Best gaming laptop 2023: The fastest and most portable gaming laptops
Gaming on the go has never been easier. Here are our pick of the best gaming laptops for every budget
Now that Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 30-series graphics chips have made their way to portable computers, the best gaming laptops are more powerful than ever.
Nvidia’s new GPUs represent a significant step up in performance from the RTX 20-series, meaning gaming laptops housing them offer a true next-gen experience, complete with stunning graphics and super-smooth frame rates.
In addition to that supreme performance, we’re now seeing more console exclusives being ported to PC, while Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass for PC gives players the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of premium titles for a monthly fee.
That combination of factors means there’s no better time to buy one of the best gaming laptops and join the huge community of PC gamers. You could, of course, build your own desktop gaming setup, but if you want to play your games on the go then buying one of the best gaming laptops is the way forward.
Our team of experts are regularly testing the latest and greatest gaming devices and you will find our pick of the best gaming laptops listed below. Each has undergone an extensive range of benchmarking tests, which include our in-house 4K processing test, read and write speed tests, graphical tests and a battery rundown test.
Before we jump into our list of the best gaming laptops on the market right now, we’ve put together a handy buying guide detailing all the things you should take into consideration before splashing out on new gaming hardware.
Best gaming laptops: At a glance
- Best gaming laptop overall: Asus Rog Strix Scar 17 (2022) | £3,174
- Best full HD gaming laptop: Acer Nitro 5 (2022) | £1,299
- Best affordable gaming laptop: Alienware m17 R5 | £1,529
- Best budget AMD gaming laptop: Lenovo Legion 5 AMD Advantage Edition | £1,169
How to choose the best gaming laptop for you
There are a number of things to consider when buying one of the best gaming laptops. Below, you will find a checklist of the key features to look out for along with an explanation as to why they’re so important.
GPU: The graphics processing unit (GPU) is a gaming laptop’s single most important component. As the name suggests, GPUs handle the manipulation of graphics and image processing. When buying a gaming laptop, you want to look for a device that features a dedicated GPU rather than one that is built on the same die at the processor.
Nvidia is the big name to look for in GPU manufacturing, while AMD also produces some very powerful graphics chips. As a general rule, the higher the model number in a product line, the better performance you can expect. For example, Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3080 is superior to the cheaper RTX 3060.
Processor: A laptop’s central processing unit or CPU is another core component. CPU power is measured in GHz and dictates how quickly a laptop retrieves information and executes commands. Newer processors with a greater number of cores and a higher clock speed are more effective at running multiple processes simultaneously. Pretty much every decent gaming laptop houses a CPU made by either Intel or AMD.
RAM: Random Access Memory (RAM) is your gaming laptop’s short-term data storage and the more your device has available, the better. For gaming laptops, you will want 8GB RAM at an absolute minimum, though we recommend 16GB if your budget allows.
Storage: The more storage your gaming laptop has the better. A Solid State Drive (SSD) of 512GB or above is enough for most people but consider a device with more storage if you don’t want to have to delete games to make room for new ones.
Display: Your gaming laptop could house extremely powerful internal components but they would be wasted if your device doesn’t have a display capable of doing them justice. You will want a display with at least Full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080p), while 4K displays (3,840 x 2,160p) are starting to become more common but are significantly more expensive. Bear in mind, your GPU needs to be very powerful if it’s to render graphics at playable framerates at native 4K resolution.
Pay attention to the display’s refresh rate as this dictates how many frames per second it can display. Refresh rates are measured in Hz, with a higher figure resulting in smoother onscreen action.
You will also want to think about the size of the display. 15.6in is typically the sweet spot for gaming laptops, though there are plenty of 17in models out there, too. The larger the display the more screen real estate but the heavier the device becomes. If you plan on using your gaming laptop while on the go, you will want to avoid larger options.
Connectivity: Gaming laptops encourage the use of peripherals such as headsets, speakers mice and external hard drives. Make sure the laptop you buy has the corresponding ports to support such accessories and that it also supports Bluetooth if you plan to use peripherals wirelessly. USB-A ports are always useful, while newer connection standards like USB-C and Thunderbolt are worth keeping an eye out for.
Keyboard: If you’re not using an external controller, a gaming laptop’s keyboard becomes an extremely important feature. Most gamers favour mechanical keyboards over their membrane counterparts as they’re more precise and tactile.
