The Top Gaming Laptops in 2022

Performance, mobility, and cost are the three main criteria for the best gaming laptop. Gaming laptops give their users a degree of adaptability that a desktop gaming PC just cannot match, whether it be in the form of a svelte ultrathin gaming notebook or a full-on desktop replacement.

Anyone looking for a new gaming laptop will have a tonne of fantastic alternatives as the competition between AMD and Intel heats up. Regarding CPUs, AMD’s Ryzen 6000-series processors have been competing favourably with Intel’s 12th Gen Alder Lake chips. The same is true with AMD’s latest mobile GPUs, which are gradually catching up to Nvidia’s RTX 30-series products.

The most recent gaming laptops continue to improve in portability while maintaining all the glitzy features of top-tier gaming PCs. Multicore CPUs, top-tier GPUs, and quick NVMe SSDs are the topics at hand.

Under the hood, you may even find plenty of RAM and panels with extremely high refresh rates. If you can’t live without that wonderful clackity clack, there are even gaming laptops with mechanical keyboards, like the Asus ROG Strix Scar 15. (opens in new tab).

Fortunately, gaming laptops mostly avoided processor shortages and are frequently offered for sale. Although there are a few outliers, such as Dell, who offers some really great sub-$1000 gaming laptops, it appears that manufacturers have focused on offering more high-end configurations.

The gaming laptops on this list, out of the many we’ve evaluated over the years, always strike the optimum mix between affordability, mobility, and performance. There should be a laptop here that’s suitable for you, whether you’re a student, professional, or simply a gamer. We’ll keep this list updated with the newest models as they are released.

1. The Razer Blade 15

One of the greatest gaming laptops ever created is once again improved with the Razer Blade 15’s most recent iteration. It boasts the same exquisite CNC-milled aluminium chassis as its predecessor, but this time it can accommodate both an Intel Core i9 processor from the 12th generation and one of Nvidia’s most recent RTX 30-series GPUs.

We have experimented with the RTX 3080 (95W) GPU-equipped Razer Blade 15 Advanced, which uses a 10^th-generation Intel processor. And we once again fell in love. Since then, we’ve also tested out the bigger Razer Blade 17 with an RTX 3080 Ti and one of those delicious 12th Gen processors inside, and we’re still astounded by what can fit into such a small and tidy chassis.

The slimline design will cause some throttling, and even on the bigger Blade 17, the battery life may not last very long, but you’ll still get fantastic performance from a stunning device.

Although the Blade 15 isn’t the lightest gaming laptop you can purchase, it weighs only five pounds, which is still significantly less than many other typical gaming laptops and provides comparable performance and capabilities. It also feels sturdy because of that weight. It also means that the Blade 15 may be carried comfortably in a backpack. A good option if you don’t have the space for a full-blown gaming workstation and monitor or are a player on the road.

The bigger shift key and half-height arrow keys will please keyboard snobs. Over the zonal illumination of the Base Model, the Blade 15 Advanced provides per-key RGB lighting. The Blade’s keycaps have a nice feel, and I enjoy typing on them. The trackpad might be annoying at times, but with this magnificent laptop, you’ll want to use a mouse so it’s not the end of the world.

The variety of options Razer provides for the Blade 15 is one of its finest features. There is something for practically everyone, ranging from the RTX 3060 Base Edition to the RTX 3080 Ti Advanced with a 144Hz 4K display. It is still one of the most powerful and one of the most gorgeous gaming laptops available.

Though you’ll pay more for the now-classic appearance, we believe the Razer Blade 15 is the finest gaming laptop overall available right now, regardless of the configuration you choose.

2. Razer Blade 14

Due to how much I love the 14-inch form factor, I am quite tempted to move the Razer Blade 14 up the list. The tragically underutilised laptop design was brought back by the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 in the No. 2 position, but Razer has improved upon it. The Blade 14 resembles the ultrabook Stealth 13 more than the 15-inch Blade and feels substantially smaller. It also has a matte black MacBook Pro-style design.

The Razer design is timeless and is also a pleasure to hold. Additionally, you can now obtain real processing power that fits in a messenger bag with the Blade notebook’s inclusion of the amazing AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX. And you can now get the Blade 14 with the brand-new Ryzen 9 6900HX CPU at its core. In actual use, though, this chip hasn’t altered much other than to provide passable integrated graphics.

