- 9.00/10 1. Premium pick: ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17
- 9.40/10 2. Editors choice: ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14
- 8.60/10 3. Best value: MSI GS65 Stealth-1668
- 9.20/10 4. ASUS TUF Gaming A15
- 8.80/10 5. Razer Blade 15
- 9.20/10 6. GIGABYTE AORUS 15G XC
- 9.00/10 7. Acer Predator Helios 300
- 9.40/10 8. MSI GE66 Raider 10UG-211
Almost on par with desktop hardware, gaming ultrabooks are a slim and powerful alternative to a bulky desktop setup. Featuring the latest gaming technologies like ray tracing and the latest GPUs, it's easy to get your hands on a high-performance laptop.
So whether you want a more portable machine for gaming at home or on the go, gaming ultrabooks are now more powerful than ever.
To get you started, here are the best gaming ultrabooks available today.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is geared towards gamers, with an unashamedly in-your-face design embracing gaming aesthetics. In addition, the faceplates are customizable, allowing gamers to tailor their Scar 17 to their requirements.
Packed with some of the best gaming hardware, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 includes a 10th-generation i9 processor and GeForce RTX 2070 Super for the ultimate gaming experience. Leveraging fast storage, the 32GB of DDR4 RAM is plentiful to boot a Windows 10 operating system and the latest AAA title games.
While it is costly, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 delivers unquestionable power and is ultimately a tremendous portable gaming computer. The 300Hz refresh rate with 3ms response times will be sure to offer a smooth gaming experience at 1080p.
- 300Hz refresh rate
- ROG intelligent cooling
- ROG Keystone II
- Brand: ASUS
- Storage: 1TB
- CPU: Intel Core i9-10980HK
- Memory: 32GB
- Operating System: Windows 10 Pro
- Battery: 8 hours
- Ports: 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 1x HDMI, 1x LAN, 1x 3.5mm Audio Jack
- Camera: No
- Display (Size, Resolution): 17.3-inch, 1920x1080
- Weight: 11.48lbs
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super
- Extremely powerful
- Excellent performance
- Mechanical keyboard
- Expensive
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is a well-priced high-performance laptop that sits more in the mid-to-high tier in terms of power. Featuring a 1TB SSD, there's plenty of room to store your operating system and games.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is efficient in both CPU and GPU power.
Featuring eight cores and 16 threads, the Zephyrus G14 can efficiently run intensive software like Photoshop while smoothly booting up the latest AAA titles. Similarly, you can surpass 60fps on ultra settings, even reaching up to 120fps.
For an enjoyable competitive multiplayer experience, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 leverages its hardware, most notably the Ryzen 9 series, which is currently at the top end of AMD's mobile platform.
Admittedly, this gaming laptop does get quite noisy while under load, but it's channeling an enormous amount of power through a very thin chassis.
- Adaptive sync
- ErgoLift hinge
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060
- Brand: ASUS
- Storage: 1TB
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9
- Memory: 16GB
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Battery: 11 hours
- Ports: 2x USB-C, 1x DisplayPort, 1x DMI, 1x 3.5mm Audio Jack, 2x USB 3.1 Type-A
- Camera: No
- Display (Size, Resolution): 14-inch, 1920x1080
- Weight: 3.64lbs
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060
- Extremely fast processor
- Compact
- Great value
- Loud fans under load
The MSI GS65 Stealth-1668 features an appealing build, with thin bezels and a sturdy design. This 1080p gaming ultrabook is well within reach at an affordable price, boasting generous DDR4 memory and a GTX 1660Ti graphics card.
Despite its trim level, the MSI GS65 Stealth-1668 offers a wide selection of ports, including a USB Type-C port with Thunderbolt 3 support. Demanding game titles like Far Cry 5 and Rise of the Tomb Raider are easily played at high frame rates on medium and ultra settings.
Despite allowing fast SSD storage, the MSI GS65 Stealth-1668 only offers 512GB of storage with its entry-level specs. However, getting your hands on a high-performance gaming ultrabook with over seven hours of battery life and a 144Hz display is an absolute steal.
