Top 5 Best Gaming Laptops in 2024
I tested 21 gaming laptops in 2024 – these 5 are the best.
Top 5 Gaming Laptops 2024
#5 – The Budget Pick – Lenovo LOQ
Let’s begin with number 5 and work our way down to the best, starting with the Lenovo LOQ – my budget pick.
The LOQ has been my favorite budget gaming laptop since 2023, and it got even better in 2024 while the competition hasn’t really caught up yet.
The LOQ has a nicer build quality relative to its competitors, and this year Lenovo removed the air exhaust vents on the sides – so no more hot mouse hand while gaming.
There are even some premium features that more expensive gaming laptops are missing, such as advanced optimus and even G-Sync.
If you’ve got a budget of $500-800 USD, then Lenovo’s LOQ with RTX 4050 to RTX 4060 would be at the top of my list. I would easily pick it over similarly priced alternatives like HP’s Victus, MSI’s GF63/Thin 15, Gigabyte’s G5/G6 or Acer’s Nitro series.
The LOQ is just an all round nicer gaming laptop in my opinion after testing all the budget options.
The only LOQ I don’t recommend is the one with Intel Arc A530M graphics, because it often costs more than the RTX 2050 version, but the RTX 2050 performs much better in games.
#4 – The Mid-Range Picks – Lenovo Legion 5 / Acer Helios Neo 16
In 4th place we’ve got a bit of a tie between Acer’s Helios Neo 16 and Lenovo’s Legion 5.
These are both what I consider to be the best mid-range 16 inch gaming laptops of 2024.
I’ve already compared both laptops in a dedicated 19 minute video – but the conclusion is that you could get either gaming laptop and have a great time.
Both laptops have positives and negatives, so it comes down to what your priorities are. Personally, I lean more towards the Legion 5, as it’s usually cheaper and it has features that I care more about.
The Legion has a cleaner more professional look (personal opinion), but also longer battery life, more BIOS customization, better Linux support, better speakers, easier to use management software, and it’s a bit smaller and lighter.
But the Helios has faster ports in better locations, lower latency for competitive gamers, a bigger touchpad, nicer looking RGB lighting, and the unit I reviewed came with a better screen – but that varies by region.
At the end of the day, both options perform similarly in games, again it just depends on your personal priorities.
Both are available for $850-950 USD with RTX 4060 graphics, or around $1100 if you step up to RTX 4070 graphics. But sales come and go all the time – make sure you check out my https://gaminglaptop.deals site to save money on your next gaming laptop, I update it daily with the best deals.
#3 – The Portability Pick – ASUS Zephyrus G14
Next up in third place we’ve got one for the portability lovers – ASUS’s Zephyrus G14.
The G14 is one of the smallest and lightest 14 inch gaming laptops I’ve ever tested, making it super portable and easy to take with you on the go.
The smaller size means it’s got a lower GPU power limit compared to bigger laptops, as there’s less room for cooling. So larger laptops perform a bit better in games, but that’s the tradeoff, and often the difference isn’t that big.
Ultimately, games still run well and you’ll have a great time playing games on this laptop if you don’t mind the smaller screen.
That’s especially true with the beautiful OLED panel ASUS have used in the 2024 model – it just looks great. Color gamut is super high, brightness is decent but not amazing or competitive compared to Mini-LED panels, contrast is epic with true deep blacks, and response time is insanely quick.
Although a smaller laptop means less room for a battery, the G14 just sips power and lasts longer compared to most other larger gaming laptops I’ve tested.
Build quality feels excellent too – but it’s not all positive. Nothing in life is perfect. When it comes to picking a gaming laptop it’s all about being aware of the compromises and finding something that has the least amount of issues for you.
A downside of the G14’s smaller size is a lack of upgrade options – namely the soldered RAM which can never be upgraded. This means you’ll probably want to consider spending more money to get it with 32GB of RAM so that you’ve got room to grow.
With RTX 4060 graphics, we’ve seen the G14 go on sale for $1099 on our deals site.
That’s on the higher side for RTX 4060 performance, but that’s just the way it goes when you’re getting plenty of other premium features in a smaller package. You could absolutely spend less money and get a lower quality gaming laptop but with higher tier RTX 4070 graphics that will perform better in games. Again, it just depends on what your priorities are.
#2 – The Power Pick – Lenovo Legion Pro 7
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7 is my go-to pick if you’ve got a higher budget and are looking for RTX 4080 or RTX 4090 graphics in a gaming laptop.
It’s got a nice screen, keyboard, touchpad, performance, RGB lighting, and ok battery life for an Intel HX laptop.
The Legion Pro 7 offers excellent performance in a solid chassis and is priced very competitively compared to alternatives from other brands.
We’ve listed it on the deals site for $1799 with RTX 4080 graphics, which is excellent value in late 2024, and lower compared to many other options.
It’s essentially the same as the 2023 model, the only difference is the 2024 version has a 14th gen CPU. But i9 14th gen chip only has a slightly higher single core boost than 13th gen, so you can definitely save some money buying last year’s model if you find a good sale.
To be fair, the Legion Pro 7 does not have higher tier quality screen options like Mini-LED or OLED, so that’s one reason why it’s cheaper compared to others.
#1 – Best Premium 16″ – ASUS Zephyrus G16 / Lenovo Legion 7i
We’ve got another tie for first place, just like 4th place. There are too many good options this year, and it really comes down to your personal preferences.
The ASUS Zephyrus G16 and Lenovo Legion 7i are both excellent premium 16″ gaming laptops.
They’re on the thinner side compared to most others, with the Zephyrus actually being the lightest 16 inch gaming laptop we’ve tested in the last couple of years. The Zephyrus also has better battery life, whether you’re considering the Intel or AMD model.
The unfortunate downside is that to achieve this, the G16 uses soldered memory like the smaller G14. The Legion is better in that regard, as it has two upgradeable memory slots, while only being a bit thicker and heavier.
The Legion also has an Intel HX processor with more cores and threads, so there’s more CPU performance available compared to the Zephyrus. That plus the extra room for cooling allows the Legion to perform a bit better in games, though the difference is less than 10% more FPS – nothing major.
But the Zephyrus has a nicer looking OLED screen – just like the smaller G14 in third place, and both the 14 inch and 16 inch versions of Zephyrus have the best speakers I’ve ever heard on any gaming laptop.
The Legion still has a nice screen though, it’s actually a bit brighter and still has good color gamut.
I’ve done a dedicated 23 minute comparison between these two gaming laptops if you want all the details, but the conclusion is that it’s tough to pick a winner because it depends on what you care about. I’d be equally happy daily driving either of them!
I’ve listed both at $1400-1450 on the https://gaminglaptop.deals site in the past. They’re definitely on the higher side for RTX 4070 laptops, so if an RTX 4080 laptop is on sale for a few hundred dollars more you’re going to have to decide if you want to prioritize a lower quality laptop that performs 55% better in games.
Anyway, personally I’m leaning towards the Legion 7i as it’s a bit more powerful and lets you upgrade the RAM. But I also really appreciate lightweight laptops for travel, so the G16 with it’s OLED screen would work great too – ideally look to get it with 32GB RAM so you’re not stuck with 16GB In future.
Like I said, it’s a tough choice – I could go either way! Which would you pick? 🤔
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