For hardcore gamers, there’s nothing more important than displays with high refresh rates. Screens like these were only accessible to monitors up until a few years ago. Today, you’re seeing gaming laptops with refresh rates that match some of the best monitors out there.
What does a high refresh rate mean for a gamer though?
- Faster and smoother visuals
- Lesser graphic tears during gameplay and cinematics
- In-game character movement is a lot snappier
Combine this high refresh rate with a high end graphics card, and you’ll get a gaming experience unlike any other. If you think high FPS gaming is not possible with gaming laptops or even mini ITX builds, you’ve thought wrong.
Today, we’re looking at the best 144Hz gaming laptops, ranging from the compact 14″ to the large and in charge 17″. We’ve done hours of research and curated 13 powerful gaming laptops that offer 144hz refresh rate. These laptop can play the latest games and let you do video editing without breaking a sweat all thanks to the high end GPUs installed.
Lenovo Legion 7i 16.0″
King of the 144Hz Refresh Rate Gaming Laptop
Specs at a glance:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-10750H
- RAM: 16GB RAM
- STORAGE: 1TB SSD
- GPU: RTX 2060 6GB GDDR6
Probably one of the best 144hz gaming laptops in this list is the Lenovo Legion 7i, and it shows. The laptop’s size is just as impressive as the hardware underneath. A 16-inch display compbined with an RTX 2060 should let you play most games at high settings.
There’s a bit of thickness and heftiness to this laptop, measuring at 0.92×14.2×10.2 inches (HWD) with a weight of 5.5lbs. The display aspect ratio sits at 16:10 and fills up nicely across the screen. The sloped corners of the laptop are a lot slimmer than they look.
Gaming performance is excellent with the combination of hardware you’re getting. AAA games such as Witcher 3 and Horizon Dawn should run smoothly at high settings.
MSI GL66 15.6″
Best Value 144Hz Gaming Laptop For Competitive Gaming
Specs at a glance:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-11800H
- RAM: 16GB RAM
- STORAGE: 512 GB SSD
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
The MSI GL66 sits at second place on this list for the best 144hz gaming laptops because it’s probably the best value gaming laptop for what you’re paying.
The laptop design is just as impressive with a metal lid and RGB keyboard backlight, which is fully customizable by the way thanks to MSI Center Software. This is also an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 laptop which makes playing games or watching movies enjoyable. Gaming at 1080p is made possible with the combination of the Intel Core i7 processor and the RTX 3070, allowing the MSI GL66 to compete against the other high end gaming laptops on this list.
Asus ROG Strix Scar G733
A Beast Of A 144Hz Gaming Laptop With An AMD CPU
Specs at a glance:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900
- RAM: 64GB RAM
- STORAGE: 2TB SSD
- GPU: RTX 3080 16GB GDDR6
Now, if you’re thinking about powerful gaming laptops, ASUS ROG is usually the first thing that comes to mind, or Alienware, or Razer Blade. But you’d be shocked to know what’s under the hood of the Asus ROG Strix Scar G733.
Just from the specs alone should make the Asus ROG Strix Scar G733 the best gaming laptop in this list, and it is. There’s just a lot of power here with the combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080. The 17.3″ display sets you up for a QHD resolution of 2560×1440 with 240Hz refresh rate. You also get 64GB of RAM with 2TB SSD for storage space. If money is not an issue for you, go for the Asus ROG Strix Scar G733.
Asus ROG Strix G17 G712LW-ES74
Mid Range 144Hz Refresh Rate Gaming Laptop
Specs at a glance:
- CPU: 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750H
- RAM: 16GB DDR4 3200MHz
- STORAGE: 512GB SSD
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 8GB GDDR6 with ROG Boost
We’re not playing favorites here, and it’s no pure coincidence that we have another Asus ROG gaming laptop on the list. The ROG Strix G17 G712LW-ES74 is just as powerful as its sibling, the Strix Scar G733. This bad boy comes with a 17.3″ 1080p display with an IPS panel and a low response time of 3ms.