Keyboards are also where a lot of gaming laptop manufacturers like to incorporate some form of RGB lighting. This adds a colourful twist to your device and many allow you to customise the colours of each key individually. While far from a necessity, those that want a personalised portable gaming experience will want to ensure their gaming laptop sports RGB lighting in some form.
Battery life: If gaming laptops have one big weakness, it’s their battery life. The power required to run demanding games means they won’t last very long when not plugged into the mains. This isn’t a big deal if you’re going to spend most of your time gaming at your desk but it’s worth bearing in mind if you’re looking for a device to use portably.
How much should I spend on a gaming laptop?
Gaming laptops don’t come cheap. The powerful internal components needed to run AAA titles mean that even budget options will set you back around £700. We don’t recommend dipping much below that figure if you want a satisfying gaming experience.
Decent mid-range options tend to cost in the region of £1,000 to £1,500, while premium devices designed for gamers that want top-end specs and all the bells and whistles available can expect to pay in excess of £2,000.
How we test gaming laptops
A gaming laptop isn’t all that much different from a regular laptop, so the core part of our testing stays the same. We test using our own benchmarking tools, plus a mix of third party benchmarking tools to give a balanced view of overall performance. We also test display quality in the same way, using an X-rite colorimeter, and we test battery life by playing a video on loop in VLC until the battery dies.
For gaming laptops, however, we also make sure we run a series of gaming benchmark tests. Our core test titles are Metro Exodus, Cyberpunk 2077, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, Returnal, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Serious Sam 4 and Hitman 2 but we also run the Car Chase test in the GFXBench test so we have data for cross-platform comparisons.
Of course, no gaming laptop review would be complete without actually using it to play our favourite titles; this way we can assess how good other aspects are, such as the speakers and webcam, the keyboard and the touchpad, the range of ports and their locations, plus other features such as RGB keyboard backlighting and game launchers.
READ MORE: Best budget gaming laptops
The best gaming laptops you can buy in 2023
1. Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2022): Best gaming laptop money can buy
Price when reviewed: £3,174 | Check price at Amazon
In our original review, we compared the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 to the HMS Dreadnought, the Royal Navy’s 1906 battleship that immediately rendered all other warships obsolete. And it’s easy to see why: its combination of a 12-generation Intel Alder Lake processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GPU blasts all of its rivals out of the water.
The Scar 17 is the most complete gaming laptop ever to hit the shelves and has all of the RGB LEDs to prove it. It even boasts per-key lighting, while you can put the laptop into Turbo mode via Asus’ KeyStone dongle. You’re getting plenty of ports, including USB-C, as well as expandable internal storage via the empty SSD bay. Meanwhile, the chiclet-style keyboard is as satisfying to use as you would expect and comes with five dedicated hotkeys, which give you instant access to settings such as fan speed and volume.
The 2,560 x 1,440 IPS display is similarly excellent, with a 240Hz refresh rate and a maximum brightness of 309cd/m². Colours look rich and vivid, while there are eight display profiles that are tailored for everything from racing games to first-person shooters. Elsewhere, the speakers provide a punchy sound and enough volume to do even the most dramatic soundtracks justice. A battery life of 7hrs 15mins in our test is decent too.
But now to the main event: the performance. Quite simply, the Scar 17 made mincemeat of our benchmarks. It was the first laptop to exceed the 500-point barrier in our media test, beating the second-place (and much more expensive) Acer Helios 500 by a gigantic 150 points. In our gaming benchmarks, it took running demanding titles in its stride and could even manage 98fps at Wolfenstein: Youngblood’s toughest possible settings. Those are barnstorming scores.
Other gaming laptops with 12-generation Intel chips will soon arrive, but, for now, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 is the best gaming laptop you can buy.
Read our full Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 review
Key specs – Processor: Intel Core i9-12900H; Display size: 17.3; RAM: 32GB; Display resolution: 2,560 x 1,440; GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti; Refresh rate: 240Hz; Storage: 2TB SSD; Weight: 2.9kg
Also consider: Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 (2022)
If you want the sheer power that is the Strix Scar 17, but you were looking for a more compact, portable package, you need to get acquainted with its younger sibling. The Strix Scar 15 gives you a near-identical specification with a slightly lower price and a smaller screen.
