The Best Thin And Light Gaming Laptops 2019
The best gaming laptops come in various sizes and shapes, for different needs and budgets. So while a tricked out $5,000-plus model with the highest-end graphics and best display might give you the best gaming laptop experience, most of us can't afford a rig like that. Our picks here are often high-end models (we're an enthusiast site, after all), but most come in various configurations at various price points. For those on a tight gaming budget, we've have dedicated pages for the best gaming laptops under $1,500 and the best gaming laptops under $1,000.Thankfully, there are more gaming laptop options now than ever, from budget-friendly to desktop replacements. Some come with full-size Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics cards, while others go for the more efficient Max-Q designs that enable thinner chassis and (sometimes) quieter fans.
The best thin and light gaming laptops 2019
While many of the best gaming laptops come with a 1080p display and high refresh rates, some include 4K screens, so you can pick between fidelity and resolution. Several gaming laptop go as fast as 360 Hz. There are also an increasing number of 2560 x 1440 display options, giving you an option other than 1080p or 4K. Additionally, some more expensive, premium options include OLED for deeper blacks and more vivid colors.
MSI may not have adopted an 18-inch display on its flagship laptop, but in our testing, we were still enamored. A mix of powerful performance from the Intel Core i9-13950HX and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 provided for one of the most powerful gaming laptops we've seen to date.And that 17-inch, 16:9 display is no slouch. MSI has added Mini-LED technology, so the 4K 144 Hz display looks incredible. It's not OLED, but in our tests, it often looked almost as good, with extremely high scores on both our light meter (511 nits) and our colorimeter (161.6% sRGB, 114.5% DCI-P3).Add in a Cherry MX mechanical keyboard that's an absolute pleasure to use (alongside per-key RGB backlighting to keep it looking good), and you get some luxury you don't see in most gaming laptops (even if MSI doesn't use the mechanical switches for the number keys or arrow keys).The battery life, at under 4 hours on our tests, makes the Titan a true desktop replacement. But if you're willing to bear the expense of these top-end components and don't plan on unplugging too much, you have one heck of a system in the Titan.Read: MSI Titan GT77 HX review
Razer has simplified its Blade 15 lineup, removing the "Advanced" and "Base" models, but what's left is still a very good, thin, stylish gaming notebook. The Blade 15 remains a favorite because it has strong performance (with a Core i7-127800H and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti in the model we reviewed) but is just 4.4 pounds and 0.57 inches thick.You still get a variety of ports, like Thunderbolt 4, both USB Type-C and Type-A as well as an SD card reader, so there's plenty of expansion for peripherals and extra storage for games. It would even work great for productivity, though we did find some competing gaming laptops were better in non-gaming benchmarks.To get Razer's premium look and feel, you do have to pay a premium. This notebook starts at $2,499 and we reviewed it at $2,999. It's pricey, but it's also maintained a spot among our favorite gaming notebooks for years for a reason.Read: Razer Blade 15 (2022) Review
The Acer Nitro 5 has long been our favorite gaming laptop for those on a tight budget. The latest model we've tested, with an Intel Core i5-12500H and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti offers decent performance for the price, as long as you're willing to turn down the settings on some games.Acer has given the Nitro 5 a new, more adult design. It's less angular, and with fewer red accents, doesn't scream as much that it's a gaming notebook. We've seen that aesthetic become popular on expensive notebooks, it's nice to see a toned-down design on a gaming laptop that's $899.99. (Don't worry, there's still an RGB backlit keyboard for those that are into that sort of thing.
HP's Victus 15 secures a slot on this list by deftly balancing what you can get at the extreme low-end of gaming laptops. We tested this laptop near its entry-level configuration, at $799.99 with an Intel Core i5-12450H and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650.For $800, you can't expect greatness. Most games will play at at least medium settings, though you'll have to turn some to low from the day you buy it. But for the games that can push high frame rates with the GTX 1650, you get a 1080p, 144 Hz display. That 12th Gen H-series Intel processor is no slouch when you want to use the Victus for productivity work, perhaps at work or school.If you're looking to spend as little as possible, you can squeeze value out of the Victus. You won't get the best display or webcam around, but you'll spend well under $1,000. One tip, if you can, is to make sure your purchase includes dual-channel RAM. Some stores, like HP's, let you configure this, and it should improve performance somewhat. Ours didn't have this, and we wish it did.The design, while largely plastic, is actually quite mature. Even on the low-end, your gaming laptop can fit in anywhere.
