Best gaming laptops for 2021
Razer Blade Pro 17
If you’re going for the best, go big. Yes, there are faster 17inchers, but I draw the line at dual humongous power bricks. (Doesn’t matter to you? Check out the Gigabyte Aorus 17X, Alienware Area51m and other mammoth systems.) This Razer Blade Pro 17 is fast, but doesn’t sacrifice its svelte figure.
While we recommend getting this Blade Pro laptop with its 4Kresolution display option for creators, gamers will want to get the display with a 300Hz refresh rate that Razer offers for this model.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14
The Zephyrus G14 is a little smaller than usual for a gaming notebook at 14 inches, but you probably won’t notice much of a difference between it and a 15inch model — especially since it packs quite a bit in for the money. Its AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS CPU blows away current Intel competitors for processor performance, and it’s capable of businesslaptop battery life of up to 10 hours when you’re not gaming. Gaming performance is solid for an RTX 2060 MaxQ, and it’s matched well with the 120Hz 1080p display. In June, Asus is scheduled to ship a model with a 1440/60p screen with higher resolution.
Dell G5 15
There’s no such thing as a budget gaming laptop. But solid gaming graphics power and strong battery life are the foundation for a good gaming laptop. And the price makes this Dell G5 15 a great bargain. It comes in two flavors, a standard Intelbased model and the AMD Ryzenbased Special Edition.
These Cnet staff members contributed to this report: Lori Grunin and Jim Hoffman. For more reviews of personal technology products, visit www.cnet.com.