The Best Gaming Laptop Performers for 2022: Alienware, Origin PC and More Compared
Alienware and Origin PC still dominate the top spots, with Acer's Triton 900, the Razor Blade Pro and Asus' ROG Zephyrus GX701 the best of the rest.
Our Experts
- Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
Our Picks
Looking for a laptop that'll take your gaming experience to the next level? For this list of the best gaming laptop performers, we've rounded up all the gaming laptops with discrete graphics hardware that we've tested over the past 18 months or so and ranked them based on 3D performance. If you're a gamer who's hungry for more gaming laptop data, check out the entire list of game benchmark results.
In general, AMD and Nvidia and are (still) duking it out for gaming dominance on the desktop, with products such as the AMD Radeon RX 5700 series and Nvidia RTX Super line, as well as in laptops. Right now the landscape can be confusing, but generally the best gaming laptops run Nvidia's RTX graphics, which first came to desktop PCs in late 2018 and to laptops in January 2019.
If you're building a gaming desktop rig, start with our guide to desktop graphics. But if you're in the market for the fastest gaming laptop, these are the very best gaming laptops we've tested. All of these gaming laptops, in the price range from just under $1,000 to $5,000 or more, can easily support high-end virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive, and many new designs fit top-tier graphics hardware into wafer-thin laptop bodies.
When reviewing a gaming laptop or desktop, we run preset gaming performance tests using several games, including Far Cry 5, Metro: Exodus and others, along with standard benchmarks like 3DMark, which is designed to test a computer's 3D graphic rendering capabilities.
For this list, we're ranking each best gaming laptop in descending order of 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra scores, but the real-world game scores (presented as the number of frames of animation per second the laptop can render) match those scores closely. Note that these scores are specifically for the exact configurations of each laptop we tested, and almost all can be configured with a wide range of options.
At the top of the best gaming laptop list are two high-end gaming PC options that use desktop-class processors and full-power Nvidia RTX 2080 graphics: the Alienware Area-51m and the Origin PC Eon-17X. These high-end gaming laptops are both at the top end of the price scale. But gaming laptops with decent performance at more reasonable prices, including systems from Asus , Dell , Origin PC, Lenovo , HP , MSI and Razer , among others, are all represented.
New and notable updates on the best gaming laptop list are the latest model of the Razer Blade 15 Advanced, equipped with a stunning OLED screen that's good for creative work; HP's novel dual-screen Omen X 2S; and the budget-friendly but powerful gaming laptop Lenovo Legion Y545.
The exact scores and graphics hardware specs for all tested gaming laptops are located here.
On top of the satisfying visual refresh rate of Alienware's highest-end laptop, the Area-51m offers an impressive 17.3-inch IPS display screen, an excellent keyboard, and plenty of processing overhead from PC gaming CPUs and the latest RTX GPUs. Plus, a modular processor and GPU design lets you get inside the case and replace both the processor and graphics card for terrific gaming performance.
Origin PC Eon-17X (2019)
Like the Alienware Area-51m, the Origin PC Eon-17X features the desktop-class Intel Core i9-9900K processor and the new Nvidia RTX 2080 graphics card. This combination made these our two top-performing laptops so far from all of 2018-2019.
Acer Predator Triton 900
The Acer Predator Triton 900's rotating screen is a great idea that's also well executed. The keyboard incorporates mechanical switches that feel very good, and its gaming performance is fast, making it a good gaming laptop -- though as a laptop itself, the keyboard and short battery life may be a drawback for some.
