Imagine a gaming laptop. What did you think of? Probably a big machine with flashy design and colorful RGB lightings. Traits like these have long been the trademark of gaming laptops. But with the rising popularity of portable gaming rigs, we’re seeing regular improvements in their design, portability, and battery backup.
Related: Best Gaming Laptops for College in 2023.
Nowadays, people don’t buy gaming laptops just for playing games. Many professionals want them because of the sheer performance they offer. Many college students in tech departments choose gaming laptops for college, as the higher processing power and multitasking ability suit well with their requirements. You may also choose a gaming laptop for business, for example. Maybe not for business work, but to play games in your free time.
But before you jump in and decide to spend big on a gaming rig, you wanna know a few things first.
Gaming laptops were infamous
Gaming Laptops have never been a good fit for business or work. They were infamous for being bulky and offered poor battery backup – even when not gaming. They also used to be heavy, you couldn’t just carry one all day without getting back pain in the evening.
Gaming laptops are also infamous for being noisy, courtesy of the powerful fans that run fast and loud to dissipate the enormous amount of heat generated in a very small area.
What’s more, they are considered taboo in many offices – partly due to their unprofessional look and the ability to distract.
Gaming laptops have improved a lot
Some major improvements in the last few years have changed our view of portable gaming rigs. They have become much more compact and portable. And thanks to design optimizations and more efficient chips, gaming laptops these days can offer battery backup that’s on par with the regular ones.
Related: You Can Actually Take A Gaming Laptop To Work
The biggest problem was the look. Almost all gaming laptops looked similarly unprofessional – with their bulky appearance and colorful design that screamed for attention. But now, there are gaming laptops that may be classier and bold-looking than a premium ultrabook. Just take the super portable ROG Zephyrus G14 for example, there’s no way to tell its nature due to its neutral build. It can be a perfect choice for both business and gaming.
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Best Gaming Laptops That Don’t Look like One
Not all gaming laptops are for kids, trust me. Here, you’ll find laptops that just don’t perform well, but are as good in terms of style and portability. They can be a great choice whether you are a businessman or a professional.
1. Razer Blade 15 RTX 3060 – The Elegant Beast
- CPU: Intel Core i7-11800H
- GPU: Nvidia Geforce RTX 3060
- Cooling: Vapor Chamber
- RAM: 16GB
- Screen: 15.6″ QHD 1440p 240Hz
- Storage: Up to 1TB SSD
- Battery: 5 Hours
- Weight: 4.63 lbs
Pros:
- Advanced vapor chamber cooling system.
- Sleek, non-gaming design.
- Premium build quality.
- Solid gaming performance.
- Wide range of CPU/GPU combo available.
Cons:
- Trackpad could have been better.
- Expensive compared to the specs.
- On the heavy Side.
- Average Battery life.
Product Description
- GeForce RTX 3060: NVIDIA’s 2nd gen RTX—with new RT Cores, Tensor Cores, and streaming multiprocessors to give the most realistic ray-traced graphics and improved performance.
- More Power: The 11th Gen Intel Core i7-118000H processor provides the ultimate level of performance with up to 5.0GHz Max Turbo and 8 cores.
- QHD 240Hz: Incredible performance paired with the fast 240Hz 15.6″ Quad HD thin-bezel display helps edge out the win.
- Thin and Compact: The CNC aluminum unibody frame houses incredible performance in the most compact footprint possible, while remaining remarkably durable and just 0.78″ thin.
- Ready To Connect: Fully loaded with Wi-Fi 6, Gigabit Ethernet, Thunderbolt 3, USB Type-A and Type-C ports, and HDMI, for a desktop-class experience.
- Make It Yours: Customize the backlight color of the keyboard with Razer Chroma, and expand the memory and storage, making the Razer Blade 15 uniquely yours.
The updated version of Razer Blade 15 has been around for just a few months. And already it’s become one of the best gaming laptops around. It’s relatively thin and light compared to older bulky beasts, while also providing decent battery backup.
The laptop’s minimal look and sleek design are perfect for work and business, it doesn’t scream for unwanted attention. but make sure to turn the RGBs off.
