In this article, we’ll be reviewing the best gaming laptops under $2000 USD.
We decided on our recommendations by researching dozens of gaming laptops and comparing their hardware and specifications. We then ordered the final ten laptops to review in our own hands before returning them.
After much deliberation, we decided on Asus’s ROG Zephyrus-M as the best gaming laptop for under $2000.
The Rog Zephyrus-M is affordable and has squeezed some heavy hardware into such a sleek laptop. One terabyte SSD, Intel i7 processor, and an RTX 270 plus a whopping 16GB of DDR4 RAM make this laptop a seriously heavy hitter.
Read on to find out more about the Rog Zephyrus-M and our other top recommendations.
1. ROG Zephyrus M: Affordable
- CPU: 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750H
- RAM: 16GB DDR4
- GPU: 8GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
- Display: 15.6-inch, IPS Panel, 144hz, 3ms Full HD (1920x1080)
- Storage: 1 TB SSD
- Battery: 4 Hours
- Weight: 4.4lbs
Asus ROG Zephyrus M Gaming Laptop is ultra-portable and lightweight that combines powerful hardware and features, allowing you to play high-end games and reach impressive frame rates.
In terms of style, the ROG Zephyrus M has a sleek minimalist design, matte black, and a standard 15.6-inch display that keeps a classic aesthetic.
The 15.6 inch Full HD display with a 3ms Response time combined with a 144hz refresh rate puts this laptop on par with most premium monitors, 144hz means the display won’t bottleneck your hardware. We’re pleasantly surprised as most gaming laptops stick to lower refresh rates.
Although it’s a standard membrane keyboard, the keys are highly responsive and well-spaced, although it would have been a lot better if Asus opted for a mechanical keyboard instead.
Under the keys, ROG Aura RGB lighting lets you play with colors and allows you to work or game even in the dark without causing any distraction.
ROG Zephyrus is backed by the powerful 2.4Ghz Intel Core i7-9750H Hexa-Core Processor and features an 8GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q graphics card. The GPU and CPU can handle intensive creative software, and if you are into creative work, you can expect excellent performance with video editing, photo editing software. The ROG Zephyrus M laptop can handle high-end gaming easily and offer you a solid performance without low frames or lag.
Powerful speakers exude clear and loud music, adding more excitement to the atmosphere. But a dedicated 7.1 headphones is always preferred.
Armed with 16GB DDR4 RAM, the ROG Zephyrus M delivers an amazingly smooth experience and high frames, 16GB of Ram means there’s plenty of spare allocation while gaming if other processes are running in the background.
The only drawback and something to be expected from most gaming laptops is a short battery life which will lessen with time. Clocking in at four hours, it’s not ideal but to be expected when packing such powerful hardware.
Overall the ROG Zephyrus M is an excellent choice as a gaming laptop that won’t break the bank and comfortably comes in under $2000.
2. Acer Predator Triton 500
- CPU: 2.6Ghz (Up to 4.5GHz) 9th Generation Intel Core i7 9750H
- RAM: 16GB DDR4
- GPU: 6GB GeForce RTX 2060
- Display: 15.6-inch Full HD, 144Hz, 3ms IPS Display
- Storage: 512 GB SSD
- Battery: Up to 8 hours
- Weight: 4.63 lbs
Acer has done a stand-out job giving the Predator Triton 500 a thin, sleek and elegant aesthetic.
Acer Predator Triton features a 15.6 Full HD Display with a 144Hz refresh rate and 3ms Response Time. The screen features accurate colors and sharp images, making the visuals pop out from the screen. Featuring a 2.6Ghz (overclocked up to 4.5Ghz) Intel Core i7 9th Generation processor and a 6GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU, we found the Triton could handle any AAA titles with ease.
16GB DDR4 RAM is more than enough for modern PC games and we found we never utilized more than 8GB of RAM. The Predator Triton 500 is also VR Ready.
Along with immersive visual content, the powerful loudspeakers will keep you thrilled. Waves MAXXAudio technology delivers a powerful and immersive sound. The battery life of this device is one of the significant flaws since it does not go past 3-4 hours on a continuous run.
Excluding the battery life, the Acer Predator Triton 500 is worthy of a gaming laptop for under $2000.
3. MSI GP75 Leopard 10SFK-219: Best 240hz Gaming Laptop
- CPU: 2.6 Ghz 10th Generation Intel Core i7-10750H
- RAM: 16GB DDR4
- GPU: 8GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX2070
- Display: 17.3-inch FHD (1920x1080) 240Hz, 3ms, IPS Display
- Storage: 512 GB SSD
- Battery: Upto 4 hours
- Weight: 5.73 lbs
The MSI GP75 impressed us with its sleek design and array of heavy-hitting hardware. This gaming laptop comes with 17.3 inches Full HD display that supports a whopping 240hz Refresh Rate and 3ms Response time.
