If you have stumbled upon this article, it means you want to get your hands on the best high performance laptop out there. While it is fairly easy to name a laptop 'high performing', a lot of specifications and power go behind it to give it that amplified performance we seek.
Now, in general, high performance laptops would mean having the latest generation processors, powerful graphics units and incredible battery lives to name a few. But the scale does differ from people to people, and that is where the main decision making comes in.
While most laptops boasting such high-quality features are expensive, carefully judging the specs to find the right fit can help you save a little cash so you do not end up overspending.
Without further ado, let us get right into discovering what these devices are and why they could snatch the title of a high performing laptop.
Contents
| PRODUCT | SCREEN RESOLUTION | CPU | GPU | PRICE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acer Swift 3 | 1920 x 1080 Full HD | AMD Ryzen 7 4700U Octa-Core | AMD Radeon Graphics | |
| ASUS ROG Zephyrus S GX701 | 1920 x 1080 | Intel Core i7-8750H | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 | 4K UHD | Intel Core i7-9750H | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 | |
| Lenovo Chromebook Duet | 1920 x 1200 | MediaTek 1.2GHz Cortex A13 | ARM G72 MP3 Graphics | |
| Lenovo Legion Y7000 | 1920X1080 | Intel Core i7-8750H Processor | Nvidia GTX 1060 | |
| Alienware ANW17-2143SLV | 1920×1080 | Intel Core i7 4710HQ | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M | |
| ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 | 1920×1080 | Intel Core M3-8100Y | Intel HD Graphics 615 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 | 2256 x 1504 | AMD Ryzen 5 | AMD Radeon Vega 9 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book Flex | 1920 x 1080 pixels | Intel Core i7-1065G7 | Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4 |
The Acer Swift 3 has been an unbiased choice for people who want a lot of power in a compact and portable laptop. The device sports an aluminum and magnesium-aluminum chassis along with a high screen to body ratio.
With the help of these, you get a modern and sleek laptop that is strong, yet lightweight to carry weighs only 2.6 pounds. Even though the screen is 14 inches, the 82.73% of screen to body ratio means that bezels are very thin giving you a wide and clearer view.
The CPU is what truly makes this a high performing laptop of choice. The AMD processor packs a lot of power that is useful for creating media content, gaming, or for simple entertainment uses without feeling the slowdown.
The 4000 series also happens to be one of the more powerful processors made for laptops. This tells us that even the most power demanding activities can be completed on this small and compact device.
Battery life is truly exquisite where are you get up to 11.5 hours of usage. It lets you go through an entire day of work or school without having to take charging breaks.
If you seek a powerful laptop in a large size then you will be satisfied with the 17-inch and narrow bezel display on the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S GX701.
Alongside the size of the display, the Pantone factory-calibrated color accuracy further enhances the color quality providing a vibrant and clear screen.
The perfect laptop to switch between work and play, this lets you convert the laptop between these modes. You can save battery life when doing menial work, while you get a full-power blast when gaming.
Connectivity has also been looked after because you get a large range of ports. From an audio jack to multiple USB ports, a Kensington lock, and an HDMI, it ensures the laptop can be connected with most third-party devices.
Coming to what truly gives this a lot of power, we have the 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8750H processor which results in a speedy laptop. And the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 GPU on top of that is one of the finest out there that allows you to play all the latest games on a perfect display.
You also get a 144 Hz refresh rate, which further makes this suitable for gaming. Now you can enjoy every single frame at its finest without having to see any lags or slowdowns.
The Asus ZenBook Pro Duo is the perfect companion for artists of all calibers and types. From graphic artists to animators to photographers, this will become your best friend with all the unique features it provides.
One of the first things you notice about this laptop is the ScreenPad. It forms an extension of the main screen and gives you more space to let your creativity flow.
This ScreenPad makes life easier for artists because you can keep references on the bottom screen as you have main files on top. Video editors rejoice because now you can keep the tools on the ScreenPad as you get to use an entire screen just for edits.
It is no different for musicians who now good to keep their tools on the ScreenPad as they work their way on the main screen. So you get more space to perfect the work no matter what profession you belong to.
Besides having a larger screen and more space, Asus made sure the resolution is just as good which is why you get a 4K matte touch screen.
If that wasn't enough to convince you how high performing this laptop is, take a look at the processor where are you get the 9th Generation Intel Core i7-9750H processor. Following this you also have the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 GPU which also happens to be one of the finest models for top-notch graphics
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet has proven to be a good choice for peoplewho want a lightweight and flexible Chromebook for their day-to-day work.
This is a small device as it comes with a 10.1-inch display. However, the size is created keeping portability in mind, so you can throw this in a bag and head off to work or class.
When you don't require the entire Chromebook you can detach the screen and use it as a tablet. Versatility is one of the key features that this laptop provides which is why it has been a popular model for students who require a high performing device that come in a small frame.
But that being said, the small structure does not prevent this from providing you with proper performance.
You get the MediaTek 1.2GHz Cortex A13 Processor which can also be found in similar small and lightweight devices. It ensures that the Chromebook operates at a decent speed that can get you through all the schoolwork and projects.
Brightness is also very impressive since you get 400 nits on a full HD display. The resolution and brightness together on the small screen tell us that we get a vibrant and clear screen that would be amazing for any form of entertainment.
The Lenovo Legion Y7000 is titled a gaming laptop, but with all the impressive featuresthat it holds, it can be used for any other power demanding work as well.
Thanks to the 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8750H Processor, the laptop maintains a good speed and enables you to run multiple applications without facing any lags.
