How to Choose the Best Gaming Laptop – 6 Things to Consider. How to find the best gaming laptop

If you want to strike a balance between gaming performance and portability, choose an expensive gaming laptop that is lightweight, or choose a laptop that has average hardware specs and is therefore lightweight.

Best cheap gaming laptop 2022: Level up for less

Chip shortages can drive up the price of gaming hardware and off-the-shelf laptops, but getting a great gaming laptop doesn’t mean you have to break the bank. Check out these more economical options from top brands like Dell, ASUS, HP and more.

Taylor Clemons is a technical writer and reviewer based near Cleveland, Ohio.

Gaming laptops can cost a lot, but even top brands like HP, Asus, and Dell offer affordable and entry-level models for anyone looking to gamble on the go without emptying their wallet. For this list, I have tried to keep my picks under 400,000, but in the absence of tokens and inventory issues, don’t be surprised if retailers start pushing up prices a bit. Fortunately, there are several models, such as the HP Omen and HP Victus, that allow you to configure your laptop while still not exceeding 400 100. I chose models based on Intel and AMD processors to help you find the best gaming laptop that will fit not only Your budget, but also to your style of play.

Dell G15 Ryzen Edition

Alienware-level quality for HP budgets

Dell

Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 5600H | RAM: 8 GB DDR4 3200 MHz | Memory: 512 GB M.2 NVMe SSD | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB GDDR6 | Display: 15.6 inch FHD | Refresh rate: 120 Hz | Battery life: 10 hours

Even though this gaming laptop has a retail price of under $ 1,000, it’s still packed to the brim with premium hardware. It’s built around an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card, giving you enough power to play the latest triple-A titles. The basic setup only includes 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, but you can upgrade later on your own if you need more memory and storage. The native 120Hz refresh rate ensures smooth action, and the anti-glare coating on the 1080p screen improves viewing angles by reducing overhead reflections. Wi-Fi 6 compatibility gives you ultra-fast Wi-Fi, giving you the edge you need to win fast online matches.

Pros

• great battery life
• Wi-Fi 6
• User updateable
• Alienware Command Center

Cons

• No USB-C charging output / display
• Heavy
• Only supports up to 32 GB of RAM

As for the brand, AMD processors prior to the Ryzen 3000 series are fine, especially if they’re in a model that’s much cheaper than the one with Intel’s counterpart. But the newest Ryzen 5000 series performs better than Intel’s newest competitors at similar prices.

Gaming Laptops from Different Brands

As mentioned above, there are hundreds of laptops from different brands on the market. Major laptop manufacturers such as MSI, ASUS, DELL and ACER have their own line of gaming laptops that offer unique features to cater to different types of gamers.

If you want to know about the gaming laptops offered by these brands, please have a look at the list we have compiled below:

1. Acer

Acer is known for its budget gaming laptops that offer value for money like the Nitro series. Their best-selling Nitro laptop right now is the one with the GTX 1650 and an Intel Core i5 processor. On the other hand, they also offer products like the Predator 21X which has an amazingly curved display powered by two GTX 1080 TIs per SLI.

2. Asus

Most gamers would probably get the idea if you mention the word ROG. Republic of Gamers (ROG) is Asus’ line of games that is popular not only among laptop enthusiasts but also among desktop manufacturers.

ASUS TUF FX504 gaming laptop is thin and light

They recently introduced the TUF series laptops, which are significantly affordable compared to the ROG.

For around $ 850, you can buy an ASUS TUF A15 laptop with a Ryzen 5 processor in combination with an Nvidia GTX 1650 card.

3. Dell

Dell Alienware notebooks are some of the most popular gaming laptops with unique designs that have caught the attention of most gamers. Recently, their focus is on thin and light gaming laptops like the Alienware m17. All m17 variants are equipped with an Intel Core i7 processor and you can choose between the GTX 1660 TI or the high-performance RTX 2060 and 2070 for your graphics card. A basic variant with an AMD RX5500M GPU is also available.

4. Gigabyte

Gigabyte also offers its own gaming laptops called AORUS. Most of their gaming laptops, such as the AORUS 7, have a 144Hz high refresh rate display that can be paired with a GTX1660 graphics card or the latest in the RTX 2000 series. Gigabyte also offers laptops with mechanical keyboards equipped with OMRON switches, such as the AORUS 17X and AORUS 15G.

5. Lenovo

Lenovo’s legion line has recently been redesigned to be more minimalist, keeping their gaming laptops light and thin without sacrificing performance. Their latest Legion 5 models include the latest Ryzen 4000 series processors and new Legion TrueStrike keyboards. Their latest TrueStrike keyboard has 100% glare protection combined with soft landing switches to enhance your gaming experience.