Despite missing a webcam and having fairly lacklustre speakers, this version of the Asus ROG Strix Scar still smashed our in-house tests. It has less RAM and screen acreage than its big sibling, but it outperformed the Scar 17 in our battery life tests, and it also has the same Nvidia RTX 3070Ti GPU and Intel Alder Lake CPU, so you really don’t feel like you’re missing much. What’s more, it has all the RGB lights that make the 17 stand out. For us, this is one of the gaming laptops to beat.
2. Razer Blade 14: Best 14in gaming laptop
Price when reviewed: £2,800 | Check price at Razer
There aren’t all that many 14in gaming laptops on the market right now as manufacturers (and gamers) tend to favour larger displays. But if you want a compact laptop capable of delivering first-rate gaming performance, you will be hard pushed to find a better option than the Razer Blade 14. At 1.78kg, it’s the lightest entry on this list, build quality is great and there’s a decent array of connection ports, including two USB-A, two USB-C and an HDMI 2.1.
The 165Hz QHD display on the top-of-the-range model we tested is bright, extremely sharp and its matte finish is effective at reducing reflections. Colour accuracy could be better but there’s impressive coverage of both the sRGB and DCI-P3 colour spaces. In terms of productivity and gaming performance, the Razer Blade 14 breezed through our various benchmark tests and its battery lasted a commendable 11hrs 14mins.
In fact, aside from costing rather a lot for the highest-spec model and not being able to upgrade its RAM, the Razer Blade 14 is a pretty much faultless gaming laptop.
Read our full Razer Blade 14 review
Key specs – Processor: Octa-core AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX; Display size: 14in; RAM: 16GB; Display resolution: 2,560 X 1,440; GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080; Refresh rate: 165Hz; Storage: 1TB SSD; Weight: 1.78kg
3. Acer Nitro 5 2022 (12th Gen): Best Full HD gaming laptop
Price: £1,299 | Check price at Currys
We’ve always admired Acer’s Nitro laptops, but the 2022 Nitro 5 model has taken the line to new heights. For a not-unreasonable price, you get a 12th Gen i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, an RTX 3070 Ti GPU, 1TB of SSD, and a 165Hz display. But where this Nitro stands out from previous models is in its cracking 1080p panel. The majority of Nitros we’ve reviewed have come up a bit short in the display department, but the solid brightness and contrast ratio here produced excellent results in our review tests. You also get a handy MUX switch for your convenience. Another great improvement in this model is the new intake fan near the hinges, that keeps the body cool without the noise pollution of the past.
Elsewhere, the Nitro 5 gives you a lovely membrane keyboard that has a really satisfying bounce at the bottom of each press. As an added bonus, you also have the option to expand your storage thanks to the facility for a 2.5in HDD. We will admit that battery life isn’t the best, but, for its few shortcomings, the Nitro 5 manages to produce excellent frame rates on a top-of-the-line 1080p display. It’s certainly the best Nitro we’ve tested to date.
Read our full Acer Nitro 5 review
Key specs – Processor: Intel Core i7-12700H; Display size: 15.6in; RAM: 16GB; Display resolution: 1,920 x 1,080; GPU: NVDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8GB; Refresh rate: 165Hz; Storage: 1TB SSD; Weight: 2.5kg
4. Alienware x17 R2: Best gaming laptop if money is no object
Price when reviewed: £2,004 | Check price at Dell
The 17.3in Alienware x17 R2 is a drop-dead gorgeous machine, with its monochrome aluminium and magnesium frame being futuristic but tasteful. It’s also impressively thin at just 21mm, although, being a 17in gaming laptop, it isn’t especially light at 3.2kg.
It comes with either a Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) or 4K (3,840 x 2,160) screen, with the former boasting a refresh rate of 165Hz or 360Hz and the latter 120Hz. The 360Hz Full HD panel supplied on our test laptop was a peach, delivering more brightness than the Asus competition and 99.7% sRGB coverage, while the 360Hz and 1ms response time mean ultra-smooth, completely jag-free gaming.
That’s all great, but what’s the Alienware x17 R2’s performance like? In a word, stunning. A 14-core Intel Core i7-12700H and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU, with 32GB of system RAM and 16GB of vRAM in tow, meant it outpunched the 2022 Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 in our GPU and gaming benchmarks, registering 97fps Shadow of the Tomb Raider at the highest settings. In fact, we experienced the fastest frame rates we’ve ever seen in Metro Exodus and Wolfenstein: Youngblood – all with minimal fan noise and very little heat.
