What are the best gaming laptops in 2021?

In 2021, to enjoy a gaming PC, it is no longer necessary to carry around a huge computer tower. Portable gaming PCs are now (almost) as powerful as desktop PCs. From 1 to over 000 euros, here are the best gaming laptops out there.


The best gaming laptops

Play without breaking the bank 7/10 What are the best gaming laptops in 2021?

Dell G15 Ryzen Edition

  • An excellent power / price ratio
  • The right finish
  • Good build quality
The test € 1 Zero compromise 299/8 What are the best gaming laptops in 2021?

Asus ROG SE G15 2021 (GA503)

  • Very powerful and good autonomy
  • Compact
  • Excellent display
The test € 1 Excess 899/8 What are the best gaming laptops in 2021?

Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (G733)

  • Incredibly powerful
  • A good screen and sound system
  • Surprisingly autonomous
The test € 2

Gone are the days when PC video games required having a dedicated room in their home, in which you had to store a one meter high tower and a desk to support the screen, keyboard, mouse. and headphones. Now all that bulky paraphernalia can be replaced by a single laptop (with a mouse or PC controller).




Thanks to the progress made in recent years in the field of graphics cards, laptops dedicated to video games (or gaming laptops) are now boxing in the same category as their big brothers.

Components: the new features are here!

Formerly the preserve of Intel, AMD Ryzen processors are shaking up the hierarchy with very good performance at an aggressive price. Coupled with the Nvidia RTX 3000 graphics chips, they form an extremely effective combo.

If the performance of the RTX 3000 is indeed at the rendezvous, Nvidia has created an unclear situation by declining its models in a multitude of references to different consumption and performance. We have seen policies that are more favorable to consumers ... We have therefore chosen the best gaming laptops on the market for all budgets.


And if you're not necessarily looking for the best in-game performance, we've also got a review of the best classic laptops.


Dell G15 Ryzen Edition Play without breaking the bank

7 / 10 What are the best gaming laptops in 2021? Product sheet See the Fnac test € 1
  • An excellent power / price ratio
  • The right finish
  • Good build quality
Available at € 1 on Fnac

We're not going to lie to each other, it's not good to be a broke gamer these past few months. So when Dell arrives with a cheap, relatively efficient and in-stock model, we are more than curious. Sold under the 1000 euros mark, this G15 offers an all-plastic chassis that is certainly basic, but impeccably assembled. It does not pretend to be a nomad either with its 2,6 kg and its imposing charger.



What are the best gaming laptops in 2021?

The Dell G15 Ryzen Edition and its color… Particular…

The large keyboard is passable and backlit, no RGB on the horizon, fans will be sad. The 15-inch 120Hz screen doesn't break a duck's three legs. Its brightness is weak and the colorimetry very average, with only 63% of the sRGB space covered. However, we welcome a good contrast.

But it was the Ryzen 5800H and RTX 3060 combo that we were interested in. The combo is efficient, sufficient to play in excellent conditions in Full HD. And the compatibility with DLSS even allows it to take full advantage of 120 Hz in compatible games. As a bonus, office autonomy is good, with just over 9 hours on a charge.

Despite a few flaws, this Dell G15 Ryzen Edition is one of the best value for money around for gamers who don't want to break the bank. We tell you more in our review of the Dell G15 Ryzen Edition.

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Asus TUF Gaming A15 (566QR) at the best price?

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Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 2021 (GA503) Zero compromise

8 / 10 What are the best gaming laptops in 2021? Product sheet See the Cdiscount test € 1
  • Very powerful and good autonomy
  • Compact
  • Excellent display
Available for € 1 on Cdiscount

Let's say it right away, the Zephyrus range from Asus was one of our favorites for 2020 with an absolutely remarkable compromise between design and power. This 2021 version incorporates all the fundamentals, including a particularly light and rather pretty 15-inch chassis. The construction in magnesium and aluminum alloy ensures lightness, although we notice here and there that the parts do not always fit very well.

What are the best gaming laptops in 2021?

Asus ROG SE G15 (2021)

The 15-inch screen adopts 1440p resolution and 165Hz refresh rate, an excellent compromise between Full HD and 4K. As a bonus, the screen is very well calibrated, which will delight graphic designers. But where the Zephyrus G15 really shines is in its performance.

The adoption of a Ryzen 9 5900HS processor coupled with an RTX 3080 makes it possible to achieve simply unprecedented performance on such a thin machine. The AMD chip pulverizes its Intel competitors both in gaming and for productivity. The heat is well managed, but a headset will be essential to cover the noise of the fans during long gaming sessions. To avoid spoiling anything, the autonomy reaches 7 hours in office use.

