3, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Metro Gone: Enhanced, tested at 1080p (so that we have a benchmark reference score regardless of the system's native resolution) and 1440p and 4K (if available), respectively.
We also ran some hands-on tests of the system's panels, here using Lagom's LCD test images to help distinguish between black levels and white saturation, as well as general desktop and gaming tests to see how it feels like using a laptop screen.
It's also important to check the actual gaming frequency of your laptop's GPU and CPU in order to see how a given silicon wafer will perform under the thermal constraints of different laptop chassis.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
The gaming laptops mentioned above are our top recommendations, but they're not all of the models we've reviewed. To make sure we only recommend the absolute best, we will regularly test other gaming laptops later.
Here are some of the gaming laptops that have been recently reviewed but not included in the list of recommendations:
- Alienware X14: It has an eye-pleasing design and powerful 1080p gaming performance, but it's a little more expensive than similarly equipped competitors. However, if you're on a budget, it's still a model worth considering.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
- Alienware m17 R5 AMD: The recommended configuration here swaps out the display for a high-speed display at 1080p 240Hz for better gaming performance and some budget savings.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
- Razer Blade 14: Not much has changed from the previous generation, and the RTX 3070 Ti version may be a bit on the high side, but it's a very thin and light powerhouse. The 14-inch 1440p display is very sharp, bright, and colorful. However, it's still a little more expensive compared to the similarly powerful Asus G14. Therefore, the more cost-effective RTX 3060 version may be a more balanced choice.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
- MSI Stealth GS66: The massive cooling system may seem like an exaggeration, and it does boast decent performance, but the price and odd configuration options, combined with the loud noise, make it hard to like or recommend.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
- Corsair Voyager A1600 (Corsair Voyager A1600): The Corsair Voyager A1600 is a fun laptop for the streamer demographic, but it leaves something to be desired in terms of features and completeness. It has an excellent keyboard, but the performance doesn't quite match its price.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
- GIGABYTE AORUS 17 XE4 (GIGABYTE AORUS 17 XE4): The GIGABYTE AORUS 17 XE4 has a powerful core configuration that is perfect for gamers, but it may not be suitable for everyone due to its noisy and bulky design.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
- Acer Shadow Knight 5 (Acer Shadow Knight 5): The Acer Shadow Knight 5 has a more understated exterior design, but it's a well-balanced mid-range gaming laptop that can satisfy many gamers. For some users, the low-profile design also makes it convenient to play in public places such as cafes without being obtrusive.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024
What is the most important component in a gaming laptop?
- Graphics card (GPU): Traditionally the most important factor, but now performance is also limited by the ability to dissipate heat. In a thick laptop with better heat dissipation, the powerful RTX 4080 can deliver better performance than in a thin laptop.
- CPU: CPU is relatively less important for pure gaming, but an 8-core CPU is more advantageous for multitasking and productivity tasks. High clock speeds still deliver good gaming performance, especially when paired with a powerful GPU.
- Screen size: Depends on your preference for portability and screen size. 15 inches is the most common size in gaming laptops.
- Refresh rate: A high refresh rate screen, such as 300Hz, provides a smoother gaming experience, but your GPU needs to be able to deliver enough frames per second (fps) to take full advantage.
- Resolution: 4K is too powerful for a gaming laptop. 1080p offers the best balance of performance and battery life. 1440p is a good compromise for higher resolution without sacrificing too much performance.
A Gamer's Must-Have: Top Gaming Laptop Reviews and Shopping Guide for 2024