The best 17-inch laptops in 2024

Whether you are doing creative work or crunching the numbers across multiple spreadsheets, 17-inch laptops are the ultimate productivity machines. In years past a screen this large meant the laptop had to be large and clunky, but thinner bezels and thermal advancements have reduced the footprint of some of the best laptops

Yes, we still recommend the best 13-inch laptops and the best 15-inch laptops if you want portability, but if you want to maximize productivity or get a theater-like experience, a 17-inch laptop is an excellent choice. 

What's more, 17-inch laptops are great for content creators, whether that's photo, video, or design work, because they offer a vast canvas. If you're a creator who wants specific recommendations, you can also check out our best laptops for photo editing and best video editing laptops pages. And if you need a dedicated workstation, you can also check out our best workstation laptops page.

From the powerful Alienware m17 R5 to the eye-catching Asus Zenbook 17 Fold, here are the best 17-inch laptops on our shortlist.

The Quick List

Best 17-inch Laptop Overall

(Image credit: Future)
Best 17-inch laptop overall

Specifications

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 6900XT
GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6850 XT
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 1TB PCI m.2 SSDs
Display: 17.3-inch, 4K
Weight: 7.3 pounds

Reasons to buy

+
Great gaming and overall performance
+
Super comfortable keyboard
+
Superb battery life

Reasons to avoid

-
720p webcam
-
Expensive

AMD and Alienware have teamed up to create this powerful 17-inch AMD gaming laptop. With both the AMD Ryzen 9 6900XT and Radeon RX 6850M XT GPU under the hood, this laptop delivers power enough to give their Intel and Nvidia-powered competitors a run for their money more often than not. 

Part of that success is due to the AMD Advantage software suite designed to wring every bit of performance out of the Alienware m17 R5.

With a lovely 4K display, powerful speakers, ultra-low profile Cherry MX are the literal cherry on top. Oh and with that Legend 2.0 design, it’s just a stunner of a system. 

See our full Alienware m17 R5 (AMD Advantage) review

Best Overall Performance

(Image credit: Future)
Best overall performance

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i9-13950HX
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 2TB SSD
Display: 17-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240Hz
Size: 15.0 x 11.7 x 1.1 inches
Weight: 6.5 pounds

Reasons to buy

+
Incredible overall and gaming performance
+
Comfortable keyboard
+
Solid battery life
+
Blazing fast transfer speeds

Reasons to avoid

-
Display could be brighter and more vivid

The MSI Raider GE78 HX is not playing around when it comes to performance specs. This desktop replacement leverages the power of Intel's 13th Gen i9-13950HX CPU, an NVIDIA RTX 4080 GPU, 32GB of RAM, and 2TB of SSD storage. So to call it an absolute beast of a laptop is no joke.

The Raider pairs all that computing power with a colorful 17-inch display, a sick keyboard, and a great set of speakers. Unfortunately it also comes with a $3,000 price tag and a poorly implemented touchpad.

But if what you're looking for is the power to take on any gaming, or non-gaming, task you can hardly do better.

See our full MSI GE78 Raider review

Best 17-inch Display

(Image credit: Future)
Best 17-inch display

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7-12900HK
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
RAM: 64GB
Storage: Dual 2TB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD
Display: 17.3-inch, 1920 x 1080
Size: 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inches
Weight: 7.1 pounds

Reasons to buy

+
Beautiful design
+
Powerful overall and gaming performance
+
Excellent audio
+
Comfy, clicky keyboard
+
Blistering fast transfer speeds

Reasons to avoid

-
Poor webcam
-
Below average battery life

The Alienware X17 R2 offers a tantalizing bounty of power thanks to Intel’s 12th Gen processors and Nvidia’s RTX 3080 Ti GPU. As with any Alienware laptop, it is a bit pricey.

The real standout with the Alienware X17 is its gorgeous 17.3-inch 1920 x 1080 display with a 360Hz refresh rate. While it is just an FHD panel, the 360Hz refresh rate and 325 nits of max brightness make it one of the better gaming displays we've seen.

Add in the super clicky Cherry MX keyboard, massive Dolby Atmos sound, and you've got a laptop worth checking out.

