Best Gaming Laptops Of 2023

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best gaming laptops 2023

Gaming culture has experienced significant growth in Kenya and Africa at large in the past decade. Youth today have come to realize the possibility of gaming as more than a fun hobby and are now actively perusing it as a career. A couple of years ago this would have seemed utterly absurd if you asked most people.

Naturally, gaming laptops have found their place in the Kenyan market from the new found gaming popularity among the youth.

Here are my top 5 gaming laptops for 2023.

RAZOR BLADE 14

The Razor Blade 14 is without doubt the best 14 inch laptop to come out of the Razor factory till date. It comes in a sleek compact minimalistic form factor that wouldn’t look out of place in any professional office.

Powering this beast is the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS which boasts hyperthreading and overclocking abilities paired with the latest Nvidia 4000 series graphics card.

Additionally you get a 14-inch QHD 165Hz, (2560 x 1440) resolution screen, 16GB DDR5 RAM, up to 1TB m.2 NVME SSD and a 1080p camera with a privacy shutter.

RAZOR BLADE 14 SPECIFICATIONS
BODYWeight1.78 kg / 3.92 lbs
1.84 kg / 4.05 lbs
ColorBlack, Mercury, Quartz
Dimensions (mm)16.8 mm x 220 mm x 319.7 mm
0.66” x 8.66” x 12.59”
17.99 mm x 228 mm x 310.7 mm
0.70” x 8.97” x 12.23”
OPERATING SYSTEMWindows 11 Home
DISPLAY14-inch FHD 144Hz, 1920 x 1080 or 14-inch QHD 165Hz, 2560 x 1440 or 14-inch QHD+ 240Hz, 2560 x 1600
HARDWAREProcessorAMD Ryzen™ 9 6900HX Processor (8-Cores /16-Threads, 20MB Cache, Up to 4.9 GHz max boost) with Radeon™ 680M Graphics
AMD Ryzen™ 9 7940HS Processor (8-Cores /16-Threads, 16MB L3 Cache, Up to 5.2 GHz max boost) with Radeon™ 780M Graphics
GPU
NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 (6GB GDDR6 VRAM)
NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3070 Ti (8GB GDDR6 VRAM)
NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080 Ti (16GB GDDR6 VRAM)
NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4060 (8GB GDDR6 VRAM)
NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4070 (8GB GDDR6 VRAM)
RAM16 GB DDR5-4800 MHz (Fixed Onboard)
16 GB DDR5-5600 MHz (2 x 8 GB - Slotted), upgradable to 64 GB
32 GB DDR5-5600 MHz (2 x 16 GB - Slotted), upgradable to 64 GB
RAM Slots2
STORAGE1TB SSD (M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4)
INPUTSWeb CameraWindows® Hello built-in IR FHD webcam (1080p) with Privacy Shutter
Pointer DevicePrecision glass touchpad
SpeakersBuilt-in stereo speakers
PORTS AND SLOTSUSB Ports2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A Ports
2 x USB 4 Type-C with Power Delivery and Display Port 1.4
Charging supported with 20V USB-C chargers with PD 3.0
*Upgrade available to USB4*
HDMI PortHDMI 2.1
Headphone and Mic Combo JackYes
ADDITIONAL FEATURESMUX switch
Kensington™ Security Slot

LENOVO LEGION 7

Design wise, the Lenovo legion 7 hasn’t changed much from last years model. It comes in storm gray aluminum chassis with a hard plastic interior. Its per-key RGB keyboard coupled with the RGB light strip on the front edge chassis give the laptop a beautiful gamer aesthetic. Alone, the laptops weighs 2kg and 3kg when paired with the laptop charger.

The Lenovo legion 7 comes with a 16 inch, 165 HZ screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio and (2560*1600) resolution. Additionally, the screen has a 98.1% sRGB and a 73.4% DCI-P3 score.

When it comes to raw power the Lenovo legion 7 doesn’t disappoint. The AMD phoenix Ryzen 9 7000 processor can easily handle any task you throw at it. You also gets the latest Nvidia and Radeon graphics giving you the best gaming performance.

LENOVO LEGION 7 SPECIFICATIONS
Launch Date1st June 2023
BODYSeriesLegion Pro
Weight 2.8 kg
Size363.4 mm or 14.33”
Dimensions (mm)262.00 x 363.40 x 25.90
OPERATING SYSTEM Windows 11 Home 64
DISPLAY16-inch, QHD 2560 x 1600 px IPS, 16:10, non-touch, matte
240 Hz 3ms response, VRR support
500-nits, 100% sRGB, Pantone certified
HARDWAREProcessorAMD Phoenix Ryzen 9 7000,
up to Ryzen 9 7945HX 16C/32T
GPURadeon + RTX 4000 graphics, up to RTX 4090 16GB 175W
with MUX, Advanced Optimus, GSync support
RAMup to 64 GB DDR5-6000 OC
RAM Slots2
STORAGE1TB SSD
Pointer DeviceTouchpad
Speakers2 Speakers
PORTS AND SLOTSUSB Ports1x USB-C 3.2 gen 2, 1x USB-A gen 1,1x USB-A 3.2 gen1, 2x USB-A gen1, 1x USB-C gen2
HDMI PortHDMI 2.1
Headphone and Mic Combo JackYes