The one big weakness is that battery life is dismal: the X17 R2 lasted only 4hrs 35mins in our video rundown test.
Still, on larger gaming laptops, short battery life is common and aside from that, the Alienware x17 R2 is an incredible gaming laptop. It combines eye-catching looks, blistering gaming grunt and quiet running with a sharp display, bassy audio and great keyboard. The major downside is that it is colossally expensive in all but its cheapest configuration.
Read our full Alienware x17 R2 review
Key specs – Processor: Intel Core i7-12700H; Display size: 17.3in; RAM: 32GB; Display resolution: 1,920 x 1,080 or 3,840 x 2,160; GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080Ti; Refresh rate: 165Hz or 360Hz; Storage: Up to 2TB; Weight: 3.2kg
5. Asus TUF Gaming F15: Best mid-priced gaming laptop
Price when reviewed: £730 | Check price at Asus
The new 2022 TUF Gaming F15 is designed to stake an incontestable claim to the middle ground between budget gamers costing around £1,000 and the more thoroughbred gaming machines costing £2,000 and over. And boy does it succeed, combining much of the power and looks of the latter category with the affordability of the former. To start with the combination of a 12th generation Core-i7 chip and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU running at 140W TGP makes for a seriously powerful laptop and one that returns some very impressive 1,920 x 1,080 frame rates.
The display is a thoroughly competent 2,560 x 1,440 165Hz affair that is surprisingly colourful and colour-accurate for a gaming laptop at this sort of price. The keyboard is physically top-notch but the rather irregular backlight and overly stylized key graphics do knock a little of the shine off. There’s no per-key backlighting either though the trademark TUF translucent WASD keys continue to be an attractive and useful design feature.
The TUF moniker is still deserved thanks to military standard resistance to shocks and temperature changes and though the Moonlight White model no longer has a white keyboard it’s still a very well-made and handsome affair. Actually more so than the 2021 model thanks to the graphics on the lid being toned down a bit. Battery life has taken a tumble from the 2021 model but it’s still class-average so I’ll not beat it too hard with that stick.
Read our full Asus TUF Gaming F15 review
Key specs – Processor: 12-core Intel Core-i7 12700H; Display size: 15.6in; RAM: 16GB; Display resolution: 2,560 x 1,440; GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060; Refresh rate: 165Hz; Storage: 1TB SSD; Weight: 2.2Kg
6. MSI GP66 Vector: Cheapest laptop for QHD gaming
Price when reviewed: £1,799 | Check price at Currys
We imagine that whoever commissioned the MSI GP66 Vector was having a bad day and just barked at an underling “Look, it’s very simple, keep the cost down and fit it with the fastest laptop GPU there is!”. Said underling then scurried off and did just that. The result is a machine that produces some very impressive QHD gaming frame rates but at the same time is missing some of the refinements you might expect for over two grand.
Make no mistake, when it comes to gaming the Vector is very, very fast, returning frame rates at 2,560 x 1,440 that would do justice to gaming laptops costing twice as much. That’s what comes of having a 150 TGP GeForce RTX 3080 GPU under the hood. The other key components are well up to snuff too, especially the 15.6in QHD 165Hz display and the per-key backlit SteelSeries membrane keyboard which may be rather cramped and a bit curious in layout but is as solid as a rock and has a positive if rather shallow action making it good for both typing and gaming once you’re familiar with its intricacies.
What you have to do without is a MUX switch or any sort of adaptive display synchronisation or a half decent battery life: If you can get 2 and a half hours from a full charge you’re doing well. Of course there are machines from the likes of Razer and Alienware that do offer those refinements and similar performance but you will be paying upwards to £3,000 for the privilege. Like a V8 muscle car that can go like hell in a straight line, the Vector is focused almost exclusively on delivering high QHD frame rates. That makes it a bit of a one-trick pony, but what a trick it is.
Read our full MSI GP66 Vector review
Key specs – Processor: 14-core Intel Core-i7 12700H; Display size: 15.6in; RAM: 16GB; Display resolution: 2,560 x 1,080; GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080; Refresh rate: 165Hz; Storage: 1TB SSD; Weight: 2.4Kg
7. Asus ROG Zephyrus G14: Best-all AMD gaming laptop
Price when reviewed: £1,995 | Check price at Asus
If you’re looking for a powerful gaming laptop that you can carry around and not suffer a minor hernia, look no further. The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022) is an all-purpose gaming powerhouse in a compact casing.
