Which is a good laptop for gaming

The keyboard is also a delight to use, with 1. We only got about four and a half hours of continuous use in our testing. However, it does charge very, very fast with the included W power brick. Overall, though the G15 will be a better option for folks who often work on the go, the Legion is still a solid choice—and we have to give Lenovo props for the screen.

Speaking of battery, we averaged nine hours and 16 minutes of work use between charges, which makes the Strix G15 far and away one of the longest-lasting gaming laptops on the market. It delivers great battery life, and exceptional gaming on battery. The Razer Blade 14 is a heavy-duty gaming laptop in a light and portable chassis. It could even stay close to 60fps with ray tracing on. Dell has also managed to cram that power into an impressively thin and sleek chassis.

On the other hand, the X17 would not be a good choice to double as a daily driver though it did do well in our Premiere Pro testing. The webcam is mediocre, and the touchpad is a bit small, especially for a inch notebook. Battery life only averaged around four hours in our testing. The Alienware X17 delivers outstanding 4K gaming performance, and manages to do so while keeping its impressively thin chassis quiet and cool.

In short: if you use this in public, people will notice. And the Strix comes preloaded with various programs to help customize your gaming experience. It still packs the top chips on the market and comes with a Hz QHD display, but at just 4. In addition to its reliable gaming performance, the Blade 15 works well as a productivity machine.

Our primary complaint is that this Blade got quite hot during our game testing. It has a more powerful processor than the base Blade 15, higher-end GPU options, and a slimmer design. Plus, at under 6 pounds, the m17 R2 isn't impossible to lug around in a backpack, making it an option worth investigating for traveling gamers who demand ultra-high graphics on the go.

Read our full Alienware m17 R2 review. And you also get a rather high-end 4K touchscreen display with the virtually bezel-less InfintyEdge design. Read all about it in our full Dell XPS 17 review. Power or portability? Do you plan to mostly play triple-A demanding games at home and on a desk, but have the scope to occasionally move your machine, then a chunkier and more powerful gaming laptop, like the Alienware Area 51m might be best.

But the latest machines can hit Hz, with those on the cutting-edge sporting Hz displays. HIgh refresh-rate displays are great for people who play fast-paced games such as Overwatch or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

But if you mostly plan to plug in an external monitor, then you might be better off saving money by going for a 60Hz Full HD screen. Budget or high-end? For example, if you're pondering which is the best Age of Empires III civilization to start with, you won't need a massively powerful machine for the game.

Gaming only, or work as well? The good thing about gaming laptops is they have plenty of power for professional tasks as well, such as video rendering or CAD work. As they can be an expensive purchase, it might be worth looking at getting a machine that can pull double duties as a gaming and work laptop.

Alex Wawro is a lifelong tech and games enthusiast with more than a decade of experience covering both for outlets like Game Developer, Black Hat, and PC World magazine. He currently serves as a senior editor at Tom's Guide covering all things computing, from laptops and desktops to keyboards and mice. Included in this guide: 1. The best gaming laptop for your needs can be hard to find, and the search used to be an undertaking fraught with compromises: you could get a lightweight laptop with anemic performance or a powerful machine that really pushed the boundaries of what can really be called a laptop.

Specifications Display: inches, x Weight: 3. Reasons to avoid - No webcam - Keyboard has backlighting issues. Razer Blade Dimensions: Reasons to avoid - Cramped keyboard - Software oddities. Alienware m15 R4. Weight: 5. Asus Zephyrus G Reasons to avoid - No webcam - Fans can get loud.

Screen: Up to Reasons to avoid - No webcam - Keyboard lighting color can't be changed. Reasons to avoid - Expensive - Poor battery life. Storage: 1TB M. Reasons to avoid - Not the most powerful - You're paying a lot for the design. Reasons to avoid - Some growing pains. Asus TUF A Reasons to avoid - Middling battery life.

Asus ROG G RAM: GB. Reasons to avoid - Extremely expensive. Reasons to avoid - Loud fans. Jackie Thomas.