MSI’s GP75 runs on a 2.6Ghz Intel Core i7 10th Gen Processor and features 8GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX2070. This epic combination of CPU and GPU means frame rates are through the roof and fully utilised thanks to the 240hz refresh rate.
While we found the 512GB NVMe SSD quick for general use, games and applications loaded almost instantly. 512GB isn’t enough storage for many users since most major titles require around 40GB of ram. This means the GP75 has space for only ten major titles, which is unfortunate, seeing as many other aspects of this laptop are outstanding.
The MSI GP75 features a light metal build and a sturdy design, and for that reason, it can be stashed in your backpacks and can be carried around with ease. Holding it, we felt it was one of the more durable laptops that we reviewed.
The keyboard for the MSI GP75 gives minimal resistance and provides pleasant clicky feedback. The keys are incredibly responsive, precise, and accurate – making your typing work less prone to error, but also a pleasure to use every time you sit down with this laptop.
Lastly, powerful speakers deliver rich and high-resolution audio, adding a new immersion level that most laptops speakers do not include.
MSI’s GS75 Leopard rises to be one of the best gaming laptops under $2000, featuring all the essential hardware, a no-frills design, and of course, the epic 144hz display.
4. Omen by HP
- CPU: 2.6 Ghz 9th Generation Intel Core i7-9750h
- RAM: 16GB DDR4
- GPU: 8GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX2070
- Display: 17.3-inch FHD (1920x1080) 144Hz, 3ms, IPS Display
- Storage: 512 GB SSD
- Battery: Upto 5.5 hours
- Weight: 6.43 lbs
HP’s Omen gaming Laptop features a 17-inch screen, which is significantly smaller than our other recommendations, so we only recommend this laptop if you’re looking for something compact that you’ll travel with frequently.
Seventeen inches of IPS Display provides an immersive gaming experience and excellent visuals. This laptop is G-Synch compatible so expect no lag or stuttering. The screen has an edge-to-edge display and a refresh rate of 144hz.
Powered by a 2.6Ghz Intel i7 9th Generation Processor that can handle and let you play all the latest games without sacrificing any performance. Not to mention the 16GB DDR4 RAMand two more accessible Memory Slots if 16GB isn’t enough for you. The 8GB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX2070, is a heavy hitter of a graphics card and is more than enough to handle modern games at over 100FPS.
Besides the features and hardware, Omen has done a great job by providing a snappy and responsive keyboard. The keys are incredibly responsive, and while they’re just using a standard mesh membrane under the keys, it feels very similar to a mechanical keyboard. The 26 keys rollover feature is a huge bonus. The keyboard will register multiple commands simultaneously, ideal for MOBA-style games and fps shooters.
Omen command center lets you control the CPU, potentially overclocking it so you can squeeze every drop of extra performance.
And lastly, on a single charge, you can continuously play games for up to 5 hours with the Omen.
All this considered, HP’s Omen has set the benchmark for a compact, very affordable, and lightweight laptop with some of the most powerful computer hardware.
5. Razer Blade 15 Base: Portable & Great Battery Life
- CPU: 2.6Ghz 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750
- RAM: 16GB DDR4
- GPU: 6GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
- Display: 15.6-inch Full HD 144Hz Display
- Storage: 512 GB SSD
- Battery: Upto 6 hours
- Weight: 4.7lbs
Razer Blade’s 15 Base Gaming Laptop is one of the most sought-after these days, thanks to its portable design and powerful hardware.
The Razer Blade 15 Base is armed with the 2.6Ghz 10th Generation Intel Core i7 processor and 6GB GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design that brings out the cinematic visuals on the screen and eliminates any lag for ultimate performance. In terms of display, the Razer Blade features a 15.6 inches of Full HD display with a 144Hz Refresh Rate that gives you a smooth and stutter-free picture.
This powerful gaming laptop from Razer features an expandable 16GB 2933MHz dual-channel RAM and can keep up with multiple projects working in the background. For storage, the Razor Blade comes with 512GB SSD, which is lightning fast although inadequate for some users, and a full terabyte would have been prefered.
The Razer Blade includes a Type C Port, Type A Port, HDMI, and more. The keyboard is pretty decent while we are at it, and the keys are snappy and responsive. The touchpad of the device is smooth and was always a pleasure to use.
Razer has done a tremendous job by including powerful speakers. The audio is immersive, clear, and loud.
