What kind of screen do you want?

Screen size is a good place to start when judging gaming notebooks. In general, 15-inch laptops will be the best balance of immersion and portability, while larger 17-inch models are heftier, but naturally give you more screen real estate. And sure, there are some 13-inch gaming notebooks, like the Razer Blade Stealth, but paradoxically you’ll often end up paying more for those than slightly larger 15-inch options.

But these days, there are plenty more features to consider than screen size alone. Consider refresh rates: Most monitors refresh their screens vertically 60 times per second, or 60Hz. That’s a standard in use since black and white NTSC TVs. But over the past few years, displays have evolved considerably. Now, 120Hz 1080p screens are the bare minimum you’d want in any gaming notebook — and there are faster 144Hz, 240Hz and even 300Hz screens. All of those ever-increasing numbers are in the service of one thing: making everything on your screen look as smooth as possible.

For games, higher refresh rates also help eliminate screen tearing and other artifacts that could get in the way of your frag fest. And for everything else, it just leads to a better viewing experience. Even scrolling a web page on a 120Hz or faster monitor is a stark difference from a 60Hz screen. Instead of seeing a jittery wall of text and pictures, everything moves seamlessly together, as if you’re unwinding a glossy paper magazine. Going beyond 120Hz makes gameplay look even more responsive, which to some players gives them a slight advantage.

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Not to make things more complicated, but you should also keep an eye out for NVIDIA’s G-SYNC and AMD’s FreeSync. They’re both adaptive sync technologies that can match your screen’s refresh rate with the framerate of your game. That also helps to reduce screen tearing and make gameplay smoother. Consider them nice bonuses on top of a high refresh rate monitor — they’re not necessary, but they can still offer a slight visual improvement.

One more thing: Most of these suggestions are related to LCD screens, not OLEDs. While OLED makes a phenomenal choice for TVs, it’s a bit more complicated when it comes to gaming laptops. They’re limited to 60Hz, so you won’t get the smoother performance you’d find on a high refresh rate screen. And they’re typically 4K panels; you’ll need a ton of GPU power to run games natively at that resolution. OLED laptops still look incredible, with the best black levels and contrast on the market, but we think most shoppers would be better off with an LCD gaming laptop.

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A few other takeaways:

• Get at least 16GB of RAM. And if you’re planning to do a ton of multitasking while streaming, 32GB is worth considering.

• Storage is still a huge concern. These days, I’d recommend aiming for a 512GB M.2 SSD, which should be enough space to juggle a few large titles like Destiny 2. Some laptops also have room for standard SATA drives, which are far cheaper than M.2’s and can hold more data.

• Normally we’d recommend getting your hands on a system before you buy, but that’s tough as we’re in the midst of a pandemic. I’d recommend snagging your preferred system from a retailer with a simple return policy, like Amazon or Best Buy. If you don’t like it, you can always ship it back easily.

• Don’t forget about accessories! You’ll need a good mouse, keyboard and headphones, for sure.

Engadget picks

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The best gaming laptop for most people: ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14

Starting price: $1,050

Recommended spec price (Ryzen 9, RTX 2060): $1,450

If you can’t tell by now, we really like the Zephyrus G14. It’s compact, at just 3.5 pounds, and features AMD’s fast new Ryzen 4000-series chips paired together with NVIDIA’s graphics. It’s a shockingly compact machine, and while its 14-inch screen is a bit smaller than our other recommendations, it looks great and features a fast 120Hz refresh rate. We also like its retro-future design (some configurations have tiny LEDs on its rear panel for extra flair). The G14 also starts relatively cheap, at around $1,050, but we’d recommend the specced-up Ryzen 9/RTX 2060 model for $1,450. The only downside: It doesn’t have a webcam, which can be inconvenient in the era of never-ending Zoom calls. Still, it’s not that tough to attach an external camera. 

Buy ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 at Best Buy – $1,450

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The best budget option: Dell G5 15

Starting price: $824

We’ve been fans of Dell’s G5 line ever since it first appeared a few years ago. Starting at just $824, it features all of the latest hardware, like Intel’s 10th-generation CPUs and NVIDIA’s GTX and RTX cards. (You can also find AMD’s Ryzen 7 and Radeon RX 5600M graphics in the special edition model whenever that’s back in stock.) It’s a bit heavy, weighing over five pounds, but it’s a solid notebook otherwise. And you can even bring it into mid-range gaming territory if you spec up to the RTX 2070.