Powered by AMD’s Ryzen 6000 series processors and Radeon RX 6000-series GPUs, and featuring a 120Hz QHD+ display, it’s a fantastic all-rounder, capable of being used for gaming and serious creative work alike.
Of course, all the laptops on this list are portable, but the 1.7kg weight, smaller screen size and not-terrible battery life of the Zephyrus G14 make it more suited than most to life on the road, so much so that we consider it a close rival of the 14in Apple MacBook Pro.
Read our full Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022) review
Key specs – Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS or Ryzen 7 6800HS; GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6700S or Radeon RX 6800S graphics card; RAM: 16GB DDR5; Display size: 14in; Display Resolution: 2,560 x 1,440; Refresh rate: 120Hz; Storage: 1TB SSD; Weight: 1.7kg
8. Alienware x14: Best compact gaming laptop
Price when reviewed: £1,599 | Check price at Dell
Ding-ding. The latest round of the Razer Blade 14 vs the Alienware x14 for the honor being crowned Best Compact Gaming Laptop goes to Dell’s skunkworks for the simple reason that its new machine is better value and better looking. Prices start at just £1499 though for that you only get a 12th gen Core-i5 chip, Nvidia RTX3050 GPU and a 512GB SSD. For another £600 you can have an i7 processor, RTX3060 GPU and a 1 TB SSD which still makes the x14 cheaper than the cheapest Razer Blade 14. No matter which x14 you buy you will get a very high quality FullHD 144Hz display and a decent sound system.
The design of the x14 mirrors that of the more expensive x15 and x17 Alienware models which means this is one of the most visually arresting gaming laptops on the market and the build quality is second to none. There are a few downgrades such as the absence of per-key RGB lighting and the Stadium LED ring light that circles the back of the larger models. The smaller model also lacks the stain resistant clear coat that comes on the other machines which is a bit cheap of Alienware. Alienware’s habit of putting all the jacks and ports around the back reaches its ultimate form on the x14 which could annoy some users if they regularly plug or unplug peripherals. And there’s no Ethernet port.
Performance in very impressive for a machine this slim (it’s only 14.5mm thick and weighs just 1.79Kg) with even demanding titles like Metro Exodus running at triple digit frame rates with judicious use of Nvidia’s DLSS upscapling tech. Even more impressive is how cool and quiet the x14 runs even under heavy load and the fact that you get Nvidia’s clever Advanced Optimus system which gives you all the benefits of a MUX switch without the need to reboot Windows.. The combination of a fast processor, strong GPU and high quality display makes the x14 an ideal notebook for graphics-heavy productitivy tasks like 3D modelling or video editing. The only real drawback is the rather poor battery life: 5 hours at best but much, much less if you are gaming.
Read our full Alienware x14 review
Key specs – Processor: 14-core Intel Core-i7 12700H; Display size: 14in; RAM: 16GB; Display resolution: 1,920 x 1,080; GPU: Nvidia RTX3060 6GB dedicated memory; Refresh rate: 144Hz; Storage: 1TB SSD; Weight: 1.79kg
9. Lenovo Legion 5: A mid-range masterpiece
Price when reviewed: £1,339 | Check price at Lenovo
The mid-range Legion 5 achieved excellent results in our in-house 4K media benchmark test but really shone in the gaming-specific tests, recording top-notch framerates across a range of games running at various settings. Design-wise, it doesn’t deviate too far from previous iterations of the Legion, but that’s no bad thing. Most of the connection ports are grouped sensibly at the rear of the device and the aluminium body is reassuringly solid.
The laptop’s keyboard is pretty much perfect, too. It’s spacious, has a numeric keypad and full-size cursor keys, while the travel is just right for both typing and keyboard controls while gaming.
Battery life and audio quality are inferior to the Asus TUF Dash F15 so the Asus is a better choice if they’re key considerations for you, but if you favour performance and build quality, opt for the Lenovo Legion 5.
