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 | ||
|---|---|---|
| BODY | Weight | 1.78 kg / 3.92 lbs 1.84 kg / 4.05 lbs |
| Color | Black, 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 SYSTEM | Windows 11 Home | |
| DISPLAY | 14-inch FHD 144Hz, 1920 x 1080 or 14-inch QHD 165Hz, 2560 x 1440 or 14-inch QHD+ 240Hz, 2560 x 1600 | |
| HARDWARE | Processor | AMD 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) |
|
| RAM | 16 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 Slots | 2 | |
| STORAGE | 1TB SSD (M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4) | |
| INPUTS | Web Camera | Windows® Hello built-in IR FHD webcam (1080p) with Privacy Shutter |
| Pointer Device | Precision glass touchpad | |
| Speakers | Built-in stereo speakers | |
| PORTS AND SLOTS | USB Ports | 2 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 Port | HDMI 2.1 | |
| Headphone and Mic Combo Jack | Yes | |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | MUX 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 Date | 1st June 2023 | |
| BODY | Series | Legion Pro |
| Weight | 2.8 kg | |
| Size | 363.4 mm or 14.33” | |
| Dimensions (mm) | 262.00 x 363.40 x 25.90 | |
| OPERATING SYSTEM | Windows 11 Home 64 | |
| DISPLAY | 16-inch, QHD 2560 x 1600 px IPS, 16:10, non-touch, matte 240 Hz 3ms response, VRR support 500-nits, 100% sRGB, Pantone certified |
|
| HARDWARE | Processor | AMD Phoenix Ryzen 9 7000, up to Ryzen 9 7945HX 16C/32T |
| GPU | Radeon + RTX 4000 graphics, up to RTX 4090 16GB 175W with MUX, Advanced Optimus, GSync support |
|
| RAM | up to 64 GB DDR5-6000 OC | |
| RAM Slots | 2 | |
| STORAGE | 1TB SSD | |
| Pointer Device | Touchpad | |
| Speakers | 2 Speakers | |
| PORTS AND SLOTS | USB Ports | 1x 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 Port | HDMI 2.1 | |
| Headphone and Mic Combo Jack | Yes |
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 | ||
|---|---|---|
| BODY | Weight | 2.36 kg |
| Color | Shadow Black | |
| Dimensions (mm) | 38.2 x 25.3 x 2.45 cm | |
| OPERATING SYSTEM | Windows 11 Home | |
| DISPLAY | 39.6 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 |
|
| HARDWARE | Processor | Up 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 |
| GPU | Up 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 |
|
| RAM | Up to 16 GB DDR4-3200 MHz RAM (2 x 8 GB) | |
| RAM Slots | 2 | |
| STORAGE | Up to a 1 TB PCIe® Gen4 NVMe™ TLC M.2 SSD | |
| INPUTS | Web Camera | 720p HD web camera |
| Speakers | Audio by B&O with dual speakers | |
| PORTS AND SLOTS | USB Ports | 1 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 Port | HDMI 2.1 | |
| Headphone and Mic Combo Jack | Yes | |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | 1 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
| BODY | Weight | 1.65 Kg (3.64 lbs) |
| Color | metallic 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 SYSTEM | Windows 10 | |
| DISPLAY | ROG 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 |
|
| HARDWARE | Processor | AMD Ryzen™ 9 6900HS Mobile Processor (8-core/16-thread, 16MB cache, up to 4.9 GHz max boost) |
| GPU | AMD Radeon™ RX 6800S ROG Boost: up to 105W(SmartShift) 8GB GDDR6 |
|
| RAM | 16GB DDR5 on board 16GB DDR5-4800 SO-DIMM Max Capacity: 32GB Support dual channel memory |
|
| RAM Slots | 2 | |
| STORAGE | 1TB PCIe® 4.0 NVMe™ M.2 SSD | |
| KEYBOARD AND TOUCHPAD | Backlit Chiclet Keyboard 1-Zone RGB Touchpad |
|
| AUDIO | Smart 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 SLOTS | 1x 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 COMMUNICATION | Wi-Fi 6E(802.11ax) (Triple band) 2*2 + Bluetooth® 5.3 Wireless Card (*Bluetooth® version may change with OS version different.) | |
| BATTERY | 76WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion | |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Web Camera | 720P 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
| BODY | Weight | 2 Kg |
| Color | Eclipse Grey, Moonlight White | |
| Dimensions (mm) | 252.00 x 360.00 x 19.90 mm | |
| OPERATING SYSTEM | Windows 11 Home Windows 11 Pro |
|
| DISPLAY | 15.6-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 |
|
| HARDWARE | Processor | 12th 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) |
| GPU | NVIDIA® 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) |
|
| RAM | 8GB 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 Slots | 2 | |
| STORAGE | 512GB M.2 NVMe™ PCIe® 3.0 SSD 1TB M.2 NVMe™ PCIe® 3.0 SSD |
|
| KEYBOARD AND TOUCHPAD | Backlit Chiclet Keyboard Touchpad |
|
| AUDIO | Dolby Atmos AI noise-canceling technology Hi-Res certification Built-in array microphone 2-speaker system |
|
| PORTS AND SLOTS | 1x 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 COMMUNICATION | Wi-Fi 6(802.11ax)+Bluetooth 5.2 (Dual band) 2*2;(*BT version may change with OS upgrades.) | |
| BATTERY | 76WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion | |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Web Camera | 720P HD camera |
| Kensington Security Slot™ |