Buy G5 15 at Dell – $824

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The best premium gaming laptop: Razer Blade 15

Starting at $1,600

Recommended model (RTX 2070 on sale): $1,900

Razer continues to do a stellar job of delivering the latest hardware in a sleek package that would make Mac users jealous. The Blade 15 has just about everything you’d want, including NVIDIA’s fastest mobile GPU, the RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, as well as Intel’s 10th-gen octa-core CPUs and a 300Hz 1080p screen. You can easily save some cash by going for a mid-range option like the ASUS G14, but those won’t feel nearly as polished as the Blade.

Buy Blade 15 at Razer – $1,900

Acer

A solid all-around option: Acer Predator Triton 500

Starting price: $1,700

While we’ve seen some wilder concepts from Acer, like its 360-degree hinge-equipped Triton 900, the is a more affordable bread and butter option that doesn’t break the bank. It’s relatively thin, weighs under five pounds, and it can be equipped with Intel’s latest 10th-gen CPU and NVIDIA’s RTX 2080 Super Max-Q. Acer’s build quality is as sturdy as ever, and it has most of the standard features you’d need in a gaming notebook.

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The most configurable gaming notebook: Alienware Area 51m r2

Starting price: $2,300

We were excited about the Area 51m when Alienware first introduced it last year. Mostly, because Alienware was positioning it as a gaming notebook that would be as configurable as a desktop. You could upgrade its CPU, graphics and other components down the line. While we had our issues with the first generation model, the second-gen R2 has the advantage of coming with even faster hardware, as well as the option of moving between AMD and NVIDIA GPUs. While there are limits to how much you can upgrade the Area 51m, it’s still a great option if you want a machine that’s also easily repairable. 

Buy Alienware Area 51m at Dell – $2,300

Unfortunately, all of the GS66’s upgrades added a bit more heft to the machine. It’s now 4.6 pounds, instead of the previous model’s 4.1 pounds. That does take away from Stealth brand’s luster a bit, especially when you consider a machine like the Zephyrus G14 weighs just 3.5 pounds. Still, MSI is competitive — Razer’s Blade 15 clocks in at the same weight as the GS66. And given its size, it also offers most of the ports that you’d want, including two USB-C ports, one of which supports Thunderbolt 3; three USB 3.0 Type-A; full-sized HDMI; and a 2.5 gigabit Ethernet connection. You can also upgrade the RAM and two NVMe SSD slots by removing the bottom of the case. It takes a bit of fiddling to pry the bottom off, given the tight fit, but at least you can add more hardware down the line.

MSI also crammed in a 99.9 WHr battery, the largest size possible that still fits under the FAA’s regulation for in-flight usage. During our battery test, which involves looping an HD video, it lasted a respectable seven hours and 29 minutes. While that’s more than the seven hours we saw on the GS65, it’s less impressive considering we just clocked 12 hours and 45 minutes on the Zephyrus G14. I wouldn’t expect any high performance laptop to last that long while gaming, but it’s still nice to get more uptime for productivity work.

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Even though it’s not quite the knockout that the GS65 was, the GS66 Stealth is still a decent option if you’re looking for a premium gaming notebook. It starts at $1,499 with a Core i7-10750H, RTX 2060 and 16GB of RAM — $50 more than a similarly specced Zephyrus G14. Our review unit goes for $2,249 with an RTX 2070 Super Max-Q and double the RAM. You’d have to shell out $2,600 to get that GPU on the Razer Blade 15 Advanced with 16GB of RAM. So all things considered, the GS66 is actually a bit of a deal.

While it’s a shame MSI couldn’t hit the same high note it did a few years ago, the GS66 isn’t a bad machine by any means. It’s more like the industry has finally caught up to its high benchmark.

The GS66 features Intel’s latest 10th-gen H-series CPUs (which aren’t shipping yet), all the way up to the most powerful Core i9 model, and NVIDIA’s latest RTX graphics. (The company is being a bit ambiguous about which NVIDIA GPUs will be included, unfortunately.) You’ll be able to choose from 240Hz and 300Hz 1080p IPS panels. The latter will really only matter to e-sports fanatics who demand the smoothest gameplay possible for higher framerates.

MSI definitely went for a boxier look with the GS66, compared to the more angular GS65, which makes it look a bit more like Razer’s popular Blade lineup. It also included the largest possible battery (99.9 Wh) to meet TSA airplane regulations, so you can expect slightly better battery life than the GS65. I didn’t have a chance to play anything on the GS66, unfortunately, but its upgrades sound pretty compelling on paper.

