I test gaming laptops for a living — here are 3 I recommend and would buy with my own money
As a lifelong gamer and a hardware reviewer, I know a thing or two about what makes the best gaming laptops worthwhile.
The perfect gaming laptop needs a bright, vibrant screen, solid specs, and a design that isn't too flashy. It's also important that a machine can be viable for years and won't destroy your bank account.
With that in mind, I've compiled a list of gaming laptops that I'd not only recommend but that I'd buy with my own money. They're not just great for playing the latest games; they're also super capable for everyday stuff like writing and editing videos or audio.
The HP Omen Transcend 14 may be a gaming laptop, but there's nothing about its look that screams "gaming laptop." Thanks to a sleek design and understated RGB keyboard, it could easily pass for a business ultraportable.
HP even calls it "the world's lightest 14-inch gaming laptop," and it's definitely the slimmest I've listed here.
The HP Omen Transcend 14 delivers the goods thanks to its great gaming performance, classy design, vibrant OLED display and RGB-lit keyboard. While its battery life disappoints and it only has effective USB-C charging via one port, its strengths outweigh its deficiencies.
Under the hood, it's got an Intel Core Ultra Meteor Lake chip and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 laptop GPU. Though not the latest components, they're enough for playing games at medium graphical settings. On top of that, games look and run smoothly on the Omen Transcend's 14-inch 2.8K 120Hz OLED.
Battery life is pretty low, even for a gaming laptop, lasting for a little less than an hour in our testing. Because of that, it might not be your best bet if you're looking for an all-day, every-day notebook. Still, the HP Omen Transcend 14 is an exceptional and incredibly thin gaming laptop.
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) might not be new, but it's still a great gaming laptop. It's super portable, packs a punch performance-wise, and rocks a gorgeous OLED display. Plus, it's surprisingly quiet.
Beyond gaming, the Zephyrus G14 is comfortable to work on thanks to its roomy keyboard and nice, chunky keycaps.
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) delivers the goods thanks to its thin design, powerful performance, gorgeous OLED display and excellent typing experience. Though it's an older model, you can still have a lot of fun gaming at medium graphical settings on this sleek laptop.
The Zephyrus G14 has a clean, minimalist look that's closer to one of the best MacBooks than a typical gaming laptop. The only hint of a "gamer" vibe is a cool diagonal light on the lid. And don't worry about ports, it's got a good selection on both sides for all your gaming peripherals.
The 14-inch (2880 x 1800) OLED is a showstopper. Games and videos look incredible, with deep blacks and vibrant HDR really pulling you in. For competitive players, the silky smooth 120Hz refresh rate and lightning-fast 0.2ms response time give you a serious edge.
This is the newest and priciest gaming laptop I recommend, and it's certainly worth every penny. The Alienware 16 Area-51 Gaming Laptop is a futuristic-looking device featuring powerful components that deliver an incredible gaming experience.
The Alienware 16 Area-51 gaming laptop makes a bold statement thanks to its (inter)stellar design, powerful RTX 50-series performance and vibrant 16-inch display. Though it demands a steep price and can be heavy to carry, this laptop delivers an out-of-this-world gaming experience.
The Liquid Teal finish on the anodized aluminum chassis gives this laptop a dark iridescent sheen that shifts colors when viewed under different lighting conditions. I also like how the RGB lighting on the back mimics the motions of the aurora borealis, which serves to heighten this laptop's otherworldly feel. And if that wasn't enough, there's a clear Gorilla Glass window on the bottom that lets you see the internal components.
Speaking of internals, all configurations pack an Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU and up to an RTX 5090 GPU. Combine that with up to 64GB of RAM, and you have a machine that can play the best PC games at high frame rates, especially with Nvidia DLSS 4 enabled. Games also look beautiful on the laptop's 16-inch 240Hz display.
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