Fastest, Lightest, Most Affordable: The Best Laptops for Gaming (2025)

Tom's Guide

In this video, Paul ranks the best gaming laptops based on performance, value, portability and customization that you can buy today. From the best overall gaming laptopbest desktop replacement to the best budget gaming laptop under $1000 and a gaming laptop with custom build options, these are the top recommendations based on comprehensive testing  In addition to the best gaming laptops, Paul also goes over what to expect between a gaming laptop vs. handheld gaming console, plus gives a little insight on why gaming laptops are so expensive. It’s a big investment that you’ll want to get right, so watch the full video to understand which of these picks fits what you’re looking for.

Transcript

00:00Looking for the best gaming laptop? I've rounded up five of my favorites, whether you're looking

00:04for a desktop replacement, the best bang for your buck, or even a laptop that you can upgrade

00:08for years to come. And if you're not even sure where to start, hopefully this video will help

00:13you out. And to make things even easier, I've linked all the best deals for these gaming

00:17laptops below. Let's kick things off with our best overall gaming laptop, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus

00:23G14. The ASUS ROG G14 combines portability and performance in a minimalist design that I happen

00:31to love. Honestly, it's hard to tell this is even a gaming laptop. It has all the qualities of a

00:37premium ultrabook with a gorgeous 2.8K 120Hz OLED display with a very solid MacBook Pro-esque aluminum

00:45body, tactile keyboard, and a glass touchpad that feels great. But it's what's inside that counts,

00:52right? Well, here we have an AMD Ryzen A9 HX370 with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080. The Zephyrus

01:01G14 is as much of a creator and prosumer machine as it is a gaming laptop. With DLSS 4 enabled,

01:08we saw games like Cyberpunk 2077 running at over 140 frames per second at max settings,

01:14which is wild for a device this thin and light. Pricing starts at $1,800 for the less powerful

01:20RTX 5060 version. But if you want to spec this all the way up to the RTX 5080 monster that we have

01:25here, it'll set you back over $3,000. If you're looking for the best gaming laptop that won't

01:32break the bank, we're talking under $1,000. You got to check out the MSI Cyborg 15. The MSI Cyborg 15

01:38can be configured with up to an NVIDIA RTX 5070, but it's actually the RTX 5060 model that we have here,

01:45which I think makes for a great mid-range laptop. It can play most of your AAA games at 1080p at medium

01:51to high settings and get at least 60 frames per second. For less demanding games, or if you don't

01:57mind dropping your settings a bit, this does have a 15.6 inch full HD 144Hz IPS display for that faster

02:04action. I think this is actually one of the better looking budget gaming laptops with a semi-transparent

02:09chassis and that four-zone RGB keyboard with highlighted WASD keys. You also get a great

02:15selection of ports, including full-size HDMI 2.1, USB, Type-A, and even Ethernet. Finding a solid

02:22budget gaming laptop does come with a few compromises, including being a little bit chunky. But if you're

02:27mainly looking for the best laptop performance for under $1,000, the MSI Cyborg 15 will not let you down.

02:34If you want a gaming laptop that's powerful enough to take the place of your desktop PC,

02:40then check out the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 18. It's ridiculously powerful, has an incredible screen,

02:47and nails the details. With an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and up to an RTX 1590 that can hit 175 watts,

02:56this beast pushes ludicrous frame rates to its 18-inch 240Hz mini LED display. With maxed out settings and

03:04DLSS turned on, you can easily hit over 150 frames per second in titles like Cyberpunk 2077. This is

03:10also a really solid choice for video editing, 3D modeling, and other creative workflows, especially

03:15with its Pantone-validated color-accurate screen. For added flare, the back lid has AniMe Vision,

03:21which sports 810 LEDs that let you show off pre-made animations, upload GIFs, or even create your own

03:27custom image. Unsurprisingly, this 18-inch laptop with all these specs is going to be hefty,

03:32battery-hungry, and expensive. This weighs 7.3 pounds, with pricing starting at just over $2,000

03:38and growing fast when you reach higher configurations. But if you really want

03:43uncompromised performance in a laptop, it is hard to beat the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 18.

03:50Not every laptop has to be heavy or screen gaming. If you're like me and prefer thin and light gaming

03:56laptops and still want plenty of oomph, you're going to love the HP Omen Transcend 14.