6. MSI

Known for owning black and red laptops, the MSI Titan and Stealth lineup are among the most popular gaming laptops today. Their GS65 Stealth model includes a decent GTX 1660 TI, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB NVME SSD. Combined with MSI’s famous dragon logo, MSI’s Dragon Center allows users to take control of their system with features such as performance profiles, system monitoring, and fan control.

For a review of the best MSI gaming laptops, check out our articles here:

7. Razer

If you love RGB, Razer has a lot to offer with its Chroma line of products. Known for its simple yet elegant designs, Razer is the first laptop manufacturer to focus on gaming laptops. Their popular entry-level Razer Blade 15 model is equipped with an RTX 2070 paired with an Intel Core i7 and has some fancy features such as Chroma RGB and Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Conclusion

All in all, a gaming laptop is a good investment for users who prefer portability. However, they’re not very good at being upgradable, especially for the CPU and GPU.

This would make picking mid-tier and top-tier gaming laptops a better option, even if they cost a bit more.

Mid-to-high-end gaming components would be better when it comes to securing your gaming laptop for the future, making sure it can still support new games for years to come.

Technology enthusiast, blogger, Linux fan and developer. He writes about hardware, Linux and Open Source software as well as coding in Python, PHP and JavaScript. He can be contacted at [email protected] .

Choosing a smaller 15- or 14-inch display will give you great mobility, which can come in handy if you travel frequently from one place to another. However, if you prefer a more immersive gaming experience, you should buy a gaming laptop with a larger 17.3-inch display, such as the Asus TUF A17 Gaming laptop.

What kind of CPU and GPU do you want?

The answer to that question was relatively simple: just get an Intel chip with an NVIDIA GPU. But over the past two years, AMD has risen to the wave of its Ryzen 4000 and 5000 processors, which are better suited to juggling multiple tasks at once (like streaming on Twitch while shooting fools in Fortnite). Overall, you’ll still be safe when buying one of the latest 10 or 11 Gen Intel H series chips. But it’s nice to have some decent AMD alternatives available for budget and mid-range laptops, especially when they’re often cheaper than Intel’s comparable models.

When it comes to graphics cards, AMD is still catching up. Its new Radeon RX 6000M graphics processor was a fantastic solution in notebooks like the ASUS ROG Strix G15, but still lags behind NVIDIA when it comes to newer features like ray tracing. I admit, it’s nice to see a Radeon notebook that can come close to overall gaming performance with the NVIDIA RTX 3070 and 3080 GPUs.

If you’re looking to secure your purchase in the future, or just want to see how ray tracing can make your games look better, you’ll probably be better off with an NVIDIA graphics card. They’re in a lot more systems, and it’s clear NVIDIA has had more time to optimize its ray tracing technology. RTX GPUs also feature the company’s DLSS feature, which uses artificial intelligence to scale games to higher resolutions. This will allow you to play a game like Destiny 2 in 4K at higher frames per second. This is useful if you are trying to use a high refresh rate monitor.

NVIDIA’s RTX 3050 is a decent starting point, but we think it would be better to have at least the RTX 3060, which offers solid performance at 1080p and 1440p. Meanwhile, the RTX 3070 is the best balance of price and performance. It will be able to run many games in 4K using DLSS and can even handle demanding titles like Control. The NVIDIA RTX 3080 is king of the hill; you will pay a premium for each machine that includes it.

It’s worth noting that NVIDIA’s mobile GPUs aren’t directly comparable to their more powerful desktop hardware. PC manufacturers can also adjust the voltage of the GPU to make it perform better in a thinner form factor. Basically, don’t be surprised if you see notebooks that perform very differently, even if they all feature the same RTX model.

What kind of screen do you want?

Screen size is a good place to start evaluating gaming notebooks. Overall, 15-inch laptops provide the best balance between immersion and portability, while larger 17-inch models are heavier but naturally provide a larger screen area. There are a handful of 13-inch gaming notebooks like the Razer Blade Stealth, but paradoxically, you’ll often pay more than the slightly larger 15-inch options for them. We also see more 14-inch options like the Zephyrus G14 and Blade 14 that are generally more powerful than 13-inch laptops while being relatively portable.

But there are a lot more features to consider than just screen size these days. Consider refresh rates: most monitors refresh their screens vertically 60 times per second or 60 Hz. This is the standard used since NTSC black and white televisions. But in the last few years, displays have grown significantly. Now, 120Hz 1080p screens are the absolute minimum you expect from any gaming notebook – there are also faster 144Hz, 240Hz and even 360Hz panels. All of these ever-increasing numbers do one thing: to make everything on your screen look as fluid as possible.

