The best RTX 2080 gaming laptops are the champions of Nvidia's new RTX cards. If you're looking for the ultimate gaming experience, you're going to want a laptop with the most powerful graphics card currently available: the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080. In an effort to streamline your purchase, we've compiled a list of the best RTX 2080 gaming laptops available now.
- Check out the best gaming laptops and best cheap gaming laptops
- Once you've got your gear, see the best PC games
- See how the PS5 can beat the Xbox Series X
Upgrading can be nerve-racking, because you're not totally sure what kind of performance you're getting. However, we recently pitted the last-gen GTX 1080 GPU against the RTX 2080 GPU and found that the latest card is a welcome improvement over its predecessor. In addition to the boost in power, you get the latest ray-tracing and DLSS technology, which will future-proof your laptop when more games flood in that support the tech. Check out the best gaming deals of July 2020 if you're looking for something in your budget. Recently, we tested the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 with the new AMD Ryzen CPU, and it completely whooped Intel on gaming laptop battery life.
Now that RTX 2080 Super chips have been revealed, stay tuned for a entire page covering those laptops as well. Here are some RTX 2080 Super laptops that we recently reviewed: Alienware m17 R3, MSI GS66 Stealth, Razer Blade Pro 17 (2020) and Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15.
What are the best RTX 2080 gaming laptops?
The best RTX 2080 gaming laptops you can buy right now are the Alienware Area-51m and Alienware m17 R2. The former is Alienware’s first real desktop replacement. Armed with a desktop Intel Core i9 processor and one of Nvidia's superpowered RTX GPUs, it absolutely demolished every test we put in front of it with graceful aplomb. The latter is superslim version of it that is more than elegant good looks, however; an overclockable Intel Core i9 CPU and RTX 2080 GPU make the m17 a certified powerhouse.
In the 15-inch department, one of the best RTX 2080 gaming laptops you can get is the Razer Blade 15. The latest iteration of the Razer Blade 15 Advanced adds a mesmerizing 4K OLED to the mix. In addition to all that eye candy, you get a powerful Intel Core i7 processor, an RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU and a swift SSD. Meanwhile, the Acer Predator Triton 500 impresses with its slim and light chassis, and packs a serious punch with a slew of powerful components, including an 8th Gen Intel processor and an RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU.
If you’re looking for something innovative, look no further than the Asus ROG Mothership. Essentially, the Asus ROG Mothership is a mini all-in-one gaming PC, stretching the very definition of the word "laptop." All the venting and components reside in the display portion of the system, leaving the detachable keyboard to lower like an intergalactic gangplank. Weird looks aside, the inside of the Mothership is all gaming laptop, offering a powerful overclockable Intel Core i9 processor with an RTX 2080 GPU.
The best RTX 2080 gaming laptops you can buy today
- Alienware Area-51m
- Alienware m17 R2
- Asus ROG Mothership
- Razer Blade 15 (OLED)
- MSI GT76 Titan
- Razer Blade Pro 17
- MSI GS75 Stealth
- Alienware m17 (2019)
- MSI GT75 Titan (2019)
- Acer Predator Triton 500
The leader of the badass best RTX 2080 gaming laptops crew is none other than the Alienware Area-51m. Not only can it run Rise of the Tomb Raider (Very High, 1080p) at 92 frames per second, but its overclockable 9th Gen Core i9 desktop processor also blasted through Geekbench 4.1 with a score of 32,591. We crept up to an enemy base in Battlefield V (1920 x 1080, Ultra settings). But it wasn't long before our cover was blown and we were tossing a grenade at a group of explosive barrels, which went up in a cloud of red, yellow and orange flame at 122 frames per second.
The best part is that all of that power is completely upgradable, including the CPU, GPU, RAM and storage. Pair those features with a breathtaking redesigned chassis, a solid 17.3-inch display and a pair of SSDs capable of a 1,272-MBps transfer rate, and you have a winner.
See our full Alienware Area-51m review.
While the original Alienware m17 is still for sale, you can get the new and improved Alienware m17 R2, which adopts the Area-51m's Legend design and is easily one of the best RTX 2080 gaming laptops. After cobbling together a saw cannon in Far Cry New Dawn, we made my our toward a nest of Highwaymen. We launched our first saw into an explosive barrel, sending several enemies flying in different directions, at a swift 94 frames per second on Ultra at 1920 x 1080.
