Best gaming laptops for leveling up, no matter your budget

The best gaming laptops will set you back a decent bit of change, but you can find solid entry-level models for under $700 (if you know what to look for).
By Callum Bains  on 
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Overview

Best lightweight gaming laptop

MSI GF63 Thin

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Best budget pick

Acer Nitro 5

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Best high-end AMD-powered laptop

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14

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Best high-end gaming laptop

Asus ROG Zephyrus M16

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PC gaming is said by many to be the best way to play video games. In a lot of ways, that’s true — high-end gaming computers pack more graphical and processing power than any home console does, and they offer a level of freedom in terms of customization and game choice that you’re just not going to find anywhere else. But when it comes down to it, do you want your gaming sessions to be tied to your desk?

While desktops may deliver the best performance, the best gaming laptops fit into the modern lifestyle more smoothly. It’s convenient to be able to take your gaming rig with you on the go – whether that’s to a friend’s place or just to another room. Plus, there’s a gaming laptop to fit every type of player. Whether you're looking for a powerhouse that supports eye-popping visuals, a lightweight notebook to fit snugly in your backpack, or hoping to just balance cost with power, there's a gaming laptop for you.

Yet finding the best gaming laptop for your needs and budget can be tricky. They may be easier to parse than their desktop counterparts, but gaming laptops still require a fair bit of careful spec scrutinization. These are no consoles — you can’t just pick the latest generation system off the shelf and get playing. Choosing between the many graphics cards, processors, storage sizes, and screen types can be a real head-scratcher. That’s where we come in.

Mashable shopping experts have tested and reviewed a lot of gaming laptops over the years, and we know exactly what to look for. Read on to find our recommendations for the best gaming laptop of the year.

What to consider when looking for a gaming laptop

As with any computer — gaming or otherwise — there are a lot of components that make up any given device. You shouldn't have to figure all that out for yourself, though. Here’s what you’ll want to take into account when shopping for a gaming laptop:

CPU: Also called a processor, your CPU is basically your computer’s brain, and will dictate how fast your laptop can process inputs, store data, and execute commands. Your processor is in constant communication with the other parts of your computer, so it’s important that the device’s central nervous system is a good one. In general, the newer the CPU, the better the processing power.

GPU: The GPU (or graphics card) does what it sounds like it does: It ensures that your games can run at their intended graphical quality. The better the GPU, the better your laptop can render details like textures, anti-aliasing, ray tracing, and more (you can always change these settings within your games to better suit your graphics card, but the better the GPU, the closer you can get to those higher-end settings). Right now, the Nvidia RTX 4090 is considered the graphics card to beat, with AMD and Radeon making some of the most popular alternatives.

System Memory (or RAM): Your RAM, like your CPU, is also extremely important in determining overall performance. RAM provides short-term memory storage for applications so that they can access data quickly, storing information that your computer is actively using. Even the best budget gaming laptops should have a minimum of 8GB of RAM.

Storage: When it comes to storage, you’ll normally find yourself deciding between a hard drive (HDD) and a solid-state drive (SSD). HDDs can have a higher storage capacity than SSDs, but at the cost of lower performance. The good news is that some gaming laptops come with a dual-storage approach, opting for an HDD as the main storage method, with a smaller SSD built in that you can dedicate to your more performance-demanding games.

Display: That nice GPU you bought will be wasted if you don’t have a nice display to marvel at its brilliance. You’ll mainly want to look for three things here: resolution, refresh rate, and size. For our money, we say go for a 1080p resolution with a 60Hz refresh rate at minimum. That said, the higher the frame rate, the smoother the action. The size, however, is up to your preference — gaming laptops usually come in at 16-inch,15.6-inch and 17.3-inch displays.