Gaming laptop performance
| 1 | Alienware Area-51m | 6,337 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Origin PC Eon17-X (2019) | 6,228 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 |
| 3 | Acer Predator Triton 900 | 5,719 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 |
| 4 | Asus ROG Zephyrus GX701 | 5,299 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q |
| 5 | Razer Blade Pro 17 | 5,003 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q |
| 6 | Origin PC EVO16-S (early 2019) | 4,667 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q |
| 7 | Acer Predator Triton 500 | 4,642 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q |
| 8 | Origin PC Evo16-S (mid 2019) | 4,548 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q |
| 9 | Lenovo Legion Y740-17 | 4,472 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q |
| 10 | MSI GS75 Stealth 8SG | 4,464 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q |
| 11 | Razer Blade 15 Advanced (2019, OLED) | 4,330 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q |
| 12 | Origin Evo15 | 4,262 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 |
| 13 | Alienware m15 (2019, OLED) | 4,235 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q |
| 14 | HP Omen X 2S | 4,106 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q |
| 15 | Acer Predator Helios 500 | 4,102 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 |
| 16 | Asus ROG Zephyrus M GM501 | 3,954 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 |
| 17 | Asus ROG Strix Scar II | 3,938 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 |
| 18 | Lenovo Legion Y740-15 | 3,851 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q |
| 19 | Alienware m15 (2018) | 3,669 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q |
| 20 | Asus Zephyrus GX531GS | 3,435 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q |
| 21 | Razer Blade 15 (2018) | 3,431 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q |
| 22 | Digital Storm Equinox | 3,413 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q |
| 23 | Razer Blade 15 (2019) | 3,362 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q |
| 24 | MSI GS65 Stealth Thin | 3,342 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q |
| 25 | Lenovo Legion Y545 | 3,066 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti |
| 26 | Lenovo Legion Y7000P-1060 | 2,716 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 |
| 27 | Asus ROG Strix Hero Edition GL503V | 2,657 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 |
| 28 | Razer Blade 15 RZ09-0270 (2018) | 2,593 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q |
| 29 | HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop (15-c0042nr) | 2,318 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti |
| 30 | Samsung Odyssey 850XAC | 2,259 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 |
| 31 | Lenovo Legion Y730-15 | 1,899 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti |
| 32 | Acer Nitro 5 | 1,873 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti |
| 33 | Dell G5 5590 (2019) | 1,867 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 |
| 34 | Dell G5 15 (2018) | 1,851 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti |
| 35 | Lenovo Legion Y530 | 1,825 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti |
| 36 | Asus ZenBook Pro 15 UX580G | 1,753 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti |
| 37 | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme | 1,641 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti with Max-Q |
| 38 | Dell XPS 15 9575 2-in-1 | 1,627 | AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL Graphics |
Asus ROG Zephyrus GX701
This updated Asus ROG Zephyrus combines both a slim, professional-looking design with the expanded power of Nvidia's new RTX graphics card for an excellent gaming experience, though at the cost of battery life.
Read more: Asus made the world's fastest gaming display for laptops
Gaming laptop performance
| 1 | Alienware Area-51m | 6,337 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Origin PC Eon17-X (2019) | 6,228 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 |
| 3 | Acer Predator Triton 900 | 5,719 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 |
| 4 | Asus ROG Zephyrus GX701 | 5,299 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q |
| 5 | Razer Blade Pro 17 | 5,003 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q |
| 6 | Origin PC EVO16-S (early 2019) | 4,667 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q |
| 7 | Acer Predator Triton 500 | 4,642 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q |
| 8 | Origin PC Evo16-S (mid 2019) | 4,548 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q |
| 9 | Lenovo Legion Y740-17 | 4,472 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q |
| 10 | MSI GS75 Stealth 8SG | 4,464 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q |
| 11 | Razer Blade 15 Advanced (2019, OLED) | 4,330 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q |
| 12 | Origin Evo15 | 4,262 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 |
| 13 | Alienware m15 (2019, OLED) | 4,235 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q |
| 14 | HP Omen X 2S | 4,106 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q |
| 15 | Acer Predator Helios 500 | 4,102 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 |
| 16 | Asus ROG Zephyrus M GM501 | 3,954 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 |
| 17 | Asus ROG Strix Scar II | 3,938 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 |
| 18 | Lenovo Legion Y740-15 | 3,851 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q |
| 19 | Alienware m15 (2018) | 3,669 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q |
| 20 | Asus Zephyrus GX531GS | 3,435 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q |
| 21 | Razer Blade 15 (2018) | 3,431 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q |
| 22 | Digital Storm Equinox | 3,413 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q |
| 23 | Razer Blade 15 (2019) | 3,362 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q |
| 24 | MSI GS65 Stealth Thin | 3,342 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q |
| 25 | Lenovo Legion Y545 | 3,066 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti |
| 26 | Lenovo Legion Y7000P-1060 | 2,716 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 |
| 27 | Asus ROG Strix Hero Edition GL503V | 2,657 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 |
| 28 | Razer Blade 15 RZ09-0270 (2018) | 2,593 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q |
| 29 | HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop (15-c0042nr) | 2,318 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti |
| 30 | Samsung Odyssey 850XAC | 2,259 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 |
| 31 | Lenovo Legion Y730-15 | 1,899 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti |
| 32 | Acer Nitro 5 | 1,873 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti |
| 33 | Dell G5 5590 (2019) | 1,867 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 |
| 34 | Dell G5 15 (2018) | 1,851 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti |
| 35 | Lenovo Legion Y530 | 1,825 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti |
| 36 | Asus ZenBook Pro 15 UX580G | 1,753 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti |
| 37 | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme | 1,641 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti with Max-Q |
| 38 | Dell XPS 15 9575 2-in-1 | 1,627 | AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL Graphics |
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The story has been updated to reflect new performance scores.