Gaming Hardware & Software

Gaming Hardware

Best Gaming Laptops 2025

Whether you want to take your rig on the road, take it to the couch, or save space on your desk, a gaming laptop packs PC performance into a compact, portable form factor. Because people have different needs and budgets, the market is full of choices with screens ranging from 14 to 18 inches (with some great options like the Aus ROG G16 landing comfortably in the middle), graphics cards that can handle a variety of resolutions, and price points that start as low as $999 but go well above the $5,000 mark. The best gaming laptops often come with fancy RGB lighting, high-refresh-rate panels, and sometimes mechanical keyboards.

To help you choose the gaming laptop that's right for you, we test out a bunch of models every year, benchmarking them in popular games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Borderlands 3, measuring the colour gamut and brightness of their screens, determining battery life, and actually playing games with them. You can find the best gaming laptops online in a variety of sizes, price points, and use cases. For those on a tight gaming budget, you can find the best gaming laptops under $1,500 and the best gaming laptops under $1,000.

Here are a few of them.

1. MSI Titan 18 HX

CPU: Intel Core i9-14900HXGPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090Display: 18-inch, 3840 x 2400, Mini-LED, 120 HzWeight: 7.93 pounds (3.6 kg)#

2. Dell G16 (7630)

CPU: Intel Core i7-13650HXGPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060Display: 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, 165 Hz, 240 HzWeight: 6.3 pounds (2.87 kg)

3. MSI Katana 15

CPU: Intel Core i7-13620HGPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050Display: 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080, 144 HzWeight: 5.51 pounds / 2.5 kg

4. Gigabyte Aorus 16X

CPU: Intel Core i7-14650HXGPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPUDisplay: 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, 16:10, IPS, 165 Hz, Advanced OptimusWeight: 5.07 pounds (2.3 kg)

5. Asus TUF Gaming A14

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 8845HSGPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Display: 14-inch, 2560 x 1600, 165Hz, IPS-levelWeight: 3.22 pounds (1.35 kg)

Gaming Keyboards

If you're a PC gamer, you probably take your gaming keyboard selection very seriously. And you should! When your keyboard doubles as your game controller, it's more than just a typing tool. It's to you what a katana is to a samurai: an extension of yourself. As a result, it pays to know what makes a keyboard great. Here at PCMag, we've been reviewing PC keyboards for decades, and we test dozens each year, ranking them based on factors like design, key feel, ease of use, software, and value. The Montech MKey is our current favourite gaming keyboard for most people, but we've also recommended the best gaming keyboard for a variety of narrow use cases. Those picks are followed by a few that will get you up to speed on the state of keyboards today.

1. Montech MKey
2. Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro
3. NZXT Function 2 Mini
4. Logitech G Pro X TKL
5. Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Keyboard

Gaming Mice

Gaming mice have changed a lot in the past few years, and we’re at a point where wireless gaming mice have similar or even lower latency than some wired models. You may still prefer the reliability of a wired connection, but in many cases, the difference is barely noticeable. When looking for the right gaming mouse, you’ll want to find one that fits your hand size and feels comfortable with your preferred grip type. It should also have a high polling rate and low click latency. While a mouse isn’t a one-size-fits-all, you’ll want to choose a mouse that complements the games you enjoy. For example, if you play MOBAs, MMOs, or Battle Royales, you might prefer a lightweight option for FPS games or a more versatile mouse with lots of side buttons.

We've tested over 345 mice, most of which are gaming mice, so if you're looking for the best wireless or best-wired gaming mouse, here are a few of them. If you're only interested in wireless options, you can search online for the best wireless gaming mice or the best wireless mice if you're looking for a mouse that's not entirely dedicated to gaming.

1. Razer Viper V3 Pro
2. LAMZU MAYA
3. Razer Basilisk V3
4. Logitech G305 LIGHTSPEED
5. Logitech G502 LIGHTSPEED

Gaming Software

The best price for anything is the tag attached to these free apps. All PC gamers will benefit from installing any of these apps. If you’re tired of dealing with the cumbersome process of launching your games, monitoring your temperature, or simply using your computer as a whole, there’s an app on this list to help you out!

Now your tower or brand new laptop doesn’t really feel out of place. Gaming on the PC isn’t a difficult hobby once you get the hang of the little nuances and unique differences on the console. The PC is the equivalent of Android to iOS on the console thanks to the freedom of PC gaming. When you get these pieces of software, you can start making your gaming experience easier with a marketplace like Eldorado. Eldorado offers great prices on in-game currency from a variety of games, including OSRS Gold, BDO Silver, and Rocket League Credits.

1. Steam

https://community.fastly.steamstatic.com

Steam is a multi-player platform developed by Valve Corporation. It is used to distribute games and related media online. Steam provides the user with installation and automatic management of software across multiple computers, community features such as friends lists and groups and in-game voice and chat functionality. Steam was initially developed for Microsoft Windows, they have now expanded to include a Mac OS X version and Linux, and limited functionality on the PlayStation 3 and for both iOS and Android mobile devices. In addition to being a central hub for gaming software, they have created a version of Steam with altered functionality to be used in schools for educational software. There are many single-player games also available in the Steam store.

1. CPU-Z

https://www.sammobile.com

Windows® x86/x64 is a freeware that gathers information on some of the main devices of your system :

• Processor name and number, codename, process, package, and cache levels.
• Mainboard and chipset.
• Memory type, size, timings, and module specifications (SPD).
• Real-time measurement of each core's internal frequency, and memory frequency.
• CPU-Z is fully supported on Windows 11.