Keyboard: The keyboard is another vital part of your overall experience with a gaming laptop. Comfort is definitely a factor, but you’ll also want to decide whether you want full-range RGB backlight settings (totally fine to skip out on the fancy stuff here), and if you like the layout of the keys themselves. For example, if you find that you desperately need a number pad on your keyboard, you’ll want to double-check to make sure that it’s there — not all gaming laptops have one (not all 15.6-inch options at least, though almost all 17.3-inch laptops will have one).

the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop on desk
Testing the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop for this guide. Credit: Callum Bains / Mashable

Among all of those considerations, the most important are a laptop’s GPU and CPU. These will ultimately determine whether it can run the latest, most dazzling games, and do so at a reasonable performance. They’re also usually the parts that will hold your laptop back when it gets old and dusty. Remember: Prioritize a speedy processor and graphics card above all else.

Below, our picks for the best gaming laptops in 2023.

Our Pick

A fantastically powerful gaming laptop that’s priced more competitively than other, similar portable rigs, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7i is the best gaming laptop currently available for most people.

Its Nvidia RTX 3070 and Intel Core i7-11700H combo might be a generation behind, but can still comfortably handle the latest, most graphically intensive triple-A titles. Battery life is generous, and the screen is wider than standard and brighter than many. Its fans won’t deafen you when they spin up, either. While you might be tempted to splash out extra on a newer Legion Pro model with an Nvidia RTX 4090, we’d recommend sticking with the cheaper Slim 7i. Unless you’re a glutton for high fidelity, rest assured you’ll be blown away by this machine.

Bear in mind the best gaming laptop doesn’t come cheap. It is, however, priced at a significantly lower point than other, equivalent laptops equipped with RTS 40-series GPUs. It’s an investment, for sure, but a more sensible one than most. If the $2,100 price tag is outside your budget, you can often find this gaming laptop on sale for up to $300 off.

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MSI GF63 Thin

MSI GF63 Thin

Best lightweight gaming laptop

Planning on traveling with your PC? The MSI GF63 Thin gaming laptop is going to be your best bet. Mashable recently named this the best gaming laptop under $1,000, and we stand by that decision.

We love this laptop not only for its compact, thin-bezel design that's great for storing in a backpack, but also for its other components. At this price, you're getting a really solid setup — an Intel Core i5-9300H processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card, 256GB SSD, and a 1080p full HD display. Despite its small size, you'll still have over 15 inches of screen size. There's really only one drawback. The screen is a bit dim compared to the best gaming laptops, which takes away from its graphical power.

Overall, this gaming laptop is fast, packs stellar visuals, and is all tied together in an ultra-portable package.

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There aren't many cheap gaming laptops under $1,000 that are actually worth buying, but the Acer Nitro 5 is our favorite budget pick.

But that low price wouldn't mean anything if it wasn't also one of the best gaming laptops, which it totally is. In fact, it has a lot of the same inner components as a few of the more expensive options in this roundup. Perhaps the most impressive selling point of this laptop (other than the price) is its battery life, which will keep you gaming for up to nine hours. Most gaming laptops at this price will last seven hours on the high end, for comparison. 

The price does come with some downsides, though. Most notably, the graphical performance in conjunction with the Intel 11th Generation Core i5 processor isn't as great as our other picks (that's not to say it looks bad, though). But hey, you can't have it all, and that low price point is hard to beat. 

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Asus ROG Zephyrus G14

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14

Best high-end AMD-powered laptop

If you want to ride that AMD processor train even further, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is one of the best AMD-powered gaming laptops you're going to find, period. 

This ASUS rig strikes a healthy balance between style and substance. From the outside, the ROG Zephyrus G14 sports a minimalist aesthetic in a compact 14-inch body. While small computers normally signal less power to shoppers, this laptop actually boasts incredible performance all around thanks to its AMD 3rd Generation Ryzen 9 processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q graphics card. Also included is a hefty 1TB SSD and a beautifully vibrant display that'll keep your games looking top-notch (even on such a small screen). 

The only downside to the ROG Zephyrus G14 is that its fans tend to run pretty loud, but that's to be expected in an ultra-compact laptop that packs such a huge punch. If you're looking for something small yet mighty, you've found it. However, if you're looking for the best cheap gaming laptops, keep scrolling.