To get you the gaming experience that you need, the ROG Strix G17 G712LW-ES74 comes with an Intel Core i7-10750H backed by 16GB of RAM and the Nvidia RTX 2070 GPU. Sure, it’s not an RTX 3000 series laptop, but the ROG Strix G17 G712LW-ES74 supports the same DLSS and ray tracing capabilities.
Apart from gaming, you should also be able to do some video editing or 3D modeling without straining the laptop too much. It’s what most gamers would consider a mid range gaming laptop, but don’t let them fool you into thinking that this also gives mid range performance.
It may not be as powerful as the Razer Blade, or as the Strix Scar G733, but it should play a lot of AAA games at medium to high settings with minimal issues.
Razer Blade 14
A Powerful 14-Inch Gaming Laptop
Specs at a glance:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
- RAM: 16GB RAM
- STORAGE: 1TB SSD
- GPU: Nvidia RTX 3070
One might think that a 14-inch laptop could hardly handle enough hardware power to give you 144Hz refresh rates, let alone house an RTX 3000 series GPU. But the Razer Blade 14 is not to be underestimated. At this size, it doesn’t let you know how much power Razer can pack into something this small.
You’ll be given two options for the Razer Blade 14: one with the RTX 3080 GPU and one with the RTX 3070. But regardless of what option you pick, they still outpower every other laptop on this list.
Both versions are equipped with the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor, 1TB of SSD, and 16GB RAM. The 14-inch screen consistently hits 144hz at 1080p resolution and scales up to 165hz in 1440p, giving you the sharpest visuals compared to any other laptop on here.
There’s no doubt that the Razer Blade 14 is on the list for the best 144hz laptops. With those specs, casual and competitive gaming performance is guaranteed to be excellent.
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-57-700J
Budget Friendly 144Hz Gaming Laptop Under $1000
Specs at a glance:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-11800H
- RAM: 16GB RAM
- STORAGE: 512GB SSD
- GPU: Nvidia RTX 3050Ti
Acer Nitro 5 is one of the few laptops on this list that gives you 144hz without reaching the $1000 price tag, making it the top choice for people who want to play games on the go but also carry with them a handy workstation.
The Acer Nitro AN515-57-700J is Nitro 5 ‘s 15-inch models. The display sits at a max of 1080p resolution with a refresh rate of 144Hz and low response time of 3ms. You can also opt for the 17-inch models for Nitro 5, but they will end up costing more.
When it comes to the specs, the Acer Nitro 5 AN515-57-700J is not to be underestimated. You might consider it to be the best laptop under $1000 because it has a high end GPU (an RTX 3050Ti, to be exact) and enough RAM and CPU to let you play games at high frame rates, do some video editing, or even office tasks.
Lenovo Legion 5
144Hz Gaming Laptop With Impressive Battery Life
Specs at a glance:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 4800H
- RAM: 16GB RAM
- STORAGE: 512GB SSD
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti
Only a few gaming laptops out there could ever beat the Lenovo Legion 5’s battery life. At best, other gaming laptops can handle about 4 to 5 hours unplugged for normal use, and about a couple of hours unplugged for gaming or watching movies.
But the Lenovo Legion 5 lets you hit up to 8.5 hours, which isn’t exactly game-changing but still double the duration compared to other laptops. And its battery life doesn’t even have you skimping on hardware too.
The Lenovo Legion 5 comes with a GTX 1660Ti graphics cardso you can game on the go, and the Ryzen 7 4800H processor backed by 16GB of RAM should let you do creative tasks easily. Now it’s not the right laptop if you want to play AAA games on high settings. But if you just want something for daily use and casual gaming, the Lenovo Legion 5 is a good option.
Asus ROG Zephyrus M GU502GU-XB74
A Thin But Powerful 144Hz Gaming Laptop
Specs at a glance:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-9750H 2.6GHz
- RAM: 16GB RAM
- STORAGE: 512GB SSD
- GPU: GeForce GTX 1660Ti
Let’s get one thing straight here: the Asus ROG Zephyrus M GU502GU may be thin but it’s not underpowered. The laptop design may be sleek but it has enough power underneath to compete against other laptops with high end GPUs.