See our full Alienware x17 R2 review

Best foldable 17-inch Laptop

(Image credit: Future)
Best foldable 17-inch laptop

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7-1250U
GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 1TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 SSD
Display: 17.3 inch, 2.5K (2560 x 1920) OLED (bendable)
Size: 11.3 x 7.5 x 0.7~1.4 inches (Laptop Mode), 14.9 x 11.3 x 0.3~0.5 inches (Tablet Mode)
Weight: 3.3 pounds

Reasons to buy

+
Smart, versatile design
+
Beautiful OLED display
+
Easy-to-use modes
+
Excellent webcam
+
Solid performance

Reasons to avoid

-
Below-average battery life
-
Expensive

The Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is no longer the first foldable laptop on the market, but it's still one our favorites. With a Core i7 U-series processor, proprietary hinge, and foldable OLED display there is plenty to enjoy.

The real beauty of the Zenbook 17 Fold is that 17.3-inches of beautiful, bendable OLED display with all its vibrant glory. Like most foldables, you can see the crease made by the hinge but it isn't so pronounced that it distracts from the vibrant panel, especially when in Tablet or Desktop mode with a 2.5K (2560 x 1920) resolution and a 4:3 aspect ratio. When converted into either Laptop mode, the screen becomes a 12.5-inch 1920 x 1280 panel.

See our full Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED review

Best Budget 17-inch Gaming Laptop

(Image credit: Future)
Best budget 17-inch gaming laptop

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i9-10980HK
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080
RAM: 32GB
Storage: dual 1TB PCI m.2 SSDs in RAID 0
Display: 17.3-inch, 1080p, 360Hz
Size: 15.7 x 11.6 x 0.7~0.9 inches
Weight: 6.6 pounds

Reasons to buy

+
Excellent graphics and overall performance
+
Comfortable customizable keyboard
+
Bright, vivid display with super-high refresh rate

Reasons to avoid

-
Poor battery life
-
Expensive

For gamers who need to be conscious of their wallet while also wanting an expansive 17-inch display, Alienware's m17 R4 provides a combination of raw power and a shockingly low starting price. With the entry level m17 R4 retailing at just $1499, its hard to beat the m17 when it comes to powerful budget gaming laptops.

Our review unit featured Nvidia’s RTX 3080 GPU and an Intel Core i9 processor, which made light work of our performance and gaming benchmarks alike. As a final finishing touch, the 17-inch display's 360Hz refresh rate is impressively smooth.

Of course, it is an older laptop by today's standards. But that just means you can find it for even less than full retail price.

See our full Alienware m17 R4 review

Most Portable 17-inch Laptop

(Image credit: Future)
Most portable 17-inch laptop

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i9-11980HK
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 512GB, 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
Display: 17.3-inch, 4K
Size: 15.6 x 10.6 x 0.8 inches
Weight: 5.5 pounds

Reasons to buy

+
Sleek aluminum chassis
+
Bright 4K display
+
Good battery life
+
Strong performance

Reasons to avoid

-
Poor webcam location
-
Can get hot while gaming
-
Expensive

When it comes to portable powerhouses, Gigabyte's Aero 17 HDR should be at the top of your list. With a 4K HDR display, Intel Core i9-11980HK CPU, and RTX 3080 GPU, the Aero 17 has enough power to run just about any workflow.

On top of that, you get a sleek aluminum chassis, a comfortable keyboard and decent battery life. And it's only 0.8-inches thick and 5.5 pounds so it is easy to cart around if you need to be out in the field.

Of course, with these specs, the Aero 17 HDR doesn't come cheap, but if you're willing to splurge, this is one to do it on.

See our full Aero 17 HDR review

Best 17-inch Workstation

(Image credit: Laptop Mag)
Best 17-inch workstation

Specifications

CPU: Intel Xeon W-11955M
GPU: Nvidia RTX A5000
RAM: 64GB
Storage: 1TB
Display: 17.3-inch UHD (3840 x 2160) BrightView LED touchscreen
Size: 15.7 x 10.5 x 1.1 inches
Weight: 7 pounds

Reasons to buy

+
Gorgeous 17-inch, 4K touchscreen
+
Mind-boggling CPU/GPU performance
+
Integrated fingerprint reader
+
Minimal bloatware

Reasons to avoid

-
Hum-drum design
-
Prohibitively expensive
-
Extremely heavy (for a laptop)
-
Relatively short battery life

The HP ZBook Fury 17 G8 is still our overall best workstation laptop despite getting up there in years. Fully loaded with an Intel Xeon W-119955M CPU and discrete Nvidia RTX A5000 GPU its hard to argue with that much processing and graphics power.