HP OMEN 15

Widely considered one of the best budget gaming laptops today, the HP omen 15 finds the perfect balance between price and performance. It comes in an all plastic chassis with brushed metal around its edges. The beautiful matte black finish on the HP OMEN 15 is seemingly immune to fingerprints and smudges. It has some flex on its screen and keyboard but that’s expected given its relatively cheap price compared to other gaming laptops.

The laptop comes in a (1920*1080) FHD IPS panel with a 100% sRGB scores.

Powering the laptop is a  Core™ i7-12700H processor paired with up to a 75W TGP Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 TI with 4 GB DDR6 VRAM.

Additionally the laptop can keep itself incredibly cool but its fans on the other hand get very loud.

The inclusion of the OMEN gaming hub makes it much easier and faster for gamers to tweak and optimize their settings.

HP OMEN 15 SPECIFICATIONS
BODYWeight2.36 kg
Color ‎Shadow Black
Dimensions (mm)38.2 x 25.3 x 2.45 cm
OPERATING SYSTEMWindows 11 Home
DISPLAY39.6 cm (15.6") diagonal anti-glare, micro-edge display

Up to an IPS display

With TUV + Eyesafe, Low Blue Light, 300 nits brightness and 100% sRGB options

Up to FHD (1920 x 1080) resolution

Up to 144 Hz refresh rate
HARDWAREProcessorUp to an Intel® Core™ i7-12700H processor (up to 4.7 GHz with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology(2g), 24 MB L3 cache, 14 cores, 20 threads)1
GPUUp to 75W TGP WITH NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3050 Ti Laptop graphics (4 GB GDDR6 dedicated) with DLSS, Ray Tracing, and Max-Q technologies.

Includes the following NVIDIA Max-Q technology:

Dynamic Boost

Battery Boost

Rapid Core Scaling

CPU Optimizer

Resizable BAR

Optimal Playable Settings
RAMUp to 16 GB DDR4-3200 MHz RAM (2 x 8 GB)
RAM Slots2
STORAGEUp to a 1 TB PCIe® Gen4 NVMe™ TLC M.2 SSD
INPUTSWeb Camera720p HD web camera
SpeakersAudio by B&O with dual speakers
PORTS AND SLOTSUSB Ports1 SuperSpeed USB Type-C® 5Gbps signaling rate (DisplayPort™ 1.4, HP Sleep and Charge)4

1 SuperSpeed USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate (HP Sleep and Charge)4
1 SuperSpeed USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate4
HDMI PortHDMI 2.1
Headphone and Mic Combo JackYes
ADDITIONAL FEATURES1 multi-format SD media card reader

ASUS ROG ZEPHYRUS G14

The Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 is another beautiful lightweight and compact 14 inch gaming laptop. Its chassis is made out of an aluminum -magnesium alloy which makes the laptop very durable. Additionally, this years model includes a 720p web camera and the customizable anime matrix led.

For the screen we get a 16:10 aspect ratio (2560 x 1600) QHD+ panel with 120HZ refresh rate and 3ms response time which is perfect for playing fast pace shooters like fortnite.

As for the CPU and GPU we get an all AMD package which includes the AMD Ryzen™ 9 6900HS mobile processor paired with an AMD Radeon RX 6800s graphics card with a max 105 TGP. Additionally, due to having an all AMD chipset, you get the AMD smartshift max whereby the CPU and GPU can transfer power to each other depending on the task being performed thus increasing your system efficiency.

