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In the last couple of years, we saw the popularity of 4K gaming soar to unimaginable heights as gaming enthusiasts are constantly seeking high performance and stunning visuals.
As much as the concept of 4K displays on laptops is interesting, finding a reliable gaming machine isn’t easy. In order to get the most out of a 4K panel, you need to keep in mind several factors that play a huge role, such as performance, display size, build quality, battery life, etc.
We made this article to serve you as a comprehensive guide when researching and buying a new 4K gaming laptop. We’ll also check out some of the best options available on the market.
Interested? Then, let’s explore.
Table of Contents
Minimum & Recommended System Requirements
To be precise, the 4K gaming landscape isn’t as extensive as we make it to be. However, when you are using a 4K display resolution as a standard, the other hardware components should also be high-end.
While the minimum specs sheet would allow you to play a handful of games in 4K, aiming for something close to the recommended system requirements are more suitable for high-end 4K gaming or professional work like 3D modeling, photo and video editing.
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 11th Gen. Intel Core i7 | 13th Gen. Intel Core i9 |
| RAM | 16GB | 32GB or higher |
| Storage | 512GB SSD | 1TB SSD |
| Display | 15.6-inch UHD (3840 x 2160) with a higher refresh rate (120hz) | 17.3-inch UHD (3840 x 2160) with a higher refresh rate (144Hz) |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30-series | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40-series |
7 Top 4K Gaming Laptops
1. Best Overall: MSI Titan GT77
- CPU: 2.2 GHz Intel Core i9-13980HX
- RAM: 64 GB DDR5
- Storage: 2TB SSD
- Display: 17.3-inch UHD (3840 x 2160)
- GPU: 12GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080
- Battery: 2-4 hours
MSI Titan GT77 has been dubbed one of the most powerful gaming laptops today. This 4K gaming laptop brings one hell of a performance, a crazy good display, and awesome upgradability.
A 13th Gen. i9 and an RTX 4080, along with 64GB RAM, are the high-end specs you’d hope for if you’re looking for a desktop replacement. They’ll consistently produce high fps, lag-free playing, and super-fast loading.
Not only that, but the specs fit any heavy task you can think of, whether you’re into 3D modeling, content creation, or video editing.
I found the display just amazing. An anti-glare, 17.3” 4K display with 144Hz looks sharp, crisp, and precise.
As for upgradability, you get whopping 4 slots for SSD and 4 slots for RAM. If fury had a name, it’d be MSI Titan, because this means you can upgrade the storage to 16TB and RAM to a whopping 128GB.
Besides, there are also 4 fans in the back, which ensure you get a cool machine, though they sound somewhat louder than, say, ROG Strix Scar.
Like most desktop replacement laptops, MSI isn’t big on portability. The beast has 7.3 lbs, a chunky brick, and pulls around 2-4 hours of juice without the charger.
But, with an MX cherry mechanical keyboard, sturdy gamer design, and crazy performance, this is hands-down one of the best 4K gaming laptops you can get if you don’t mind the price.
- What We Like
- Latest-gen. CPU
- Latest-gen. GPU
- 64GB DDR5 RAM, upgradable to 128GB
- Large and fast display
- Super-comfy mechanical keyboard
- Great cooling system
- What We Don’t Like
- Pricey
- Low portability
2. Best Workstation: Lenovo ThinkPad P16
- CPU: 2 GHz Intel Core i7-12800HX
- RAM: 16 GB DDR5
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 16-inch QHD (1920 x 1080)
- GPU: 4GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX A1000
- Battery: Up to 7 hours
If you’re a professional who likes some serious gaming, the latest ThinkPad is one of the best 4K gaming laptops to address your needs. Besides high-end specs, a practical design, and a strong battery, ThinkPad P16 also has a reasonable price tag.
ThinkPads are known for a sturdy design that can withstand tough environments. The aluminum body is awesome for engineers, architects, and office workers. It does have a hint of a gamer design, with the vents and a red stripe at the bottom.
Churning under the hood are a 12th Gen. i9 and an RTX A1000, which is customary for workstations. Sure, these are no match to MSI Titan’s combo, but they are no slouch either. RTX A1000 is only a bit slower than RTX 3050, for example, so the whole thing is more than capable of running AAA titles with good fps count.
But the star of this article is a whole other story. P16 sports an amazing, super-bright, 16” 4K WUXQA display. Not only does it clock in 600 nits — it’s also very color-accurate. The only thing missing is a higher refresh rate.
And the battery life is pretty good. P16 pulls around 7 hours with general tasks, which is pretty good considering the specs. If your work is more GPU-intensive, I’d bring a charger, though.