Of course, it comes with a $6,421 price tag when fully loaded. But if you need the best of the best mobile workstation, we have yet to test one better.

Granted, you don't need to go for the complete top of the line configuration. HP does offer the ZBook Fury 17 G8 with various levels of Intel processor and Nvidia cards.

See our full HP ZBook Fury 17 G8 review

How to Choose a 17-inch Laptop

Specs: 1080p / Core i5 / 8GB Are Best Bets. You can spend a lot of time delving into specs, but here are the key components to think about when buying a 17-inch laptop If you just want really good mainstream performance, go for a Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and a 1080p screen.

Screen Resolution: Unfortunately, 66 percent of consumer laptops and 51 percent of business systems have low-res screens. If possible, get a display with a 1920 x 1080 (aka 1080p, or full HD) or higher resolution.

CPU: An Intel Core i5 provides good mainstream performance. Some budget systems will come with Core i3, Celeron or Pentium CPUs, which are good for basic tasks, but not heavy multitasking. Get a Core i7 or a quad-core processor (serial number ends in HQ or HK) for gaming or high-end productivity tasks such as video editing and 3D modeling.

RAM: 8GB is ideal for most users, but power users will want 12 or 16GB. 4GB is acceptable for budget systems. Secondary laptops and Chromebooks may have less.

Storage: Unless you're a gamer or a power user, 256GB of internal storage is probably enough. If possible, get an SSD (solid-state drive) rather than a hard drive, because it's going to make your computer a lot faster.

Graphics: Gamers and creative professionals need to do some research and figure out which discrete GPU from Nvidia or AMD is good enough to run their favorite software. Everyone else will be happy with the built-in Intel HD Graphics that come with the CPU.

How We Test 17-inch Laptops

We put 17-inch laptops through extensive benchmark testing — both synthetic and real-world — before they end up in the hands of our reviewers. We evaluate everything from speed and battery life to display brightness, speaker volume and system heat.

We use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the brightness and sRGB color gamut of a laptop's display. For performance benchmarking, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 4.3 and 5.0 and 3DMark professional graphics tests. 

To determine real-world performance, we task the laptop to convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution and to duplicate a 4.97GB multimedia file. Our real-world graphics test is the Dirt 3 benchmark with medium settings and 1080p resolution. 

We also run heat tests by playing a 15-minute full-screen video and our battery test consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. We consider everything over the category average (8 hours and 36 minutes) to be a good result. Of course, these tests are complemented with hands-on testing from our reviewers.

Why Trust Laptop Mag

Laptop Mag reviews over one hundred different laptops every year, from paperweight ultralights to everyday workhorses to lumbering gaming notebooks that scorch the frame rates of even the hottest AAA games. We're not just experts in the laptop field, as we go one step further by meticulously testing smartphones, tablets, headphones, PC accessories, software, and even the latest in gaming. 

We are 100% independent and have decades of experience to help you buy with confidence. In fact, Laptop Mag has been testing and reviewing products for three decades, and we continue to deliver trustworthy reviews you can rely on. 

Our experienced team of writers and editors scour the available information about the laptop and put it through its paces to determine which is best for you. But before they start, the testing team subjects each system to a rigorous regimen of synthetic and real-world tests to see how a system handles the type of work and games you’re most likely to throw at it. 

Our editorial trustworthiness is enforced by one of the world's largest technology publishers, Future Publishing. As a company, we have unrivaled experience across every tech sector — and we're the group's specialist for all things mobile tech.

Madeline Ricchiuto
Staff Writer

A former lab gremlin for Tom's Guide, Laptop Mag, Tom's Hardware, and Tech Radar; Madeline has escaped the labs to join Laptop Mag as a Staff Writer. With over a decade of experience writing about tech and gaming, she may actually know a thing or two. Sometimes. When she isn't writing about the latest laptops and AI software, Madeline likes to throw herself into the ocean as a PADI scuba diving instructor and underwater photography enthusiast.

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