What GPU Should You Get in Your Next Gaming Laptop?

These are the different laptop GPUs you should consider based on your budget and what they’re able to offer in 2024.

Entry Level ($500-$700):

NVIDIA’s RTX 2050 and 3050 are available in the cheapest entry level gaming laptop options at around the $500-600 price point.

You’re going to struggle to find anything better for less money. If you can’t afford this, consider saving some money buying a used or open box gaming laptop.

These GPUs can run games at 1080p medium settings without too much difficulty, but you’re definitely going to want to make use of upscaling features like DLSS or FSR where possible.

Low-Mid Range ($700-$900):

On the NVIDIA side you’re looking at gaming laptops with RTX 4050 graphics, or RX 7600S graphics on the AMD side. Both perform similarly in games on average, but the 7600S has 8GB of VRAM compared to the 6GB in the 4050, which means it’ll probably age a bit better for gaming as there’s more room for textures.

If you want to step up to 8GB of VRAM on the NVIDIA side, you’ve got to spend more for RTX 4060 graphics, which are about 21% faster in games at 1080p than the 4050. With the right sale, good RTX 4060 gaming laptops have gone for $800-900 – check out our https://gaminglaptop.deals website to find the latest deals.

Mid-Range ($900-$1500):

NVIDIA’s RTX 4060 or 4070 laptop GPUs are great for 1440p gaming. Both have 8GB of VRAM, and from our testing, the 4070 is around 20% faster than the 4060 at 1440p. AMD’s Radeon RX 7700S is a little behind the 4060, but may be a good option with the right sale in an ASUS TUF A16 – if you don’t need DLSS.

Fairly average RTX 4070 gaming laptops have gone on sale for just $999, while the higher end of this price range is for higher end premium models with better design and build quality.

High-End ($1500+):

NVIDIA’s RTX 4080 or 4090 laptop GPUs are the only option right now. These are the only mobile GPUs that can actually run modern games at 4K with decent settings. Technically AMD had the Radeon RX 7900M last year in 2023 to compete with the 4080, but it only appeared in one laptop – Alienware’s m18 R1.

The 4080 offers a 55% FPS boost in games at 1440p compared to the 4070. Meanwhile the 4090 offers just an 11% FPS boost in the same games at 1440p compared to the 4080, so there are clearly diminishing returns at play, putting the 4080 into a nice “sweet spot” out of these two high end options.

Let us know which GPU you’d pick and why in your next gaming laptop!