Read our full Lenovo Legion 5 review
Key specs – Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 5800H; Display size: 15.6in; RAM: 16GB; Display resolution: 1,920 x 1,080; GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070; Refresh rate: 165Hz; Storage: 512GB SSD; Weight: 2.35kg
10. Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2022): Best gaming laptop for work and play
Price when reviewed: £4,000 (RTX 3080 Ti) | Check price at Asus
Not only can the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2022) play the latest and greatest AAA games, but it’s also portable and subdued enough to be used as an everyday work machine. Inside, you’re getting Intel’s 12th-generation Core i9-12900H processor and a choice of Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics (3050 Ti, 3060, 3070 Ti or 3080 Ti), along with 8GB or 16GB of RAM and a 1TB or 2TB SSD.
Those internals made mincemeat of the Expert Reviews benchmarks, with the Intel chip proving to be a whopping 68% faster than last year’s Core i9-10900H. Gaming performance was similarly impressive, although not quite up there with some of the higher-spec laptops on this list. Note that it’s not a quiet machine when pushed to its limits, though.
Elsewhere, the accurate, 16in display gives you plenty of space for creative or work projects, while its refresh rate of 165Hz will please gamers who demand fast response times. The subtle, all-black design is a far cry from the spaceship-like LEDs on other laptops and it’s actually 100g lighter than Apple’s MacBook Pro 16in. The keyboard is pleasant to use, with per-key RGB lighting if you want it, and it boasts plenty of ports, including two USB-Cs.
With a score of just under seven hours in our video rundown test, its battery life isn’t anything to write home about, but it should still see you through most of a working day. And that’s the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16’s main selling point: it’s a classy work laptop that can let its hair down to become a potent gaming device.
Key specs – Processor: Intel Core i9-12900H; Display size: 16in; RAM: 8GB or 16GB; Display resolution: 2,560 x 1,600; GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, 3060, 3070 Ti or 3080 Ti; Refresh rate: 165Hz; Storage: 1TB or 2TB SSD; Weight: 1.42kg
11. Asus TUF Dash F15: A great value-for-money gaming laptop
Price when reviewed: £1,599 | Check price at Very
The TUF Dash F15 comes equipped with an 11th-gen Intel Core i7 processor backed by 16GB RAM and houses Nvidia’s beastly GeForce RTX 3070 graphics chip and a 1TB SSD. That’s a lot of laptop for the asking price.
The performance proved strong despite the GPU being clocked down and the Dash F15’s chiclet keyboard is well-spaced, solid and has just the right amount of travel in its keys. It’s backlit in aquamarine, which our reviewer found a little lurid, but that’s hardly a dealbreaker. Battery life clocked in at over 12 hours during our in-house rundown test – an undeniably impressive figure that’s achieved by the laptop switching from the Nvidia GPU to the integrated Intel graphics once unplugged.
Read our full Asus TUF Dash F15 review
Key specs – Processor: Intel Core i7-11370H; Display size: 15.6in; RAM: 16GB RAM; Display resolution: 1,920 x 1,080; GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070; Refresh rate: 240Hz; Storage: 1TB; Weight: 2kg
12. HP Victus: Solid performance in a smart 16in package
Price when reviewed: £699 | Check price at Argos
The HP Victus stands out from its competitors by managing to squeeze a 16.1in display into a frame similar to that of most 15.6in gaming laptops. The screen itself is a little drab but fortunately, the Victus makes up for this in other areas.
It looks smart, the keyboard is well laid-out and precise to type on and the internals are upgradeable to a maximum of 32GB RAM and 2TB of storage. Audio quality is also impressive, with the Bang & Olufsen-tuned speakers helping enhance the gaming experience to a notable degree. Battery life fell a little short of the Asus TUF Dash 15 but outlasted the Acer Nitro 5 and Lenovo Legion 5, while results across our 4K media benchmark and graphical performance tests proved highly competitive.
There’s very little to separate the HP Victus from the three rivals mentioned above, save the larger screen. If you’re happy to sacrifice colour accuracy for the extra 44cm2 of screen real estate, the Victus is an excellent value proposition.