ASUS ROG ZEPHYRUS G14 SPECIFICATIONS
BODYWeight1.65 Kg (3.64 lbs)
Colormetallic Eclipse Gray or pearlescent Moonlight White
Dimensions (mm)31.2 x 22.7 x 1.85 ~ 1.85 cm (12.28" x 8.94" x 0.73" ~ 0.73")
OPERATING SYSTEMWindows 10
DISPLAYROG Nebula Display
14-inch
QHD+ 16:10 (2560 x 1600, WQXGA)
IPS-level
Anti-glare display
DCI-P3:
100%
Refresh Rate:
120Hz
Response Time:
3ms
Adaptive-Sync
Pantone Validated
MUX Switch
Support Dolby Vision HDR :
Yes
HARDWAREProcessorAMD Ryzen™ 9 6900HS Mobile Processor (8-core/16-thread, 16MB cache, up to 4.9 GHz max boost)
GPUAMD Radeon™ RX 6800S
ROG Boost: up to 105W(SmartShift)
8GB GDDR6
RAM16GB DDR5 on board
16GB DDR5-4800 SO-DIMM
Max Capacity:
32GB
Support dual channel memory
RAM Slots2
STORAGE1TB PCIe® 4.0 NVMe™ M.2 SSD
KEYBOARD AND TOUCHPADBacklit Chiclet Keyboard 1-Zone RGB
Touchpad
AUDIOSmart Amp Technology
Dolby Atmos
AI noise-canceling technology
Hi-Res certification
Built-in 3-microphone array
4-speaker system with Smart Amplifier Technology
PORTS AND SLOTS1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack
1x HDMI 2.0b
2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A
1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C support DisplayPort™
1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C support DisplayPort™ / power delivery
1x card reader (microSD) (UHS-II)
NETWORK AND COMMUNICATIONWi-Fi 6E(802.11ax) (Triple band) 2*2 + Bluetooth® 5.3 Wireless Card (*Bluetooth® version may change with OS version different.)
BATTERY76WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion
ADDITIONAL FEATURESWeb Camera720P HD IR Camera for Windows Hello

ASUS TUF DASH F15

The Asus tuf dash f15 is a beautiful thin and light 15.6 inch gaming laptop. It’s chassis comes with an aluminum top and plastic bottom.

It comes in a (1920 x 1080) 144HZ IPS screen for the basic model but you can get a better screen on the more expensive fully specced out models. Additionally, the laptop screen has very thin bezels which adds to its already great aesthetics.

The Asus tuf dash f15 comes with the 12th Gen intel Core i7-12650h CPU paired with Nvidia’s RTX 3000 series GPU’s giving you great gaming performance. Additionally you get 16GB DDR5 RAM and up to 1TB SSD storage.

ASUS TUF DASH F15 SPECIFICATION
BODYWeight2 Kg
ColorEclipse Grey, Moonlight White
Dimensions (mm)252.00 x 360.00 x 19.90 mm
OPERATING SYSTEMWindows 11 Home
Windows 11 Pro
DISPLAY15.6-inch, FHD (1920 x 1080) 16:9, anti-glare display, sRGB:62.5%, Adobe:47.34%, Refresh Rate:144Hz, IPS-level, Adaptive-Sync, MUX Switch + Optimus
15.6-inch, WQHD (2560 x 1440) 16:9, anti-glare display, DCI-P3:100, Refresh Rate:165Hz, Response Time:3ms, IPS-level, Adaptive-Sync, MUX Switch + Optimus
15.6-inch, FHD (1920 x 1080) 16:9, anti-glare display, sRGB:100%, Adobe:75.35%, Refresh Rate:300Hz, IPS-level, Adaptive-Sync, MUX Switch + Optimus
HARDWAREProcessor12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-12650H Processor 2.3 GHz (24M Cache, up to 4.7 GHz, 10 cores: 6 P-cores and 4 E-cores)
12th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-12450H Processor 2 GHz (12M Cache, up to 4.4 GHz, 8 cores: 4 P-cores and 4 E-cores)
GPUNVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3070 Laptop GPU
1340MHz* at 105W (1290MHz Boost Clock+50MHz OC, 80W+25W Dynamic Boost)
NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 Laptop GPU
1452MHz* at 105W (1402MHz Boost Clock+50MHz OC, 80W+25W Dynamic Boost)
NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3050 Ti Laptop GPU
1535MHz* at 75W (1485MHz Boost Clock+50MHz OC, 60W+15W Dynamic Boost)
NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3050 Laptop GPU
1550MHz* at 75W (1500MHz Boost Clock+50MHz OC, 60W+15W Dynamic Boost)
RAM8GB DDR5-4800, SO-DIMM x 2 slot, Max Capacity: 32GB
16GB DDR5-4800, SO-DIMM x 2 slot, Max Capacity: 32GB
Support dual channel memory
RAM Slots2
STORAGE512GB M.2 NVMe™ PCIe® 3.0 SSD
1TB M.2 NVMe™ PCIe® 3.0 SSD
KEYBOARD AND TOUCHPADBacklit Chiclet Keyboard
Touchpad
AUDIODolby Atmos
AI noise-canceling technology
Hi-Res certification
Built-in array microphone
2-speaker system
PORTS AND SLOTS1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack
1x HDMI 2.0b
1x Thunderbolt™ 4 support DisplayPort™
1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C support DisplayPort™ / power delivery / G-SYNC
2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A
1x RJ45 LAN port
NETWORK AND COMMUNICATIONWi-Fi 6(802.11ax)+Bluetooth 5.2 (Dual band) 2*2;(*BT version may change with OS upgrades.)
BATTERY76WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion
ADDITIONAL FEATURESWeb Camera720P HD camera
Kensington Security Slot™
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