With a Core i7 CPU and 16GB of RAM and a GeForce GTX 1660Ti graphics card, the Asus ROG Zephyrus M GU502GU can’t be beat. It has enough power to let you play some of the latest games, granted some of them might be at lower settings, but who’s complaining?
It’s portable and lightweight, making it the best traveling partner for the gamer or office worker on the go. It has more power to let you carry out office and other creative tasks without breaking a sweat.
Acer Predator Helios 300
Overpowered and Underrated 144Hz Gaming Laptop
Specs at a glance:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-11800H
- RAM: 16GB DDR4
- STORAGE: 1TB SSD
- GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3060
Acer Predator Helios 300 is what we’d consider to be a solid buy if you’re looking for the right laptop with enough hardware for high end gaming performance. If you’re torn between the Acer Nitro 5 and the Acer Predator Helios 300, go for the latter.
You have two options for the Acer Predator Helios 300: one at 15.6″ and one at 17.3″. Both have refresh rates of 144Hz and have better displays than most of the other gaming laptops on the list.
With an Nvidia RTX 3060 and an 11th-gen Intel Core i7, you should be able to play the latest games for this mid range laptop.
Alienware m17 R4
Another Midrange 144Hz Gaming Laptop
Specs at a glance:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-10870H
- RAM: 16GB RAM
- STORAGE: 1TB SSD
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
Of course, we’re never going to deny the fact that we have an Alienware on this list. More importantly, the Alienware M17 R4 is the candidate for one of the best 144hz gaming laptops.
Let’s talk about the laptop design first because we’re just so impressed with the optomechanical keyboard. The Alienware M17 R4 comes with a cherry-switch mechanical keyboard, which is something that’s not found in a lot of gaming laptops.
This is a midrange beast with high end specs. You get a Core i9 CPU, an RTX 3080 graphics card, and enough power to let you run most games at high settings. It shows too. The Alienware M17 R4 is a beast in terms of size too.
Acer Predator Triton 300 SE
Another Budget Friendly 144Hz Laptop
Specs at a glance:
- CPU: Intel 4-Core i7-11375H
- RAM: 16GB RAM
- STORAGE: 512GB SSD
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti 4GB
The Acer Predator Triton 300 SE is another budget-friendly option for different people. It’s the right laptop for casual players who want a traveling gaming gadget, or a hardcore gamer who don’t want to splurge on a gaming laptop, or even the artist who want enough power to run creative tasks.
The Acer Predator Triton 300 SE bears a 14-inch screen, which puts it right up against the Razer Blade 14. But just because it’s more affordable than the Razer Blade 14 doesn’t mean it’s underpowered too.
It runs on a Core i7 processor combined with an RTX 3050Ti graphics card, stacked with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD. Gaming is smoother than it looks even with its high refresh rate and high resolution display.
MSI Katana GF66
Another Budget Friendly 144Hz Gaming Laptop Option
Specs at a glance:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-11800H
- RAM: 16GB RAM
- STORAGE: 1TB SSD
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX3050 TI
Cutting into the list is the MSI Katana GF66, which is another budget friendly option for both hardcore gamers and casual gamers alike. The hardware specs aren’t exactly as impressive as the other high end laptops on this list, but for the price you’re paying here, the MSI Katana GF66’s specs make the most sense.
You’re looking at a Core i7 processor with 16GB of RAM and 1TB SSD, and to top it off, you have the RTX 3050Ti. All in all, it’s mid range power stacked into one amazing affordable laptop. But we’re disappointed with the battery life and the screen display is less vivid compared to the others on here. You’re going to want to go for the high end variants of the MSI Katana GF66, which are equipped with RTX 3060. But with the 3050Ti, gaming experience shouldn’t even be an issue unless you’re running at higher resolutions.
But make no mistake, the MSI Katana GF66’s 144hz refresh rate is just as impressive. You’re probably looking at high resolution gaming at 60fps or higher. The MSI Katana GF66 is what we’d consider the 144hz laptop for the budget conscious gamer.
Razer Blade 15
Another 15.6 Inch Powerhouse With 144Hz Refresh Rate
Specs at a glance:
- CPU: 11th Gen Intel 8-Core i7
- RAM: 16GB RAM
- STORAGE: 1TB SSD
- GPU: Three variants: RTX 3060, 3070, or 3080
Last but definitely not the least, we have the Razer Blade 15, which is just as competitive as its smaller brother, the Razer Blade 14. This is also the high-end option for those who don’t mind paying for premium hardware.