Overall, P16 is a great 4K gaming laptop just under $2000 for people who don’t care about the refresh rate so much, but want great gaming and even better productivity.
- What We Like
- Great performance
- Sturdy professional design
- Gorgeous display
- Good battery life
- Awesome keyboard
- Reasonable price
- What We Don’t Like
- No high refresh rate
- On the heavier side
3. Best 17-inch Laptop: MSI Stealth GS77
- CPU: 2.4 GHz Intel Core i9-12900H
- RAM: 64GB DDR5
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Display: 17.3-inch UHD (3840 x 2160)
- GPU: 16GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080TI
- Battery: Up to 4 hours
MSI Stealth is interesting. This 4K gaming laptop is, in many regards, somewhere between the Lenovo P16 and MSI Titan.
To start with, the display gives both a high refresh rate AND great color accuracy. A 17.3” 4K panel packs all of the MSI’s proficiency in creating a gorgeous, immersive viewing experience.
The CPU is similar to the Lenovo P16, but the GPU is much stronger. RTX 3080 Ti is one of the better cards which will output great visuals and high fps in AAA titles.
Plus, with 64GB RAM, you don’t have to worry about heavier tasks and associated lags.
Unlike the Titan, Stealth comes in a much thinner body, which is just as sturdy. And between the P16 and Titan, Stealth is the lightest, at 6.2 lbs.
My biggest gripe with Stealth is the battery life. While 2 hours of gaming isn’t unheard of with gaming laptops, it seriously undercuts the portability Stealth promises. So I’d recommend a charger if you’re out and about.
The keyboard and trackpad are ok, though they feel somewhat flat and not as clicky.
But the Stealth is significantly cheaper than the Titan, and all the right specs for a powerful, serious 4K gaming laptop are there. The thin profile, color-accurate display, and good ports selection also make it a serious contender for overall productivity.
- What We Like
- High-end GPU
- Good gaming performance
- High refresh rate display, color-accurate
- Ample RAM
- Thin and sturdy
- Loads of ports
- What We Don’t Like
- Low battery life
- Flat keyboard
4. Best from Dell: Dell XPS 9710
- CPU: 1.9 GHz Intel Core i7-11800H
- RAM: 64 GB DDR4
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Display: 17-inch UHD (3840 x 2400)
- GPU: 4GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050
- Battery: Up to 8-9 hours
Besides ROG Zephyrus and MacBook M-series, Dell XPS has to be one of the most talked-about laptops in the last few years. With a good reason: this 4K gaming laptop brings a touch display, minimalistic design, and fierce power.
I hear you — is the 11th Gen. i7 really so fierce? Well, coupled with an RTX 3050 and 64GB RAM, it sure can be. Granted, it won’t pull the tricks like 13th Gen. but let me remind you — Dell XPS was the main competitor to Apple’s M1 MacBooks. So yeah, it will still bring loads of good performance with heavy tasks.
Going down the MacBook line, XPS’s display shines bright at 500 nits, just like the MacBook Pro M1. Except this 4K hi-res, color-accurate panel is also a touchscreen.
The only downside to this panel is the 60Hz refresh rate, just like the Lenovo ThinkPad. So if you’re a competitive gamer and every millisecond counts, I’d go for at least 120Hz.
On the other hand, portability is one of the best among gaming laptops. At 5.5 lbs and easy 8-9 hours of battery life, Dell XPS is bested only by the ROG Zephyrus.
The cooling system does the job well, but if you’re into super heavy gaming, you might want to go for something a little stronger — maybe Razer Blade 15.
Overall, Dell XPS is a 4K gaming laptop that best suits casual gamers and people who want a sleek, powerful, and productive machine.
- What We Like
- Strong CPU/GPU
- Ample RAM
- Great battery life
- 4K touchscreen
- Sleek and thin
- Large trackpad
- What We Don’t Like
- No high refresh rate
- Heats up under pressure
5. Best with Dual Screen: ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15 UX582
- CPU: 3.2 GHz Intel Core i9-12900H
- RAM: 32 GB DDR5
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch UHD (3840 x 2160)
- GPU: 8GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070TI
- Battery: Up to 3-4 hours
You might think that ZenBook Pro Duo is primarily aimed at content creators, and you’d be right. But powerful internals, great cooling, and incredible media capabilities make ZenBook one of the best 4K gaming laptops as well.
This premium beast comes with a 12th Gen. Intel Core i9 and RTX 3070, which perform really well with AAA titles like Witcher, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Doom Eternal. ZenBook’s performance is bested only by the likes of ROG Strix and Razer Blade.
The dual display is super-practical. If you happen to stream your gameplay, you can drag the front-facing camera recording to the lower screen, thus letting you focus on the game completely.