The Blade 15 is designed with gaming experience in mind. Its 11th gen core i7 processor and the RTX 3060 GPU can easily produce three-digit frame rates. You can also buy the RTX3080 model if you’re really serious about performance.
It also stays cooler thanks to the vapor chamber cooling system – which efficiently dissipates heat, to keep the chassis cool. We recorded a maximum keyboard and chassis temperature of 44°C.
The premium 240Hz display is smooth enough for hardcore gamers and the 1440p resolution will be good enough for doing work as well.
2. Eluktronics Max 15 – The Covert Gamer
- CPU: Intel Core i7-12700H
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti
- Cooling: Vapor Chamber
- RAM: 32GB
- Screen: 15.6″ QHD 1440p 165Hz
- Storage: Up to 1TB SSD
- Weight: 4.2 lbs
Pros:
- Sturdy and premium build.
- Neutral Design.
- Solid Gaming and multitasking performance.
- Highly portable for a 15-inch notebook.
- Lots of ports.
Cons:
- Average Battery life.
- Chassis gets quite hot under stress.
Product Description
- Mobility In Mind: Crafted from magnesium alloy, the MAX 15 weighs only 3.84lbs. Power to performance ratio is uncomparable to any other thin and light gaming laptop on the market!
- Extreme Performance: Crush the competition with the impressive power and speed of the latest Intel Core i7-12700H processor, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads to divide and conquer multiple tasks at once.
- RTX, It’s On: The latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti (8GB dedicated GDDR6 VRAM) is powered by award-winning Ampere architecture with new Ray Tracing Cores, Tensor Cores, and streaming multiprocessors supports up to 130 watts of power for the ultimate gaming performance.
- Blazing-Fast & Color Accurate Display: This 15.6″ Quad HD (2560 x 1440) IPS-Type LED-backlit display with 16:9 aspect ratio features an incredibly fast 165Hz refresh rate for gamers and content creators who demand the best visual experiences.
- Prioritize Your Way: The Eluktronics control center provides customization to tailor exactly to your needs. Need an office friendly laptop? Office Mode and NVIDIA WhisperMode technology is one click away. Ready to unleash performance? Beast Mode & overclocking capabilities awaits you.
- Memory & Storage: 32GB DDR4 3200MHz dual channel RAM helps you open multiple tabs and applications at once. A 1TB PCIe Gen 3 SSD handles your operating system for fast boot times, loading games, transferring work, school projects and more. Plus, there is one additional M.2 SSD bay internally for future expansion if you need extra storage space.
- Let’s Get Connected: A USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C Port delivers high-speed data transfer or DisplayPort connectivity. An HDMI 2.1 port is tied directly to the NVIDIA graphics card for maximum performance. Intel WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 and a 2,500GB Ethernet LAN let’s you connect wirelessly or wired.
- Covert Gamer Design: PC brands typically slap stickers and logos all over laptops, but not here. There is no external branding or logos on the MAX 15 for a clean look. For those looking to accessorize, a Black Swarm dbrand skin is included for a unique muted appearance of our icon. We’re happy to let the quality of our product and hardware speak for iself.
The Eluktronics Max 15 is a high-performance laptop, but it’s not just designed for gaming. The Max series is aimed at professionals who require extra performance at work. Its clean, notebook-ish design looks perfectly professional. And there are no external branding or stickers on the laptop, no intel or Nvidia logos anywhere.
The laptop is designed with mobility in mind. Crafted from magnesium alloy, the MAX 15 weighs only 3.84 pounds. That’s really impressive for a 15-inch laptop. To put into comparison, the 14-inch Zephyrus G14 weighs about 3.5 lbs, which is probably the lightest of all gaming laptops. The display is also top-notch, with its bright colors and a fast refresh rate.
The combo of the latest Intel Core i7-12700H processor and a powerful RTX3070 Ti GPU delivers an impressive gaming performance and multitasking experience. It also comes with 32GB of RAM which should be enough for most professional workstations.
The laptop can also be put into Office mode, which throttles performance and minimizes fan noise. This is especially useful because gaming laptops can suddenly start making noise when under stress. The battery life is average though, but it should be enough for typical work hours.
3. Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 – Portable Beast
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS
- GPU: Radeon RX 6800S
- RAM: 40GB
- Screen: 14” IPS HD 144Hz
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Battery: 9 Hours
- Weight: 3.5 lbs
Pros:
- Super-fast AMD Ryzen 9 processor.
- Clean, and attractive Design.
- 144Hz screen for competitive gaming.
- Lightweight and portable.
- Commendable battery life.
Cons:
- Cooling fans are noisy under load.
- 14″ display.
- No Webcam.
Product Description
- Powered by AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS Processor @ 3.1GHz (8 Cores, 16 Threads, 16M Cache, up to 4.60GHz), you can watch your favorite games come to life.
- No Front-Facing Camera, 14″ 144Hz Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS-Level PANTONE Validated Anti-Glare (100% sRGB) Display.
- Radeon RX 6800S 6GB GDDR6 Graphics.
- 16GB DDR4-3200 Memory; paired with ultra-fast DDR4 RAM, slices through heavy workloads and multitasking.
- 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD; No Optical drive.
- Wi-Fi 6(802.11ax) and Bluetooth 5.1; 1x USB 3.2 Type C (Gen 2) w/ Power Delivery, Display Port and G-Sync, 1x USB 3.2 Type C (Gen 2), 2x USB 3.2 Type A (Gen 1), 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack, 1x HDMI 2.0b.
With the Rog Zephyrus G14, Asus has redefined Gaming Laptops. Never has been a gaming laptop so clean and portable, not without sacrificing performance or battery life. The professional, non-gaming design and excellent balance of speed and mobility easily make it one of the best gaming laptops for professionals.
The Rog Zephyrus G14 has a clean and attractive design, with no shiny stripes or lightings. So it’s a great choice for college-goers and professionals. The performance is top-notch as well. The duo of Ryzen 9 and RTX3060 can easily reach triple-digit FPS in many titles. While the 14″ inch display isn’t the best for gaming, it has decent clarity and a high refresh rate for a smooth gaming experience.
The laptop weighs just under 3.7 pounds and has a very compact form factor. The battery backup is also commendable. It has a 76 WHr lithium battery that lasts more than 9 hours under a normal workload.
Like most gaming laptops from Asus, this one lacks a front-facing webcam, so you need to buy a USB webcam for video chats.
4. Lenovo Legion 7 – Stylish & Powerful
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
- GPU: Nvidia RTX 3060 Max-Q
- Cooling: Vapor Chamber
- RAM: 16GB
- Screen: 15.6″ FHD 1080p 165Hz
- Storage: Up to 1TB SSD
- Weight: 4.2 lbs
Pros:
- Advanced vapor chamber cooling system.
- Sturdy and premium build.
- Classy Design.
- Solid Gaming performance.
- 30% DISCOUNT ON AMAZON as of 12/8/2023
Cons:
- No Thunderbolt port.
- Poor battery backup.
- Heavy.
Product Description
- 【Vapor Chamber Cooling】 Latest Vapor Chamber Coolong technology for a colder sensation on touch.
- 【Enhanced Features】 15.6″ Full HD (1920×1080) 165Hz IPS Display; Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 Wifi, Bluetooth 5.1, 720p HD Webcam, RGB Backlit Keyboard, .
- 【Powerful Performance with AMD Ryzen 7 5800H Octa Core】 5th Gen AMD Ryzen 7 5800H 3.2GHz Processor (upto 4.4 GHz, 16MB Cache, 8-Cores) ; NVIDIA RTX 3060 Max-Q 6GB GDDR6 Dedicated Graphics, VR Ready .
- 【High Speed and Multitasking】 16GB DDR4 RAM (8GB Onboard + 8GB SODIMM); 230W Power Supply, 4-Cell 71 WHr Battery; Shadow Black Color, .
- 【Enormous Storage】 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD; 2 USB 3.2 Type-C Gen2, SD Reader, Headphone/Microphone Combo Jack., Windows 10 Home-64., 1 Year Manufacturer warranty from GreatPriceTech (Professionally upgraded by GreatPriceTech)
The Lenovo Legion 7 is a fantastic laptop that offers all-around performance while looking classy. If you want to upgrade your gaming setup and are looking for everything in a single machine, this is the one you’ll seriously want to consider.
