If you’re looking for a gaming laptop, we’ve rounded up the best options available for under $2000. These machines come in a variety of configurations with high-power Intel processors and Nvidia RTX graphics chips, all at competitive prices.
These devices are compact and lightweight, and they offer impressive screens with proper brightness, colors, and refresh rates. They also have good-quality RGB keyboards and good thermals for delivering powerful performance under load.
1. Acer Nitro 5
If you’re looking for a powerful gaming laptop that can also work well as a productivity machine, the Acer Nitro 5 is an excellent choice. It features a top-end Intel Core i5 processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics, plus a 15.6″ display with a 165Hz refresh rate to keep frame rates high for gaming at a competitive level.
It has plenty of power for modern AAA titles and doesn’t get too hot or noisy under load. It has a nice selection of ports, including one that supports USB 3.2 Gen 2 data transfer speed and can charge a mobile device even when the laptop is off.
However, it’s not the most comfortable keyboard. It doesn’t register some keystrokes at times, which can be a problem for gamers who want to type faster.
On the other hand, it’s easy to use and has a good backlight and dedicated media keys. The keyboard is also pretty spacious, allowing you to use it for gaming as well as typing.
Acer has repositioned the Nitro’s ports and added a Thunderbolt 4 port, a USB-C port and an HDMI 2.1 output. The USB-C port is useful for connecting to a display while the other two can be used for charging a mobile device.
The Nitro 5 is a powerful gaming laptop that has a good selection of ports and a decent amount of storage. It’s also fairly easy to service, with a simple open-case design that only requires removing Philips screws.
The Nitro 5 is a powerful gaming laptop with a great price tag that’s a must-have for any enthusiast. It’s powerful enough to run most modern AAA titles at a competitive frame rate and it doesn’t get too warm or loud under load. The only downside is that the battery life is on the short side, lasting around four hours while streaming video.
2. Alienware M15 R7
If you want a gaming laptop with an impressive display and Nvidia’s latest RTX graphics card, the Alienware M15 R7 is one of the best options available. Its 15.6-inch QHD display offers a 240Hz refresh rate and a 2ms response time to ensure smooth gaming.
Its Intel Core i7-12700H and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti processors offer great performance, and the m15 R7 handled our CPU benchmark tests with ease. It managed to hit a score of 69 fps on Shadow of the Tomb Raider and 84 fps on Far Cry 6 in Highest settings, a good showing for the laptop.
We also ran a few more demanding games, including Microsoft Flight Simulator and Forza Horizon 5, and the laptop held up well. It rarely dipped below 60 fps, and we were able to keep our screen at 1080p even with a moderate preset.
The Alienware M15 R7 also sports an excellent keyboard, which is comfortable to use. It features RGB backlighting that can be synced with the LED ring on the back of the laptop, as well as a trackpad that’s responsive and precise.
Finally, the m15 R7 is well equipped for connectivity with USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, Type-C with Thunderbolt 4, and HDMI 2.1 ports. These are all accessible on the left, right, and rear sides of the laptop, and they all support fast 5Gbps transfer speeds.
The m15 R7 has the same iconic design as the previous R5 and R6 models, with a long RGB lightning ring, blue alien-head logo, and indented screen hinge. It’s a nice looking, classy machine that’s built to last.
3. ROG Zephyrus G14
The ROG Zephyrus G14 is one of the best gaming laptops for the money. It’s compact and light enough to take anywhere, yet has the performance and battery life of a desktop PC.
It’s built on a chassis that’s a little bit bigger than some of its competitors, but it’s not heavy or bulky either. It has a fairly sleek design with a distinctive hole/dot texture across the lid. It also comes with micro LED lights, called AniME Matrix, that can be customized to display anything you want.
Like its sibling models, the G14 has a good variety of ports and connectivity options. It includes USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C and USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, an HDMI output, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a barrel-type power port.
The screen is a decent size, at 14 inches. It offers a QHD resolution and supports VRR, which helps reduce screen tearing.
You can play games at 1080p or 1440p on the Zephyrus G14, though you’ll need to set the graphics settings down a few points to hit 60fps in some titles at 1440p. It gets hot and loud under load, though, and the GPU throttles slightly.
There’s also a great speakers setup that delivers sound that’s as rich and powerful as any other laptop we’ve seen. It’s powered by Dolby Atmos and you can choose presets optimized for gaming, movies and voice-centric media.
The Zephyrus G14’s AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q graphics card offer a smooth experience for playing games, even at high resolutions. It’s also one of the longest-lasting gaming laptops on the market, which makes it an ideal choice for a travel laptop.
4. Dell Inspiron i7559
Dell is a well-known brand that offers great laptops. All of its laptops have excellent specifications, and the Inspiron i7559 is no exception to this rule.
It features an Intel Core i7-6700HQ processor, 16 GB of RAM and a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M GPU. This makes it a very good gaming laptop, especially for a price tag of around 800$.
The Inspiron i7559 has a very solid design and is built with quality materials. It also has a very powerful processor that can easily handle the most demanding games.
In addition, it has a 15.6-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. The screen has a good viewing angle and a high contrast ratio. It also has accurate colors according to ColorChecker, which is ideal for watching videos, surfing the Internet or performing various business tasks.
Another feature that sets the Inspiron i7559 apart from the competition is its battery life. It has a 74 WHr battery that is capable of lasting 10 hours on a single charge, which is very good for any type of laptop.
Despite this, you shouldn’t expect the Inspiron i7559 to last all day as it is a laptop that is more suited for gaming than everyday use. The battery does not last long under heavy load, and it will only last for a few hours when playing games at max settings.
The Inspiron i7559 is designed for gamers who value performance over anything else. It is a laptop that is built with high-quality materials, has great features, and is easy to maintain. It is one of the best gaming laptops for the money. It is perfect for those who love to play games and want to do it in style.
5. HP Omen 17
The HP Omen 17 is a large and powerful gaming laptop that is packed with desktop-grade power. The Intel Core i9 processor and 32 GB of RAM make the Omen 17 perfect for running graphically advanced games without slowing down.
The Omen 17 features a 3 sided venting and 5 way airflow design to keep it cool for extended gaming sessions. It also features dual speakers tuned by Bang & Olufsen in tandem with DTS: X Ultra and HP Audio Boost 2.0 support.
Its 17.3-inch FHD display is rated to a 144Hz refresh rate. Its NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 graphics card delivers impressive performance for a gaming laptop.
In addition, the Omen 17’s 256 GB SSD storage provides enough space for large game files. It’s also fast enough to boot up games in a flash.
With its sleek design and avant-garde aesthetic, the Omen 17 is a conversation starter that’s sure to get heads turning. It’s a solid choice for gamers looking for a high-end laptop that won’t break the bank.
The Omen 17 looks like a serious piece of kit and features a matte black finish across its aluminium base and plastic lid. It’s packed with ports including one Thunderbolt 4 port, HDMI 2.1, mini DisplayPort, SD card reader, Gigabit Ethernet, and three Type-A USB 3.0 ports.