There are three variants to choose from, if we’re talking about the GPU options. You’ll get the RTX 3060 starting at $2,399 and RTX 3080 starting at $3,698. For the latter, the RTX 3080 is paired with the 12th Gen Intel 14-Core i7 CPU, delivering the most power and lets you take advantage of the high end QHD screen’s refresh rate and high resolution.
If you want more power and more portability, you can go for the 14″ version if you really fancy the Razer laptops. But if you don’t mind lugging in a few extra pounds with you, Razer Blade 15 is a solid choice from the other best 144hz laptops on the list.
Which Is Better For Gaming Experience – 120Hz Laptop or 144Hz Refresh Rate?
When it comes to choosing a gaming laptop, a high enough refresh rate is one of the biggest considerations. While you’re not exactly replicating the kind of power you may have on your gaming rig, you can still get a high end laptop with a full sized keyboard and Full HD or QHD display that outmatches commercial pre-built gaming PCs.
Ideally, gamers want a high refresh rate so they get the gaming experience at the desired FPS they want. In this case, if they want to achieve 120fps gaming, they’d need at least a 120Hz refresh rate. The laptops we have on this list are some of the best 144Hz laptops, so there’s no doubt that you can’t go wrong with whatever you’re choosing.
Take note that you will go through diminishing returns as you go higher. This means that a 144Hz laptop might not have that much difference compared to a 240Hz laptop, but the difference between a 60Hz laptop and a 144Hz will be more pronounced. But all things should be considered when buying any one of the best 144hz laptops on this list. If you don’t have enough hardware power on that 144Hz laptop, your gaming performance might diminish.
What Are Things To Consider When Purchasing 144Hz Laptops?
If you want to get the best gaming experience possible, you should buy the right 144Hz gaming laptop for you. There are 13 best 144hz laptops on this list, each more powerful than the other in terms of hardware with some being more portable.
Gaming Laptops Are Always Pricey
The engineering behind the best gaming laptop, 144hz or not, is mind-boggling to say the least. How do you compact so much power into a chassis that’s roughly 20″ or smaller? This is why gaming laptops are expensive, to begin with.
When we’re talking about the best gaming laptop, ideally you want the high end specs packed into a small chassis, much like the Razer Blade lineup or the Asus ROG Strix lineup. For this kind of compromise, you’re expected to pay at least a couple thousand dollars. They’re more than enough to compete with any gaming PC in the market, but you have to manage your expectations. Like a gaming PC, hardware also matters when it comes to pricing for a gaming laptop but not as much. You still end up paying less for an RTX 3080 laptop as you would with a gaming PC.
There are also budget-friendly options on this list that will still have you paying a thousand bucks or so, but at least they’re not going to bankrupt you.
The Right Model Matters For Gaming Experience
If you want the best bang for your buck, you need to find the right model for you. When it comes to choosing the best 144hz gaming laptops, you have to choose between power and portability, but never both. Technically you can, but you end up paying more, like the Asus ROG Strix Scar or the Alienware M4 laptops.
Now going for power means that you might be foregoing portability because you’ll end up with a bigger laptop. This is because you need enough space to handle a big GPU or enough room for proper ventilation. A good example here would be the Alienware brand, and not just limited to their 144Hz laptop. They don’t really shy away from making heavy and giant laptops because they pack so much power into them.
On the other side of the spectrum, going for portability might have you foregoing power. Portability does have an advantage because some of the budget friendly options here on this list are just that: portable. But with a budget gaming laptop, you need to manage your expectations because you’re choosing size over power.
When you’re going for portability, you’re going for a laptop with a midrange GPU or less storage than their bigger counterparts mostly because of the chassis’ limitations to accommodate large components. But once again, you can go for both size and portability. The Razer Blade 14 is a good example of a portable but powerful gaming laptop, but you do end up paying more.
Which is Better? 1080p Resolution or 1440p Resolution?
