There are times when only the best of the best will do, and this sentiment rings very true when it comes to PC gaming. With all the budget builds out there trying squeeze maximum performance out of every penny, it’s worth noting that there is still a pretty significant section devoted to gaming on the best systems money can buy, all in the search of high and uncapped framerates and buttery smooth graphics.
While nothing can beat a custom-built gaming PC when it comes to both overall cost and performance, a gaming laptop can offer a somewhat on-par experience in a very portable package. PC gamers with bigger budgets often look to these machines despite the fact that you will most likely see the best from building your own system, given that having the ability to game almost anywhere at incredibly high performance is very attractive, not to mention the power these laptops have to offer in terms of productivity outside gaming.
All of that said, here’s the best of the best when it comes to high-end PC gaming – on a very portable laptop. For the sake of fairness, these laptops all share the same GPU, and most of the differences between them can be whittled down to processor, storage and RAM, as well as feature sets native to that specific brand. This should help the undecided to see which high-end laptops work out the best for them and their specific needs.
It’s not a high-end gaming laptop list without one of these babies. The 2019 iteration of the Blade 15 by Razer is its best form yet, powered by the a Nvidia Max-Q card for maximum portability and beast performance. In terms of aesthetics, I’m of the opinion that Razer laptops are one of the best, if not the top dog. Thin form, solidly round edges, amazing keyboard layout, thin bezels, and that smooth aluminum body make this a must for those looking for an incredibly powerful laptop that’s free from the constraints of extra thickness.
The Blade 15 boasts an Intel Core i7-8750H, with six cores running at up to 4.1GHz. In the graphics department you have a Nvidia GeForce RTX 20170 Max-Q, a card specifically built to be as thin as humanly possible while still retaining much of its power. The result is a .7 inch thin device encased in a high-grade CNC aluminum unibody that also comes with high performance and vapor chamber cooling. The screen is also undeniably fine, featuring FHD at 144Hz. Complimenting the whole package is a 16GB RAM kit, as well as a 512GB SSD.
Dell’s Alienware brand still holds incredible sway in the gaming laptop department due to their high-powered machines and incredible build quality, with the M17 proof of that fact. The 2019 iteration has been updated with all of the best specs you can place in the thinnest form factor possible. It’s also nearer to the $1500 mark than any other option here, and as such it’s probably one of the most popular for those looking to move into the serious high-end department for laptop gaming. It also has the biggest screen, which is great for those who want something larger than a 15-inch display.
The M17 is powered by an Intel Core i7-8750H, with six cores and twelve threads. The resulting system is powerful for even demanding core-dependent tasks like video editing, so if you’re planning on grabbing and editing footage from your games this might be great for you. It also has the RTX 20170 Max-Q, which has kept the laptop fairly thin, all things considered. The screen is a 60Hz IPS panel at 1080p, which is probably the only drawback on this machine. Topping it all of is a 16GB RAM kit, as well as a 512GB SSD.
Over the years, MSI has slowly been catching up with big boys like Alienware, Asus and Razer in the race for the best high-end gaming laptops on the market. This year it’s looking to take the lead with the 2019 iteration of the GS65, the brand’s most high-end offering. Of all the laptops on this list, the GS65 takes the cake as the most expensive, but that’s only because it didn’t skimp out on the other features. When you get a GS65, you’re getting the whole nine yards, from better and faster storage to more RAM. In the end, it’s a wonder how they fit that all in such a thin package, too.
The GS65 Stealth-002 is powered by an Intel Core i7-8750H running at 2.2GHz, with turbo speeds at 4.1GHz. This basically means that you can easily chew through all AAA titles without fear of low frames or quality. Couple that with the RTX 2070 Max-Q and you’ve got yourself a discreetly powerful laptop that’s probably better than a lot of pre-built desktops on the market. The screen is pretty good, too, at FHD and 144Hz with razor-thin bezels. Completing it all is a 32GB RAM kit, plus a 512GB NVMe SSD for ultra-fast storage.
Asus ROG Strix Scar III (2019)
Another permanent mainstay for lists of high-end gaming laptops is Asus and their ROG lineup. Ever since its inception, Republic of Gamers has been a major driving force into powerful machines, whether it’s components for beastly towers or laptops like the Strix Scar, which is power made portable. The 2019 iteration of the Strix Scar III is proving to be the absolute best yet, as it’s one of two here that’s powered by a ninth generation Intel processor rather than the eighth generation one we’ve seen from the former three offerings.
The ROG Strix Scar III boasts a ninth Gen Intel Core i7-9750H processor, a six-core monster running at 2.6GHz and boosts up to 4.5GHz. This processor will easily last you for the next three to four years, perhaps more, while still allowing you to game on the highest settings for almost every AAA title out there. You also get a full-sized GeForce RTX 2070 card, which should give it faster and better performance compared to Max-Q at the cost of some added thickness. The screen is also something to behold, with the FHD IPS display running at 240Hz. Topping it all off is a 16GB RAM kit, as well as 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD.
Gigabyte’s entry to the gaming laptop scene was a little bit later than the others on this list, but their first offering was the stuff of legends. The AERO is probably the best gaming laptop you can buy right now, thanks to its well-rounded set of everything – from the screen, to the processor and GPU, and everything else in between. If you’ve got the budget for it, and you’re in the market for a true high-end experience on the laptop, any iteration of the AERO comes highly recommended.
The AERO 15-X9-9RT5 is powered by an Intel Core i9-8950HK, which is even more powerful than the processor inside the ROG Strix Scar III. Thank Intel for their weird processor lineup, as this six-core beast runs at 2.9GHz and turbos at 4.8GHz, which is mind-blowing for a laptop this thin. And it is thin, sitting at .74 inches, despite utilizing an RTX 2070 card that is not Max-Q. The FHD IPS screen is from LG, and can push out frames at 144Hz. On top of all these you get a 16GB RAM kit, and an ultra-fast M.2 NVMe PCIe 1TB Intel 760P SSD.
So, what do you think? Which of these high-end gaming laptops will you be picking up? Let us know and stay tuned for more recommendations from us for the best deals on the best things in gaming, from peripherals and hardware, to toys and various accessories.