Asus therefore delivers here an exceptional laptop whose greatest weakness is perhaps the strange absence of a webcam. You will find all the details in our full test.

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Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 GU603 Good for everything

8 / 10 What are the best gaming laptops in 2021? Product sheet See the Amazon test € 1
  • A surprisingly compact design
  • No compromise on power
  • The excellent screen
Available at € 1 on Amazon

If 15 inches is a bit small for you, Asus also offers a 16 inch version of its Zephyrus. The design is unsurprisingly very sober, with a well-finished and surprisingly compact machine given the configuration it embeds. Only odd: activity LEDs that are reflected directly on the screen.

What are the best gaming laptops in 2021?

The keyboard is large and very comfortable, but skips the numeric keypad. Nothing to complain about either on the touchpad, large and precise. Despite its thinness, this PC offers a connection provided, with among others HDMI, Ethernet and especially Thunderbolt 4. The 16/10 format panel is a real pleasure to use, not only it offers more workspace than 16/9, but it is also rather well calibrated and bright. Add to that a refresh rate of 165 Hz and you have a screen that is as comfortable for gaming as it is for video editing.

In terms of performance, nothing to complain about thanks to its Core i9 and RTX 3080. Our tests have shown that it easily holds 60 fps in games as greedy as Red Dead Redemption 2 or Watch Dogs Legion with ray tracing enabled and 43 fps on the very greedy Metro Exodus. In return, the M16 heats up and not just a little! Fans have a lot of work to do and therefore have a loud voice. Autonomy in office automation reaches 7 hours, a more than honorable score.

Compact, powerful and balanced, the Zephyrus M16 is an excellent machine for both gamers and content creators. We tell you all about him in our review of the ROG Zephyrus M16.

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Asus TUF Gaming A15 (566QR) No compromise

9 / 10 What are the best gaming laptops in 2021? Product sheet See the test 0 ¤
  • Top performance
  • The right screen
  • A solid autonomy

Tested last year, the Asus TUF Gaming A15 won us over with its excellent value for money. This 2021 version does not change the fundamentals since we find the same chassis. On the other hand, the panel chosen is of better quality both in terms of brightness and color accuracy. It switches to a refresh rate of 240 Hz.

We especially appreciate the switch to a Ryzen 5800 and the GeForce RTX 3070, the performance is really impressive. As a bonus, it is still possible to remove the cover easily to add RAM or storage.

What are the best gaming laptops in 2021?

The keyboard does not change: it is complete [with numeric keypad], backlit and particularly pleasant to use on a daily basis.

Finally, we will add that its design has the merit of being sober [something still quite rare in the world of gaming laptops] with brushed metal on the shell. In a general way. It also has a complete and modern connection: two USB Type-A ports [USB 3.0] and a USB-C port [USB 3.2] on the left side.

Sold for 1799 euros, the TUF Gaming A15 represents for us the “sweet spot” for most players, combining first-rate performance with very correct finishes. For a more complete grip and benchmarks, head to our full test of the Asus TUF Gaming A15.

Find the Asus TUF Gaming A15 for € 1700 on Cdiscount

Razer Blade 15 (2021) All in finesse

8 / 10 What are the best gaming laptops in 2021? Product sheet See the Razer test 2 399 €
  • Top design and finish
  • Thin and powerful
  • The very good screen
Available at € 2 on Razer

When you pass the 2000 euros mark, the power gains are more and more expensive. Manufacturers are also starting to pay increasing attention to design and general finish. In this little game, it is undoubtedly the Razer Blade 15 2021 that stands out. Razer's machine is indeed one of the very few that can boast of competing with Apple on this point.

What are the best gaming laptops in 2021?

In addition to its finesse and exceptional build quality, the machine can also boast of offering one of the best keyboards on the market. The connection is well supplied with three USB-C and a Thunderbolt 3 port. If the on-board RTX 3070 is not enough for you, you can even use the latter to add an external GPU via the Razer Core X box.

Its technical sheet to begin with is impeccable. The version we recommend includes a tenth generation Intel processor paired with a GeForce RTX 3070 Max-Q [with 8 GB of RAM], 16 GB of RAM, a 512 GB SSD and a Full HD 144 Hz display. does not suit you, Razer offers variants ranging from the GeForce RTX 3060 to the RTX 3080. The same goes for the very good Full HD 144 Hz Gsync screen, which can be replaced by, sorry, a 4K panel… If the performance are there, the heat too and the fan struggles to keep it cool. The impact is similar on autonomy, which is just over 3h30.