Read our full HP Victus review
Key specs – Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 5800H; Display size: 16.1in; RAM: 16GB RAM; Display resolution: 1,920 x 1,080; GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060; Refresh rate: 144Hz; Storage: 512GB; Weight: 2.5kg
13. Asus ROG Zephyrus G15: Perfect gaming laptop for grown-ups
Price when reviewed: £2,330 | Check price at Asus
The ROG Zephyrus G15 is another superb gaming laptop from Asus offering top-end specs and impressive performance. But what sets it apart from the Strix and Strix Scar models listed above are its design and dimensions. It’s a fair bit lighter than its stablemates at 1.9kg and at first glance, it would be easy to mistake the Zephyrus for an ultrabook rather than a gaming laptop.
The keyboard is surprisingly conventional, too. It’s of the chiclet variety rather than mechanical and there’s no RGB lighting – keys are backlit in white and the only special effects of note are two pulse styles: breathing and strobing.
Both the laptop’s 15.6in display and audio quality are first-rate. Colours look vibrant, rich and are reproduced with decent accuracy, while the panel matte-finish IPS panel has a refresh rate of 165Hz. A six-speaker setup incorporating four tweeters and two woofers delivers plenty of volume, commendable detail and a decent helping of bass.
Supremely versatile, the ROG Zephyrus is an excellent laptop that appeals to gamers, creatives, media bingers and business users alike.
Read our full Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 review
Key specs – Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS; Display size: 15.6in; RAM: 32GB; Display resolution: 2,560 x 1,440; GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080; Refresh rate: 165Hz; Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD; Weight: 1.9kg
14. Lenovo Legion 5 AMD Advantage Edition: Best budget AMD gaming laptop
Price when reviewed: £1,169 | Check price at AO
If you want a sub-£1,000 gaming laptop, you’re more and more likely to end up looking at something based on Nvidia’s RTX 3050 or 3050 Ti GPU but, with only 4GB of video RAM, performance is going to be severely limited. You’re much better off choosing something with an AMD Radeon RX 6600M GPU, which comes with 8GB of video RAM as standard.
The best budget AMD gaming laptop at the moment is the Lenovo Legion 5, which starts at a list price of £1,199 but is often discounted to even lower prices. For your money, you get a superbly balanced gaming laptop with a 1080p display that’s capable of playing Triple-A games at more-than-acceptable frame rates. Just as importantly, the AMD Legion 5 has a MUX switch, ensuring you can get the most out of the GPU in terms of both frame rates and display quality thanks to FreeSync adaptive synchronisation.
This is also an excellent all-round laptop with great build quality, a very solid keyboard, more ports and connectors than you can shake a stick at, plus a decent sound system and 144Hz 15.6in display. It’s also very easy access to the innards should you wish to add another SSD or upgrade the RAM. For the money, this is a brilliant gaming machine.
Read our full Lenovo Legion 5 AMD Advantage Edition review
Specifications – Processor: Octa-core AMD Ryzen 7 5800H or Ryzen 5 5 5600H; Display size: 15.6in; RAM: 16GB; Display resolution: 1,920 x 1,080; GPU: AMD RX 6600M with 8GB VRAM; Refresh rate: 144Hz; Storage: 512GB SSD; Weight: 2.4kg
15. Alienware m17 R5: Best affordable 17in gaming laptop
Price when reviewed: £1,529 | Check price at Dell
The Alienware m15 R5 AMD Advantage balances delicately on the border between price and performance. Our review unit featured AMD’s Radeon RX6850M XT GPU, an impressively potent component with 12GB of VRAM and more than enough grunt to run even the most demanding games at high frame rates at 1080p (or even 4K, with less resource-intensive titles). The AMD CPU isn’t as powerful as the latest Intel 12th-gen i7 chips but still has more than enough grunt to run CPU-intensive tasks quickly.
The sharp, bright and colourful display will favour people who want a gaming laptop that also excels at graphics work or as a laptop cinema. If you fancy a faster refresh rate then you can choose between Full HD 360Hz or Full HD 480Hz, though the latter is not available on the AMD Advantage models. Where the all-AMD integration pays dividends is in battery life: A seven hour battery life may not sound like much, but in a machine like this it really is. With a price tag of well under £3,000 and the optional low-profile mechanical keyboard only costing £100 more, the m17 R5 is a bit of a steal.
Read our full Alienware m17 R5 review
Key specs: Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 6900M HX, GPU: AMD Radeon RX6850M XT, RAM: 32GB, Storage: 1TB SSD, Display resolution: 3,840 x 2,160, Display Size: 17.3in, Refresh rate: 120Hz, Weight: 3.3kg