For games, the higher refresh rates also help eliminate screen tearing and other artifacts that can get in the way of frag fest. Everything else just leads to a better viewing experience. Even scrolling a web page on a 120 Hz or faster monitor is clearly different from a 60 Hz screen. Instead of seeing a jittery wall of text and images, everything moves smoothly together, as if you were unfolding a magazine of shiny paper. Going beyond 120Hz makes the gameplay look even more responsive, which gives them a slight edge for some players.

To keep things simple, you should also pay attention to G-SYNC from NVIDIA and FreeSync from AMD. Both are adaptive timing technologies that can match the screen refresh rate to the game’s frame rate. It also helps to reduce screen tearing and make gameplay smoother. Treat them as cool bonuses on top of a high refresh rate monitor; are not necessary, but may still offer a slight visual improvement.

One more thing: most of these suggestions are for LCD screens, not OLEDs. While OLED is a phenomenal choice for televisions, it’s a bit more complicated when it comes to gaming laptops. These are limited to 60Hz, so you won’t get the smoother performance you’d find on a high refresh rate screen. And these are usually 4K panels; you’ll need loads of GPU power to natively run games at this resolution. OLED laptops still look amazing, with the best black levels and contrast on the market, but we think most buyers would be better off having a gaming laptop with an LCD display.

A few other takeaways:

Get at least 16 GB of RAM. And if you plan on doing a ton of multitasking while streaming, 32GB might be worth considering.

Storage is still a big problem. These days, I’d suggest aiming for a 1TB M.2 SSD, which should be enough to juggle some big titles like Destiny 2. Some laptops also have room for standard SATA drives which are much cheaper than M.2 and maybe hold more data.

We usually recommend that you get the system before you buy it, but it’s difficult as we are in the midst of a pandemic. I recommend that you pick up your preferred system from a retailer with a simple return policy like Amazon or Best Buy. If you don’t like it, you can always send it back easily.

In addition to all of the aforementioned factors, there are a few more hardware aspects of a laptop that you should consider. These include battery specifications, laptop weight, and output ports.

Lori’s advice

You have to prioritize your priorities. Not my priorities, because I guarantee they are different from yours. So, I advise you to find out what you value the most first, using a few general tips.

Of course, your budget is important, and so is the need to decide which games you plan to play the most, as games ultimately decide how to make trade-offs. Fortnite? You really don’t need a strong GPU, so it’s a great place to save money. Fan of AAA games? You’re better off a big, ugly model that has the most powerful GPU and (at least) quad-core CPU you can afford.

Remember that some aspects are more wise to sacrifice than others. For example, you can always get a cheap keyboard and mouse if the ones in your laptop suck. You can always buy a cheap monitor later if the dimmed low contrast laptop screen is starting to drive you nuts. If a 256GB drive seems tight, which it will inevitably be, there’s always external storage. (But your main drive should always be an SSD if you can afford it.)

Two things you won’t be able to change: CPU and GPU. You don’t really need more than a quad-core CPU unless you’re concerned about future-proofing, in which case a six-core might be a smart option, but dual-core isn’t a very good idea. If you play simulations, they’re especially CPU-intensive, so you probably want to try splitting your dollars in that direction.

The Acer Aspire 5 has a separate Nvidia MX series graphics card, which is good enough for gaming at 1366×768 resolutions at medium quality settings.

As for the brand, AMD processors prior to the Ryzen 3000 series are fine, especially if they’re in a model that’s much cheaper than the one with Intel’s counterpart. But the newest Ryzen 5000 series performs better than Intel’s newest competitors at similar prices.

For mobile graphics, unless your games have really low requirements, avoid Nvidia’s integrated lines and MX (which are just a step up). Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your point of view, Nvidia’s GeForce chips and AMD’s Radeon lineup seem to be better in some games than others, so it’s hard to say “this is the best option.”

If you decide to go with AMD, it really should be the current generation RX6000 series processor; work much better than previous generations. If it’s the RX5000 series then Nvidia is the better choice. If you can afford it, the GeForce 1660 Ti is clearly better than the GTX 1650 and, to some extent, the 1660. You definitely want at least 2 GB of video memory on the card, but 4 GB is often necessary to get high definition 1080p on all but the most demanding games.

Laptops with these graphics cards typically cost anywhere from $ 700 to $ 1,000. You can take a look at the Acer Nitro, Asus TUF, and Lenovo Ideapad L340 gaming laptops, which have variants that feature Nvidia’s GTX 1650 in conjunction with a decent CPU.

