The desktop has been primarily preferred by gamers previously. But with all these new laptops coming out with just as great features at half the weight and double the portability, users are slowly shifting to laptops to meet their gaming needs.
These laptops that we are going to discuss today feature powerful processors and graphics units to make them suitable for gaming. While some are catered towards heavy gamers, others are suitable for workers or students who like to play occasionally.
The bottom line, get a good look at what the market has to offer for everybody. Instead of simply gaming laptops, the ones that we'll be focusing on today are the best thin and light gaming laptops.
This way you get all the features that are required for gaming, at the same time these are lightweight enough to be carried outdoors. To find your choice of a portable gaming laptop checks out the full article down below.
Contents
| PRODUCT | DISPLAY | CPU | GPU | PRICE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swagtron T580 | 17.3-inch (1920 x 1080) | Intel Core i7-8750H | GeForce RTX 2080 | |
| Lenovo Legion Y7000 | 15.6-inch (1920 x 1080) | Intel Core i7-8750H | Nvidia GTX 1060 | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 | 15.6-inch (3840 x 2160) | Intel Core i7-9750H | GeForce RTX 2060 | |
| Acer Swift 3 | 14-inch (1920 x 1080) | AMD Ryzen 7 4700U | Radeon Graphics | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 | 15-inch (1280 x 800) | AMD Ryzen 5 | AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 Graphics | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book Flex | 13.3-inch (1920 x 1080) | Intel Core i7-1065G7 | Intel Iris Plus | |
| Alienware ANW17-2143SLV | 17.3-inch (1920 x 1080) | Intel Core i7 4710HQ | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M |
This laptop from Asus is a 17.3-inch widescreen gaming laptop. Even though it is a pretty large size, it is very slim which makes it easy to move around and carry.
The display has a Full HD resolution and is Pantone calibrated which provides the most accurate colors on the IPS display. Moreover, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 creates silky smooth pictures and videos and helps to breathe life into the display.
Not to mention having this dedicated graphics unit also lets you play all the latest games without having to worry about compatibility.
Moving to the internal mechanism, you have the Intel Core i7 processor from the 8th generation. Being a Hexa core processor, you will never feel any lag when it comes to processing power, loading games, or any other application.
The storage and memory are on par with the rest of the features as they provide you with excellent spaces as well. 1 TB SSD and 16 GB RAM is one of the most powerful combinations that keep the laptop running at full speed at all times.
The more power a laptop generates, the warmer it gets. To prevent this, Asus has an aerodynamic system with 12 V fans. With this, the laptop channels the warmth and releases it to remain efficient at all times.
And the point that makes this stand out from most other gaming laptops, is that it comes with a GPU switch mode. Meaning, you can switch between the dedicated graphics and the integrated ones as you move to work from gaming or vice versa. This way you get to save the battery life when working.
The Legion Y7000 from Lenovo is a dedicated gaming laptop that comes with a 15.6-inch IPS display. With thin bezels on three sides, antiglare properties, and a Full HD resolution, this screen is perfectly suited for gaming, as well as any other work that requires an excellent display.
On top of this, you have the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 graphics unit. Having this on top of the great display means that the resolution, colors, textures, everything will be improved upon for a better gaming experience.
Other than these, you have the 8th Generation Intel Core i7 processor for a constant supply of power and lower loading times.
Storage space is exceptional as you get not one, but two. With the 128GB SSD, you can rest assured that speed will not be an issue. And with the 1TB HDD, you will not run out of space, at least not any time soon!
The backlit keyboard is usually not a feature that can change decisions, but with a gaming laptop, this is a big advantage. This way, you don't always need lights when working or playing. Plus, this high responsive keyboard has a 1.7mm key travel, which is lighter on the fingers when typing.
And for keeping the whole device nice and cool, you have the dual-cooling system which makes sure the laptop does not collect heat.
The ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 by Asus is a very unique laptop, definitely not one you come across every day.
It comes with a ScreenPad Plus, which is an extension of the main screen onto the chassis. In other words, you have a lot more screen space than an average laptop.
