Overview
The $1,500-$2,000 range is the sweet spot for gaming laptops in 2026. You get RTX 5070 Ti Laptop GPUs, 240Hz QHD+ displays, and current-gen Intel or AMD processors. Here are our top picks.
Our Picks
1. Lenovo Legion Pro 5i 16, $1,899 (Best Overall)
The Legion Pro 5i 16 is our top pick because it does everything well. Gaming performance matches the competition, but it adds a 1080p webcam, a 99.99 Wh battery, and an SD card reader, making it genuinely usable as a daily driver.
Best for: Gamers who also use their laptop for work, school, or content creation.
2. ASUS ROG Strix G16, $1,799 (Best Value)
The ROG Strix G16 delivers virtually identical gaming performance for $100 less. The trade-off is no webcam and a smaller battery. If gaming is your primary use case and you don’t video call, this is the smarter buy.
Best for: Dedicated gamers who want to save $100 and don’t need a webcam.
What to Look For
When shopping for a gaming laptop in this price range, prioritize:
- GPU: RTX 5070 Ti Laptop or better. This is the single biggest factor in gaming performance.
- Display: 240Hz at QHD+ (2560x1600) minimum. Avoid 1080p panels at this price. You’re leaving performance on the table.
- RAM: 32 GB DDR5. 16 GB is too little for modern gaming plus background tasks.
- Storage: 1 TB NVMe SSD minimum. Games are 50-100 GB each now.
- Battery: 90 Wh+ if you’ll ever use it unplugged.
What to Avoid
- Last-gen GPUs at current-gen prices: If a laptop has an RTX 4070 Ti for $1,800, skip it. The RTX 5070 Ti is significantly faster.
- 1080p displays: QHD+ is the standard now. 1080p at this price means you’re overpaying.
- 16 GB RAM configs: You’ll hit the ceiling quickly with modern games and multitasking.
- 256 GB storage: You’ll fill it before you finish downloading your Steam library.