- Per-key backlighting
- IPS panel with 144Hz refresh rate
- Thunderbolt 3 support
- Brand: MSI
- Storage: 512GB
- CPU: Intel Core i7-9750H
- Memory: 16GB
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Battery: 7 hours
- Ports: 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 1x Thunderbolt 3
- Camera: Yes
- Display (Size, Resolution): 15.6-inch, 1920x1080
- Weight: 4.19lbs
- GPU: GTX 1660Ti
- 144Hz display
- Good port selection
- Better than 60fps gaming
- Standard storage option is low for gaming
The ASUS TUF Gaming A15 is, without a doubt, an impressive yet affordable gaming laptop. While it isn't the cheapest out there, it finds a solid balance between budget and performance. For competitive esports gamers, this gaming ultrabook features a high refresh rate and built-in LAN.
Boasting military-grade durability, the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 is a robust laptop that's easily portable. Featuring the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, the A15 has eight cores and 16 threads, offering a large amount of power and performance that you'd expect from a high-end laptop.
To leverage 1080p GPU power, the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 comes with a GTX 1660 Ti graphics card, which includes ray tracing support. You can play most games on ultra settings at over 60fps.
- Upgradeable RAM
- Self-cleaning cooling
- 7.1 channel surround sound
- Brand: ASUS
- Storage: 512GB
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 4800H
- Memory: 16GB
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Battery: 8.7 hours
- Ports: 1x USB, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 1x HDMI, 1x LAN, 1x 3.5mm Audio Jack
- Camera: Yes
- Display (Size, Resolution): 15.6-inch, 1920x1080
- Weight: 5.10lbs
- GPU: GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
- Solid performance
- Good battery life
- Good value
- Loud fans
The Razer Blade 15 Base is very similar to its predecessors, but if you're yet to enjoy the luxury of any of Razer's Blade laptops, you're in for a treat. Boasting customizable backlit keys, this gaming ultrabook is ideal for gamers on a mid-range budget.
This is clearly a well-designed gaming laptop, and even at full power, it doesn't exceed expected noise volumes or overheat. You'll be able to push around six hours of battery life, which isn't too bad considering it features an RTX 3060 and FHD display.
Unlike many similarly priced gaming laptops, the Razer Blade 15 Base can run at 1440p and can often achieve ultra settings on most games. However, even with the highest settings, this laptop struggles to reach 60fps on games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
- Customizable keyboard backlights
- 144Hz FHD display
- M.2 slot for SSD upgrades
- Brand: Razer
- Storage: 512GB
- CPU: Intel Core i7-10750H
- Memory: 16GB
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Battery: 6 hours
- Ports: 1x USB 3.0 Type A, 1x HDMI, 1x 3.5mm Audio, 1x Thunderbolt
- Camera: Yes
- Display (Size, Resolution): 15.6-inch, 2560x1440
- Weight: 4.60lbs
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
- Great build quality
- Excellent keyboard
- Vivid display
- Doesn't always exceed 60fps
The GIGABYTE AORUS 15G XC is an appealing gaming ultrabook, boasting excellent gaming capability with 8GB of GDDR6 SDRAM. Leveraging NVIDIA's Max-Q technology, this laptop benefits from decent battery life coupled with quiet cooling.
The eight-core 16 thread CPU has the potential to hit 5GHz while in use. As a result, AAA gaming titles and productivity software can quickly be launched and run without hiccups. Offering double the RAM of most mid-range gaming laptops, 32GB is what you'd expect from this machine.
The GIGABYTE AORUS 15G XC boasts a vibrant screen that's capable of reaching a 240Hz refresh rate in games that really need it, like CS:GO. Unfortunately, the bezels are too thin, so the webcam is located on the keyboard, knocking the design overall.