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro

A gaming laptop with a 16:10 screen

The Legion 5 Pro is the best gaming laptop Lenovo has ever made. For well under 350,000, you get the outstanding performance of AMD Ryzen 5000 processors in an attractive 16-inch form factor. It provided decent results in every game we tried, even at a native resolution of 2560 x 1600. And thanks to its 165Hz display, you’ll be able to make the most of the Legion 5 Pro’s power.

Performance aside, the highlight of the Legion 5 Pro is the 16:10 screen. Such a tall screen is hard to find in the gaming laptop market these days, and gives you more room for multitasking if you want to use the Legion 5 Pro as your daily driver. The keyboard is also a pleasure to use, with 1.5mm travel and four-zone programmable backlighting.

The main disadvantage of the Legion is battery life. In our tests, we only had about four and a half hours of continuous use. While it’s not the worst we’ve ever got from a gaming laptop, it’s not any close to what you’ll see with the G15. However, it charges very, very quickly thanks to the included 300W power cube. Overall, while the G15 will be a better option for people who work frequently on the go, the Legion is still a good choice – and we need to give Lenovo 16:10 screen props.

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro

The Lenovo 2021 Legion 5 Pro has a 16-inch QHD display, RTX 3070 graphics, AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, and supports expandable storage and RAM.

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 Advantage Edition is powered by an impressive AMD processor. Photo by Monika Chin / The Verge

Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition

The best AMD gaming laptop

The ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition is one of the few gaming laptops that includes both an AMD processor and an AMD graphics processor. Don’t worry – it delivers gaming performance comparable to what you’ll see on laptops running the best Nvidia GPUs. It also provides one of the best battery-powered gaming experiences we’ve ever seen – was able to hold playable FPS in Red Dead Redemption 2 for over an hour without a charger plugged in.

Battery speaking, we had an average of nine hours and 16 minutes of use between charges, making the Strix G15 one of the longest-lasting gaming laptops on the market. It’s doubly impressive as it powers a ton of brilliant LED lights, including an RGB keyboard for each key and a colored light strip around the front edge of the deck. If you’re looking for a jazzy, bold design and prefer to use AMD technology, the Strix G15 Advantage Edition is a great gaming laptop for you.

Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition

Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition is RGB only and all AMD. Provides excellent battery life and exceptional battery play.

The Razer Blade 14 is the best 14-inch gaming laptop of 2021. Photo: Monica Chin / The Verge

8 GB of RAM is expandable and perfectly supports the built-in processor. However, as with some of the other laptops on the list, the memory module is a bit restrictive thanks to its 256GB SSD, which helps minimize OS load times. However, we would like there to be a double memory module that could store almost any game, regardless of size.

Best Battery Life: Asus TUF FX505DT

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 R5-3550H 2.1 GHz
• RAM: 8 GB
• Memory: 256 GB
• Display: 15.6 inch FHD IPS (1920 x 1080)
• GPU: 4 GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
• Battery: up to 10 hours

Asus’s TUF series is best known for its usefulness in targeting enthusiastic and professional gamers. However, the Asus TUF FX505DT is a budget gaming notebook that has to say the least of high performance.

CPU and GPU

This model offers the excellent Ryzen 5 R5-3550H processor with an AMD processor with a basic clock frequency of 2.1 GHz. Moreover, this SoC has a 12nm architecture which makes it more efficient compared to some Intel Core i5 laptops. On the other hand, the graphics are handled by the GeForce GTX 1650 graphics processor and support for 4 GB of VRAM.

RAM and storage

Built-in 8 GB RAM memory further enhances processing efficiency. Be it photo editing, video editing or 3D modeling, this machine can do it all. On top of that, Asus comes with a 256GB SSD memory unit which is jealously fast and speeds up the boot process. As for the operating system, Asus offers a reliable Windows 10 Home Edition.

Display

This device provides an excellent display with a screen diagonal of 15.6 inches at the forefront. The IPS panel offers excellent viewing angles thanks to the overall resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Most importantly, the GPU and the display in consistency have a standard 60Hz refresh rate, which is quite enough for the casual gamer.

Keyboard and peripherals

The keyboard of this model has 20 million years of advanced durability of key presses. The RGB backlit HyperStrike keyboard works in tandem with a responsive touchpad! Other utility specs include a handy webcam, a decent speaker array (for a better music experience), and advanced and top-notch anti-dust cleaning technology.

Design and ports

ASUS boasts a rugged chassis built to military standards. In addition, the dual fan design further enhances the structural reliability of the device while preventing it from overheating. In terms of connectivity, the device has structured ports in USB 3.1, 2.0, HDMI 2.0 and more, and then Wi-Fi 5 for faster relays.