Coming to the quality, the main display is 15.6 inches, and has an impressive 4K resolution for the highest level of clarity you can get. Plus, it is a glossy touchscreen which further increases the interaction.
And the ScreenPad Plus has 4K resolution as well, except this is a matte touchscreen instead.
If you are wondering how to use this, Asus provides some suggestions for you. It can be used as an app switcher to quickly change applications as you work. The View Max feature lets you drag the main screen down onto the ScreenPad for an enlarged view.
There are also the Organizer and Task Group options which are pretty straightforward to work with.
Alongside all these, this laptop carries the RTX 2060 graphics unit. This on top of the 4K resolution creates a display that looks no less real than reality itself. Images are clearer, smoother, more vivid, and bright, all of which you will love as a gamer.
For the processor, you get a 9th Generation Intel Core i7. Storage is a very spacious and fast 1TB SSD, so there is no lag ever, and the RAM is a good 16GB for all the multitasking you need.
Alexa is built-in with a lightbar in the bottom, and this just acts as the cherry on top
The Acer Swift 3 is called the Ultra-Thin and Lightweight laptop, which tells us right off the bat that we will never struggle with carrying this. But that is not all this laptop features.
It comes with a 14-inch display, making it travel friendly, while the 1080p resolution tells us that image quality will never disappoint when gaming with all those bright and bold colors.
The Radeon graphics add to this already brilliant display to make it brighter and more seamless. And of course, this makes this a suitable laptop for gaming as well.
Plus, with the slim bezels on three sides of the display the screen to body ratio becomes an impressive 82.73%.
The processor is the Octa-Core Ryzen 7 4700U that has a clock speed of an impressive 4.1 GHz. This is one of the most advanced processors out there that make work and gaming fast and simple.
And thanks to this being a low voltage processor, the laptop can save energy and give you a whole 11 hours and 30 minutes of usage.
Storage is 512GB SSD, which gives us plenty of space to keep games along with other applications.
The entire laptop is made of aluminum which is what makes this so lightweight, yet so sturdy at the same time. This is highly suitable for students or professionals who like to game on the side of work, and hence need a device that can do both.
This Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 is not something we would recommend for hard-core gamers, but for professionals who have a knack for gaming and prefer a laptop that can be used at the office and for gaming equally.
Surface 3 has an elegant and clean design, giving it a professional outlook. At 15-inches, the display is just enough for work, travel, and gaming, and all of it can be done comfortably.
The processor is the AMD Ryzen 5 that provides a heightened processing power than its predecessors. And the RX Vega 11 Graphics has outstanding performance. It will let you play games at a smooth speed and with bright graphics on the screen.
The storage space is 256GB SSD and the RAM is 8GB. For a handful of gaming applications and work files, this storage will suffice. And 8GB is great for the occasional gamer as you will not find any lags.
Even though this is a slim laptop, it still manages to give you an entire 11.5 hours of battery life. Since this is targeted towards professionals, the long battery life is meant to get you through long office days without a charger.
Since the graphics unit plays one of the most important roles when it comes to gaming laptops, we will get this out of the way first.
If you don't play a lot of games or are an entry-level gamer, then stick with the GTX 1650.
But if you are an entry-level gamer who wishes to improve and take on more tasks in the future, then you should invest a little more and get the GTX 1660 Ti instead which gives a little more power, but one that is definitely noticeable.
Heavy-handed gamers or ones who like to play on the highest settings, you need to look for the RTX series of graphics units like the RTX 2070. This is one of the most powerful lines from Nvidia and is great for special effects and VR.
If you don't fall under either and are simply a mainstream gamer, then you can go for something mid-level like the RTX 2060 or the RX 5600M.
Following the GPU, processors make up the next big part of the best thin and light gaming laptops. The minimum is a Core i5 processor, and if you have a bigger budget, then a Core i7 or preferably a Core i9.
If you want a Core i9 processor, but don't have the required budget, then go with the Core i7 processor. But make sure to check out the other points such as the generation and speed.
You shouldn't go with anything below the 8th generation. This way the laptop will be able to perform equally well for long times to come. As for the clock speed, 3 GHz is a good place to start, if not more.