Ironically, as a result, the m17 R2 is actually lighter and thinner than its predecessor. To no surprise, its beefy Core i9 processor and RTX 2080 GPU performed well, and to top it all off, this machine lasted 4 straight hours on a charge, which is solid for a gaming laptop.
See our full Alienware m17 R2 review.
This wacky gaming laptop / 2-in-1 / detachable monster is the ROG Mothership. Asus went leaps and bounds to set this machine apart from other gaming laptops, giving it an adjustable kickstand, a detachable keyboard and a motherboard packed behind its 17.3-inch, 1080p panel. Its badass name isn't just relevant to its form factor, but its power as well. It's armed with a Core i9-9850HK processor and an RTX 2080 GPU.
We landed a few critical shots on a Psycho in Borderlands 3 before landing the killing blow from a double-bladed gauntlet, turning my foe to a puddle of bloody goo at 100 frames per second at 1920 x 1080 on Ultra. It tore through Rise of the Tomb Raider (Very High, 1080p) at 86 fps. Its 1080 panel wasn't overly saturated and delivered warm, realistic color, while the Mothership's island-style keyboard felt nice and offered good spacing. Of course this beast is one of the best RTX 2080 gaming laptops.
See our full Asus ROG Mothership review.
If you're not blown away by the Razer Blade 15's Core i9 processor and Nvidia RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU, then you'll be knocked on your feet by its stunning 4K OLED display with G-Sync technology. Hiding out in a tall patch of yellow flowers in Far Cry, I moved closer to the unsuspecting Highwayman whose eyes widened in shock as I grabbed them and jammed my knife into their throat at 44 frames per second at 4K on Ultra settings. The frame rate rose to 56 fps on high and 78 fps when I switched to High at 1920 x 1080.
Its panel clocked in 438 nits of brightness and 243% of the sRGB color spectrum. Top all of that off with a battery life that lasted more than 4 hours on a single charge, which is especially impressive for a 4K gaming laptop.
See our full Razer Blade 15 (OLED) review.
An MSI laptop has never looked more premium until the MSI GT76 Titan wowed us with its clean silver finish. With ease, its RTX 2080 GPU maxed out the SteamVR Performance Test. If its bangin' design doesn't catch your attention, then its 4K panel will, blasting 376 nits of brightness and 157% of the sRGB color spectrum. Now top that off with a super comfortable keyboard.
During our Far Cry New Dawn walk-through, we skulked through the woods to our next objective. We sneaked up on a small herd of pronghorn deer, nocked our arrow and let it fly, resulting in a meaty thud as it landed in our prey's neck at 56 frames per second on Ultra at 3840 x 2160. The frame rate jumped to 71 fps when we dropped the setting to 1920 x 1080.
See our full MSI GT76 Titan review.
The Razer Blade Pro 17 packs is an Intel 9th Gen processor and an RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU into a sleek 0.8-inch thick black aluminum chassis. Combo that with a pair of lightning-fast SSDs and a crazy effective cooling system. This is an excellent gaming laptop for gaming and content creation thanks to its strong overall and gaming performance, a blisteringly fast pair of SSDs and a gorgeous display.
During a mission to free a key character in Far Cry New Dawn, we crept toward the enemy stronghold. Sneaking up on an unsuspecting sentry, we triggered a stealth kill and buried our hunting knife into his throat at a smooth 83 frames per second on Ultra settings at 1080p. The frame rate jumped to 102 fps once we dropped the settings down to high.
See our full Razer Blade Pro 17 review.
Nvidia managed to squeeze an RTX 2080 GPU in the MSI GS75 Stealth's 0.7-inch-thin chassis thanks to the company’s Max-Q technology. Even though this chip is not a full 2080 GPU, you can't deny that MSI created a slim and sexy design. This sleek monster's RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU with 8GB of VRAM ran Battlefield V at 57 frames per second on Ultra settings at 1080p (ray-tracing on) as I bulldozed through WWII both on foot and in an airplane.
Plus, the Stealth can still run Rise of the Tomb Raider at over 60 frames per second. On top of that, this machine's 17.3-inch display is wildly colorful, covering 161 percent of the sRGB spectrum, and the laptop's top-firing Dynaudio speakers are an absolute joy to listen to.