- Recognized by G2 Esports
- DLSS AI acceleration
- WINDFORCE cooling
- Brand: GIGABYTE
- Storage: 512GB
- CPU: Intel Core i7-10870H
- Memory: 32GB
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Battery: 8 hours
- Ports: 1x USB 3.2 Gen1 (Type-C), 1x Mini DisplayPort 1.4, 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A), 1x HDMI 2.1
- Camera: Yes
- Display (Size, Resolution): 15.6-inch, 1920x1080
- Weight: 4.4lbs
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
- Solid gaming performance
- Vibrant screen
- Quiet
- Design is a little lacklustre
The Acer Predator Helios 300 offers respectable performance at a reachable price. In addition, gamers will enjoy top-tier games that run smoothly and reliably, leveraging its NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060.
Featuring a primarily subtle design, you can customize the Acer Predator Helios 300's keyboard and lid backlighting to fit each gamer's style. With a 10th-gen Intel processor, the Helios 300 can responsively load and play games on its 144Hz screen.
For gamers that are more technically inclined, you can access PredatorSense, which allows you to overclock your gaming ultrabook and monitor its performance. While the Acer Predator Helios 300 can deliver some serious performance, it can get a little warm under load.
However, there's no denying this gaming ultrabook's bolshy entry into the market at the price of less powerful mid-tier gaming laptops.
- 3ms response time
- AeroBlade 3D fan
- Four-zone RGB backlit keyboard
- Brand: Acer
- Storage: 512GB
- CPU: Intel i7-10750H
- Memory: 16GB
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Battery: 4.5 hours
- Ports: 1x USB 3.2 Type-C Gen 2, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 1x HDMI, 1x Mini DisplayPort
- Camera: Yes
- Display (Size, Resolution): 15.6-inch, 1920x1080
- Weight: 4.85lbs
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
- Solid 1080p gaming performance
- Smooth 144Hz screen
- Room for three storage drives
- Chassis can get warm under load
The MSI GE66 Raider 10UG-211 sports a minimalist design that is easily recognizable as a gaming laptop. The sleek titanium finish is surrounded by 5mm bezels and boasts a 300Hz refresh rate, ideal for competitive gaming.
This high-end machine delivers excellent performance, easily handling power-intensive games like Metro Exodus on ultra settings. In addition, the RTX 3070 graphics card supports ray tracing and DLSS, providing an incredible 1080p gaming experience.
While it may be a little overkill for a gaming ultrabook, the 32GB of RAM is very welcome and is ideal for productivity-based tasks. Unfortunately, while the MSI GE66 Raider 10UG-211 excels in most areas, the battery life is less impressive.
Most gamers will struggle to get more than two hours of gaming out of it, meaning it doesn't offer much portability. However, if you're prepared to stay plugged in, you won't be disappointed by this machine's gaming performance.
- Per-key RGB gaming keyboard by SteelSeries
- Cooler Boost 5
- Duo Wave speaker design by Dynaudio system
- Brand: MSI
- Storage: 1TB
- CPU: Intel Core i7-10870H
- Memory: 32GB
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Battery: 6 hours
- Ports: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 2x USB 3.2 Type-C, 1x HDMI, 1x 3.5mm Audio Jack
- Camera: Yes
- Display (Size, Resolution): 15.6-inch, 1920x1080
- Weight: 5.25lbs
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
- Great performance
- Over 60fps on most games
- Solid multitasking
- Poor battery life
FAQ
Q: Are Gaming Laptops Worth It?
While premium high-end mobile gaming can be more costly, the investment is worth it in the long run if you're looking for an authentic gaming experience. Many gaming ultrabooks now offer the latest gaming technologies that provide smooth and powerful gameplay.
Q: Do Gaming Laptops Overheat?
Most gaming laptops are designed with cooling technologies that allow them to handle higher loads. So while they may get quite warm, it's rare for a gaming ultrabook to overheat under load.
Q: Are Gaming Ultrabooks Repairable?
Unlike desktop PCs which have more easily accessible components, gaming ultrabooks can be more challenging to repair. While it is possible to repair a gaming laptop if you know what you're doing and identify the issue, it's recommended to contact the manufacturer if something goes wrong and your computer is under warranty.