Plus, you’ll enjoy the OLED 4K main screen. It’s crisp, vivid, with an amazing contrast and brightness levels.
And both panels are touchscreen, pen included.
If you can already see your laptop catching fire and overheating with all these high-end specs, don’t worry. ZenBook is one of the rare powerful laptops that keeps the temperatures pretty low.
The portability does suffer. ZenBook weighs around 5 pounds and can sustain 3-4 hours of juice when unplugged. Not ideal, I know, but I figure that gamers don’t need that much portability anyway.
Overall, though, ZenBook Pro Duo is a mean machine and a great 4K laptop for gaming, but also streaming and content creation. It’s a versatile device that is the next level of productivity and entertainment.
- What We Like
- Powerful CPU/GPU
- 15.6” 4K OLED screen
- Second touchscreen
- Great cooling system
- Amazing speakers
- Ample RAM
- What We Don’t Like
- Low battery life
6. Best Budget Laptop with 4K: Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 9i
- CPU: 2.9 GHz Intel Core i7-1195G7
- RAM: 16 GB DDR4
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 14-inch UHD (3840×2160)
- GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
- Battery: Up to 12 hours
It’s kinda crazy that you can get a 4K gaming laptop at the price tag of Lenovo Slim. Sure, some corners had to be cut, but you still get a super-portable touchscreen gaming laptop.
The star of the show is a 14” 4K touch panel that is crisp, colorful, and vivid. If that weren’t enough, the display also looks quite bright at 500 nits.
Lenovo’s IdeaPad lineup excels at making budget laptops look premium, and Slim 9i is no different. The black chassis feels very elegant, sturdy, and compact.
Plus, at 2.64 lbs, it’s the lightest laptop on the list — lighter even than the MacBook Air.
This thing is run by an 11th Gen. i7 and that’s fine by me, but the GPU is where it gets tricky. The integrated Intel Iris can run AAA titles and I wouldn’t expect crazy fps there. This is primarily a laptop for productivity and lighter games like LoL and Minecraft.
Another thing you should know is that RAM is non-upgradable. 16GB RAM is plenty for most lighter games and mid-tier tasks. If you need more, check out the newer Slim 9i with 32GB RAM.
This Slim model also brings a great battery life that will outlast, by far, most of the other gaming laptops.
Overall, when you consider the price tag and what you get, Lenovo Slim 9i is a 4K gaming laptop that has a lot going for it. If you primarily play lighter games, this hi-res 2-in-1 convertible is well worth the price.
- What We Like
- Touchscreen 4K display
- Sleek and sophisticated design
- Comfy, backlit keyboard
- Long battery life
- Very lightweight
- Great value for money
- What We Don’t Like
- Integrated GPU
- Non-upgradable RAM
7. Best Office Laptop: HP Envy 17
- CPU: 2.1 GHz Intel Core i7-1260P
- RAM: 32 GB DDR4
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Display: 17.3-inch UHD (3840 x 2160)
- GPU: Intel Iris Xe
- Battery: Up to 7-9 hours
If you’re into older 4K titles — like Assassin’s Creed Origins, Age of Empires, Boulder Dash — HP Envy might just be the refined, affordable gaming laptop with a 4K display that you’re looking for.
The CPU on this machine is pretty good. A 12th Gen. i7 is a beast, similar to ThinkPad P16. But the integrated GPU — like the one in Lenovo Slim — is a bit of a bottleneck in terms of AAA titles. If you don’t plan on playing titles like Cyberpunk or Hogwarts’ Legacy, it will do fine.
Envy provides a lot of visual space. 17.3” 4K panel is gorgeous to look at, with slim vertical bezels and crisp colors.
This laptop has long been the laptop to recommend for business people and more formal settings. The body looks and feels premium, with a metallic finish that won’t attract unwanted attention.
HP’s keyboards are super compact. Granted, they’ll probably feel a bit shallow for some users, but the typing, at least for me, feels really good on these.
And at 5.6 lbs, this is one of the more portable 17” laptops. Add to that 7-9 hours of battery life, and you’d get the idea of why this is a pretty good laptop to take to the office.
Overall, HP Envy is for professionals who commute everyday, but also want to play mid-tier games and fully immerse themselves.
- What We Like
- Great CPU
- Large and crisp display
- Refined design
- Compact keyboard
- Good portability
- Affordable price
- What We Don’t Like
- Integrated GPU
- 60Hz refresh rate
Buying Guide for Best 4K Gaming Laptops
Before deciding on a laptop, you should know what specs to look for in a gaming laptop.