The battery life of this laptop is around 5 hours 30 minutes which is a standard length of time for most gaming laptops.
Overall the Razer Blade 15 Base is an excellent choice for a portable gaming laptop that costs just shy of $2000.
6. Dell Alienware M15 R4: Latest 2021 Model
- CPU: 10th Gen Intel Core i7-108700H
- RAM: 16GB 2933MHz DDR4
- GPU: 8GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 GDDR6
- Display: 15.6-inch Full HD 300hz 3ms Display
- Storage: 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD
- Battery: Upto 4 hours
- Weight: 5.5lbs
Dell’s Alienware M15 R4 features a 15.6 inches Full HD display with a 300Hz refresh rate. At 300hz, the refresh is a little overkill, and 200hz would have been more than enough, but it’s nice to see Alienware going above and beyond with the M15. Also, the display boasts a brightness of 300nits, which delivers stunning picture quality.
Alienware’s M13 R3 gaming laptop is powered by the 10th Generation Intel Core i7 108700H processor, overclocked to a full 5.0 GHz for enhanced performance. The M15 R4 comes with 16GB DDR4 RAM and 1TB SSD, which is standard in this price bracket. One terabyte of storage is the sweet spot for gaming laptops,’ and it’s good to see Alienware has included it.
An 8GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 GPU has no trouble rendering modern AAA titles at well over 100 frames per song. Things like Ray-tracing can easily be handled by RTX 3070. We found Graphic-intensified titles with this GPU are smooth and performed very easily.
There was never a problem playing popular titles such as Fortnite, Far Cry, COD, The Last of Us Part II, GTA V, and to name a few others. These games are very demanding, which the M15 R4 handled perfectly.
In terms of port, you’re looking at SuperSpeed USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A, HDMI 2.0b with HDCP 2.2 Output, Mini-Display Port 1.4 Output, Thunderbolt 3 Port, Killer Networks E3000 Gigabit Ethernet NIC, and various audio Outputs. The port’s positioning, especially on Alienware gaming laptops, is convenient, and you can easily connect cables without really bothering your desk setup.
As far as battery life is concerned, gaming laptops usually lag. Alienware’s M15 R4 laptop can run for around 3-4 hours. But this is not the deal-breaker as you already know that no gaming laptops can usually last longer than five hours.
The Alienware M15 R4 is considered a beast given the hardware it’s packing, and at just under $2000 it’s worth considering.
7. Sager NP8358F2: Hidden Gem
- CPU: 2.3 Ghz 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10875H
- RAM: 16GB DDR4
- GPU: 8GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER
- Display: 15.6-inch Thin Bezel Full HD 144Hz
- Storage: 1 TB SSD
- Battery: Upto 4 hours
- Weight: 5.51 lbs
The Sager NP8358F2 has got all the bells and whistles you would expect in an elite gaming laptop. From a full HD screen to a powerful Processor and everything in between.
Sager NP8358F2 comes with a 15’6 inch Full HD display and a 144hz Refresh Rate for an immersive experience that utilises every frame. Sager has done an excellent job by incorporating a powerful Processor, the 2.3Ghz 10th Gen Intel Core i7 can handle high-end gaming with out a hitch. Not just that, Sager’s NP8358F2 is equipped with NVIDIA’s most advanced 8GB GDDR6 RTX 2070 Super GPU for a smooth and fluid gaming session.
With 16GB DDR4 2933MHz RAM and 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD, you can expect the most smooth gaming performance. A 1TB SSD is more than enough storage for storing multiple gaming titles and other data or files. Sager added quality speakers that are loud, clear, and perfect for a medium-sized room.
The Sager NP8358F2 features a responsive keyboard, and the keys do not require high actuation force. The keys have proper space among them, and the Single-Zone Multicolor illumination Zone does an excellent job of lighting the keyboard so you can game in the dark.
It won’t be wrong to say that the device is a wolf in sheep’s clothing and delivers outstanding performance without screen-tearing or stutter images. One of the best gaming laptops under $2000.
8. ASUS ROG Strix G17
- CPU: 2.6 Ghz 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750H
- RAM: 16GB DDR4
- GPU: 8GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070
- Display: 17.3-inch 144Hz, 3ms, Full HD 1920x1080, IPS Display
- Storage: 512 GB SSD
- Battery: Upto 4 hours
- Weight: 6.28 lbs
Asus’s Rog Strix houses a 2.6Ghz 10th Generation Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and a powerful 8GB GDDR6 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 GPU to render ultimate performance for the serious gamers out there.