SenseMI processor technology provides the perfect balance between power and battery life. Therefore, the battery module provides up to 10 hours of continuous backup, with moderate use. Overall, this Asus TUF gaming device is affordable enough, but still has an excellent thermal cooling design and a more than a decent processor.

Processor: Intel Core i7-11800H | RAM: 8 GB DDR4 3200 MHz | Memory: 256 GB M.2 NVMe SDD | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti | Display: 16.1 ing FHD | Refresh rate: 144 Hz | Battery life: 5.5 hours

Minimum & Recommended System Requirements

We finalized the minimum and recommended hardware requirements after looking at the specs of some popular games such as Fortnite, PUBG, Sims 4, and Overwatch. Whichever laptop you choose from our list, most of them will be able to easily run AAA titles (on high graphics settings) at 40-50 FPS.

Minimum system requirements	Recommended system requirements
Processor	ninth generation intel Core i5	9. Intel Core i7
Aries	8 GB	16 GIGA BYTES
Storage	512 GB SSD	512 GB SSD or better
Display	15.6 inch FHD (1920 x 1080)	15.6 inch IPS FHD (1920 x 1080)
Refresh rate	60Hz	144 Hz or better
Graphics	4 GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card with 6 GB of memory
Battery	Up to 3 hours	Up to 6 hours

Your choice between these two options depends on what kind of player you are. For example, if you spend hours playing games or creating stream-driven content, you need a high-end gaming laptop. However, if you are on a budget and need a device for casual gaming, you can opt for laptops that can run some popular video games. Lastly, the perfect option depends on the games you want to play.

Now that you have the basic idea, should we check the products in today’s spotlight?

The Best Gaming Laptops of 2022

Budget is one important factor when purchasing a laptop, which is why we’ve also included some mid-range gaming laptops (listed between 5-8) that lend themselves to the occasional gaming experience. However, if you go for one of them, you shouldn’t expect high performance in AAA titles.

You should make sure the laptop you receive has specs above the minimum gaming requirements. Don’t just stick to the minimum specs (they will be compatible, but due to other background tasks, the game may lag or even overheat.)

1. Best Overall: Asus ROG Strix G15

• Processor: Intel Core i7-10750H 2.6 GHz
• RAM: 16 GB
• Storage: 1 TB SSD
• Display: 15.6 inch FHD IPS (1920 x 1080)
• Refresh rate: 240 Hz
• GPU: 8 GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070
• Battery: up to 5.5 hours

The Asus ROG Strix G15, epitomizing gaming performance and unmatched professional durability, is surely one of the most sought-after laptops in the retail market. While there are quite a few giants on the list, the Strix G15 wins the cake thanks to the perfect balance between processing power and graphics-oriented handling.

For starters, you’ll get access to the Intel Core i7-10750H mobile SoC, best known for its six-core architecture. From FPS games to open world, sandbox, MOBA, Battle Royale, and strategic or turn-based games, this CPU can manage almost anything with ease. Plus, turbo clock speeds of up to 5 GHz are good enough to decode the varied logic of the game effortlessly.

As a gamer, you would like to invest in an impressive GPU, and this is where the NVIDIA RTX 2070 helps. Coupled with 8 GB VRAM, this graphics card can handle any demanding title you throw at it at 1080p settings. Moreover, the GeForce RTX 2070 is one of your best bets when it comes to games like Control, Battlefield V, and more that support Ray Tracing.

While VRAM helps to decrypt textures in games with ease, 16GB of fast RAM easily improves multitasking performance. Moreover, the processing speed of files and data up to 2933 MHz makes the existing RAM module one of the best in the retail sector. In addition to dual-channel system memory, you also get access to a massive 1TB drive. The SSD unit ensures faster file downloads and runs the Windows 10 operating system in virtually the blink of an eye.

Particularly noteworthy is the gaming-friendly display, associated with the ROG Strix G15, thanks to the 15.6-inch screen and the overall resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. However, we were pleasantly surprised by the 240Hz refresh rate which in turn minimizes screen tearing and ghosting. Utilizing the performance of ROG Boost technology like the GPU, the brilliant display delivers a best-in-class gaming experience.

Other notable specs include a gamer-friendly RGB backlit keyboard, then powerful stereo speakers, a gesture-enabled trackpad, and an efficient thermal design with leading ROG Intelligent Cooling technology. This attribute reduces throttling, even for some of the more demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077, World of Warcraft, Civilization 6, League of Legends, Minecraft and others, while improving speed and minimizing lag.