If you're a PC gamer on the go, a thin PC like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 may be up your alley. The Zephyrus uses an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS and an AMD Radeon RX 6800S, as well as the company's proprietary features like SmartShift (to move power between the CPU and GPU) and SmartAccess Memory.For the latest update, Asus added a webcam, which was a glaring omission on previous models. The all-AMD model has also moved to a taller, 16:10 aspect ratio.On our battery test, the Zephyrus ran for over 10 and a half hours, suggesting you could last all day on this notebook when you aren't gaming.It is, however, a bit pricey. The Zephyrus starts at $1,599.99, while we reviewed it with the top-tier specs at $2,499.99.Read: Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 review
18-inch gaming laptops are in vogue, with tall 16:10 screens mixed with some of the most postful components on the market. The Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 is expensive, but with an Intel Core i9-13980HX and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090, it's ready for the most intense games with serious graphics.
The 2560 x 1600, 240 Hz display gives you some options, including prioritizing gaming at high resolution, or turning that down and playing esports at high frame rates. Considering how powerful the system is, some games will play at high resolution and high refresh rate.The Strix looks like a gaming machine, if that's your aesthetic, with logs of RGB and aggressive logos. While Asus includes a webcam here, it's only 720p, which is a shame considering how everything else on this system is high-end.Beyond the performance, we also appreciated this system's speakers, which are loud and detailed, and the fact that its display was bright at 402 nits on our lightmeter.
Whether you're shopping for one of the best gaming laptops or another model that didn't quite make our list, you may find some savings by checking out our lists of Dell coupon codes, HP coupon codes, Lenovo coupon codes, Razer promo codes or Newegg promo codes.
Andrew E. Freedman is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware focusing on laptops, desktops and gaming. He also keeps up with the latest news. A lover of all things gaming and tech, his previous work has shown up in Tom's Guide, Laptop Mag, Kotaku, PCMag and Complex, among others. Follow him on Twitter: @FreedmanAE"}; var triggerHydrate = function() window.sliceComponents.authorBio.hydrate(data, componentContainer); var triggerScriptLoadThenHydrate = function() var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = ' -8-2/authorBio.js'; script.async = true; script.id = 'vanilla-slice-authorBio-component-script'; script.onload = () => window.sliceComponents.authorBio = authorBio; triggerHydrate(); ; document.head.append(script); if (window.lazyObserveElement) window.lazyObserveElement(componentContainer, triggerScriptLoadThenHydrate); else triggerHydrate(); } }).catch(err => console.log('Hydration Script has failed for authorBio Slice', err)); }).catch(err => console.log('Externals script failed to load', err));Andrew E. FreedmanSocial Links NavigationAndrew E. Freedman is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware focusing on laptops, desktops and gaming. He also keeps up with the latest news. A lover of all things gaming and tech, his previous work has shown up in Tom's Guide, Laptop Mag, Kotaku, PCMag and Complex, among others. Follow him on Twitter: @FreedmanAE
The ROG Flow X13 is a convertible 2-in-1 laptop built on modern AMD Ryzen 9 hardware, while the ROG Flow Z13 is a tablet + keyboard folio format built on an Intel Core i9 platform. Both can be specced up to an RTX 3050Ti internal dGPU, or can be hooked to an external ROG XGMobile dGPU unit with up to an RTX 3080 or AMD RX 6850M XT inside, for gaming capabilities that will match what full-size 15/17-inch laptops offer today.
All in all, the Razer Blade 13 Stealth is still a fair performance-ultrabook today, one I would especially consider for the premium design and its overall build quality, even if it is no longer the best gaming ultracompact laptop on the market.
More and more excellent 14-inch gaming laptops are available these days, and for me, these are the sweetspot of performance and portability available for most buyers. With powerful processors and graphics, these can handle everything a full-size portable design would, but in a smaller and more compact chassis. For that, though, expect to pay a slight premium over a 15-inch model with similar capabilities, and have to accept higher internal temperatures.
The Acer Swift X is especially interesting at around the $1000 price limit in the Ryzen 7 + RTX 3050Ti configuration. For that kind of money, this is one of the best value multi-purpose lightweight 14-inch laptops available out there, even if not as nicely polished or as powerful as the options mentioned before, or some of the options below.