If you’re a competitive gamer who’s into first person shooters, then you’ll know that 1080p resolution will always be the king, even though 1440p is becoming the new standard for gaming resolution. The latter has you focusing more on an immersive gameplay as opposed to making every last frame work.
Any laptop with less than a 17-inch screen would probably be better off with a 1080p resolution because going higher than that might not make a lot of difference, at least visually. If you’re the type of gamer who wants to keep that FPS at 120 or higher, you’ll probably want a 15″ laptop with 1080p display. If you can afford it, go for a 17″ screen with 1440p resolution.
Do 4K Gaming Laptops Exist?
Because we’ve listed all the best 144hz laptops on here, you’re probably thinking: do 4K gaming laptops even exist? And the answer is YES! But before you get excited with buying one, allow us to explain why you shouldn’t.
It makes little to no sense to getting a 15″ laptop with 4K display, unless there’s a specific need for you to carry a portable gadget that can give you that. You’re just wasting money at this point, if you ask me. Even if you’re getting a 17″ laptop, 4K gaming is more of a luxury at this point. Playing ultra settings on demanding games on a 4K laptop is just too demanding, so you end up not getting the FPS that’s acceptable for you. Remember that you are running high end hardware on limited space with limited ventilation and cooling options. You’re not even coming close to what you actually need on a PC to allow you to game at 4K or higher resolutions with an IPS Panel at 60fps.
At the end of the day, if you have the money to burn and you simply want to carry around a laptop that you can brag to your gamer buddies, then by all means, go for the 4K gaming laptops instead. Some of the best gaming laptops in the market right now have 4K resolution, but don’t be shocked by their price tags.
Cooling Issues and Noise Issues
Let’s say you have a gaming laptop and gaming PC with the same hardware. 12th Generation CPU with RTX 3080 GPU, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD. Put on a visually demanding game and run it at Ultra settings, and you’ll see that the gaming laptop will probably dip in FPS at some point. This is due to the fact that the laptop’s hardware will need perform at max capacity to meet the demands of the game. But to prevent overheating, performance is affected when the laptop’s software has them regulating both CPU and GPU. In other words, either CPU or GPU, or even both, will be slowed down to some extent to let the laptop breathe a little.
It goes without saying that gaming on a laptop, no matter how powerful or portable it is, is going to be hot and noisy. At the very least, running an AAA game on high settings on any one of the laptops listed on here might make them sound like there’s a small car running around in your room or office. But for doing office tasks, creative tasks, or entertainment-related activities, noise shouldn’t even be an issue at this point for any of the laptops listed here.
High performance hardware on a laptop means more heat is generated due to the fact that you don’t have enough space for proper air flow to dissipate heat. Alienware and Razer both have their methods for dissipating heat. This includes the building of their chassis with heat-resistant materials such as aluminum or a mix of aluminum and other plastic.
A gaming PC with a full tower case and on liquid cooling system with enough vents to properly let air in and out of the case will not be bothered by such issues, unless you overclock the CPU or GPU components.
What Do We Recommend?
Out of the 13 144hz refresh rate laptops on here, we have made our choices for the best laptops that give you the best gaming experience possible.
For The Budget Conscious Gamer
We recommend the MSI Katana GF66 for several reasons, but the biggest reason is that you’re getting an RTX 3000 series GPU. Its 1TB SSD should let you store enough games and videos on here without forcing you to delete some of them to make room for new ones.
If the MSI Katana GF66 is not accessible to you for whatever reason, a good second option is the ROG Strix G17 G712LW-ES74. It’s a midrange gaming laptop with a lot of power underneath.
For The Gamer With Money To Splurge
If you have the money to splurge, the Asus ROG Strix Scar G733 is probably the best choice on here. You’re getting 64GB of RAM and an RTX 3080 graphics card. That’s almost as powerful as any workstation in the market. We’d probably bet it’s one of the best gaming laptops in the market right now too for the specs that it has.
Final Words
There you have it. 13 of the best 144Hz gaming laptops that you can find in the market right now. We’ve chosen them based on power, portability, and their capacity to be both. You’ll find solid options for the budget route, and you’ll find other laptops on here if you want to splurge money.