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Message   VRSS    All   The best gaming laptops for 2024   March 28, 2024
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Feed: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
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Title: The best gaming laptops for 2024

Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2024 09:01:26 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/best-gaming-laptops-...

Gaming laptops are the true Transformers of the PC world: TheyΓÇÖre powerful
enough to play your favorite titles, but you can also harness their speed for
media creation or extreme multitasking, like streaming high-resolution
gameplay to Twitch. Today, you can even find a few that weight less than the
smallest MacBook Pro, making them solid options for daily drivers as well.
For the demanding Apex Legends player, or the power user just looking for a
capable GPU to handle video encoding, itΓÇÖll be easier than ever to find the
best gaming laptop to suit your needs ΓÇö but sorting through the seemingly
endless number of options can be taxing. We've tested and reviewed plenty of
gaming laptops and we continue to do so as new models become available. Here,
we outline our top picks for the best gaming laptops, along with everything
you need to know before purchasing one.

What to look for in a gaming laptop Price

Your laptop buying journey starts and ends with the amount of money you're
willing to spend. No surprise there. The good news: There are plenty of
options for gamers of every budget. In particular, we're seeing some great
entry-level PC gaming choices under $1,000, like Dell's G15 lineup. A cheap
gaming laptop in this price range will definitely feel a bit flimsier than
pricier models, and they'll likely skimp on RAM, storage and overall power.
But most cheaper laptops should be able to handle the majority of video games
running at 1080p at 60 frames per second, which is the bare minimum you'd
want from any system.

Things get interesting when you start looking at the best gaming laptops in
the mid-range space, with prices at $1,000 and higher. At that point, you'll
start finding PCs like the ASUS Zephyrus ROG G14, one of our favorite gaming
notebooks. In general, you can look forward to far better build quality than
budget gaming laptops (metal cases!), improved graphics power and enough RAM
and storage space to handle the most demanding games. These are the gaming
machines we'd recommend for most people, as they'll keep you gaming and
working for years before you need to worry about an upgrade.

If you're willing to spend around $1,800 or more, you can start considering
more premium options like Razer's Blade. Expect impeccably polished cases,
the fastest hardware on the market, and ridiculously thin designs. The sky's
the limit here: Alienware's uber customizable Area 51m is an enormous beast
that can cost up to $4,700. Few people need a machine that high-end, but if
you're a gamer with extra cash to burn, it may be worth taking a close look
at some of these pricier systems.

CPU and GPU

The answer to this question used to be relatively simple: Just get an Intel
chip with an NVIDIA GPU. But over the last few years AMD has stepped up its
game with its Ryzen notebook processors, which are better suited for juggling
multiple tasks at once (like streaming to Twitch while blasting fools in
Fortnite). Intel responded with its impressive 12th and 13th-gen chips, but
itΓÇÖs nice to have decent Ryzen AMD alternatives available, especially since
theyΓÇÖre often cheaper than comparable Intel models.

When it comes to video cards, though, AMD is still catching up. Its Radeon RX
6000M GPU has been a fantastic performer in notebooks like ASUSΓÇÖs ROG Strix
G15, but it lags behind NVIDIA when it comes to newer features like ray
tracing. (WeΓÇÖre still waiting to test AMDΓÇÖs new Radeon 7000 series mobile
graphics.) At the very least, a Radeon-powered notebook can approach the
general gaming performance of the NVIDIA RTX 3070 and 3080 GPUs.

If you want to future-proof your purchase, or youΓÇÖre just eager to see how
much better ray tracing can make your games look, youΓÇÖre probably better
off with an NVIDIA video card. TheyΓÇÖre in far more systems, and itΓÇÖs
clear that they have better optimized ray tracing technology. NVIDIA GeForce
RTX GPUs also feature the companyΓÇÖs DLSS technology, which uses AI to
upscale games to higher resolutions. ThatΓÇÖll let you play a game like
Destiny 2 in 4K with faster frame rates. ThatΓÇÖs useful if youΓÇÖre trying
to take advantage of a high refresh rate monitor.

YouΓÇÖll still find plenty of laptops with NVIDIAΓÇÖs older RTX 30-series
GPUs these days, and theyΓÇÖll still give you tremendous performance. But to
be safe, itΓÇÖs probably worth opting for the newer RTX 40-series systems,
since they support the newer DLSS 3 technology and offer a wealth of
performance upgrades. (If youΓÇÖre looking out for the best deals, you can
probably find some killer RTX 3070 laptops out there.) The entry-level RTX
4050 is a solid start, but weΓÇÖd suggest going for a 4060 or 4070 if
youΓÇÖre aiming to maximize your framerates on faster screens. The RTX 4080
and RTX 4090 are both incredibly powerful, but they typically make systems
far too expensive for most users.

ItΓÇÖs worth noting that NVIDIAΓÇÖs mobile graphics cards arenΓÇÖt directly
comparable to its more powerful desktop hardware. PC makers can also tweak
voltages to make gaming performance better in a thinner case. Basically,
these laptops may not be desktop replacements ΓÇö donΓÇÖt be surprised if you
see notebooks that perform very differently, even if theyΓÇÖre all equipped
with the same GPU.

