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We researched the over 30 laptops in our 2024 market assessment and have narrowed it down to our top 5 picks, with our best gaming laptop award going to the Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701 an amazing laptop with desktop level graphics performance and excellent cooling.
The best money can buy, the worlds thinnest laptop with a RTX 2080 shoehorned in, the latest Intel CPU and a 144Hz display makes the GX701 our top choice.
Due to hardware cooling restraints, typically you have to pick between thin and less powerful or thick and more powerful. The Asus ROG Zephyrus opens slightly when you pop the lid… Opening the laptop up when in use allows for massively increased air flow and no throttling back when in game (a common issue). Now, I know what you’re thinking “it opens up” sounds like it might break, but the mechanism has been designed well, it’s solid. With this design, Asus have allowed us to have the best of both worlds.
Also see our review of the best RTX 2080 laptops for gaming in 2024.
The Razer Blade Elite is a high-end portable, that’s capable of replacing your desktop. We highly recommend the Razer Blade Elite If you’re looking for a solid metal chassis. The price is high but you’re getting MacBook Pro style build quality.
With the introduction of the Razer Blade Pro, we now have a true desktop replacement. All in a mobile light and thin package with a well made metal chassis.
The Razer Blade Elite comes with an unlocked i7, allowing for overclocking. The i7 CPU coupled with the Nvidia GTX 1080 graphics card makes the Razer Blade superior, with enough power to replace a high end desktop PC. For other products at this price point check out our best gaming laptops under 1000 dollars review (2024 update).
The GS65 is thin, sleek and well made, if you’re looking for a subtle notebook that is highly portable then grab the GS65 from MSI.
Rocking a 6 core 8th generation Intel Coffee Lake i7 08750H processor, the MSI GS65 crams a stack of power into a thin chassis. On the graphics side the MSI GS65 uses an Nvidia GeForce GTX Max-Q 1070 GPU, while this is slightly less power than the Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501. The MSI GS65 still has enough power for most of today’s AAA games. The GS65 also boasts a 144hz screen, making it an excellent choice for FPS gamers.
Check out our round up of 2024’s top 5 gaming laptops under 1500 bucks.
Related Buying Guides
If you are on the lookout for a solid reliable, battle tested 17-inch form factor, then the Alienware 17 R4 is definitely a recommended buy.
The Alienware 17 R4 is more of a desktop replacement, that can also be picked up and taken else where with ease. If you’re after a great bang for buck well made 17″ we recommend the Alienware 17 R4. Coined as the “magnificent monster”, due to it’s high performance and impressive looks with subtle but customizable LED lighting (has the option to disable). All this found at a highly affordable price, when you consider the build quality and technology packed into the R4.
Related: See our best budget gaming laptops under 800 dollars for 2024.
The Razer Blade is a 15 is a highly portable device for gamers that’s built like a tank! If you’re after something that resembles a MacBook Pro, then have just found it!
Even though the new version of this notebook seems to be longer lasting and stronger than the previous year’s, it would be nice to see more original features being incorporated. If you’re looking for a metal chassis, the Razer Blade is a great choice, if you’re on a tighter budget we would check out the Alienware 13 R13 instead.
When it’s time for a new gaming laptop, it can be hard to pinpoint exactly what to look for. The following buyers guide will simplify and facilitate your shopping experience. Not all products are created equal, and if gaming is your goal, there are certain things a computer must have in order to provide magnificent, easy, and quality visual display and performance.
Even though desktops deliver optimal performance, laptops are preferred for their portability and space efficiency. However, the benefits of a laptop are nothing if it is not packed with the correct hardware that most games require in this modern age. Cost aside, the following parts below are what turn a normal laptop into a gaming beast, you’ll need to pay close attention to each component before you invest!
Do not expect too much in terms of battery performance. The use of gaming hardware, from startup to finish, creates power-hungry components that will suck battery life quite quickly. Power saving mode and using the Intel graphics card when your not in a game will help you out massively.
Finding a device that can last two to three hours on a single charge with the highest of settings will be the most you can hope for with today’s battery technology. It should be noted that most gamers will typically play when connected to AC power, don’t expect to be playing far from a power outlet for longer than an hour or so.
The level of portability depends entirely on bulk and weight, as well as how much you plan on traveling.
The CPU and RAM will handle everything that does not involve graphic management. CPU wise, the war rages between AMD and Intel. We are here to tell you that Intel is our choice out of the two. The later the generation of Intel, the better.
As a general rule, do not choose below a Core i5 processor and in 2024 we recommend an i7 CPU. The recommendation is the Intel 8thgeneration core processors and above. The latest available Intel generation is at 8 with their Coffee Lake series. Also, quad-core is going to help you out on games that make use of the CPU & GPU such as the Battlefield series.
RAM is typically an up gradable component that most manufacturer´s often charge a lot at buying time. For 2024 we recommend a minimum of 8GB and recommend buying 16GB of RAM. Generally speaking more than 16GB of RAM is overkill for gaming, however for other tasks such as editing or running virtual machines you could consider upgrading to 32GB.
The war is still on between AMD and NVIDIA, with more gamers still choosing NVIDIA (go team green!?). There is a wide range of cards to choose from and Nvidia’s RTX series has not yet made it’s way into laptops (so no Ray Tracing for now). If you’re on a budget you’ll want to get at least a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 as the bare minimum; with ideally an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070. Real gamers who want the best graphics card should look for a GTX 1080, which will handle virtual reality (VR) and AAA games with ease.
Your keyboard should at the least be comfortable to use for an extended period of time. Any extras such as mechanical-styled pressing, programmable keys, and multi-colored RGB back lighting is a plus that is solely based on preferences.
You get what you pay for. Your budget will ultimately decide how much power, quality, and performance you will receive. Any of the products reviewed above are capable of playing the latest AAA titles, and three thousand dollars + will give you high-end hardware and a range of customizable features.
A constant thought on the mind of gamers –is “Are gaming laptops worth it?” With such a diverse variety of products on the market and new ones popping up all the time, it’s tough to figure out if these often pricey computers are worthwhile. If you’re in doubt, here are a few key components to consider on your search for the perfect laptop.
While desktop systems generally have stronger capabilities, they lack portability. However, desktop processors will always be faster, but it’s possible to find fast modern generation mobile chips and GPU’s. And even though the latest tech is usually released for desktop first, there are great options with incredible mobile CPUs, so you don’t have to settle for subpar graphics.
We hope you found this guide useful when assessing the market for the best cheap gaming laptops 2024 has to offer.