04:01This could probably pass as a business ultrabook, but it's actually hiding really solid,

04:07portable 14-inch gaming laptop specs and weighs just three and a half pounds. Every model comes

04:12equipped with a beautiful 3K 120Hz OLED display, which may seem a bit overkill for gaming. But as

04:19this also doubles as an excellent productivity machine that you can take to the office without

04:23anyone batting an eye, this extra resolution is appreciated. It can be configured with either an

04:28Intel Core Ultra 7 or Ultra 9 processor and RTX 5050, 5060, or 5070 graphics card. Personally,

04:36I think the Ultra 7 RTX 5060 model is the sweet spot. Starting around $1,800, this is not cheap,

04:43but when it hits one of its frequent sales, the HP Omen Transcend is one of the more affordable thin

04:49and light gaming laptops for its specs. It's even better that HP is always running great deals,

04:54so be sure to keep an eye out. Finally, we've got one of the most unique laptops that I've ever

05:00tested. This is the Framework Laptop 16. Gaming laptops aren't usually known for their upgradeability

05:06or repairability, but the Framework 16 is looking to change that. The Framework 16 is a gaming laptop

05:12that you can actually build yourself. Pricing starts at $1,400 for their DIY 16-inch model or $1,700

05:19for their entry pre-built. These laptops use a highly customizable chassis and series of components

05:25that let you swap everything out from the graphics card, the number pad, and even the USB ports.

05:32This makes the laptop incredibly customizable. You don't like the trackpad in the center? Slide it over.

05:37Need more USB-C ports? Just swap out an expansion port. You can even drop in a different numpad or

05:43screen bezel. Internally, you can also upgrade or switch out the main board and CPU, your RAM and

05:49storage, and even the GPU, which at the time of this video supports up to an RTX 5070. Down the road,

05:55if you ever need to upgrade or repair a component, you can just swap out that part instead of needing

06:00an entirely new laptop. The Framework 16 will definitely require a little technical know-how,

06:05but there are plenty of easy-to-follow guides for the gamers who want total control over their

06:10machine or who want more of that traditional gaming PC experience. The Framework Laptop 16 is a

06:16phenomenal choice. If you've made it this far into the video and you're feeling a little sticker shock

06:21about why gaming laptops are so expensive, you are not alone. The short answer, you're paying for

06:27that higher-end performance in a portable design, and miniaturization usually costs money. These laptops

06:33need top-tier graphics cards, higher refresh rate displays, and serious cooling systems for a

06:38positive gaming experience. And that's before getting into the sleek designs and RGB effects

06:43that gamers always seem to appreciate. If that sounds like overkill, there's good news. You can

06:48still get a fast, reliable laptop for under a grand. Check out our Best Budget Laptops video here on the

06:54channel for some solid picks. There's also a good chance if you're subscribed to our channel that

06:58you've already caught some of my other gaming videos. You know, we talk a lot about gaming

07:03handhelds around here. So, before you decide on your next gaming laptop, it's worth considering

07:08if a gaming handheld might make more sense. While handhelds aren't as powerful as these gaming laptops,

07:14they are much more portable and still offer excellent performance at low to medium settings in a lot of

07:19AAA games. If you're after portability and want to stick to a budget of around $1,000 or less,

07:25these handhelds can be a great way to play your favorite games on the go. Gaming laptops are still

07:30going to be the better choice if you need that laptop form factor for your other work. But take

07:35it from me, someone who has used their gaming handheld as a PC desktop replacement for over a

07:40year, you'll be surprised by how well these work, especially when connected to an external monitor

07:44in your peripherals. And here's another thing, whether you're working with a tighter budget,

07:49which limits your GPU selection, or you think handhelds are the way to go, it doesn't mean that

07:54you're stuck with less powerful hardware. Cloud gaming has come a really long way and NVIDIA GeForce

07:59now can deliver up to RTX 5080 desktop level performance for the games that you own on

08:05practically any device, so long as you have a really fast internet connection. So, it's worth checking

08:10that out. There are a lot of great gaming laptops to choose from, but I don't think you'll be

08:15disappointed with any of these picks. Check out the best deals for them linked below. Let me know which

08:20one you're eyeing, or if you think there are any that I should try out for next time. If this video

08:24helped you out, make sure to subscribe for more buying guides, and you can follow me to see what

08:28other cool tech I'm reviewing. And until the next one, I'll catch you later.

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