Before, most gamers were limited to gaming consoles like the PlayStation and Xbox. While these are dedicated gaming devices, they are not portable, meaning you can only play them at designated locations. As a result, there has been a rising need to create mobile gaming devices like laptops and notebooks.

Unlike regular notebooks or PCs, these devices have specific components adapted for more than just routine usage. Gaming laptops now have dedicated Video Random Access Memory (VRAM) and graphics cards like NVIDIA GeForce. It provides improved data processing,  realistic visualizations, AI-driven image processing, and enhanced gaming performance.

Today, many gaming laptops combine the elements of speed, power, and portability to provide an immersive gaming experience. They include the latest processors, graphic cards, high refresh rates, improved cooling systems, and battery life. This review focuses on some of the best laptops for heavy gaming in 2023.

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ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14

The Zephyrus G14 is in a class of its own. Asus officially claims the G14 is the world's most powerful gaming laptop, which is subject to individual opinions. But there is no doubt it offers value for every penny.

Available in Pearlescent Moonlight White and Metallic Eclipse Gray, the 14-inch PC weighs around 3.5 pounds which is about the same as the MacBook Pro 14 inches. There are 6,536 perforations on the aluminum lid, which makes the overall design appealing at first sight. It has an IPS display of 1900 x1080 for the Full HD mode and 2560 x 1440 for the WQHD mode. The aspect ratio is 16:9, with an option for both 120Hz and 140Hz refresh rates suitable for smooth gaming.

The G14 is powered by a 76 Wh battery that lasts 10 hours, depending on usage. The efficient cooling system also plays a significant role in the overall performance and battery consumption, especially when gaming or handling heavy tasks like high-end streaming.

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A typical G14 with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of SSD starts at $1879 on Amazon, although the price could vary depending on additional specs.

Alienware Area 51M

Portability may not be the best selling point of this PC owing to its large 17.3" display. However, regarding its specifications, build, and overall performance, it is one of the best gaming PCs in the market. Its unique design features a magnesium alloy chassis and mate surface that provides a durable and premium feel.

The massive 17.3" display supports 300 Nit of brightness on its IPS display panel. The resolution is a 1920 x 1080 display supporting two modes. The standard mode has a 144 Hz refresh rate, while the most recent is the NVIDIA G-Sync display, delivering an unparalleled, smoother, and faster gaming experience. There is also a base model with a 60 Hz refresh rate and lower specs.

The Area 51M is powered by Intel Core i7 and i9 processors providing exceptional capabilities for intensive tasks like gaming. The base model has a RAM of 16 GB, supporting up to 64 GB of DDR4, allowing smooth multitasking. There is also an Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics card dedicated to gaming, providing real-time ray tracing technology and immersive gaming.

It is powered by a 90Wh battery which is excellent. However, considering the large display size and massive specs, the battery life is relatively short compared to other PCs. It has multiple fans and a dedicated vapor chamber that helps to maintain optimum temperature preventing thermal throttling during intense gaming. It is relatively expensive and could get as high as $5,099 for high-end specs.

Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 8

Starting at $2,069.00, the Legion Pro 7i is high-performance gaming hardware with high-end specifications. The 16-inch PC has a fine aluminum body frame and weighs about 5.46 pounds, similar to what you get in other 16-inch models of other gaming PCs like HP Victus and Acer Predator Triton.

The screen display is available in two variants: a standard IPS display and a Mini-LED display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600. The refresh rate supports up to 244 Hz, one of the best you can get on a gaming PC for the smoothest gaming performance. The display supports up to 550 nits of brightness, offering stunning brightness and high refresh rates. The customizable RGB lights on the keyboards and the LED lighting across the front edge of the PC make it very fancy.

The processor is the Intel Core i9-13900HX chip with a dedicated Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Graphics Card for dedicated gaming. The base model features 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, which could go up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB, respectively, for an additional cost.

The battery capacity is 99.9 Wh offering peak performance for up to 7 hours, depending on usage. This is not great compared to other PCs. However, the massive 140/300-watt power brick can be a plus as it supports fast charging of the device.

Final Thoughts

Gaming PCs are usually high-performance devices that combine many specs to meet the needs of gamers. Outside cost, many factors come to mind when making a choice. The processor, dedicated graphics card, RAM, display type, refresh rate, screen resolution, brightness, and overall build are crucial.

Ultimately, the battery life and charging speed cannot be overemphasized. You need a PC to keep up with huge tasks over time. Likewise, you do not want to spend the whole day charging the device. GuruGamer PC-Console has a lot of information and tips about your favorite PC games, so check the latest guides.