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There was a time wherein you would only have an enjoyable time playing PC games if you had a powerful desktop computer. Now, laptops have capable CPUs and GPUs that provide smooth and responsive gameplay. Such laptops come with premium specs, which are beneficial for your overall gaming experience, but you have to be ready to widen your budget because they aren’t the cheapest. A critical issue you would face when using a laptop for gaming is its battery life. Spending hours playing games that rely on a ton of processing power will take a significant amount of juice from your battery life, so you would often need to bring a charger with you and look for an outlet nearby. Fortunately, a little research goes a long way, and you can find laptops with a high-capacity battery that will satisfy all your on-the-go gaming needs. Such laptops might not give you a complete 24 hours of heavy gaming without charging, but at least you get several hours of uninterrupted gaming. If you’re in the market for such a laptop, you’ve come to the right place. There are many excellent options to choose from, each catering to different types of users. Read on to find out what these computers offer.
The Razer Blade Stealth 13 is undeniably a standout from its competitors because not only does its screen have a 4K UHD resolution, it’s a touchscreen display as well. Its display also has 100% sRGB colors for vivid images and gaming visuals. The screen’s bezel is remarkably thin, giving a modern and premium feel. It features a quad-core 10th Gen Intel Core i7-1065G7 processor, allowing you to run graphically lenient games consistently. The popular NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q graphics card is inside this machine, and it has 4 GB of VRAM, letting your run just about any modern title at 4K. Games as demanding as Cyberpunk 2077 will still run at 4K, though you’ll have to turn some settings down. The laptop has 16GB RAM and 512GB of SSD storage, which is enough for most people, but you might still need an external drive for more space. The Razer Blade Stealth 13 features the Chroma keyboard, which has 16.8 million color options available. It’s not an RGB keyboard, meaning it won’t cycle across the spectrum. Nevertheless, it suits fans of single-color keyboard lighting. The audio quality you’ll get from its four stereo speakers and smart amplifier is fantastic, and its Dolby Atmos support takes it to the next level. You can take advantage of Dolby Atmos when plugging in your favorite gaming headset outside. What sets this laptop apart from our other choices is that it’s incredibly lightweight. At just three pounds, it’s effortless to carry around with you. The Razer Blade Stealth 13 comes with additional features such as Windows Hello, an HD webcam, Thunderbolt 3, and Wireless AX. Online sources claim its battery life could last until 11 hours per charge, but you can expect this sum to become significantly lower when playing high-end games. Considering how resource-taxing running games in 4K is, this capacity is awe-inspiring. For those who enjoy 4K gaming without breaking the bank, the Razer Blade Stealth 13 is a great choice.
Long battery life4K touchscreen displayDurable and lightweight
Performance could still be improved16 GB of RAM is the maximumDoesn’t support 4K external displays60Hz refresh ratePricey
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is an excellent choice for those who want to game on the go because of its slim and lightweight design. Its battery life can reach close to nine hours on a normal workload, so you’ll have more than enough time for unplugged gaming throughout the day. The laptop features a 15.6-inch QHD IPS display with adaptive-sync technology. Its 165Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time ensure that all your games will be smooth and crisp. It promises a fantastic gaming performance thanks to its AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS processor with a maximum speed of 4.5GHz. Its visuals won’t let you down because it comes with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 8GB GDDR6 graphics card. The laptop comes with 16GB DDR4 RAM, which is enough for heavy workloads. You can install all the games and programs you want on the laptop because it has 1TB of SSD storage. Playing games on a laptop can lead to it getting hot because of all the work it goes through, but the laptop’s ROG Intelligent Cooling system ensures you get top-notch heat management. The Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 has an RGB backlit precision gaming keyboard and a spacious touchpad. Its network performance is impressive because you get incredible speeds thanks to its Wi-Fi 6 supports, and you won’t have issues connecting external accessories since it has Bluetooth 5.1 technology. The laptop’s built-in speakers are also outstanding because it has Dolby Atmos, Smart Amp technology, and AI noise-canceling technology. Its port selection includes an HDMI 2.0 port, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, a DisplayPort, an RJ45 LAN port, a microSD card reader, and a 3.5mm combo jack.
Slim lightweightExcellent battery life15.6-inch QHD IPS display with a 165Hz refresh rate and 3ms response timePowerful CPU and GPU fit for gamingSuperb built-in speakers
No 4K gamingNo webcamDisplay brightness could be better
Lenovo’s Legion 5i gaming laptop occupies the middle of the gaming laptop spectrum, allowing those with a slightly higher price cap to enjoy the specs they want. It’s equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor, which reaches a maximum CPU speed of 4.4GHz. Regarding visuals, you won’t be disappointed by its NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU. Users will love playing games on this laptop because of its 16-inch QHD anti-glare display with a 165Hz refresh rate. You can rest assured that you’re getting crystal-clear and vibrant visuals from the screen because of its 100% sRGB color gamut, HDR 400, and Dolby Vision support. There’s no denying that this laptop was built for gamers because it comes with G-Sync and Free-Sync compatibility. The variant with 32GB and 1TB SSD storage is sufficient for providing a superb gaming experience, but you have the option to spend extra to get up to 64Gb RAM and 4TB of storage. The more RAM you have, the more you will get to run multiple processes at once smoothly, and games will load faster. The Lenovo Legion 5i doesn’t fall short in the port department because you get four USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A) ports, two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C) ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, an RJ-45 Ethernet port, a power connector port, and a headphone/microphone combo jack. In terms of battery life, the laptop can last for up to nine hours on a single charge, but it will still depend on the type of game you play at the end of the day.