Its sleek design and bright, vibrant display, combined with the colorful RGB lighting deliver an excellent gaming experience. You can also take it to an office, thanks to its neutral, non-gaming chassis design.
Under the hood, The combo of RTX 3060 GPU and AMD Ryzen 7 5800H CPU can achieve impressive framerates in most recent titles. And thanks to the latest vapor chamber cooling technology, the keyboard and chassis stays always cool.
The Biggest downside would be the battery life. We’ve seen many performance machines like the G15 Advantage edition last more than 8 hours in some tests. But the Legion 7 can barely pass the 4 hours mark. At 4.2 pounds, the weight is on the heavier side. But we’ve seen heavier machines so this one should be relatively easy to carry.
Related: 9 Gaming Laptops with Incredible Battery Life.
5. MSI Stealth 15M – Portable Workhorse
- CPU: Intel Core i7-11375H
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
- RAM: 16GB
- Screen: 15.6” IPS HD 144Hz
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Battery: 6 Hours
- Weight: 3.7 lbs
Pros:
- Sleek and compact.
- Strong RTX3060 performance.
- Portable for a gaming machine.
Cons:
- Gets Hot under heavy load.
- Average battery life.
Product Description
- Visual Performance: The 15.6” 144hz display delivers true-to-life images with a high refresh rate so you can see every frame of the game.
- Redefined Power: The 11th Gen. Intel Core i7 processor, delivers high performance with cores, take on any games and applications with ease.
- Supercharged Graphics: The MSI Stealth 15M is powered by a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, take on today’s most popular games with these performance graphics.
- On the Go Gaming: Designed to be thin and light for gamers to carry around every day for games, study, or work.
- Cool and Powerful: MSI’s exclusive Cooler Boost Technology ensures optimal thermal dissipation. Featuring state of the art fans and heat pipes, get the airflow you need for gaming.
- Versatile Connections: The Stealth 15M features a wide range of I/O ports, Thunderbolt 4 supporting power delivery and up to 40Gbps of data transfer and USB 4.0.
With a net weight of 3.7 pounds, the MSI Stealth 15M is one of the most portable and yet capable laptops for gaming. The laptop comes with 11th gen core i7 and an RTX 3060 graphics unit. We also found that in the benchmark, the RTX 3060 scores much higher than average. So you can expect excellent graphics performance.
It’s lightweight, weighing just above 3 and a half pounds. But the battery backup isn’t top-notch. It may not be the ideal choice if you have to spend long hours in the office. On average, you can expect 5-6 hours of screen on time under normal workload.
6. Asus TUF Dash F15 – Budget RTX Machine.
- CPU: Intel Core i7-11370H
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti
- RAM: 8GB
- Screen: 15.6” IPS FHD 144Hz
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Battery: 10 Hours
- Weight: 4.4 lbs
Pros:
- Decent RTX performance.
- Great battery life.
- Compact design.
- Quiet cooling fans.
- Comfortable keyboard.
- 6% DISCOUNT ON AMAZON RIGHT NOW as of 12/8/2023
Cons:
- No webcam or biometric features.
- Screen could tilt back more.
Only one slot given to upgrade the RAM
Cooling fans can get noisy
Product Description
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4GB GDDR6 up to 1585MHz at 60W (75W with Dynamic Boost 2.0).
- Intel Core i7-11370H processor (12M Cache, up to 4.8GHz).
- 15.6” 144Hz IPS-Type Full HD (1920×1080) display with adaptive sync.
- 8GB DDR4 RAM | 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD | Backlit Precision Gaming Keyboard | Windows 10 Home.
- 0.8” thin, 4.4 lbs ultraportable form-factor.
Asus TUF series has introduced many great budget machines, and this one is one of their best. Under a thousand bucks, you get a combo of 11th gen core i7 and RTX 3050Ti. And with its smooth 144Hz refresh-rate display, it’s a well-designed machine for gaming under budget.
The laptop also has excellent battery life and moderate portability. It comes with a 4-cell 76 WHr lithium-ion battery that can easily last 10 hours under normal use.
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly gaming machine with the latest specs, the Dash F15 is absolutely perfect for you.
