Gaming laptops are often the peak of laptop performance. They offer desktop PC-like specs (or sometimes even better than desktop PCs), in a compact package that comes at a competitive price. Gaming laptops can provide the user with a device with a sturdy build quality, great battery life, and amazing performance. Another thing that gaming laptops are known for are their designs. Generally, gaming laptops are characterized by their bold, flashy, and colorful designs. With LED RGB back-lit keyboards and shells that will remind you of alien spaceships (looking at you Alienware), gaming laptops are certainly not afraid to stand out amongst the crowd.
Now, let’s just say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Expanding on that, we’re not really sure if all beholders find the “exciting” designs of gaming laptops desirable. Maybe they want something understated, mature. Something they can bring into conference rooms without raising everyone’s eyebrows.
However, at the same time, they can’t compromise on performance and specs. If you’re one of those people and you’ve found yourself in this conundrum, this article will surely help you out.
In a hurry? Here are our top 3 picks for the best gaming laptop that doesn’t look like gaming laptops!
Best Overall
Budget Pick
Premium Pick
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Are Gaming Laptops Better Than Normal Laptops?
The answer to this question, like always, depends on the user. However, looking at things from a general perspective, we could say that yes, gaming laptops are better than normal laptops. This comparison works if we compare them on a technical level. Gaming laptops are designed to handle heavy and demanding tasks, they perform better and are more suited to manage large loads.
Gaming laptops’ CPUs (Central Processing Units) and GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) are specially designed and developed to take on heavy gaming and due to this, they can also handle CPU/GPU intensive tasks such as software development, 3D animation, graphic design, video editing, photo editing, etc. No matter what requirement you have, gaming laptops can meet your needs and they can do it effectively.
However, there are a couple of caveats to gaming laptops. These are their battery life and cost. Gaming laptops are notorious for getting low battery life and not lasting throughout the day. Regular laptops built for office/college use tend to last longer because they don’t have the high-end components that drain battery life quickly.
The next problem with gaming laptops is that they are usually priced very high. Paying a high price for a heavy-duty laptop doesn’t make sense if you don’t really need the fancy spec sheet. If all you require is a laptop that you can use MS office on, browse with or watch movies on, you’re better off with choosing a normal laptop that will not only come at a lower price, but will get you longer battery life.
Let’s go through some standard comparisons between gaming laptops and normal laptops. Gaming laptops are high-performance machines with large amounts of RAM and dedicated graphics cards that can handle heavy-duty work. On the other hand, normal laptops have processors that are made to work with basic and low-intensity tasks. Normal laptops also tend to use integrated graphics cards which don’t offer much in terms of graphics capabilities. The displays and speakers that gaming laptops come with are advanced and impressive.
Gaming laptops display crisp (sometimes 4K) images at a high refresh rate and the sound from their speakers goes up to high volumes without losing its quality. Whereas, with normal laptops, you get standard refresh rates and speakers. However, there are some normal laptops at higher price points that do feature high-quality sound and picture quality.
Read also: Gaming laptops with the best battery life
Are Gaming Laptops Good for Daily Use?
The answer to this question really comes down to your personal requirements. Gaming laptops can obviously easily handle any everyday task you throw at them, so that shouldn’t be much of a problem. I mean, if a laptop can handle Cyberpunk at 60fps, I’m pretty sure it can also handle watching Netflix and taking notes. The only problems you’re likely to face are portability and battery life.
Gaming laptops are notorious for being heavy and not lasting long enough. However, the laptops on this list are pretty light and slim, which will help with portability. Coming to the battery issue, as long as you’re not putting the laptop under a lot of load, the battery should last longer than it would while playing games. You could also carry around a spare battery to swap out whenever the first one runs out!
Reviewing The Top 7 Gaming Laptops
Now let’s take a close look at 7 of the best gaming laptops on the market right now that don’t really look like gaming laptops. We will be listing down the pros and cons of each laptop, along with some specs and details.
1. Razer Blade 15 Advanced Gaming Laptop – Best Overall
Kicking off the list, we have the Razer Blade 15 Advanced Gaming Laptop (2021). This is an update to last year’s Razer Blade 15 and has quite some improvements to take note of. We have chosen this laptop to be our best overall choice among all the laptops in this list. The reasons behind this decision become clear once you look at its configurations and details.
Specs
- RAM: (Up to) 32GB DDR4-2933MHz 16GBx2
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
- Display: 15 Inch FHD 360Hz or QHD 240Hz or 4K
- Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe
Why is this the best gaming laptop that doesn’t look like a gaming laptop?
If you have any doubts as to why we’ve chosen the Razer Blade 15 Advanced 2021 as our top pick, allow me to clear it up for you. For starters, the Razer Blade 15 Advanced 2021 ticks off our one main requirement. The laptop can’t look like a gaming laptop. Well, be rest assured, as this laptop certainly doesn’t look like a gaming laptop and goes for a low-key, understated design with a matte black exterior and the Razer logo proudly displayed on the back.