This gaming laptop features a Full HD 17-inch IPS Panel display with 3ms Response Time and 144Hz Refresh Rate. Providing accurate colors, sharp images, and bright visuals to pull you inside the world of entertainment. We were pretty surprised Asus has managed to replicate the specs of a $1000 monitor in a laptop that costs under $2000.
The ROG Strix G17 also comes with a ROG Aura Sync Keyboard and an RGB bar at the laptop’s bottom, giving a pleasant ambiance.
Asus Rog Strix G17 features Rog’s Intelligent Cooling Technology to keep hardware properly cooled, extending the laptop’s lifespan and improving performance. A well-ventilated exterior keeps noise lower than most standard gaming laptops and once more enhances ventilation.
9. Razer Blade Stealth 13: Portable & Powerful
- CPU: 1.3 Ghz (turbo boost upto 3.9 Ghz) 10th Gen Intel Core i7-1065G7
- RAM: 16GB DDR4
- GPU: 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q
- Display: 13.3-inch Full HD 60Hz matte display
- Storage: 512 GB SSD
- Battery: Upto 8 hours
- Weight: 3.13 lbs
Razer’s Blade Stealth features a 13 inch full HD Display, a new rate of 60hz, and a response time of 1ms. I do admit a 60hz response time leaves something to be desired. It’s not ideal but also remember the Blade Stealth is one of the more affordable gaming laptops under $2000.
Razer’s Blade Stealth 13 is armed with an Intel Core i7 10th Gen Processor and 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q for proper gaming performance. It also contains 16GB of DDR4 RAM and 512GB SSD.
A 512GB SSD might be insufficient for most users, and a terabyte would make a world of difference. The Blade Stealth 13 supports Windows Hello instant facial unlock authentication with an integrated webcam and IR sensor.
Featuring a futuristic design thanks to the inclusion of Thunderbolt 3, you can use it to connect Razer Core x External GPU enclosures or external SSD. Razer’s Blade Stealth 13 features an ultra-portable design which means you can stash it in your backpack and game on the go.
With a battery life of 5 hours, it’s a pretty standard length of time and what’s expected from these types of laptops.
10. Gigabyte AERO 15 Classic
- CPU: 2.6 Ghz (turbo boost upto 4.5 Ghz) 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750h
- RAM: 16GB DDR4
- GPU: 6GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060
- Display: 15.3-inch LG 144Hz Full HD 1920x1080 IPS Anti-Glare display
- Storage: 512 GB SSD
- Battery: Upto 9 hours
- Weight: 4.49 Ibs
Gigabyte’s AERO 15 boasts hardcore components and strong battery life to keep you glued to your gaming chair.
Gigabyte AERO features LG’s 15 inches IPS Anti-Glare Full HD Display. The display comes with 5ms Response Time and an ultra-fast 144Hz Refresh rate to offer you an unprecedented experience while playing high-end and fast action games.
Packed with 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750h processor and 6GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 GPU, 16GB DDR4 Ram and 512GB Intel 760P SSD, the gaming laptop steals the spotlight given the price coming just under $2000.
For once, there’s a gaming laptop with a powerful battery, lasting a total of 9 hours on a single charge. Also, if we talk about audio and sound, AERO has introduced a virtual 7.1 surround sound system that features NAHIMIC 3 sound technology.
Gigabyte AERO 15 is equipped with Thunderbolt 3 that lets you achieve a transfer speed of up to 40GBPS. Precision control is the forte of this gaming laptop, and you can explore more functionality with this precision touchpad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some of the answers to your questions that might be arising inside you before you finally chose the best gaming laptop for you.
Should I get 144hz or 240hz gaming laptop?
A 240hz refresh rate is going to be superior. It offers you the smoothest gameplay, but that’s only your frames hit 240 a second. Most gamers will not notice the difference between 144hz and 240hz, maybe for more competitive players. If you’re playing highly competitive online games that require snappy response times, games such as CSGO or League of Legends, that we would recommend a 240hz monitor.
But for RPGs or role-playing games, 120 hz is fine.
Why do gaming laptops have a poor battery life?
Gaming Laptops are equipped with demanding hardware to be able to perform for modern titles. 8-core processor, heavy GPU, and other equipment like a backlit keyboard, trackpad, and speakers. All require a lot of power. On top of that, to keep the system cool, there is an ever-running cooling system that also requires power.
In that case, equipping a gaming laptop with a practical battery that’s compact and also offers portable is a real challenge.
At the moment I have Razer Blade 15 and I am happy that you put it in your top three list. The laptop is working absolutely fine for me even when I am playing the most demanding games like cyberpunk 2077. The best thing about this laptop is the battery time along with its awesome thin bezel display.