Gaming laptops have come a long way in the last few years. I’ve been a PC gamer for about six or seven years and have always played on a desktop. I recently bought a new Gigabyte gaming laptop for about two-thirds of the price of my desktop components combined, and it has made me question everything. The new laptop keeps up with my bulky desktop in most games and even performs better in some cases.
Now, I will always be partial to my desktop. It’s my safe space, and it is always surrounded by the perfect amount of empty Dr. Pepper cans. But I have to say, the versatility and performance of my laptop have really surprised me, and I have used it for gaming any chance that I’ve gotten when I couldn’t get to my desk.
For times when you are on the road but want to game, or if you’re looking for a machine with a little more versatility, a gaming laptop might be the answer for you.
New gaming laptops in 2021
Here are some of the most anticipated gaming laptops of 2021. Availability of these laptops can sometimes be spotty, as things like cryptocurrency mining and the global pandemic have greatly affected the production of computer parts.
Asus Flow X13
The Asus Flow X13 is a very interesting machine. Inside, you will find an AMD 5000 series processor alongside an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 to run the 13″, 60-hertz screen. This in itself would be a decent little gaming rig. But at a price point of around $2,800, I know what you’re thinking: Why does this laptop only have a 1650 in it?
Well, the mad lads over at ASUS came up with an idea to make the monster RTX 3080 work with the laptop. The Flow X13 comes with the ROG XG Mobile, which is an external RTX 3080 with its own power supply that you can plug into your machine for some extra gaming performance. Yeah, that sounds a bit better.
Lenovo Legion 7
While Lenovo is not a brand generally associated with gaming, they actually make pretty good gaming laptops, and the Legion 7 series looks to carry on that trend. Starting at $1,400, the Legion 7 from Lenovo bolsters a 10th generation Intel Core i7 processor and a 2000 series Nvidia GPU.
It has a slightly larger 16″ screen that can push up to 144 frames per second and weighs around six pounds. There are plenty of options to upgrade the CPU and GPU, but of course, that comes with a price increase.
Razer Blade Pro 17
Razer has always had a solid gaming laptop, and they haven’t disappointed this year. The Razer Blade Pro 17 series ranges from $2,400 to $3,500 and offers many powerful options for several budgets.
All of the Blade Pro 17 models come with an Intel Core i7-10875H and a 17.3″ HD screen that can push up to an incredible 360 hertz. This series also exclusively includes RTX 3000 series GPUs from Nvidia. Upgraded models offer more powerful graphics cards as well as additional SSD storage. The highest model even comes with a touch screen.
Gigabyte Aorus 17G
The Gigabyte Aorus is the model laptop that I use personally, and I absolutely love it. Beyond the sleek style and feel, this machine’s performance compared to the price has constantly surprised me. The new 17G series of Aorus gaming laptops seem to impress even more.
Starting at around $2,500, the Gigabyte Aorus 17G series has a 10th generation Intel CPU and an RTX 2000 series graphics card, which is more than capable of pushing up to 240 frames per second on the 17.3″ screen. Like most other gaming laptops, the Aorus 17G series utilizes an m.2 SSD on the motherboard to allow for lightning-fast load times on any and all programs.
Alienware Area-51m
The Alienware Area-51m R2 comes in at a whopping $2,900, but the performance you can get from this machine is well worth it. This version of the Area-51m comes with a 10th generation Intel Core i7 10700K and an RTX 2070 Super.
These specs alone should be impressive enough, but to help run the incredible 360hz display, the Area-51m R2 also comes with 32 gigabytes of ram as well as a full terabyte of storage in the form of an m.2 SSD. The 17.3″ display looks beautiful, and there’s plenty of power available inside to keep games looking smooth. All of that together should help this laptop keep up with almost any desktop out there, and at almost 10 pounds, we wouldn’t expect any less.
Asus TUF Dash F15
The Asus TUF series has yet again shown that there certainly can be great performance from a laptop at a more friendly budget. With options available up to an Intel Core i7-11375H CPU and RTX 3070 GPU, the TUF line looks to compete with the best at a slightly more affordable price.
Equipped with the latest technology from Intel and Nvidia, the TUF series utilizes up-to-date technologies and high-quality materials, all while maintaining an affordable cost to consumers. As implied by the branding, the TUF series laptops go through a series of strenuous tests in order to get the TUF label, ensuring that your laptop is well protected from most possible wear and tear.
Acer Predator Triton 300 SE
This one comes in as a bit of a surprise from Acer. In the past, the Predator series of gaming laptops have been very flashy and really embraced the RGB culture of PC gaming. The Triton 300 SE, however, is a little more modest, but it still features some RGB under the keyboard.
This laptop comes with an Intel Core i7-10750H alongside an RTX 2070 Max-Q graphics card. Equipped with 16 gigabytes of memory, this little machine will perform up to par with most mid to high-range gaming PCs on the market, making it a perfect choice for someone who doesn’t necessarily want a laptop with all the lights and colors generally associated with PC gaming.
Gaming laptops are getting stronger and stronger. Whether gaming on the go is what you are looking for, or you just like the idea of the versatility that a laptop can bring, one of these laptops can certainly provide everything that you need.
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