Apart from fulfilling our primary requirement, the laptop is also well specced and built to last. Despite being thin and light (for a gaming laptop), it consists of all the ports you could need, along with a Kensington lock. The full-size SD card reader in the laptop is another solid addition to the already attractive package. The laptop’s display is magnificent and the bezels on the sides are quite thin as well. All of these reasons, and many more, make the Razer Blade 15 Advanced 2021, our top pick for a gaming laptop that doesn’t look like a gaming laptop.
2. ASUS TUF Dash 15 – Budget Pick
Moving on, we get to the ASUS TUF Dash 15 (2021) which is our top budget pick for this list. If you’re on a budget and you need a no-nonsense, high-performance gaming laptop that isn’t too flashy, the ASUS TUF Dash 15 (2021) is the laptop for you.
Specs
- RAM: 8 GB DDR4 SDRAM
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 3050 Ti
- Display: 1920 x 1080p 144hz Refresh Rate
- Storage: 512 GB SSD
3. HP OMEN – Premium Pick
If money is no object for you, then this year’s HP Omen is our favorite gaming laptop that doesn’t look like a gaming laptop. It is a laptop that performs excellently and looks classy, having interesting, subtle design elements.
Specs
- RAM: 16 GB DDR DRAM
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
- Display: 1920 x 1080p 144hz Refresh Rate
- Storage: 512 GB SSD
4. Lenovo Legion 5
Next on our list is the Lenovo Legion 5. The Lenovo Legion 5 comes with a clean, mature design. They’ve ditched the light-up logo from the last generation for a more subtle look this year. To be honest, it does not look like a gaming laptop at all, which perfectly goes with our requirements. Its body is well built despite being plastic and is sturdy.
Specs
- RAM: 16 GB DDR4 SDRAM
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti
- Display: 1920 x 1080p 165hz Refresh Rate sRGB
- Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD
5. Asus ROG Zephyrus G14
Asus is known for offering great packages when it comes to tech. The same holds true for gaming laptops. The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a wonderful piece of technology, with incredible performance and a beautiful design at an approachable price.
Specs
- RAM: 16 GB DDR4 SDRAM
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
- Display: 1920 x 1080p 144hz Refresh Rate
- Storage: 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD
6. CyberpowerPC Tracer IV Slim
This might be the first time you’re hearing of CyberpowerPC, but don’t skip them just yet. They’re an American computer retailer who claim to be a global leader in custom gaming PCs, gaming laptops, etc. While relatively unknown, they offer awesome specs at highly competitive prices and are worth a fair shot. If you’re willing to compromise on other factors, for the specs, this laptop is priced very well and should definitely be considered.
Specs
- RAM: 16 GB DDR4 SDRAM
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060
- Display: 1920 x 1080p 144hz Refresh Rate
- Storage: 500GB PCI-E NVMe SSD
7. MSI Stealth 15M Gaming Laptop
Last, but certainly not the least, we arrive at the MSI Stealth 15M Gaming Laptop. A little fun fact: this is the thinnest laptop that MSI offers! The laptop really is slim and light, considering the screen size and performance on offer. The MSI Stealth 15M is great for gaming and content creation owing to its amazing performance and strong specs sheet.
Specs
- RAM: 16 GB DDR4 SDRAM
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
- Display: 1920 x 1080p 144hz Refresh Rate
- Storage: 512 GB SSD
How to Choose the Best Gaming Laptop That Doesn’t Look Like a Gaming Laptop?
To help you choose the best gaming laptop that doesn’t look like a gaming laptop, we’ve listed down some key points to go over while making your choice. Keep in mind that each point is subjective and how you see it should depend on your personal use and requirements and not what is considered to be good.
Design
As we’re looking for gaming laptops that don’t look like gaming laptops, the design should be a major priority. Try to stay away from flashy colors, lots of RGB, or crazy cuts, lines, and creases.
Processors
The processor, or the CPU, of your laptop is the main engine that will help you drive it. Getting the latest generation processors is a good idea as it will make sure that your laptop remains useful for the coming years and doesn’t become obsolete. As a minimum, look for an Intel Core i5-3570K or better in terms of CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 or AMD Radeon R9 290X or better in terms of a GPU. Anything lower would just not work in today’s time.
Portability
If you’re planning on using your laptop on the go, then make sure that it is light and comes with sufficient battery life. A weight of around 2.5-3 kgs and battery life of at least 4-5 hours are good expectations.
RAM and Storage
In terms of RAM, buying a laptop with less than 8GB of RAM would be redundant in 2023 and you should preferably get one with 16 gigs of RAM. 512 GB of SSD storage should be the starting point for storage.
Ports & Other Hardware
Look for HDMI ports, Thunderbolt 3 or 4, at least 1 USB type C port, 2 USB Type-A ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, an ethernet port, and a full-size SD card reader on your next laptop. As for hardware, get a feel of the laptop to ensure that it is sturdy and has a high-quality keyboard and speakers.
Conclusion
To sum up, there are plenty of options available for people who want a gaming laptop but don’t want the design of one.
The Razer Blade 15 Advanced is currently the best overall pick for a gaming laptop that doesn’t look like a laptop due to its design, performance, and high quality.
Using the following parameters will help you choose a gaming laptop that meets your needs:
- Design
- Processors
- Portability
- RAM and Storage
- Ports & Other Hardware
(5 votes, average: 4.60 out of 5)
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