It has a terrific balance of form and function, making it the most desired laptop I’ve perhaps ever tested. But toss in some more Nvidia RTX 30-series graphics power—now up to an RTX 3080 Ti, but wear earplugs—and you’ve got a great blend of form and function.

The RTX 3080 Ti would run a bit loudly and be severely constrained by the 14-inch chassis, which is my main complaint. The lower-spec GPU alternatives are thus what I would advise, even if $1,800 for a laptop feels excessive for 1080p gaming.

However, you are not purchasing the Blade 14 primarily for its overall performance and anything else; rather, you are interested in having all the power you require in a design that allows for user mobility.

Razer has finally given us the option to utilise an AMD CPU in its machines, but it would be fantastic if we had the option elsewhere in its lineup of laptops. The PC is all about choice, and Razer has finally given us that option. It’s noteworthy that there has been no talk of a Blade 14 with a Ryzen CPU and a discrete Radeon GPU. So be it.

Forget about politics for a moment; the Razer Blade 14 is one of the best gaming laptops I’ve held this year and is amazing in and of itself. may ever The vast selection of laptops offered by Razer ought to include the criminally underutilised 14-inch form factor among its best-selling models.

And if this laptop is as successful as it should be, the business may wind up having to make some challenging decisions about what CPUs it provides and where.

But you have to decide which graphics card you want to use. Although the RTX 3080 Ti is faster, a lot more gaming performance is left on the shop floor. Because of its lower price and full-blooded frame rates, the RTX 3060 receives my daily vote.

3. Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022)

The updated Zephyrus G14 for 2022 continues to astound us with its well-balanced specifications and superior gaming performance. Since it has a 120Hz refresh rate, this device seriously rips through frames, and it’s wonderful for much more than just gaming.

Although there is a cheaper RX 6700S option, we tested the model with AMD’s RX 6800S as the graphics card. That less costly choice could be a touch preferable, given that the high-end one can grow quite dear and approach the pricy but fantastic Razer Blade 14.

Its 32GB of DDR5-4800 RAM isn’t much of a help in that sense, though we do love having all that quick memory ready to take on everything you can throw at it.

AMD Ryzen 6900HS is its primary processor. Although you’re basically competing over boost clocks and not much else when it comes to the absolute top of the red team’s mobile CPUs, it is one of AMD’s Ryzen 6000-series’ finest and brightest chips. I find it to be more than adequate because it has eight cores and 16 threads of the Zen 3+ architecture, which can accelerate to 4.9GHz (which it does occasionally).

But that GPU and CPU combination breezes through our benchmarking programme, and I must admit that I’m quite impressed with the G14’s overall gaming performance. That’s even without using the Turbo option, which is more severe; I tested everything using the default Performance mode. It can generally outperform RTX 3080 and RTX 3070 mobile CPUs in terms of framerate, and while it falls short of the RTX 3080 Ti in the Razer Blade 17, that laptop is significantly bigger and more expensive.

The G14 is a 14-inch laptop, which is one of my favourite aspects of it. A wonderful compromise between the bigger 15- and 17-inch designs, the combination of screen size and the small form factor doesn’t seem as constrained as a 13-inch device could. The primary difference between the 2022 model and earlier generations is that the 14-inch dimension now has a greater 16:10 aspect ratio than the earlier models’ 16:9 displays.

The fast refresh and high-resolution display of the G14 also look amazing when everything is operating correctly. You can truly take in every detail of this model’s brilliant and vivid IPS display.

The battery life of this device is one of its drawbacks; it isn’t the best while gaming, lasting less than an hour. Though we may want a little bit more from a contemporary laptop, you’ll receive more whether watching films or doing anything tedious like work. Even if it’s not a deal-breaker, you should keep it in mind.

The G14 no longer has the attribute of being unexpectedly affordable for what you receive, even if it still offers excellent performance.

That 32GB of DDR5 RAM, of which 16GB is soldered to the motherboard and the remaining 16GB is attached using a detachable SO-DIMM from the laptop’s underbelly, may be a contributing factor. Not a cheap memory, that. Since the memory standard was established last year, DDR5 costs have scarcely decreased, and 32GB is an abundance of high-performance memory in compared to the majority of gaming PCs available today.

Overall, though, the G14 experience is rather simple and uncomplicated. During the short weeks I owned it, I didn’t encounter any significant problems, and Asus more than made up for the minor design flaws I had with a plethora of advantages. However, the less expensive versions could be a better choice than the one we examined. The same chassis and excellent design are there but at a somewhat more reasonable price.