No need to go four ways: Razer offers here the most luxurious in laptops for gamers to date, while competing with the MacBook Pro in finish and equipment. We tell you more in our test of the Razer Blade 15 2021. Note that we do not recommend the configuration tested at 3400 euros, but rather the one at 2300 euros, which in our opinion offers a much better compromise between price and performance .

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Dell Alienware X15 R1 Power and finesse meet

9 / 10 What are the best gaming laptops in 2021? Product sheet See the Amazon test € 2
  • Top-notch performance
  • In a compact frame
  • A good screen
Available at € 2 on Amazon

While the category has been in fashion for a little while, it took Alienware a while to come up with an ultraportable gaming laptop. And we must admit that the engineers at Dell have given us something impressive, since this X15 is only 15,9 mm thick. The look itself is understated and elegant while the workmanship is excellent despite the use of plastic.

What are the best gaming laptops in 2021?

Source: Matthieu Legouge

The keyboard is comfortable, and the touchpad a precision model. All this little world is backlit in RGB, and when we say everyone, it's touchpad included! Grouped at the back of the PC, the connection is a little light with an HDMI output and 3 USB sockets. Fortunately, one of them is Thunderbolt 4 compatible; the quality docks are yours.

G-Sync compatible, the 15,6-inch screen is very well made, bright and well calibrated. We may only blame it for the lack of HDR. We are impressed by the presence of an 7th generation Core i11 and an RTX 3080 in such a small chassis.

The performance is excellent and above all the cooling system extremely efficient. The X15 is certainly noisy, but remains particularly cool, even under load! Autonomy is however mediocre, count barely 5 hours in office use.

Alienware delivers here an exceptional laptop whose bluffing cooling system opens the door to unprecedented performance given its size. We present it to you in full in our review of the Alienware X15 R1.

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Asus ROG SE Duo 15 SE (GX551) Sans Limits

9 / 10 What are the best gaming laptops in 2021? Product sheet See the Fnac test € 3
  • A really practical dual screen
  • Incredible performance
  • The well-designed chassis
Available at € 3 on Fnac

Your budget is unlimited or almost and you do not plan to move your laptop? Do not go further. Asus declines here its concept of dual screen in the field of gaming. We therefore find a main screen of 15,6 inches accompanied by a secondary panel of 14,1 inches. The latter can serve as a second screen or display one of the dedicated programs. A bit of a gadget at first glance, this dual screen is very practical than everyday.

What are the best gaming laptops in 2021?

Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE [GX551] // Source: Arnaud Gealineau for Idroid

The 4K panel displays a refresh rate of 120 Hz. One might think that this is excessive, but the PC has enough in its belly to display most games in 4K. The couple of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HD processor and an RTX 3080 mobile is simply stunning. It is the most powerful laptop we have tested to date. On the other hand, the autonomy is mediocre since it takes only 3 h 30 in office automation.

Without compromise, this ROG Zephirus Duo 15 SE is a real monster and its price is up to it: it is negotiated around 3500 euros… Before buying, be sure to read our full test.

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Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (G733) The excess

8 / 10 What are the best gaming laptops in 2021? Product sheet See the Amazon test € 2
  • Incredibly powerful
  • A good screen and sound system
  • Surprisingly autonomous
Available at € 2 on Amazon

If the fashion is more for thin and (relatively) light gaming laptops, there are still models that aim to offer maximum performance without worrying too much about the mobile side. This Strix Scar 17 is a good example with almost 4 cm thick and 2,7 kg on the scale.

For once, the design shows a bit of originality, with certain parts of the chassis using translucent plastic revealing the components. Gaming requires, Asus has equipped its PC with enough LEDs to confuse it with a Christmas garland.

What are the best gaming laptops in 2021?

Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2021) // Source: Arnaud Gelineau for Idroid

But it's under the hood where things get really interesting: we find a Ryzen 5900HX accompanied by an RTX 3080, the most powerful combination on the market. The results are all the more impressive since Asus even applies overclocking to them by default. Unsurprisingly, this is the most powerful laptop we have tested. The icing on the cake: it is well cooled and noise pollution is relatively contained. We also appreciate its autonomy of 7 hours in office.

The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 is completely disproportionate and this obviously translates into a bill accordingly. For more details, head to our full test.

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Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR (Intel 11th gen) The return of Intel

8 / 10 What are the best gaming laptops in 2021? Product sheet See the Rakuten Marketplace test € 3
  • A very powerful PC
  • The connection provided
  • The screen very well calibrated
Available for € 3 on Rakuten Marketplace

With the release of the Ryzen 5000 a few months ago, Intel lost the crown for processor performance for the first time in a long time. The response was quick to come in the form of the 11th generation Tiger Lake-H processors.