Purchasing a 4K gaming laptop is not as straightforward as it sounds. There are several important considerations you must keep in mind:
1. The Display Comes First
Simply getting a laptop with a 4K panel is not the end of the story since there are other things to consider. Besides resolution, the refresh rate is also super important for gaming. So for a smooth gaming experience, look for something capable of running at a higher refresh rate (120 Hz or more).
However, if you want to use it for creative work like photo and video editing, check the color accuracy.
2. Get a Laptop With a Powerful GPU
A 4K display won’t do you any good for running games at UHD if you don’t pair it with a powerful GPU. Nowadays, the RTX 40-series GPUs have taken the throne for graphics performance, and the best gaming laptops already have them, but they come at a high price. So if you can’t afford those, get a laptop housing some of the previous generations of RTX 30-series GPUs.
3. Don’t Forget About the CPU
A high-performance processor is also super important for smooth gaming performance. A good 4K laptop should at least have an Intel Core i7 or an AMD Ryzen 7 CPU. But of course, if your budget allows, going for an Intel Core i9 is the best possible option right now.
4. Get Enough RAM
Any good gaming laptop should pack at least 16GB RAM, and rest assured it is enough to run AAA titles at 4K resolution. However, if you plan to use the laptop for 3D work, engineering, and other demanding tasks, you may want to consider getting at least 32GB or more.
5. Check if Your Favorite Games Support 4K Resolution
Now that you know what makes a good 4K gaming laptop, there is another important thing to understand. Not all video games support 4K resolution, especially older titles. So before splashing your cash on a mighty gaming device, check the system requirements of the games you want to play and see if they support 4K.
6. Think About Battery Life and Portability
Another super important thing to consider is battery life and portability. What do we mean by this? Simple. With a 4K gaming laptop, you can forget about both, for the most part. There are some exceptions, of course, but if you go to college every day, you might also want to check some of the best laptops for gaming and school.
There are two main reasons for this: One: high-performance hardware components are bulky and require a larger chassis to fit in. Two: 4K displays drain the battery much quicker than lower-resolution displays.
7. Find a Properly Cooled Laptop
Last but not least, high-powered gaming laptops can generate a lot of heat while running games and other heavy-duty software. So to avoid overheating issues, look for a laptop equipped with an efficient cooling system.
Overall, it is vital to consider all the pros and cons of purchasing a 4K gaming laptop. And now, without further ado, let’s check out our picks.
FAQs about 4K Gaming Laptops
Is a 4K gaming laptop worth it?
If you are a gaming aficionado who wants to experience the visual brilliance of 4K gaming, investing in a 4K gaming laptop may be a worthwhile investment. However, keep in mind that 4K laptops are more expensive and require more powerful hardware to run properly.
Can a higher chunk of RAM improve gaming performances?
Having more RAM can definitely improve gaming performance, but only up to a certain point. For 4K gaming, 16GB RAM is enough to run even the most demanding AAA titles. However, if you also want to use the laptop for graphic content creation, we recommend 32GB or more.
What kind of processor is suitable for a 4K gaming laptop?
A high-performance processor is vital for a smooth gaming experience on a laptop. Currently, the 13th Gen Intel Core i9 chipsets are the most powerful CPUs you can get, but they are also the most expensive.
So if you want a more budget-friendly option, look for something that packs at least an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processor with 6-8 cores (or an AMD Ryzen 7).
Which is the best mobile GPU in the market?
If you’re looking for extreme performance disregarding the high price tag, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU is currently the best gaming GPU in the market.
However, going for a more reasonably priced RTX 30-series GPU is still a valid option.
Do professionals prefer 4K gaming laptops over 1080p options?
Not exactly, as gamers often opt for devices that can support higher refresh rates. A majority of Full HD gaming screens offer refresh rates well above 120Hz, allowing gamers to explore games without screen tearing.
A 4K gaming laptop makes sense if you have the best processor and GPU to complement game-playing at 4K resolution. Other than that, a 4K screen could also be a good choice for professionals in the fields of graphic design, 3D modeling, and photo and video editing.
Verdict
4K gaming laptops are, in most cases, premium and exclusive entities. Therefore, you need to be entirely sure before investing in one.
While we talked about each of the 7 laptops in utmost detail, you should still weigh in the pros and cons of the purchase before making the final call.
Let’s narrow it down a bit:
- The MSI Titan GT77 happens to be the king of elite laptops for 4K gaming, courtesy of the 144Hz 4K panel and the latest generations of hardware components.
- If you are looking for something with recognizable, creative allegiance, the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15 UX582 is probably the best dual-screen option available.
- Finally, if budget and portability are more important to you than gaming performance, checking out the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 9i might be a good idea.
Did we help you solve your dilemma, or do you still have a few questions that need answering? Let us know in the comment section below, and our team will answer asap.
