I’ve Been Reviewing Gaming Laptops for Over a Decade. This is What to Search for When Procuring

ROG Strix is Asus’s performance-focused subbrand. That is the place the corporate’s thicker, extra standard gaming laptops are discovered. Pricing can vary extensively, because it consists of reasonably priced choices just like the ROG Strix G16 with the RTX 5050, which begins at simply $1,300.

TUF Gaming is the corporate’s entry-level gaming laptop computer subbrand. These TUF gaming laptops was a few of the most reasonably priced gaming laptops you may purchase, however they’ve gone up in worth over the previous few years. There aren’t any Asus gaming laptops below $1,000 that function the most recent RTX 50-series GPUs, although you could find loads of older fashions for much less on Amazon or Greatest Purchase.

Dell’s gaming laptop computer lineup is pretty sparse as of late. All of Dell’s gaming laptops fall below the Alienware model, which the corporate acquired again in 2006. Alienware has been via many cycles of reinvention with its gaming laptops, however in 2025, there’s actually solely 4 laptops within the stack proper now: the Alienware 16 Aurora, Alienware 16X Aurora, Alienware 18 Space-51, and Alienware 16 Space-51. I just like the simplicity of the brand new lineup, which focuses on what Alienware has at all times been recognized for: its brash, gamer fashion and higher-end efficiency.

The Alienware 16 Aurora is the corporate’s try to achieve a less expensive demographic, beginning the laptop computer at simply $1,100 proper now for an RTX 5050 configuration.

HP’s Omen gaming model has been round for over a decade, nevertheless it actually seems like the corporate has began to construct some momentum round it over the previous few years. Apparently, HP breaks down its choices into three classes of thickness and efficiency. Omen Max is the chunkiest at nearly an inch thick, and helps as much as an RTX 5080. Omen 16 is the center floor, capping out at an RTX 5070. Omen Transcend, which presents a 14-inch mannequin, nonetheless helps as much as an RTX 5070, however brings the thickness all the way down to 0.7 inches. There are 16-inch dimension choices accessible throughout all three subbrands; nevertheless, not one of the laptops are as skinny as a few of the competitors. There’s additionally an Omen 16 Slim, which blurs the strains a bit.

Aside from Omen, HP additionally launched its “Victus” subbrand in 2021, which represents its budget-oriented choices. HP solely has a number of configurations of the HP Victus 15 and Victus 16 accessible proper now.

Razer, MSI, Acer, and Others

{Photograph}: Luke Larsen

Razer is solely dedicated to PC gaming, not like lots of the laptop computer manufacturers on this record. Its Blade gaming laptops have turn into iconic within the business for his or her minimalist aesthetic. Like many corporations, Razer has a Blade 14, Blade 16, and Blade 18, which all have an equivalent design, however scale up when it comes to dimension and efficiency.MSI has made fairly a reputation for itself within the gaming area, particularly with its high-end, performance-focused, monster gaming laptops just like the MSI Titan HX. Past Titan, MSI has a mind-boggling quantity of different choices, although, together with the Raider, Stealth, Vector, Katana, Sword, and its budget-oriented Cyborg sequence. There’s quite a bit to dig into.Acer’s Predator line has its personal fanfare about it. Predator Helios is its high-end, performance-driven line with tons of choices throughout 14-inch, 16-inch, and 18-inch sizes. Triton is its thin-and-light sub-brand, nevertheless it hasn’t been up to date in 2025 to date. The corporate additionally has its Nitro price range model, which is available in 14-, 15-, and 16-inch choices and with help as much as an RTX 5070.

Past these mainstay manufacturers, you even have PC gaming corporations which have dipped into gaming laptops, resembling Gigabyte, Origin, and Maingear. Simply steer clear of the no-name manufacturers which have well-liked listings on Amazon regardless of missing discrete graphics playing cards—like this.

Gaming on Non-Gaming Laptops

{Photograph}: Luke Larsen

{Photograph}: Luke Larsen

{Photograph}: Luke Larsen

{Photograph}: Luke Larsen

Whereas there’s a whole ecosystem of laptops marketed towards players, that does not imply you possibly can’t play video games on different units. Laptops with devoted graphics playing cards can usually play video games simply in addition to gaming laptops, however they’re usually focused extra at creatives who want higher graphics to run artistic purposes. These embrace laptops just like the Dell 14 Premium, Acer Swift X 14, and the Asus ProArt P16.

When you’re shopping for a laptop computer primarily to play video games, although, I would not suggest considered one of these. They normally do not help the higher-tier GPUs just like the RTX 5080 or 5090, and you will not get super-fast refresh charges past 120 Hz. When you’re extra of an informal gamer and simply desire a high-end laptop computer that may do all of it, these are good choices. They’re particularly good in the event you despise the “gamer” aesthetic and need one thing a bit extra refined.