4. MSI GS66 Stealth

The MSI GS66 is a powerful, stylish, and extremely well-built computer. However, the power of Nvidia Ampere is not without limitations. To fit a graphics card with the RTX 3080’s level of performance into an 18mm thin chassis, MSI had to be a little frugal with its power requirements.

The top GPU is the 95W model, which only narrowly outperforms an RTX 3070 running at full throttle like the one found in the Gigabyte Aorus 15G XC. It is still an incredibly potent piece of mobile graphics hardware, though.

Even though it might be a touch noisy, you can make use of all the Nvidia Max-Q 3.0 capabilities. Included in this is Whisper Mode 2.0, which allows for covert gameplay by reducing game noise to barely audible levels.

Additionally, the GS66 has a superb 240Hz 1440p display that, when it comes to gaming, perfectly complements the potent GPU. The MSI GS66 Stealth is a really small gaming laptop, albeit there may be some trade-offs compared to an RTX 3080 you could get in a bulky workstation.

It’s unfortunate that laptop makers appear satisfied with just employing outdated cooling and chassis designs for their new Nvidia-based gaming laptops. Performance-wise, things are becoming more and more thermally limited as new gear is incorporated into outdated architectures.

This is the GS66’s tradeoff, and in order to justify the cost, you must be wholly committed to owning a low-profile gaming laptop. Also, keep in mind that the fee is paid in both dollar notes and frame rates.

It’s unfortunate that Nvidia’s new suite of Max Q goodies will likely be neglected because manufacturers don’t consistently promote them and consumers aren’t always going to check into how they all function.

Nevertheless, they function, and the most recent round of gaming laptops will unquestionably be the greatest we’ve ever seen. Sadly, it can be more difficult than ever to determine just which equipment is best for you.

The most recent MSI GS66 has a lot to offer. This implies that there will also be plenty of things that will frustrate me. The machine is gorgeous overall, especially considering how slim it is for a gaming laptop and how delicious its inside components are. However, there are several areas where it seems like a little more design work might have made a difference.

5. Lenovo Legion 5 Pro (16″ AMD)

AMD is unquestionably a major competitor in the market for gaming laptops, as demonstrated by the Legion Pro 5. When the mobile Ryzen 7 5800H and RTX 3070 are combined, a laptop is created that is not only capable of handling current games with ease but also more challenging adventures.

The QHD 16:10 165Hz screen is a real standout and one that makes gaming and using Windows in general enjoyable. You won’t be disappointed whether playing games or watching movies thanks to the IPS panel’s peak brightness of 500 nits.

The powerful RTX 3070 (with a max delivery of 140W, it’s quicker than some 3080s) is a wonderful complement to that bright screen, making the Legion Pro 5 a true gaming beast.

You won’t experience any lag when playing the great majority of games at their original 2560 x 1600 resolution on high settings. This is a really alluring bundle, made even more so by the fact that you can benefit from DLSS and some ray tracing enhancements for the price.

This laptop is nice to use for typing as well. Individuals have always praised Lenovo keyboards, but I have always ignored them since I don’t trust people who are overly obsessed with keyboards. But I must say, I believe I understand.

The keycaps’ rounded bottoms provide a pleasant feel to them. You can combine that with the big 4.7 x 3-inch trackpad to create a beautiful business laptop that also performs admirably in video games. I wish more laptop manufacturers would exploit the extra room provided by 17-inch gaming laptops to improve the quality of our lives.

Its relatively unimpressive speakers and microphone combination is the one thing that might be said to be negative with the Legion 5 Pro. It’s unfortunate that anything with a tinge of bass usually suffers.

The microphone was again another unexpected letdown. I was informed that my voice came off as soft and distant on business calls, which, when combined with a subpar 720p camera, doesn’t make for the ideal experience. I will give the Legion an A for effort for managing to squeeze a camera into a screen with such a narrow top bezel.

Being one of the more amazing AMD-powered laptops we’ve lately had in our possession, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 made me conclude that Legion notebooks deserve a slot at the top. The Legion Pro 5 offers everything you want in a gaming laptop—from the vivid, colourful screen to the wonderful, full-sized keyboard—for a lot less money than the competition can match.

6. Asus ROG Scar 17 (2022)

There is no doubt that you can get a gaming laptop that is much more rational than this, but there is something about the ROG Strix Scar 17’s excesses that makes it quite alluring. From the top model’s breathtakingly fast 360Hz screen to the overclocked CPU, which is as monstrous as they come, it seems like everything about it has been cranked up to 11. To top our benchmarks for gaming laptops, Asus worked a little bit harder than most.

