Are you looking for an ultrabook, a middle ground between a notebook, top budget laptop, and the best gaming laptop money can buy? Most people consider ultrabooks to be 2-2.5 kg or 4.4-5.5 lbs heavy, and no more than 0.8 inches or 2 cm in thickness. These are also known as thin and light gaming laptops that don’t skimp out on performance or screen size. Therefore, you’ll find capable machines for mobile gaming at 13, 14, 15, and 17 inches of screen size in diameter. With that said, let’s get into the best gaming ultrabooks to pick.
1. ASUS ROG Flow X16
ASUS ROG Flow X16 sits at the top of our list of gaming ultrabooks in the 16-inch screen size range. It sports a mini LED backlight with 2560 x 1600 pixels of resolution, 165 Hz refresh rate, 16:10 aspect ratio, and 1100 nits of brightness. Users get an RTX 3070 Ti laptop GPU (a cheaper version sports RTX 3060), capable of delivering impressive video game and multimedia performance at only 125 W of TGP. Its AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS CPU (there are also versions with Ryzen 7 6800HS) handles all the processing tasks. ASUS ROG Flow X16 also ships with a 1 TB SSD and 32 GB of DDR5 RAM.
2. ASUS ROG Flow Z13
ASUS ROG FLOW Z13 landed a spot on our list of the most popular gaming tablets, but it’s a detachable 2-in-1 ultrabook laptop. It even has two similar versions to satisfy the interested user base. The aforementioned Z13 sports an Intel i9-12900H processor paired with an RTX 3050 Ti GPU. Its X13 version is a tad weaker than the one we mentioned above, and only uses AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX and an RTX 3050 Ti graphics card. The rest is identical—you get a 13.4-inch 120 Hz screen with a UXGA (1920×1200) resolution, 1 TB PCIe NVME SSD, and 16 GB of DDR5 RAM.
3. Razer Blade 14
Razer Blade 14 is a lightweight leader among 14-inch gaming ultrabooks. It packs quite a punch with its AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX CPU and an RTX 3070 Ti laptop GPU, paired with a 1024 GB PCIe SSD and 16 GB of 4800 MHz DDR5 RAM. You’re also getting a QHD (2560 x 1440) IPS FreeSync screen with a 165 Hz refresh rate. The ultrabook is extremely thin, only 0.66 inches, and built out of CNC aluminum with a high-quality anodized finish. Moreover, its outstanding vapor chamber design lets Razer Blade 14 stay cool during intense gaming sessions. There’s also a more expensive version with RTX 3080 Ti laptop graphics card.
4. ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14
You may be used to the specs that ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 delivers, starting with AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS CPU, 32 GB of RAM, and 1 TB of NVMe SSD. However, this one sports an AMD GPU, specifically AMD Radeon RX 6800S. There’s also a weaker version with AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS, 24 GB of RAM, and a graphics card from Nvidia—RTX 3060 6 GB. Both versions have an FHD (1920 x 1080 pixels) display with a 144 Hz refresh rate, ideal for gaming. ASUS may also bundle a GM mouse for free.
5. MSI Stealth GS66
Do you play first-person games or simply enjoy impeccable responsiveness? If the answer is yes to both, MSI GS66 Stealth will provide a satisfying experience with its 15.6” QHD (2560 x 1440) screen with a 240 Hz refresh rate, a 2.5 ms response time, and DCI-P3 color accuracy. The downside is that it only sports an older version of a processor, i7-11800H, and two sticks of 8 GB DDR4 3200 MHz RAM. On the upside, you get a 1 TB NVMe SSD paired with a laptop version of the RTX 3080 16 GDDR6 GPU.
6. Acer Predator Triton 500 SE
Acer’s answer to the competition’s offers is the 12th gen Intel i7-12700H CPU with 14 cores and 20 threads and RTX 3060 GPU. It’s also a tad bigger, at 16 inches of screen size, boasting a WQXGA (2560 x 1600) IPS LED G-SYNC compatible display with a 16:10 aspect ratio, 500 nits of brightness, and 240 Hz refresh rate. The manufacturer also lets you upgrade the built-in 16 GB of DDR5 memory up to 32 GB and the inbuilt 512 GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD. The ultrabook stays cool under high-performance thanks to its AeroBlade 3D Fan Technology paired with liquid metal on the CPU.
7. Acer Swift X14
If you’re seeking affordable gaming ultrabooks, consider Acer Swift X14, the top model under $1000 on our list. Acer Swift X14 brings a Ryzen 7 5800U processor paired with an Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU, 512 NVMe SSD, and a 16 GB LPDDR4X RAM module. There are also versions with Ryzen 7 5600U, Ryzen 7 5825U, and Ryzen 5 5600U if you’re on a strict budget. You get an FHD 1920 x 1080 pixels IPS LED 100% sRGB screen with 300 nits of brightness, so games look outstanding and color accurate.
8. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4
Lenovo released the fifth generation of their ThinkPad X1 Extreme series, but it costs upward of $6000! Therefore, the 4th generation of their 16-inch ultrabook series is a far more reasonable choice. It sports an i7-11850H CPU coupled with a GTX 3070 GPU, 512 GB of hard disk space, and 16 GB of RAM. However, its best feature is the 3840 x 2400 resolution screen, ideal for playing video games in 4K. Sadly, it’s in the same price range as Alienware X14 and isn’t for users who want a lower refresh rate.
9. Alienware X14
Although we are happy to say that Alienware X14 brandished the i7-12700H CPU we mentioned above, the value-for-money ratio isn’t all that great. Yes, you get an RTX 3060 GPU and 32 GB dual channel, 2 x 16 GB of DDR 5 RAM with up to 5200 MHz, and a 1 TB NVMe SSD. You’re also getting a full HD 144 Hz LCD screen. However, it shouldn’t cost as much as Razer Blade 14, yet deliver similar performance to ultrabooks that are $500 cheaper.
10. Dell XPS 15
Dell XPS 15 is not amazing, only coming with 512 GB of ROM, 16 GB of 3200 MHz DDR4 RAM, and an i7-11800H CPU working in tandem with RTX 3050. However, it’s a great choice among entry-level gaming ultrabooks, especially on sale. You’ll surely enjoy its Full HD (1920×1200) 500 nit 15.6-inch Infinity-Edge screen and its ultra-thin, sleek looks. It’s low-powered and ideal for casual gaming away from an outlet.