What are the best gaming laptops in 2021?

The Aero 17 HDR itself doesn't really stand out. The design is sober and the finishes are neat. We still appreciate its relative finesse and lightness (22 mm and 2,5 kg, to which must be added 750 g of charger). The keyboard / touchpad combo is pretty average, with some keys being difficult to distinguish, and the touchpad itself could have been bigger. The connection is however very well provided, including HDMI 2.1, ThunderBolt 4 and 2,5 Gbit / s Ethernet.

If it is surprisingly well calibrated and offers good brightness, the 4K panel surprises with its refresh rate of only 60 Hz and its lack of G-Sync compatibility. However, these functions are considered standard at this price point.

There remained the question of performance. The Core i9-11980KH engraved in 10 nm is expected at the turn, in particular accompanied by an RTX 3080 and a PCIe 4.0 SSD. And we must admit that Intel finally succeeds in picking up with AMD, performance is up 18% compared to the previous generation and comes just behind the Ryzen 5800HX. Heat dissipation is under control and noise pollution is limited as long as you are not playing. Autonomy in office automation comes in at 4:41 and refueling will require 2 hours.

The Aero 17 HDR is therefore a powerful machine and slightly behind its AMD equivalents. Its very rich connectivity, including ThunderBolt 4 and its well-calibrated screen make it a good choice, both for the player and for the user looking for a powerful machine for content creation. For more details, we advise you to read our test of the Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR.

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How do you choose the best gaming laptop?

What are the main criteria to take into account when choosing a gaming computer?

When embarking on the purchase of a gaming laptop PC, there are generally three points to watch out for.

  • The technical sheet to start

After decades of unchallenged domination, Intel has finally lost the performance crown! It is now AMD that offers the best CPUs both in terms of power and price. And if the majority of models on the market still offer Intel-based configurations, the best machines are to be found in the reds.

As for the graphics circuit, it is still Nvidia which dominates, with its very convincing brand new RTX 3000s. Be careful though: the brand offers GPUs with very varied performance under the same name ...

  • RAM and storage

For these components, aim for a minimum of 512 GB of SSD and 16 GB of RAM. Less than that, and you will quickly be cramped, especially with games that are becoming more and more comfortable. Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War thus takes the trifle of 125 GB on the hard drive. Fortunately, most of the machines selected here allow you to upgrade these two components quite easily and inexpensively.

  • The BOM screen

Choosing a 4K screen at 60Hz, if you want to play… that's not what you need. Especially if it has an entry-level graphics card. For now, favor a Full HD or QHD display with at least 120Hz refresh rate. If you want a versatile machine, the 4K screen is very comfortable, but it takes a lot of resources to play.

  • The connection then

If gaming laptops are "all-in-one" devices on which you can launch and play video games directly on them, the best is still to be able to connect an external screen or its own keyboard / mouse. And to do this, it is necessary to carefully monitor the connections. At a minimum, therefore check that an HDMI socket and USB type-A or type-C ports are present.

  • Our brand

In general, favor gaming laptops from major brands when shopping. Acer, Asus, MSI, Razer, Aorus are brands that we strongly recommend to you. Unknown brands are often much cheaper ... but also much less reliable and have a much less efficient after-sales service than the big players.

What price should you put in a good gaming PC?

The price of portable PCs dedicated to video games has fallen considerably in recent years. During the sale period, it is thus possible to find the first prices around 800 or 900 euros. There is no limit for the more expensive ones. A few years ago, Acer released a laptop PC with an SLI of 1080 exceeding $ 6000. That being said, here are the current price ranges:

  • The first prices are around 1000 euros. For that price, you often get decent datasheets with big processors and efficient graphics cards. But pay attention to the finishes and especially to the screens, which are the first to suffer from the compromises made by manufacturers.
  • The mid-range is generally between 1300 and 1800 euros. For that price, you get PCs with better screens and consistently strong setups. But, most of the time, it is a last-generation entry-level GPU. This year, for example, you will find the 3060 chip at this price.
  • The top of the range is around 2000 euros. We generally have the choice between ultra-thin machines and much thicker models that offer the best performance in the mobile world. Pay attention to the design of the chassis itself which can have a huge impact on performance. In the case of Nvidia GeForce RTX 3000s, beware of available options and overall performance.
What are the best gaming laptops in 2021? Everything you need to know before buying a laptop equipped with a GeForce RTX 3060, 3070 or 3080 What are the best gaming laptops in 2021? What are the best gaming laptops in 2021?

If you're about to buy a laptop with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 graphics chip: here's a must read before you crack!

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