Meet the 5 monster gaming laptops that blew us away at CES 2024
Graphics, gRaPhIcS, GRAPHICS!
CES 2024 is pumping out a wave of new gaming laptops, GPUs, and exciting tech that we'll see flow in throughout the year. We've got monsters that can take over an entire Starfield or even overrun Baldur's Gate.
We've gathered a shortlist of our favorite gaming laptops at CES 2024 to keep an eye out for as the year goes on. We will likely add to this list as the week goes on, so stay tuned for more reveals and top picks.
These are the most exciting gaming laptops at CES 2024 so far.
We're on the scene in Las Vegas to check out the latest tech at this year's CES 2024 showcase. Be sure to tag along on our CES 2024 journey by following Laptop Mag on TikTok, Twitter/X, Instagram, Flipboard, and Facebook for the most up-to-date hands-on impressions and news coming from the convention floor.
1. MSI Claw
Oh hell yes, we're getting yet another gaming handheld device that we're still counting as a gaming laptop because... well, we said so! The MSI Claw is an Intel-powered Windows gaming handheld, boasting an Intel Core Ultra processor. It has a 7-inch 1920 x 1080 touch display at a 120Hz refresh rate, alongside 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM.
Recent gaming handhelds have opted for AMD components, so it'll be interesting to see where this lands. The MSI Claw also has a larger battery than the Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, and Lenovo Legion Go (we hope that means it'll actually last longer). Another key feature is its exclusive dock that connects to a TV like the Nintendo Switch.
The MSI Claw looks promising, and time will tell if it manages to outdo its competitors in ergonomics, battery life, performance, and software when we get in for proper testing. Stay tuned for the price and release date.
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2. Alienware m16 R2
You gotta respect the skinny bois, especially those that can give you a lot of real estate in a thin design. Let us present the Alienware m16 R2. This beefcake can be outfitted with an Intel Ultra 7 or 9 CPU, an Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU, 64GB of RAM, and 8TB of SSD storage through dual 4TB PCIe M.2 NVMe.
Then you get a big ol' 16-inch display clocking in with a 2560 x 1600-pixel resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate with a 3ms response time. This thing will glow in the front, but you can make it as inconspicuous as any other laptop with Alienware's new "Stealth Mode," which disables the RGB lighting with a simple click.
Launching on January 11 at $1,649, we will know quite soon whether or not the Alienware m16 R2 lives up to the hype it is generating at CES 2024.
3. Asus ROG Zephyrus G14
When the original Asus Zephyrus G14 launched at the start of lockdown in 2020, I was blown away by its killer performance, bright display, and long battery life. However, all of the latter iterations have all but slowly dropped away. Yes, they're more powerful, but with each revision there's always something a little worse about them.
With the new Asus Zephyrus G14, there's a spark of hope that my once 5-star beauty can make a come back. The 2024 iteration features up to an AMD Ryzen 9 8945H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, and 32GB of RAM. What really caught my attention is the 14-inch, 3K, 16:10, OLED display clocked at 120Hz with 100% DCI-P3 and up to 500 nits of brightness.
That's a great set of components, and if Asus can combo that with the impressive battery life of the original G14, then it's practically made it to the peak of the mountain. One thing that can really blow away the original is the price. If it remains under $2K, this could be the best gaming laptop ever.
4. MSI Titan 18 HX
We can't have a proper gaming laptops list without the TITAN. This absolute beast has gone to the extreme every single time MSI brings it out of its cage. Buckle up, because this monster is going to cost over $5K.
You can configure the MSI Titan 18 HX with up to an Intel Core i9-14900HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU, 128GB of RAM (yes, seriously), and a 4TB SSD.
Then you have the whopping 18-inch display. Yeah, this baby comes with a 3840 x 2400 resolution on a Mini LED panel clocked at 120Hz with 100% DCI-P3 and HDR 1000. Monster specs, monster display, monster price. The Titan is everything we want and can't afford (cries in corner).
5. Lenovo Legion 5i
We've gotta pay respect to our affordable gaming laptops because without them we'd have no hope of playing any PC game ever. The Lenovo Legion 5i starts at a reasonable $1,399 with the base specs.
However, you can configure the Legion 5i with up to the Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. Unfortunately, we don't know what the base model will come with just yet. We're hoping that it'll retain its 4070 GPU at the very least.
In my experience, Lenovo Legion gaming laptops have been a solid budget/mid-range choice over the years — let's hope Lenovo can retain my confidence.
Rami Tabari is an Editor for Laptop Mag. He reviews every shape and form of a laptop as well as all sorts of cool tech. You can find him sitting at his desk surrounded by a hoarder's dream of laptops, and when he navigates his way out to civilization, you can catch him watching really bad anime or playing some kind of painfully difficult game. He’s the best at every game and he just doesn’t lose. That’s why you’ll occasionally catch his byline attached to the latest Souls-like challenge.