The memory is the part that enables you to multitask smoothly on any laptop. With gaming being very RAM intensive, you should look out for at least an 8 GB of RAM.
Heavy-handed gamers on the other hand need to look out for more memory, preferably 16 GB.
You have two options, the SSD or HDD. When choosing between either, definitely go for the solid-state drive since it is much faster and can speed up the laptop so you don't face any lagging.
But if you have the option of going with hybrid storage, in other words, both a solid-state and hard disk drive, then make a smart move and choose a low spaced SSD like a 128GB, and a high spaced HDD, for example, 1TB.
The first thing to see about the display is the size. Usually, gaming laptops have spacious large screens.
But since we are focusing on slimmer and more portable laptops today, we will recommend that you check out medium sizes that range from 14 to 17 inches. 15.6 is the average that most people go for since it is either too big or too small.
Now you check the resolution. Since you will be running a dedicated graphics unit, you need just as good a resolution to match, otherwise, the results will not be the best.
Of course, a Full HD resolution is recommended for everybody in general. But if you are an experienced gamer using a powerful GPU, then you should probably invest in a 4K display instead.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 14-inch FHD 512GB SSD 2.9GHz Ryzen 7 VR Ready Laptop (8GB RAM, - Walmart Link
MSI GS65 Stealth THIN-053 144Hz 7ms Ultra Thin Gaming Laptop i7-8750H (6 cores) GTX 1070 - Walmart Link
MSI GS65 Stealth THIN-068 144Hz 7ms Ultra Thin 4.9mm Gaming Laptop i7-8750H (6 cores), - Walmart Link
MSI GS65 Stealth THIN-050 15.6" Gaming Laptop - 144Hz 7ms, Ultra Thin, i7-8750H (6 - Walmart Link
2019 Razer Blade Stealth 13.3" QHD+ Touchscreen Ultrabook Laptop Computer: 8th Gen Intel - Walmart Link
Razer Blade Stealth 13 Ultrabook Laptop: Intel Core i7-8565U 4-Core, NVIDIA GeForce - Walmart Link
Razer Blade 15 Base Gaming Laptop 2020: Intel Core i7-10750H 6-Core, NVIDIA GeForce GTX - Walmart Link
1.ASUS ROG Zephyrus S GX701 - Walmart Link
3.Asus ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 - Walmart Link
5.Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 - Walmart Link
6.Samsung Galaxy Book Flex - Walmart Link
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 14-inch FHD 512GB SSD 2.9GHz Ryzen 7 VR Ready Laptop (8GB RAM, - eBay Link
MSI GS65 Stealth THIN-053 144Hz 7ms Ultra Thin Gaming Laptop i7-8750H (6 cores) GTX 1070 - eBay Link
MSI GS65 Stealth THIN-068 144Hz 7ms Ultra Thin 4.9mm Gaming Laptop i7-8750H (6 cores), - eBay Link
MSI GS65 Stealth THIN-050 15.6" Gaming Laptop - 144Hz 7ms, Ultra Thin, i7-8750H (6 - eBay Link
2019 Razer Blade Stealth 13.3" QHD+ Touchscreen Ultrabook Laptop Computer: 8th Gen Intel - eBay Link
Razer Blade Stealth 13 Ultrabook Laptop: Intel Core i7-8565U 4-Core, NVIDIA GeForce - eBay Link
Razer Blade 15 Base Gaming Laptop 2020: Intel Core i7-10750H 6-Core, NVIDIA GeForce GTX - eBay Link
1.ASUS ROG Zephyrus S GX701 - eBay Link
3.Asus ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 - eBay Link
5.Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 - eBay Link
6.Samsung Galaxy Book Flex - eBay Link
When you are buying a gaming laptop, you should look for one that is an investment.
Usually, these laptops tend to come with some high-tier specifications which make them suitable for the latest games. So it only makes sense that you do the proper research before buying one.
Since we have covered the best thin and light gaming laptops in this article, you will find well-detailed product reviews about laptops that can give you great power and yet be light and portable at the same time.
They do however hold some differences, and that is where your choice comes in.
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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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