7 Best Gaming Laptops (2023): From Cheap to Premium

WIRED’s review sample of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 came with the top specs available (i9-13980HX, RTX 4090) and it didn’t disappoint. This large-screened titan even destroys the impressive 16-inch M2 Max MacBook Pro (9/10, WIRED Recommends). Unsurprisingly, it’s a no contest on the gaming front, and, for creators, serious editing and production professionals will get better-sustained results with the Asus. The Strix Scar 18 does it with much less style and a far bigger chassis, but, if you’re power-hungry, this delivers.

At QHD Ultra settings in Apex Legends, you’ll almost max out this display at 225 fps, only requiring a few tweaks to hit the limit. Titles with a quality focus, like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, manage 122 fps at QHD Ultra—these are some seriously strong results.

The keyboard is expectedly excellent, with Asus offering the best gaming laptop keyboards for some time now, and there are plenty of ports. The 18.4-inch QHD 240-Hz panel is great for top-tier gaming and comes with a nice matte finish. The kicker is a very high price, starting at $2,499.

Specs to look for: Intel Core i9-13980HX processor, Nvidia RTX 4090 graphics card, 18-inch QHD display with a 240-Hz refresh rate

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