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If money is no object and you’ll only settle for the very best gaming laptop of the year, then look no further than the Zephyrus M16. A bewilderingly powerful laptop, it will be able to cleanly run anything you throw at it and serve as an enviable, top-of-the-line system for years to come. 

With the best model of the Zephyrus M16 packing an Nvidia RTX 4090 (which many gamers consider the best overall graphics card in the world right now), an Intel Core i9 13900H, and 32GB RAM, you’d struggle to find any way of improving the laptop on a spec level. Its killer performance, though, is only rounded off by an equally impressive screen: a crisp, mini LED display that offers fantastic color tones and contrasts, making the most photo-realistic sing and stylistic visuals gleam.

It’s surprisingly sleek given the horsepower packed inside, though be prepared for some very loud fans – this is a gaming laptop you’ll want to use with a pair of headphones. Of course, it’s eye-wateringly pricey, too. But if you have the cash to burn, the Zephyrus M16 really is the greatest high-end laptop money can buy.

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Topics Gaming

How we tested

Every laptop in this roundup was chosen through meticulous research or rigorous hands-on testing. We tested the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 and Lenovo Legion Slim 7i firsthand, putting them through the paces with a handful of the most recent, graphically intensive, and processor-hungry games. We considered what frame rates they were able to consistently reach, whether they could handle ray-tracing and other graphical features, and if they could do all that without deafening us with their fans.

The other laptops were picked for their impressive hardware specs and brand reputation. When weighing the many possible picks, we paid special attention to the speed and generation of a laptop’s processor, the power of its GPU, and the quality of its display.

Frequently Asked Questions


For our money, we believe the Lenovo Legion Slim 7i is the best laptop for gaming in 2023. However, with a price tag of $1,799.99, we know that's not the right choice for shoppers who need a more entry-level option. So if you're looking for the best budget gaming laptop, then we recommend going with the Acer Nitro 5 instead. You won't find a better gaming laptop under $1,000.


Here’s some good news: virtually every gaming laptop worth its salt can now handle virtual reality gaming. If you’re playing VR through a PC, you’re likely going to be using a Meta Quest 2, Valve Index, or HTC Vive Pro 2. Thankfully, none demand particularly high PC specs.

The Meta Quest 2 is a standalone headset that can render games using its onboard processor. However, you can wire it up to a computer if you want to play PC VR games, too. To do that you’ll need a USB-C cable and a computer powerful enough to support the tech. The exact PC requirements are listed here, but every laptop on this list meets them.

The same goes for the Valve Index, which requires at least a GTX 970 and a dual-core processor, as well as the HTC Vive Pro 2, which asks for a slightly beefier Intel Core i5-4590 and Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060. Again, these picks sail past those requirements.


There’s one other obvious difference between a gaming laptop and a gaming desktop: portability. Gaming laptops have all the usual benefits you’d expect of them, alongside powerful hardware that’s capable of rendering and running games. But you pay for that expanded portability with a higher price tag. A gaming laptop will always be more expensive than an equivalent desktop PC, as manufacturers have to redesign graphics cards and all the other stuff to fit inside a small chassis.

That price difference doesn't necessarily apply to custom-built gaming computers, however. Even the best gaming laptops can save you money compared to a custom PC gaming rig. Today, the average custom PC gaming setup costs more than $3,500. The best pre-built PC gaming computers are much more affordable, but they also take a lot of the fun out of building your own.

There’s nothing a gaming laptop can’t do that a desktop can, and vice versa. However, you may want to opt for a desktop for longevity’s sake.


This is another key difference between gaming laptops and desktops. A desktop rig can serve you for life if you keep the core parts around forever, and gradually replace individual components as they slow down, become obsolete, or break. Laptop users don’t have that luxury. There’s no chance to swap out a laptop’s CPU or GPU when it becomes old and clunky, as those components are made bespoke for each model. While you can sometimes replace storage drives or RAM sticks, you’re essentially stuck with what you first bought — so make sure you pick a good one.


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