10 best gaming laptops 2017: top gaming notebook reviews

Update: At long last, Dell has graced its 17-inch gaming laptop with the makeover it deserves, less making it cost a fortune. Featuring tons of personalization options and a classic eye candy design, read on to number 7 on our list to find out more about the Alienware 17 R4!

No matter how much you want one, you might be a little standoffish when it comes to buying a gaming laptop. After all, we live in a world where most gamers will suggest you “simply” build your own PC. For the vast majority of us, though, it’s a lot more fun to cut straight to the part where we get to experience some of the best PC games at their loftiest settings. 

• Note that not all of the best laptops are meant for gaming

You could buy a pre-built gaming desktop and accomplish just that. But what if you plan on traveling with your gaming rig? In that case, there’s no better option than scoring only the best laptop that tailors to your needs. The top gaming laptops come in all shapes and sizes, sporting various spec configurations while some even put the most rigorous stationary PCs to shame.

Whether you need a gaming laptop that runs everything in 4K or just anything you can use to run Prey at a stable frame rate, we’ve gathered the top gaming laptops in every category to help you determine your next big purchase. In an order based on our review ratings and awards, these are the best gaming laptops of 2017.

The Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501 couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s made possible by Nvidia’s Max-Q technology, which the company promises will make laptops both thinner and faster simultaneously. That this laptop can exist at all is a feat, especially considering that its closest competition from Alienware is thicker and nearly twice as heavy while still clocking in with inferior benchmark results in some areas. Though its battery will only last you two hours max (negating any hopes of truly portable gaming), the Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501 is Ultrabook-esque in its design and gaming PC-like in its performance.

Read the full review: Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501

• This product is only available in the US and UK as of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Alienware 17 R4. 

For many gamers, Ultrabook is a four-letter word, but it doesn't have to be. The first time you get your hands on a Razer Blade, you'll be looking at a battery life of 4 hours and 8 minutes during everyday productivity tasks (or 7 hours and 29 minutes of non-stop video). While you could argue it does skimp as far as graphics are concerned, with the help of a Razer Core external GPU enclosure, you can strap an Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti to this thing down the road if you want. Plus, with the newly added 4K screen option, you may actually need it.

Read the full review: Razer Blade

The Asus Strix GL502 may not boast the most innovative design, swapping out the usual black and red color scheme for one that makes it feel like Halloween year-round. But, it's undoubtedly one of the best when it comes to gaming in 1080p. In fact, we were able to crank the settings all the way up in Overwatch without taking a hit below 60fps. The battery life is janky, sure, but the screen, performance and onboard sound system more than make up for it.

Read the full review: Asus ROG Strix GL502

Unlike most laptops its size, the Alienware 13 R3 bears a hinge-forward design. By moving the heatsinks usually located beneath the keyboard to a distinct bulge that projects outward behind the screen, it allows for a thinner, 0.81-inch (0.22cm) chassis. Unfortunately, this means you won’t find many 13-inch laptop bags that will actually suit the Alienware 13 R3; rather you’ll likely have to opt for a 15-inch carrier. The real draw, however, isn’t the Alienware 13 R3’s protruding appendage or even its impressive quad-core, H-class CPU. While you may be tempted by the inclusion of a full-size Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060, it’s the OLED touch display that caught our attention. The flavorful color gamut puts practically every other laptop on the market to shame.

Read the full review: Alienware 13 R3

At long last, Razer has introduced a laptop that can not only replace your desktop, but do so without packing on more weight than most large laptops. It’s expensive, yes – it certainly won’t save you money when compared to building your own PC. On the other hand, it measures in at only 0.88-inches thick with an onboard 17-inch, 4K multi-touch display and a built-in Wi-Fi card. If that’s not enough to sell you on it already, the Razer Blade Pro also introduces the company’s Ultra-Low-Profile Mechanical switches to a notebook for the first time ever. These keys bear an appearance similar to your run-of-the-mill chiclet keyboards, but press down on them yourself and you’ll feel (and hear) the authentic click of a mechanical keyswitch. It’s an experience bettered only by its unusual trackpad placement, which feels so natural for gaming that you’ll wonder why it wasn’t there to begin with.

Read the full review: Razer Blade Pro

• This product is only available in the US and UK as of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Alienware 17 R4. 

Donning a 7th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, Nvidia Pascal-series GPU and a screen resolution that soars above 1080p, this laptop is more affordable than a comparably specced Razer Blade or Alienware 13 R3. At the same time, it neglects to compromise in terms of portability and performance. This is a laptop, for instance, that weighs a mere 4.17 pounds (1.89kg) and measures in at 0.78 inches thin, undeniably a feat for a gaming machine. Factor in the 3 hour and 38 minute PCMark 8 battery test and 190-degree hinge, and it’s easy to see why the Gigabyte Aero 14 made the cut.

Read the full review: Gigabyte Aero 14

To be frank, Alienware hasn’t been a name typically associated with value. That seems to be changing with the Alienware 17 R4, which bears so many different customization options when it comes to specs that you can practically name your own price. Bespeckled with all of the signature elements we’ve come to expect from the brand, such as RGB backlit-accents and tons of ventilation, our only real qualm with the Alienware 17 R4 is a battery life that disappoints for on-the-go gaming.

Read the full review: Alienware 17 R4

In a world full of overpriced gaming laptops with internals that overcompensate for their underqualified screen resolutions and short-lived batteries, the Dell Inspiron 15 Gaming is a breath of fresh air. Ditching the Alienware moniker for something a little more mainstream, Dell has crafted yet another gaming PC masked as a productivity machine. Following in the footsteps of the Dell XPS Tower Special Edition, the Inspiron 15 is a gaming computer you wouldn’t be embarrassed to use in public. From the outside looking in, the Dell Inspiron 15 Gaming is a class act. Better yet, it’s relatively powerful, long-lasting and, come to think of it, pretty damn affordable too.

Read the full review: Dell Inspiron 15 Gaming

Like the GameCube of laptops, the HP Omen 17 has the build quality of a children’s toy. However, when you see what it can do, you’ll wonder why it didn’t cost more. At 7 pounds, you’ll have to forgive the weight of the HP Omen 17 if you want to benefit from its 17-inch Quad-HD display. Of course, although the GTX 1070 is more of a 1440p performer than a 4K one, you can still expect a consistent 30 fps in games like The Division at the highest graphical settings. Overall, the HP Omen 17 is HP’s Gigabyte P57X equivalent, but with Bang & Olufsen speakers that might tip you over the edge.

Read the full review: HP Omen 17

In case you don’t need the intense graphics hardware of the HP Omen 17, but you still want the massive, 17-inch display, the MSI GP72VRX is exactly the gaming laptop for you. This notebook comes tricked out in only one configuration, but it’s a very good one meant for mid-range gaming and especially VR support. Fans of subtly will appreciate the minimalism of the GP72VRX. While it does bear the trademark MSI dragon shield branding and an RGB keyboard, everything else is kept relatively low-profile. The 120Hz refresh rate on its 4K display would be a handy additive but alas, the GTX 1060 isn’t quite up to snuff.

Read the full review: MSI GP72VRX Leopard Pro

Gabe Carey has also contributed to this article

Contributer : Techradar - All the latest technology news http://ift.tt/1AeuH5E