And it does so in large part because of the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti that is seen beating away at the centre of the best gaming laptops’ benchmarks. As the 150W version of Nvidia’s new Ampere GPU, it can achieve performance levels that slimmer devices can only hope to achieve.

If Nvidia’s superb DLSS is used, you can also rely on it to achieve absurd frame rates. Additionally, if that isn’t enough, you can get this system with an RTX 3080 Ti as well.

You’re looking at a cool and silent piece of gaming nirvana thanks to the 17-inch chassis, which gives the components a little bit more breathing room than the competition. Due to the additional room, Asus was able to fit an optomechanical keyboard onto the Scar 17, which is fantastic for both gaming and other demanding tasks.

It’s important to note that all of this power has an impact on both the temperatures and the battery life. With the device unplugged, you’re not as inclined to play games, but if you do, you only get one hour.

While we’re being picky, I don’t love the touchpad either. My poor, calloused fingertips keep forgetting where the margins are when I attempt to click the area underneath it. There aren’t any USB Type-A ports on this specific model, which is noticeable given the price, and I have to bring a lot of extra devices that don’t need to be there. To make up for that, there are a few USB Type-C connections on the rear, and I’m glad there is a full-sized keyboard.

When Asus has managed to fit such a massive configuration in here, such complaints are simple to overlook. Although amazing, the 32GB of DDR5-4800 RAM and the 2TB SSD are a tad excessive for most people.

It doesn’t weigh much for a laptop with a 17-inch chassis, and it doesn’t require two power adapters to function properly either. Because of this, it doesn’t feel like the bulky desktop replacement we’ve previously encountered. It’s okay that way. Especially when you top off a compact device like this with a 1440p, 240Hz, 3ms reaction time, IPS display that also does a fantastic job of eliminating glare.

Spending $2,999 on this Strix Scar configuration would put you far ahead of the competition with no effort, even if you could purchase a Lenovo Legion 5 Pro with an RTX 3070 for half the price. It’s true that it isn’t as fashionable or well-suited for ray tracing as the Blade 17, but there is a price differential of well over $1,000. And I would definitely spend that money for anything that can outperform laptops from the past in practically every run.

7. Predator Helios 300 from Acer

During the GTX 10-series era, we adored Acer’s Predator Helios 300, and the current-generation Helios continues to outperform comparable $1,500 laptops in its class. Although it might not be the finest gaming laptop, it is one of the most affordable models available.

The most recent Helios model features an RTX 3060 GPU and a more streamlined design without considerably increasing the cost. It is more in line with streamlined thin-and-lights than its bulkier brethren of the previous generation because it also boasts a 144Hz screen and reduced bezels.

The little SSD is the only true downside, but the laptop includes ports for two SSDs and an HDD, so adding more storage is as simple as grabbing a screwdriver. At this end of the pricing range, you frequently need to be skilled with upgrades, and the Helios 300 is no exception.

The Turbo button is Acer’s one-touch GPU overclocking option, and if you’re eager for just a little bit more gaming performance, you can use it to instantly increase the sensation, sound, or fury of your gaming experience. This straightforward function on the Predator laptops is intended to squeeze out as much gaming performance as possible.

Although in principle it should improve performance, as we witnessed with the Predator Triton earlier this year, it actually only makes a little difference. Additionally, it causes your machine to run extremely hot and loudly. Sincerity speaking, I don’t think it’s worthwhile unless you’re adamant about getting the most frames per second. Or use a top-notch gaming headset with noise cancellation.

The 15-inch Predator Helios 300, however, offers premium 1080p gaming performance for its $1,500 asking price. even without the Turbo button’s dubious utility. Small but clever design improvements have been made, such as moving the power wire from the side to the rear and providing space for three storage discs. And for all of these reasons, the Acer Predator Helios 300 is a serious candidate to be named among the greatest gaming laptops available.

8. AMD’s Alienware m17 R5 (2022)

I adore Alienware because it has unwavering faith in all of its new products. Whether that means announcing one of the sleekest OLED gaming displays to date or bragging about a PC being a “Benchmark Bruiser” (opens in new tab). How can I refuse the opportunity to test out the new Alienware m17 R5, which has been branded “the most powerful 17-inch AMD Advantage gaming laptop”?