To further support this we have the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 GPU. Since this is a gaming laptop the GPU is well constructed to play all the latest games, provide a high FPS, while you get to experience vibrant and amazing graphics on the screen.
But that's not where it ends, thanks to this GPU laptop can also be used for other work such as editing videos, photos, working on small animations, and more.
The display is just as impressive since you get thin bezels that increase screen space, all the while having 300 nits of brightness. These together help to bring life to whatever work you are doing.
The words 'high performance' point to a powerful processor which matters more than most other features, and hence should be considered primarily.
Otherwise known as the brain of laptops, we should always aim to buy processors hailing from the latest generations. It ensures that the laptops are up-to-date and can handle all new applications and software that we throw at them.
The current generation is the 10th generation from Intel and while you might not always get this, it is still okay to stick with the 9th or 8th Generation processors which will still give you great performance.
You should also aim to get a core i5 or 7 for the processors, or the equivalent Ryzen 5 or 7. Although Intel processors generally have better performance than their Ryzen counterparts.
There are two kinds of graphics units when it comes to laptops. There is an integrated GPU which is suitable for everyday work such as browsing the Internet, watching movies, working on Microsoft office other similar activities. But they will not support more complicated work.
This is where dedicated graphics come in and have a better and more advanced technology. These are used for harder tasks such as editing photos or videos at high resolutions, working with 3-D rendering, animations and more.
A dedicated graphics card would be more expensive, so if you do not use any of the above-mentioned activities, you can settle for an integrated GPU.
The best laptop for high performance should have a high RAM or memory. This is because when you think high-performance, you naturally associate that with a fast laptop that can deal with multiple applications simultaneously which can be achieved with a high RAM.
In general, a high-performance laptop will have an 8GB RAM but if you want to use the laptop for gaming or graphic arts then opt for a 16 GB RAM instead.
When it comes to storage you have two options. The Hard Disk Drive (HDD), or The Solid State Drive (SSD). The HDD can store a lot of data but will not give you a lot of speed. An SSD on the other hand has less storage space but makes the device run a lot faster and smoother.
If you value speed and efficiency then go for the SSD which is more popular and the one you will find in most of the devices listed below. Some even have a combination of both, so if you're confused you can look into that. But be aware of these will naturally come at a higher price.
Battery lives are not always the ideal judge, but that being said, an average of 7 hours of work is expected from any high performing laptop.
Especially if your work requires moving around a lot, in which case you don't always have the luxury of plugging it in. If you work on a fixed desk however, you can compromise a little in this feature since it wouldn't harm any work.
2020 Apple MacBook Air Laptop: Apple M1 Chip, 13” Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD - Walmart Link
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15” Touch-Screen – AMD Ryzen 7 Surface Edition - 8GB - 512GB - Walmart Link
2021 Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, Apple M1 Pro chip with 8‑core CPU and 14‑core GPU, 16GB - Walmart Link
HP - Spectre x360 2-in-1 13.3" 4K Ultra HD Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i5 - 8GB - Walmart Link
HP Spectre x360 2019 13T Gemcut Laptop i7-8565U 1.8GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Windows 10 - Walmart Link
Newest Dell XPS 9310 Laptop, 13.4" InfinityEdge 500-Nit FHD 16:10 Touchscreen, Intel Evo - Walmart Link
Dell XPS 13 9360 Laptop (13.3' InfinityEdge TouchScreen FHD (1920x1080), Intel 8th Gen - Walmart Link
2.ASUS ROG Zephyrus S GX701 - Walmart Link
3.Asus ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 - Walmart Link
7.ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 - Walmart Link
8.Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 - Walmart Link
9.Samsung Galaxy Book Flex - Walmart Link
2020 Apple MacBook Air Laptop: Apple M1 Chip, 13” Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD - eBay Link
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15” Touch-Screen – AMD Ryzen 7 Surface Edition - 8GB - 512GB - eBay Link
2021 Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, Apple M1 Pro chip with 8‑core CPU and 14‑core GPU, 16GB - eBay Link
HP - Spectre x360 2-in-1 13.3" 4K Ultra HD Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i5 - 8GB - eBay Link
HP Spectre x360 2019 13T Gemcut Laptop i7-8565U 1.8GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Windows 10 - eBay Link
Newest Dell XPS 9310 Laptop, 13.4" InfinityEdge 500-Nit FHD 16:10 Touchscreen, Intel Evo - eBay Link
Dell XPS 13 9360 Laptop (13.3' InfinityEdge TouchScreen FHD (1920x1080), Intel 8th Gen - eBay Link
2.ASUS ROG Zephyrus S GX701 - eBay Link
3.Asus ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 - eBay Link
7.ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 - eBay Link
8.Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 - eBay Link
9.Samsung Galaxy Book Flex - eBay Link
The best high performance laptop will usually be those with the latest specifications and qualifications. But you must find specifications suited to your job.
While a high battery life is great to have, some of the finest laptops might not have it because they consume more power, and need to be plugged in at all times.
On the other hand, other great laptops might not have the desired ports, but can be over-performing in other areas.
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About Dror Wettenstein
Dror Wettenstein is a software engineer and entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience in the industry. He is the founder of TechTreeRepeat, a company that enables technical writers to publish their work faster and share it with readers across the globe. Dror has a master’s degree in computer science from San Diego State University and a bachelor’s degree in physics from UC Irvine.
When he’s not working on software projects, Dror enjoys writing articles and essays on various topics. He also likes playing guitar and spending time with his wife and two young children.
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