Incredible valueFantastic 16-inch QHD anti-glare display with a 165Hz refresh rate100% sRGB color gamut, HDR 400, and Dolby Vision supportG-Sync and Free-Sync compatibilityCan support up to 64GB RAM and 4TB SSD storageExcellent CPU and GPU performanceSuperb keyboard and trackpadDecent battery life
HeavyNo RGB lightingNot the best speakersDisappointing webcamPricey
Budget-friendly gaming laptops such as the Acer Nitro 5 are popular among those who can’t afford more impressive machines. Nevertheless, they’re much better suited for gaming than standard laptops. This model, in particular, works well for long periods of 1080p gaming. It has a 15.6-inch Full HD display, but its 60Hz refresh rate is disappointing. Equipped with an AMD Ryzen 5 4600H processor, this laptop can still perform some pretty demanding tasks. The processor has six cores and reaches speeds of 4.0 GHz, which is enough for most titles out there. In the GPU department, this gaming laptop comes with an NVIDIA GTX 1650 Ti. It’s not the most incredible option on the market, but many gamers like this graphics card for its power at lower prices. For lower-level gaming, 8GB of DDR4 RAM is sufficient. This much RAM should be able to manage titles such as Minecraft and less-demanding games with ease. The Nitro 5’s internal storage is underwhelming compared to its rivals, as it only comes with 256 GB of SSD storage. Thankfully, you get a second PCIe M.2 slot and 2.5-inch hard drive bay if you want to upgrade. The Nitro 5 comes with Inter Wireless Wi-Fi 6 AX200 802.11ax, a dual-band system with support for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies. The max Wi-Fi speed is 2.5 Gbps, courtesy of the 2×2 MU-MIMO technology. The Killer Ethernet Gigabit can allow for an uninterrupted session of high speeds if you manage to find a location with LAN. If you’re a fan of peripherals, the Nitro 5 has ports for them all. There’s an HDMI 2.0 port for monitors and projectors. For mice and keyboards, there are USB 3.2 Gen 1 and USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports. The latter is twice the former’s speed, 10 Gbps to five Gbps. As many devices today use USB Type-C, there’s a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port as well. This port has SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps, making it suitable for hard drives. The keyboard has a travel distance of 1.6mm, as gamers like lightning-fast reactions and quick movement. There’s also a NitroSense Key to highlight the WASD and arrow keys in dim environments. You won’t miss the keys for a second with these lights. With eight hours of battery life, you can take this gaming laptop anywhere and play for an extended period. Since it doesn’t have as potent hardware, you can game for longer. The Acer Nitro 5 is an excellent choice for a gamer with a tight budget. It offers plenty of value for the price, and you can eventually upgrade to a more powerful model later on.
At least 8 hours of gaming per chargeGreat value for the priceEasily upgradeable
1080p display with a limited 60Hz refresh rateLower performanceBulky and heavyNot the best speakersBuild doesn't feel premium
Alienware has been a powerhouse in the gaming laptop industry for years, and the company doesn’t disappoint when it comes to powerful laptops. The Area-51m R2 has some of the best hardware on our list and is highly customizable, so it’s best for those who care about performance as much as battery life. It’s designed for hardcore gamers who enjoy running games at the highest settings possible while outside. Practically any AAA title game gets to shine on this gaming laptop, thanks to the Intel Core i7-10700K processor. The weakest GPU option for this laptop is the NVIDIA RTX 2060, while you can go up to an RTX 2070 Super. No game is too hard for the Area-51m R2 to run at maximum settings with either option. The laptop comes with 16GB RAM, though it can handle up to 64 GB for even the most extreme jobs. Storage isn’t an issue for this gaming laptop either, as it can come with a 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe SSD. A laptop with powerful hardware can struggle with cooling, which is why Alienware uses advanced Cryo-Tech Cooling technology, and the internal fan blades are 10% larger for increased performance. Included with the laptop is Tobii eye-tracking software, which helps the system know where you’re looking, and it further increases game immersion and allows you to enjoy titles in a new way. Today, most games come with 60 FPS support at the very least, but the Area-51m R2 can go far beyond that framerate. The 17.3-inch screen has a refresh rate of 300 Hz, which is five times the industry standard today. It even supports NVIDIA’s G-Sync, so your games will look even better. As for ports, the Area-51m R2 boasts 12 of them, including three USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, one HDMI 2.0 port, one mini DisplayPort 1.4, one RJ-45 Killer Ethernet port, one Thunderbolt port, one Alienware Graphics Amplifier port, one Global Headset Port, one audio out port, and two power adapter ports. The battery life reaches at least two hours, assuming it’s running games at 300 Hz and with high graphical settings, but you can surely get more hours if you lower the game’s framerate and settings. All in all, a gaming laptop this powerful and with decent battery life is perfect for those who have the cash to spare.
Incredible hardwareUpgradable RAM and storageOptimized for gamingDecent port selectionLarge display with a 300Hz refresh rate
Pricey300Hz refresh rate drains battery fasterNeeds two power adaptersNot the best battery life because of its high specs
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