The best gaming laptops share five GPUs at the moment, ranging from the entry level RTX 5050 all the way up to the flagship RTX 5090. Sure, that top card will spit out the highest framerates, but that doesn't mean it's the best mobile GPU for most rigs. After all, there's that all-important price factor to consider.
I've had gaming laptops from HP, Asus, Acer, Alienware, Lenovo, Razer and more under the microscope over the last year, building a whole database of framerates, 3D Mark scores, and MSRPs. I'm putting that spreadsheet to work here, working out which mobile GPU is actually best for your gaming laptop.
TL;DR: The RTX 5080 offers the best upgrade value while the RTX 5070 can offer a compelling alternative
The RTX 5080 comes out on top in this rundown, after all it's the best graphics card for most PCs as well. It offers the largest performance increases compared to the GPU class below it (the RTX 5070) with the smallest jump in price when upgrading. That's at MSRP, anyway. When you consider today's actual rates, the value of the RTX 5070 is a little easier to see.
My favorite RTX 5080 gaming laptops
How I've been testing gaming laptops
I've been benchmarking gaming laptops while living, working, and playing with each one for a minimum of two weeks apiece. This particular comparison takes three machines from each GPU class, incorporating cheaper options, larger 18-inch models, and slimline devices where available. It's not a comprehensive view of the entire market, but it's a slice of action that seeks to provide a balanced testing pool with a representative range of different sizes, shapes, and price points.
RTX 5060 | MSI Katana 15 HX B14W Alienware 16X Aurora Lenovo Legion 5 Gen 10 |
RTX 5070 | Razer Blade 14 Asus ROG Strix G16 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI |
RTX 5080 | MSI Vector A18 HX A9W HP Omen Max 16 Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 |
RTX 5090 | Razer Blade 16 Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 MSI Raider A18 HX |
In each laptop's initial test period, they were benchmarked across Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Total War: Three Kingdoms, Cyberpunk 2077, and Horizon Zero Dawn: Remastered as well as 3D Mark's Time Spy, Fire Strike and Steel Nomad GPU tests. Each rig was tested in its highest power setting, with three runs of each benchmark giving a final average result. Tests are completed in both 1080p and 1600p for review, at both high and each game's highest graphical setting.
Read more: How we test gaming laptops
Performance
Synthetic Performance
It shouldn't be revolutionary to expect an RTX 5090 gaming laptop to top the pack in performance. These numbers are easily handed to the top-class GPU in the MSI Raider A18 HX A9W, with the RTX 5080 MSI Vector creeping in on easier tests thanks to its larger chassis.
But we're not concerned with who performs best, we're concerned with who gives us the biggest leap in performance.
To find that out a little easier, I crunched those scores down to averages for the GPU classes in my testing pool.
The RTX 5090 is ahead of the RTX 5080 here, with larger gap down to the RTX 5070 and a much smaller drop to the RTX 5060. In cold, hard numbers, synthetic tests show a 16.12% difference between the RTX 5060 and RTX 5070, a 33.07% performance boost from the RTX 5070 to the RTX 5080, and a 15.16% increase moving up from there to the RTX 5090.
Interestingly, this jump is at its most stark on the newer Steel Nomad benchmark. This harder run saw a 47.64% increase in performance across RTX 5080 gaming laptops (compared to RTX 5070), with the jump to the RTX 5090 also offering a slightly higher boost at 23.47%.
The RTX 5080 represents the biggest jump in performance compared to the RTX 5070 class, including an RTX 5070 Ti in the testing pool.
In-Game Performance (QHD+, highest settings)
Cyberpunk 2077, Horizon Zero Dawn: Remastered, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider offer a good spread of difficulty for these gaming laptops. At the top end of the spectrum, Cyberpunk represents the biggest challenge, with Lara Croft offering an easier run and Horizon sitting in the middle.
At full QHD+ resolution, with each game set to its highest graphical setting, we see similar results to the synthetic benchmarks.