While MSI showed off a slew of other new systems at CES, the Creator 17 laptop stood out from the pack with an enormous 17-inch, 1,000-nit Mini LED screen. That technology is something we’ve been seeing all over CES this year, and it basically delivers quality improvements similar to OLED for a much lower price. It certainly made the Creator 17 look brighter than laptop I’ve ever seen.

The Creator 17 also features the latest and greatest Intel and NVIDIA hardware, so you’ll be able to do a bit of gaming when you’re not hard at work. There’s not much room for 17-inch laptops these days, when most consumers want the thinnest and lightest options possible. But with the Creator 17, MSI might have crafted the ideal workhorse for someone who needs to carry a big-screen laptop.

MSI also snuck a concept laptop into its CES presentation, which it’s calling “Simulated Reality.” It features a 3D screen with eye-tracking cameras (using technology from Dimenco), which allows you to look at 3D objects as if they were sitting right in front of you. It also had Leap Motion hand tracking built-in, allowing me to move the on-screen objects just by waving my hands around. The company doesn’t plan to turn this prototype into a shipping laptop yet, but it’s still intriguing to see the different avenues MSI is exploring.

Alienware’s elaborate cooling, which includes two large fans that suck fresh air from below and spit heat out of the rear vents, managed to keep the GPU under 83-degrees Celsius. You have plenty of control over the cooling profiles, so you can rev the fans up for longer play sessions and make them near silent when you’re just browsing the web. The Area 51m did a great job of managing all of that on its own when I chose the standard profile. As you’d expect, this is a system that’s constantly spewing out warm air, so it might heat up small rooms. That could be a side benefit in the winter, but it’s not ideal for summer months.

The Area 51m relies on two large power adapters to keep everything running. It’s annoying, but unavoidable since AC chargers top out at 330 watts — having another charger is simply necessary to keep this machine going, especially since it’s relying on desktop parts. When you’re not gaming, a single adapter is enough to power the Area 51m, but you’ll need to have both plugged in once you start taxing the GPU. Alienware isn’t the only company going this route, the ASUS ROG Mothership also relies on two power supplies. It’s simply a physics problem as gaming laptops get more demanding.

To get to the Area 51m’s internals, you just have to take off six phillips head screws on the bottom of the case. That gives you direct access to four RAM slots, the storage disk and battery. But you’ll have to dig even further to reach the CPU and GPU — that involves removing another layer of the case, the rear port hump, the fan assembly and disconnecting plenty of components. It’s not something you’ll want to do often, and you’ll also have to be extra careful about reconnecting everything. If this whole process sounds like a headache, that’s a sign that Area 51m might not be for you. Even if you’re used to upgrading desktop PC components, dealing with the confined space of a laptop case — no matter if it’s a large one like the Area 51m — is going to be frustrating.

Still, if you can afford it, and don’t mind the annoying disassembly process, the Area 51m gives you an unprecedented amount of upgradability in a laptop. If you’re tempted by a new Intel chip in a few years, you can just throw that in. And while the GPU rests in a proprietary Alienware module, the company says it’ll have new components coming later this year. There’s no guarantee it’ll keep pace with whatever NVIDIA releases in the near future, though, so you’re making a bit of a gamble there.

Unfortunately, the components you can’t upgrade on the Area 51m — the keyboard and the trackpad — are the ones that need the most improvement. While the keyboard looks and feels great at first, with RGB LEDs and 2.2 mm of travel, it feels a bit flimsy while gaming. I’m also worried about its long-term durability. When we first received the Area 51m, one of the keys flew off within 10 minutes of turning it on. Normally, I’d just snap it back into place, but somehow the plastic spring mechanism underneath was completely shattered. This is the sort of thing Dell would fix under warranty if it happened to you, but it’s still disheartening to see in such an expensive machine. And for the record, they later sent us another unit to test.

The trackpad, meanwhile, feels surprisingly cramped for a modern laptop. We’re used to ultrathin notebooks giving us a ton of space to swipe around, but with the Area 51m, my fingers always felt boxed in. Alienware also opted for an old-school two button mechanism, instead of just letting you click into the trackpad. Using it made me feel like I was transported back in time. Of course, gamers will be relying on mice most of the time, but it would have been nice to see Dell show some innovation with its design. Even moving over the trackpad from the slimmer Alienware m15 would have been an improvement.