Alienware 15 R2

We picked the Alienware 15 R2 as one of our best gaming laptops because of its mix of price and performance. Our sister publication, PCMag, loved it for its design, display, and the ability to use a full-sized desktop graphics card via the $299 Graphics Amplifier. This makes it easy to run power-hungry games without purchasing a super high-end gaming laptop.

Razer Blade 14 FHD

Razer wowed gamers everywhere when they introduced the Razer Blade. After several revisions, the Razer Blade 14 FHD is a polished and powerful laptop that won’t break your back. Its compact size and powerful components make it an easy recommendation if you’re a gamer who travels constantly. It’s not cheap though, starting at $2,000, and it gets quite warm under full load. But if power and portability are what you’re after, the Razer Blade 14 FHD should be at the top of your list.

ASUS ROG G751JY

If you don’t mind carrying around a big and heavy gaming laptop, it’s hard to beat the ASUS ROG G751JY for value. The laptop starts at $2,000 but for that, you get a FHD 17.3” screen, an Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GTX 980M, 24GB of RAM, and a combo 1TB HDD + 256GB SSD. That’s a lot of computer for the money. It’s quite thick and heavy, but you’ll be able to play just about every game at max settings.


Origin EON15-X

If all-out power is what you’re after, check out the Origin EON15-X. This gaming laptop packs a desktop-grade processor into a laptop body. It’s a bit smaller than the ASUS ROG G751JY at 15.6-inches. You’ll have no problems playing games at 4K resolution, which is great if this laptop is going to be your only computer. The biggest downside? Its screen is dim and battery life is subpar, even for a gaming laptop.

Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro

Acer’s Aspire V Nitro may not look like much from the outside, but it’s a great gaming laptop package at an affordable price. Its understated design is great for keeping low key and the laptop features good-sounding speakers. It’s also one of the more portable gaming machines in this list at 4.8 lbs. Its battery life and screen are pretty mediocre, but for the money, the Acer Aspire V Nitro is one heck of a deal.