is no easy task. You want something as portable as it is powerful, all while balancing battery life, heat, and fan noise. A lot of gaming laptops get this balance wrong, but a select few rise above and get it right. While there are some 2024 gaming laptops already coming out, there aren't new mobile GPUs out, , which are increasingly discounted. So, whether you're looking for something cheaper to match a specific budget or an all-in, no-compromise machine, you're bound to find something below that suits your fancy. We stand behind these gaming laptops as the best you can buy right now. These recommendations are all based on our own in-depth testing and reviewing, which involves countless hours of performance, screen, and battery life testing. : It's a reasonably priced gaming laptop that doesn't sacrifice performance. : Gamers who want peak performance without
BREAKING the bank. : There aren't many laptops that nail balance quite like the Lenovo Legion Pro 5. It's not a cheapo gaming laptop you feel like you're going to break, and it's not an expensive monster that will drain your bank account before you can enjoy it. It's reasonably priced, well-built, and powerful, and very few gaming laptops nail all three. Although the Legion Pro 5 is a supremely powerful gaming laptop. It packs in an AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX, along with an RTX 4070 laptop GPU, easily offering over 60 frames per second (fps) in the most demanding games at its native resolution of 2560 x 1600. Paired with a solid keyboard and great battery life considering the power inside, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is easily the best gaming laptop you can buy today. Since its release, prices have come down considerably too, making this hands-down, the best value you get in a gaming laptop right now. : It's the best portable gaming laptop you can buy. : Gamers, students, and content creators. : The ROG Zephyrus G14 has always been a favorite, but in its 2024 update, Asus has taken it to the next level. The system has been completely redesigned, opting for a MacBook-like chassis that makes it attractive as a hybrid device -- one that can work just as well for games as it can for the rest of your computing needs. It's thinner than ever, just within striking distance of the MacBook Pro, while also sporting a larger touchpad, the latest Ryzen processors, and gorgeous new OLED 120Hz screen. The system can be configured with up to an RTX 4070, making it among the most powerful 14-inch laptops you can buy right now, perhaps only second to the M3 Max MacBook Pro. There's never been a gaming laptop quite like it, and considering the major price advantage it has over the Razer Blade 14, that laptop has since become hard to recommend. So, whether you're looking for an honest alternative to the MacBook Pro or just a particularly premium and compact gaming laptop, the ROG Zephyrus G14 is as good as it gets. : It's a lot of gaming power for not a lot of money. : Anyone who wants a bona fide gaming laptop for under $1,000. : For a while, it was impossible to get a decent gaming laptop for under $1,000. But today, the Dell G15 is your best bet. Dell currently sells a configuration with the AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS, RTX 4050, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage for $850. The even better value right now is to bump up to the RTX 4060 model for just an extra $50. $900 for an RTX 4060 is a killer deal. Beyond performance, the G15 has a stylish, retro vibe, with its angular vents and bright color options. Mind you, the trade off is in portability, as the G15 is over an inch thick and weighs 6.2 pounds. It has just a 1080p screen, but importantly, it has a 165Hz refresh rate -- something options like the HP Victus 16 lack. It’s also nice to see this Dell model offering a USB-C port for the latest charging and accessory support, along with Mini DisplayPort capabilities, plus HDMI and USB-A. If you don't mind a thicker laptop, the Dell G15 is a great way to get some great gaming performance without breaking the bank. We don't hand our 10/10 scores very often. But occasionally, a product comes along that balances its various elements in a way no comparable product can. The Lenovo Legion 9i is one such product. The desktop-level performance, excellent keyboard, and incredible mini-LED display are all important. But what makes the Legion 9i truly astounding is the comparably small form factor all these elements are squeezed into. It's just 0.75 inches thick and weighs 5.5 pounds. I'm not pretending like these dimensions make it a "portable" laptop, but for a gaming laptop of this magnitude, that's impressive. Throw in support for both USB-C and GaN charging, and you have a bit of a masterpiece on yours hands. The one issue is with price. It's a very expensive gaming laptop, but again, this isn't for the faint of heart. It's for those who want to go all-in on a gaming laptop that's truly worth the extra money. : It's a gaming machine in tablet form. : Gamers who want the most on-the-go option possible. : Gaming laptops have a reputation for being large — that means bigger screens, more memory, better graphics, and other advantages. But some gamers are looking for a small option, models that prioritize fitting into a backpack or case while still offering gaming capabilities on the go. This Z13 2-in-1 model is a perfect example: You can easily switch to a tablet mode for casual gaming anywhere, with anyone. The 13-inch tablet houses some serious specs too: We’re talking about a 120Hz refresh rate, a GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics card, and 16GB of RAM. It even manages to make room for 512GB of SSD storage. You’ll also find a highly capable 12th-gen Intel i7 processor under the hood. The 2024 model that we've yet to review bumps that up to an astounding RTX 4060 and Core i9, which should provide significantly better performance. That may seem like a lot to pack into a tablet body, but fortunately, the model also includes intelligent cooling with a custom vapor chamber module. The other advantage of the design is the lack of heat around the keyboard, which is something all gaming laptops struggle with. With the Z13, your hands are always comfortable, even while gaming. : It has the best build quality of any 15-inch gaming laptop, and the screen is incredible. : Gamers who don't mind spending more for a premium build. : The Razer Blade 15 has long been one of the best gaming laptops you can buy, which is a testament to how much Razer nailed the design years ago. While Razer has put more of an emphasis on the Razer Blade 14 or 16 recently, it's currently selling the Razer Blade 15 for considerably cheaper. You can get the RTX 4070 model for $2,200, which is pretty affordable for a Razer laptop. That's $800 cheaper than an RTX 4070 Razer Blade 16. If you go back to the 12th-gen Intel model, you can opt for a 240Hz OLED display, which is quite excellent. But the newer 13th-gen options get you the better graphics, whether that's the RTX 4060 or 4070. The Razer Blade 16 comes with newer Intel processors, as well as the 240Hz OLED Display. It also has the 16:10 aspect ratio display with thinner bezels. We haven't reviewed the newest model, but right now, if you love the Razer brand, we'd recommend the Razer Blade 15. There are plenty of compact gaming laptops on this list, as well as some budget-friendly options. There should, however, always be room for something a bit more over the top — a gaming laptop with no limits. That's what the ROG Strix Scar 18 is. A massive laptop with exceptional gaming performance, a gorgeous mini-LED display, and a flashy RGB light bar running across the bottom. If your laptop is primarily going to be stationary and your budget is big, you won't get a better gaming experience than the ROG Strix Scar 18. Not only does the RTX 4090 have plenty of room to breath for the absolute best performance, it's paired with a worthy screen. At 2560 x 1600 resolution, a 240Hz refresh rate, and over 2,000 local dimming zones, it's one of the best screens you'll ever play games on. Brightness is out of this world, making for some exceptional HDR experience that really brings games to life. On top of all that, the Strix Scar 18 has surprisingly good battery life when you need it. It's the whole package — just be ready to pay for it. Also, if you're interested in a particularly vivid picture, you may want to stop by around, too.