Nvidia’s new GeForce RTX 30-series laptops are finally here, and while they’re no longer equivalent to their identically named desktop cousins, this new breed of GPUs is still formidable, as our RTX 3080 mobile review proves. Even better? Unlike desktop graphics cards, you can actually buy them!
Well, some of them. Most of the GeForce RTX 30-series we’ve spotted so far come paired with Intel’s potent, yet older 10th-gen Comet Lake H gaming processors. New AMD Ryzen 5000 Mobile and Intel Tiger Lake H35 gaming processors were announced at CES 2021, but they’re not widely available quite yet—though you’ll find a few listings scattered below.
Gordon Mah UngThe MSI GE76 Raider and its RTX 3080 kicks butt and takes names.
For now, however, if you want an RTX 30-series laptops in your hands, you mostly have to go with 10th-gen Intel. Good thing those chips still rock for gaming. On the plus side, you’ll have several GPUs to choose from, as the GeForce RTX 3060, 3070, and 3080 are all available.
Shopping for a gaming laptop is harder now because of some fundamental changes Nvidia made with the RTX 30-series. Fortunately, the company changed policies shortly after these laptop GPUs released and manufacturers must now include crucial power or clock speed info to let you know how hard they’re pushing these machines. Parsing those raw technical specs can still be difficult for many so we’ve penned a guide explaining how to tell which RTX 30-series notebooks are more powerful. Nonetheless, at a time when desktop graphics cards are impossible to find and inflated to incredible prices in the rare times you can, we felt it worthwhile to pull together a list of some of the RTX 30-series laptops you can buy right now.
We’ve reviewed several high-end RTX 3080 laptops, and all three earned hearty recommendations and our coveted Editors’ Choice award:
All of the models in the non-comprehensive list come with drool-worthy, ultra-fast displays, and most were in stock at the time of writing, though availability fluctuates. Feel free to hit any link for even deeper configuration info. Let’s dig in.
11 GeForce RTX 30-series laptops you can buy right now
Asus
Gordon Mah UngThe Asus ROG Flow X13
Asus is one of the few laptop makers aggressively rolling out RTX 30-series gaming notebooks with potent Ryzen 5000 mobile chips inside. Two laptops are already available with AMD’s CPU and Nvidia’s GPU: The surprisingly slim Asus ROG Flow X13 we reviewed and love, which costs $3,300 at Best BuyRemove non-product link when paired with its powerful ROG XG Mobile RTX 3080 dock, and the $2,000 ROG Zephyrus G15Remove non-product link. The G15 is the sequel to last year’s excellent Zephyrus G14, our favorite portable gaming laptop of 2020, and comes with the following hardware:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080
- Display: 15.6-inch, 165Hz 1080p “IPS-level”
- Memory: 16GB
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Weight: 4.19 pounds
We haven’t formally tested it yet but on paper, the Zephyrus G15 offers massive bang for buck compared to Intel-based RTX 30-series laptops. This notebook packs one of AMD’s most potent Ryzen 9 chips and Nvidia’s flagship RTX 3080 for $2,000. Comparable Intel-based RTX 30-series laptops typically include an older 10th-gen Core processor and slower RTX 3060 or 3070 GPUs. Note that neither of Asus’s notebooks include a webcam, however. Get with the times, ROG! You can buy a standalone 1080p webcam for cheap if you need one though.
Gigabyte
GigabyteGigabyte’s most affordable RTX 30-series laptops start around $1,500 and come with the RTX 3060. The company’s entry-level models in its two major gaming laptop brands offer similar specs under the hood, with 10th-gen Core processors, 16GB of memory, 512GB SSDs, 15.6-inch displays, and that coveted GPU, but differ in their panel options: The $1,500 Aorus 15G comes with a blazing fast 240Hz 1080p screen, while the $1,700 Aero 15Remove non-product link includes for a much more pixel-dense, yet lower-speed 4K option.
A beefier version of the Gigabyte Aorus 15G costs $1,800 at NeweggRemove non-product link. Here’s what you get for your cash:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-10870H
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070
- Display: 15.6-inch, 240Hz 1080p IPS
- Memory: 32GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Weight: 4.51 pounds
The $2,099 Gigabyte Aorus 17GRemove non-product link includes the same basic hardware but steps up to a larger, faster 17-inch display with a blistering 300Hz refresh rate. There’s also the beefier RTX 3080 version for $2,700Remove non-product link that we reviewed and mentioned previously.
Gigabyte also offers several Aero options, including the $2,200 for the Aero 15Remove non-product link with an RTX 3070 inside and culminating in a beastly $3,700 Gigabyte Aero 17Remove non-product link. For your cash, you’ll get an RTX 3080 paired with Intel’s ferocious Core i9-10980HK, 64GB of memory, 2TB of fast PCIe SSD storage, and a factory calibrated 4K display.
MSI
MSIMSI offers several sub-$2,000 RTX 30-series laptops with various configuration options, including the $1,500 MSI GF75 ThinRemove non-product link with an RTX 3060 and a 144Hz screen
The $1,799 MSI GP66 LeopardRemove non-product link is the same price as the Gigabyte Aorus 15G discussed previously, but a bit more modestly spec’d out. The overall experience matters greatly for laptops but the Gigabyte notebook definitely offers more bang for your buck on paper. Both wield the RTX 3070 mobile chip, though.
- CPU: Intel Core i7-10750H
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070
- Display: 15.6-inch, 144Hz 1080p “IPS-level”
- Memory: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Weight: 5.25 pounds
Alternatively, there’s an $1,800 version of the MSI GS66Remove non-product link with a slower RTX 3060 GPU, but a faster 240Hz display and 1TB of fast SSD storage. The $2,300 MSI GE66 Raider bumps things up to a 300Hz display, a Core i7-10870H processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Meanwhile company’s larger 17-inch GE76 RaiderRemove non-product link is only in preorder status for now, alas, but the flagship $2,999 MSI GS66 Stealth for can be be ordered on Amazon now.
Razer
RazerRazer leaned hard into the RTX 30-series, with several 15-inch Razer Blade and 17-inch Razer Blade Pro models available with an awesome selection of displays in various sizes, speeds, and panel types. The Razer Blade 15 base edition starts at $1,700 for an RTX 3060 modelRemove non-product link, or if you want to step up to an RTX 3080, you can find a 144Hz, 1080p display for $2,000 or a 165Hz, 1440p display for $2,200.
Here’s what’s inside the Razer Blade 15 Base Edition, aside from those differing display configurations:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-10750H
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070
- Memory: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Weight: 4.6 pounds
Eventually, you’ll be able to buy a 17-inch 4K Razer Blade ProRemove non-product link with a Core i7-10875H, an RTX 3080, a 1TB PCIe SSD (with an option for 2TB), and 32GB of RAM (with a 64GB option) as the ultimate Razer offering. For now, you can preorder it. If you don’t need such a powerful loadout, you can buy versions of the Razer Blade Pro right now at $2,300 for an RTX 3060 modelRemove non-product link, or $2,600 for a configuration with an RTX 3070Remove non-product link.
Cutting-edge GeForce RTX 30-series laptops are only just starting to hit our test bench, but be sure to check out our guide to the best gaming notebooks for concrete recommendations as time goes on. Until then, the guide offers buying advice that can help you navigate the somewhat confusing world of laptop specs and configurations. Good luck!
Editor’s note: This article originally published on January 29, 2021 when the first wave of RTX 3070 and 3080 laptops launched, but was updated to include models with RTX 3060 GPUs and Ryzen 5000 chips.