If you splurge on a powerful GPU now, you’ll be gaming comfortably for a few years.
Best external graphics card for laptop gaming how to#
For much more on how to narrow down your list of best gaming laptop considerations, check out our best gaming laptop buyer’s guide. To help you find the best gaming laptop today, we've compiled a list of the best models we've tested and reviewed recently. Just like desktops, anything with the latest graphics cards can still be hard to come by right now thanks to a global components shortage. The latest technologies in processors include Intel's 12th Gen "Alder Lake" processors, which use a hybrid design with Performance and Efficient cores, and AMD's Ryzen 6000 CPUs.
On the GPU side, Nvidia's RTX GPUs are in far more laptops, though AMD is slowly starting to pair its own graphics cards with hits CPUs for what it calls an " AMD Advantage."
While Intel is still a popular option, AMD's Ryzen processors are becoming more common, though the majority of notebooks in general still use Intel. There is more choice than ever in components, too. Several gaming laptop go as fast as 360 Hz. While many of the best gaming laptops come with a 1080p display and high refresh rates, some include 4K screens, so you can pick between fidelity and resolution. Some come with full-size Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics cards, while others go for the more efficient Max-Q designs that enable thinner chassis and (sometimes) quieter fans. Thankfully, there are more gaming laptop options now than ever, from budget-friendly to desktop replacements.