See our full MSI GS75 Stealth review.
The Alienware m17 one-ups its little brother, the m15, and boasts an RTX 2080 GPU inside of its 0.7-inch body while taking on a gorgeous Nebula Red design. It's Core i9 CPU and top-tier RTX GPU blasted through all of our performance tests with ease. We fought an enraged Foglet in The Witcher 3, dodging furious swipes and bilious clouds of poisonous gas. When we enveloped the monster in a ball of flame, it writhed around at 38 frames per second in 4K on Ultra settings. Switching to 1080p raised the frame rate to 58 fps on Ultra and 65 fps on High.
The Alienware m17 17.3-inch, 4K panel was the most notable feature, as it covered a wild 195% of the sRGB gamut and nailed 310 nits of brightness. On top of that, the Alienware m17 offers an excellent set of speakers that can fill a room with big, bright sound.
See our full Alienware m17 (2019) review.
The MSI GT75 Titan is second only to the Alienware Area-51m in graphics performance among machines released so far. But for multimedia, this laptop is head of the class. During our assault of an enemy base in Battlefield V, we sent three soldiers scrambling for cover by throwing a grenade. When it blew, it sent up a fine cloud of dust, giving us some time to sprint to my next position at 72 frames per minute on 4K on Ultra settings. The frame rate jumped to 91 fps when I switched to 1920 x 1080.
Its 17.3-inch, 4K panel nailed an absurd 178 percent of the sRGB spectrum, and its audio is an absolute killer due to the combination of the Dynaudio speakers and Nahimic software. The GT75 Titan also features a full mechanical keyboard, with keys that have a deep 2.5 millimeters of travel.
See our full MSI GT75 Titan (2019) review.
At 0.7 inches and 4.8 pounds, the Acer Predator Triton 500 is amongst the slimmest and sexiest laptops with an RTX 2080 GPU. Along with its strong overall performance, the Triton 500's 512GB SSD is ridiculously fast, hitting speeds up to 1,696 Mbps. The Triton 500 was on a par with its peers during the Rise of the Tomb Raider test, scoring 62 frames per second on Very High at 1080p. Grand Theft Auto V delivered one of the bigger jumps in performance; the Triton produced 60 fps on Normal settings and 82 fps on Turbo settings.
And that's not all, the Triton 500 features a super comfortable keyboard that has 1.7 millimeters of key travel as well as the ability to change the keyboard lighting to one of the 16.8 million hues available via the PredatorSense software.
See our full Acer Predator Triton 500 review.
How to choose the best RTX 2080 gaming laptops for you
Before you get around to choosing the best VR-ready laptop for you. Consider the specs you’ll need in the gaming laptop you’re looking at. Here are the VR minimum specs:
The main thing you have to worry about when picking out a VR-ready laptop is what kind of specs it has and if it has a mini DisplayPort. Anything apart from those features are negligible if you’re just focused on the VR portion, but you should be mindful of the display, keyboard and size of the laptop, as you’re likely to use it as a normal gaming laptop as well.
If you’re on a budget, consider looking at laptops with a lower-end Nvidia GeForce GTX GPU, such as the Lenovo Legion Y7000. It won’t be ideal, but it’ll get your VR setup up and running. Of course, you can spring for a laptop with an RTX GPU, like the Alienware Area-51m, which would absolutely kill it in VR, but that’s going to cost you. Overall, you have to figure out your budget and what’s important to you in a VR-ready laptop.
How we test the best RTX 2080 gaming laptops
We put each laptop through extensive benchmark testing — both synthetic and real-world — before they end up in the hands of our reviewers. We evaluate each aspect of the laptop, including its performance, battery life, display, speakers and heat management.
In our benchmark testing, we use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the brightness and sRGB color gamut of the laptop's display. For performance testing, 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 at 1080p resolution.
We also run heat tests by playing a 15-minute full-screen video and measuring temperatures in different areas of the laptop. Last but not least, our battery test consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. For MacBooks and premium Windows 10 laptops, a runtime of over 9 hours is considered a good result whereas gaming laptops and workstations that can stay powered for longer than 5 hours deserve praise.
These tests are complemented with extensive hands-on testing from our reviewers who critique everything from the laptop's materials to the feel of its touchpad.