Cyberpunk 2077 requires an RTX 5080 or RTX 5090 to stay above 60fps, but can still drop below that threshold with a slimmer chassis like that of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14. Chunkier RTX 5070 devices like the Asus ROG Strix G16 will still be able to keep their heads above that threshold in Horizon Zero Dawn: Remastered. Everyone is nicely comfortable in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, with RTX 5090 and larger RTX 5080 devices pushing past 200fps.
In terms of value, though, we need to know how much you actually gain by upgrading to an RTX 5070, RTX 5080, or RTX 5090 from the GPU class below them. That's where our old friend the average comes back into play.
On average, across all tests, framerates increase by around 14.79% when moving from an RTX 5080 to RTX 5090, with the smaller jump taking place in Horizon at 9%, and the largest benefits felt in Cyberpunk thanks to a 29.41% increase.
Moving from the RTX 5070 to the RTX 5080, however, still offers the largest gap. Framerates increase by an average of around 40.54% here, with performance jumping 62.29% in Horizon Zero Dawn: Remastered.
An upgrade from an RTX 5060 to RTX 5070 GPU only nets around 16.5% performance increase across in-game tests.
Price
Price - MSRP
Of course, all that means nothing without considering price, and that's where things get a little more interesting. At first glance, those numbers sit inline with performance. You're spending around $1,500 for an RTX 5060 machine, $2,000 - $2,700 for an RTX 5070, $3,000 - $3,300 for an RTX 5080 and $4,500+ for an RTX 5090. There are outliers - that Razer Blade 16 or Razer Blade 14 is going to cost a lot more than the Lenovo Legion 5 Gen 10.
Taking the MSRP of each gaming laptop in my testing pool, the RTX 5070 actually represents the largest difference in cost compared to the class below it.
On average, and at full price, you're spending 66.29% more on an RTX 5070 gaming laptop than you would an RTX 5060. That's followed just behind by the move from an RTX 5080 to RTX 5090, with its own 54.27% increase. The cheapest upgrade? Going from an RTX 5070 to an RTX 5080. You're only spending 27.97% more on this GPU class.
After years of chasing down cheap gaming laptop deals, that wasn't what I was expecting to see. RTX 5070 gaming laptops make up a good chunk of the daily discounts I see week to week, so there has to be more to this story.
Price - As sold today
Anecdotally, I see a lot of discounts on these cheaper GPU classes. RTX 5070 machines form the bedrock of major retailer sales, blending their value a lot more and knocking up against problematic RTX 5060 prices in terms of value.
Best Buy and Newegg are my go-to retailers for these discounts, and taking the first 20 listed gaming laptops for each GPU class reveals a slightly different set of numbers.
Put simply, RTX 5070 gaming laptops drop their MSRPs further day to day, while RTX 5060 machines are typically a little more expensive than the models in my testing pool.
Taking averages across both retailers, the jump from an RTX 5060 to RTX 5070 is now the smallest, at 36.03%, while moving up to an RTX 5080 will generally cost you around 48.03% more than its RTX 5070 underling. Opting for an RTX 5090 instead of an RTX 5080 will run up the price by an average of 43.03%.
Balancing the numbers
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Class to class performance (synthetic) increase | Class to class performance (in-game) increase | Class to class price increase (MSRP) | Class to class price increase (Retail) |
RTX 5070 | 16.12% | 16.5% | 66.29% | 36.03% |
RTX 5080 | 33.07% | 40.54% | 27.97% | 48.03% |
RTX 5090 | 15.16% | 14.79% | 54.27% | 43.03% |
We're looking for the highest performance increase with the lowest price increase here, and taking only MSRPs into account that's exactly what you get from the RTX 5080. It offers the largest gains over the GPU class below it (the RTX 5070 in this case) while running up the smallest upgrade cost overall.
There's still room for that RTX 5070, though.
Taking current prices at the time of writing, the RTX 5070 actually offers the lowest price increase over the class below (our base RTX 5060). You don't get as much of an upgrade as you'd experience with the jump to an RTX 5080, and the performance improvements don't quite keep pace with the jump in price, though.
Featured gaming laptops
If you're more interested in sticking with a particular brand, I'm also finding all the best Asus gaming laptops and best Razer laptops on the market. Or, check out the best Alienware laptops.
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