On paper, the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX and Radeon RX 6850M XT combination that powers the Alienware m17 R5 appears to be a win for Team Red. I was excited to compare it against laptops equipped with RTX 3070 Ti and even RTX 3080 Ti mobile GPUs because it is the first gaming laptop, we’ve evaluated with an RX 6850M XT.

Many people used the remarkably bright 500cd/m2 4K monitor for streaming media. In the last season of F1: Drive to Survive in 4K on Netflix, I enjoyed seeing the intricate stress marks on Guenther Steiner’s face. Although this display is more suited for professionals and creatives, games do look fairly well. In order to save money and extend your battery life, if you don’t fit into that group, you might be better suited to staying with the 1080p display at 240Hz.

The Ryzen APU and Radeon GPU are switched automatically by SmartAccess Graphics, and Smartshift Max intelligently adjusts your power based on the programme or game you’re running. This laptop also makes use of AMD’s portfolio of gaming-enhancing technologies (opens in new tab).

These functions have the advantage of functioning automatically without your intervention. All of these functions are helpful, especially if you need to squeeze more power when switching between gaming and, say, video editing.

The Alienware m17 R5 AMD Advantage variant performed admirably in practically every one of our gaming benchmarks at 1080p with the majority of the settings at their highest. Nearly every game I played had framerates in the triple digits, with Hitman 3 averaging slightly over 200 fps.

The m17 R5 easily achieves over 100 frames per second in the majority of games at 1080p if you choose a frame rate above the resolution. Even in Cyberpunk, the frame rate was approximately 128. (with FSR turned on).

You’ll experience very little to no screen tearing thanks to the display’s high 120Hz refresh rate. I played more games at 1080p than 4K due to the noticeably greater frame rates. The 4K display is somewhat unnecessary most of the time if you’re playing a shooter like Apex Legends or Fortnite.

Though it may not be the most powerful gaming laptop ever, the Alienware m17 R5 hasn’t given up. Even while the m17 R5’s CPU performance isn’t as strong as some of its competitors, its gaming performance more than makes up for it.

If you scale back some of the more costly components, you might save a few hundred dollars and get a pretty good 1080p gaming laptop instead of the 4K display, which is wonderful for anybody watching movies or working.

FAQ about the best gaming laptop

Do laptops with high refresh rates merit the expense?

While you cannot ensure that your RTX 3060 can offer 300 frames per second in the newest games, you’ll still notice a gain in terms of overall appearance and feel when using a 300Hz monitor. We adore high refresh rate displays around here.

Should I be concerned about a gaming laptop’s CPU?

What you want to accomplish with your laptop will determine a lot of things. While an 8-core, 16-thread AMD Ryzen CPU will enable you to work quite productively while on the go, it won’t make much of a difference when gaming. That is one of the reasons Intel released its Tiger Lake H35 processors; even though they are quad-core, 8-thread CPUs, they are overclocked to provide powerful gaming performance when partnered with an RTX 3070, for example.

What part of a gaming laptop is most crucial?

The graphics card is the obvious choice when it comes to gaming, but recently, things have become a little trickier there. You need to pay attention to the wattage a graphics card is allowed to and the chassis it is housed in because GPU performance is now so dependent on cooling.

An RTX 3080 restricted in an 18mm chassis would operate much slower than one in a much larger case with space for superior performance cooling, as we said at the top.

What laptop screen size is ideal for gaming?

This will possibly have the biggest direct effect on the build you choose. The size of your laptop is mostly determined by the size of your screen. A 13-inch device will be an ultrabook that is both slim and light, while a 17-inch display nearly always means workstation-style equipment. You’re looking at the typical size of the gaming laptop screen, which is 15 inches.

Should I upgrade my laptop’s screen to 4K?

Nah. Gaming laptops with 4K resolution are overkill; while they work well for editing 4K video, they are not the best option for playing games. The normal 1080p resolution almost guarantees great frame rates for mobile GPUs, which are typically slower, but 1440p screens are gradually being included in laptop ranges by manufacturers.

The ideal balance between high resolution and respectable gaming performance is provided by a 1440p panel. A 4K notebook will simultaneously overtax your GPU and strain your eyes as you squint at your 15-inch display.

The AMD-equipped laptops are nowhere to be found.

Your hunch is just as valid as ours. The RX 5000-series GPUs were available in a small number of gaming laptop SKUs, although they were hard to come by. However, AMD has stated that RX 6000, and Big Navi mobile GPUs will be available in gaming laptops in the first half of this year, although we have yet to see them in testing.