Screen and refresh rate

Screen size is a good place to start when judging gaming notebooks. In
general, 15-inch laptops will be the best balance of immersion and
portability, while larger 17-inch models are heftier, but naturally give you
more screen real estate. There are some 13-inch gaming notebooks, like the
Razer Blade Stealth, but paradoxically you'll often end up paying more for
those than slightly larger 15-inch options. WeΓÇÖre also seeing plenty of 14-
inch options, like the Zephyrus G14 and Blade 14, which are generally beefier
than 13-inch laptops while still being relatively portable.

But these days, there is plenty to consider beyond screen size. For one:
refresh rates. Most monitors refresh their screens vertically 60 times per
second, or at 60Hz. That's a standard in use since black and white NTSC TVs.
But over the past few years, displays have evolved considerably. Now, 120Hz
1080p screens are the bare minimum you'd want in any gaming notebook ΓÇö and
there are faster 144Hz, 240Hz and even 360Hz panels. All of this is in the
service of one thing: making everything on your display look as smooth as
possible.

For games, higher refresh rates also help eliminate screen tearing and other
artifacts that could get in the way of your frag fest. And for everything
else, it just leads to a better viewing experience. Even scrolling a web page
on a 120Hz or faster monitor is starkly different from a 60Hz screen. Instead
of seeing a jittery wall of text and pictures, everything moves seamlessly,
as if you're unwinding a glossy paper magazine. Going beyond 120Hz makes
gameplay look even more responsive, which to some players gives them a slight
advantage.

Steve Dent/Engadget

Not to make things more complicated, but you should also keep an eye out for
NVIDIA's G-SYNC and AMD's FreeSync. They're both adaptive sync technologies
that can match your screen's refresh rate with the framerate of your game.
That also helps to reduce screen tearing and make gameplay smoother. Consider
them nice bonuses on top of a high refresh rate monitor; they're not
necessary, but they can still offer a slight visual improvement.

See Also:

Best Laptops for 2023

Best Cheap Windows Laptops

Best 2-in-1 Laptops for 2023

Best Chromebooks

Best Laptops for College Students

One more thing: Most of these suggestions are related to LCD screens, not
OLEDs. While OLED makes a phenomenal choice for TVs, it's a bit more
complicated when it comes to gaming laptops. They're mostly limited to 60Hz,
though some models offer 90Hz. Still, you wonΓÇÖt see the smoothness of a
120Hz or 144Hz screen. OLEDs also typically come as 4K or 3.5K panels ΓÇô
you'll need a ton of GPU power to run games natively at that resolution. They
look incredible, with the best black levels and contrast on the market, but
we think most gamers would be better off with an LCD.

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
Other things to remember when buying a gaming laptop:

Get at least 16GB of RAM. And if you're planning to do a ton of multitasking
while streaming, 32GB is worth considering.

Storage is still a huge concern. These days, I'd recommend aiming for a 1TB
M.2 SSD, which should be enough space to juggle a few large titles like
Destiny 2. (If you can afford the jump to a 2TB SSD though, just do it.) Some
laptops also have room for standard SATA hard drives, which are far cheaper
than M.2's and can hold more data.

Get your hands on a system before you buy it. I'd recommend snagging the best
gaming laptop for you from a retailer with a simple return policy, like
Amazon or Best Buy. If you don't like it, you can always ship it back easily.

Don't forget about accessories! For the best performance, you'll need a good
mouse, keyboard and headphones.

How we test gaming laptops

We review gaming laptops with the same amount of rigor as we approach
traditional notebooks. We test build quality by checking cases for any
undesirable flexible spots, as well as the strength of screen hinges during
furious typing and Halo Infinite sessions. We benchmark every gaming notebook
with PCMark 10, a variety of 3DMark tests, Cinebench and Geekbench. We also
use NVIDIAΓÇÖs Frameview app to measure the average framerates in Cyberpunk
2077, Halo Infinite and other titles. For media creation, we transcode a 4K
movie clip into 1080p using HandbrakeΓÇÖs CPU and GPU encoding options.

Displays are tested under indoor and outdoor lighting with productivity apps,
video playback and gameplay. We also try to stress the full refresh rate of
every gaming notebookΓÇÖs screen by benchmarking Halo Infinite, Overwatch 2
and other titles. Laptop speakers are judged by how well they can play back
music, movies and the occasional game session with detail and clarity, and
without any obvious distortion.

When it comes to battery life, we see how long gaming systems last with a
mixture of real-world productivity apps and gameplay, and we also test with
PCMark 10ΓÇÖs ΓÇ£Modern officeΓÇ¥ battery test. In addition, weΓÇÖre judging
the quality of a machineΓÇÖs keyboard with typing tests as well as relative
accuracy and comfort during extended gaming sessions.

Other gaming laptops weΓÇÖve tested Framework Laptop 16

We were eager to test the Framework Laptop 16 since it promised both modular
customizability and a decent amount of gaming power. But while we appreciated
just how repairable and upgradeable it is, its actual gaming performance was
middling for its high price. You could always buy it without the additional
GPU, but that makes it more of a daily workhorse than a gaming system.

MSI Stealth Studio 14

On a brighter note, we were pleased to see MSI return to form with the
Stealth Studio 14, which is far faster and more attractive than the previous
model.

Razer Blade 16 and 18

We were amazed to see a genuine 4K/1080p native screen in the Razer Blade 16,
but itΓÇÖs far too expensive and impractical, even for such a pricey brand.
Similarly, we found the Razer Blade 18 to be both oversized and overpriced.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-
gaming-laptops-172033838.html?src=rss

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