7. HP OMEN 15 2023 – The Coolest Performer
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
- Cooling: Heat Pipes
- RAM: 16GB
- Screen: 15.6” HD 144Hz
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Weight: 4.7 lbs
Pros:
- One of the Coolest gaming laptops.
- Clean, minimalist design.
- Excellent Battery Life.
- 144Hz smooth display.
Cons:
- A lot of flex in the screen.
- Limited GPU and CPU power.
- heavy for travel.
Product Description
- 15.6″ 144Hz Full HD anti-glare display: Power the latest games in 1080p and up to 144fps for fast, smooth gameplay.
- AMD Ryzen 7 5800H Mobile processor: Enjoy elite gaming performance on a thin and light notebook with amazing battery life.
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (6 GB GDDR6 dedicated): The GeForce RTX 3060 is powered by Ampere for a huge leap in performance. Experience the most realistic ray-traced graphics, cutting-edge new features, and the power of AI in thin and light designs.
- 16GB DDR4-3200 MHz RAM (2 x 8 GB): Reams of high-bandwidth DDR4 RAM to smoothly run your graphics-heavy PC games and video-editing applications, as well as numerous programs and browser tabs all at once.
- 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD storage: Get up to 30x faster performance than a traditional hard drive.
- AMD FreeSync Technology. Gaming shouldn’t be a choice between choppy gameplay or broken frames. With this OMEN 15 Laptop, it doesn’t have to be. Get fluid, artifact-free performance at virtually any framerate with AMD FreeSync technology.
- Windows 10 Home.
The updated HP Omen 15 isn’t too different from its last version, except that it comes with the latest Ryzen 7 CPU and RTX3060 GPU. The performance isn’t the best in its price range, but we loved its combination of decent build quality, adequate performance, and solid battery life.
This is by far the coolest laptop we could find. That’s partly because of the maximum GPU and CPU power limits. But still, it performs sufficiently for a budget gaming machine while staying ice cold.
Its smooth, 144Hz FHD Display is great for both gaming and work, but it could’ve been brighter. It weighs around 4.7 pounds, so you can carry it without much trouble.
It comes with a 71 Whr battery. Under a normal workload, you can easily get at least 8 hours of screen-on time. But under heavy load, the battery seemed to drain fast, it’s possibly a bug that’ll disappear in future firmware upgrades.
8. MSI GF65 Thin
- CPU: Intel Core i7-10750H
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX3060
- RAM: 16GB
- Screen: 15.6″ HD IPS 144Hz 3ms
- Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD
- Battery: 6 Hours
- Weight: 4.10 lbs
Pros:
- Higher-end RTX graphics for its price.
- Lightweight and portable.
- 5% DISCOUNT RIGHT NOW on Amazon as of 12/8/2023
Cons:
- Short battery life.
Product Description
- 15.6″ FHD, IPS-Level 144Hz 45% NTSC.
- Intel Core i7-10750H 2.6-5.0 GHz.
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX3060 Max-Q 6GB GDDR6.
- 16GB (8G*2) DDR4 3200MHz; 2 Sockets, Max Memory 64GB.
- 512GB NVMe SSD.
- RTL8111HS-CG | Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201(2*2 ax) | BT 5.1
MSI sure knows how to build a gaming laptop. The GF65 Thin is an entry-level gaming laptop, but it’s designed expertly to meet the needs of a gamer.
It comes with 10th gen core i7 and GeForce RTX3060 Max-Q. Compared to the price, the laptop offers a high-end GPU that’s capable of some serious performance.
It also has a 3ms 144Hz IPS display for smooth gaming. The only feature it falls short in is the battery. It can barely pass 6 hours in the video playback test. So if you spend a lot of time outdoors, this may not be the best choice.
At 4.10 pounds, it’s a relatively lightweight option. Considering the budget-friendly price tag, the GF65 is a perfectly suitable laptop for college and work, and of course occasional gaming.
9. CyberPowerPC Tracer IV Slim
Gaming laptops are evolving
Thanks to regular innovations and a competitive market, gaming laptops are evolving fast. We may very soon expect to see a gaming notebook that can compete with an ultrabook in terms of portability and style.
