Laptops

5 Best Laptops For Gaming and Programming: (2023 Ultimate Guide)

Best Laptops For Gaming and Programming (2)

Being a gaming streamer and videographer, a snappy laptop is my need. Sometimes it feels like I won’t stop picking up these laptops till my last breath. Picking the best laptops for gaming and programming is not an easy job after all we have these hundreds of options.

In the course of 19 years, I have touched many fields and programming is also one of them.

No doubt, the best laptops for gaming are better at programming.

They handle my apps like a charm. A better example is android studio because that’s what my team and I often work on.

I don’t go for developing high-end apps.

Rather, my focus is to work on some small service apps with one of my best laptops for gaming and programming.

On top of that, I have also developed some web-based tools like SEO tools and photo editing software using some of my laptops.

That’s because doing something of my interest to help people out there makes me happy.

Whereas, Photography and Videography will always be on my priority list.

Whatever the case is, I’ll be talking about how I acquired these laptops for gaming and jobs like programming.

On top of that, I am going to explain why these devices are worth having for programming/coding.

Best Laptops For Gaming and Programming Comparison in Year 2023

Laptop image Laptop name Main specs  Price
Apple MacBook Pro 16 Apple Macbook Pro Graphics: Built-in 16‑core GPU
Processor: 10-core M1 Pro chip
RAM: 16GB DDR4
Storage: 512GB SSD
Check Price
Razer Blade 17 Razer Blade 17  Graphics: GeForce RTX 3070 Ti
Processor: 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12800H 14-Core
RAM: 16GB DDR5
Storage: 1TB PCIe SSD
Check Price
HP Spectre x360 Luxury 14T  HP Spectre x360 Luxury 14T Graphics: Intel Iris Xe
Processor: Intel Core i7-1165G7
RAM: 16GB DDR4
Storage: 1TB SSD
Check Price
LG Gram 17Z90P  LG Gram 17 Graphics: Intel Xe
Processor: 11th gen Intel Evo core i7-1165G7 
RAM: 16GB DDR4
Storage: 1TB M.2 SSD
Check Price
ROG Zephyrus G14  ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 6GB
Processor: AMD Octa-Core Ryzen 9 5900HS
RAM: 16GB DDR4
Storage: 1TB SSD
Check Price

What are the best laptops for gaming and programming?

Hand down, companies like Acer, Asus, Dell, etc have already done half of the job for me with their laptops for programming. They serve me better than desktop computers with their hardware components and portability.

1. Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)

Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021): (best laptop for gaming and programming)

I motivate my programming team to create the most useful apps. They need powerful laptops which is a whole other story.

But Sometimes I get involved myself because there are certain things that I need to get done on my own.

Other than that, mostly I am involved in videography and streaming.

I also travel a lot for my photography projects.

Whereas, flying frequently buys me some time to play games. Because you may know that it gets boring on the plane.

In such circumstances, the fast laptop is a must-have accessory that I can’t ignore even if I want to.

I won’t call my Apple MacBook Pro 16 the pro gaming machine but it handles some good AAA games.

However, it does a tremendous job in video editing and coding.

A few months back, I needed a lightweight laptop for traveling that can handle my projects.

The MacBook Pro 16 as being a nice fit for my job, so I bought it instantly.

Its performance peaks high.

Most importantly, the laptop never makes me exhausted when carrying it around.

Features:

Processor / Graphics:

It can’t get any better the Apple M1 Pro chip with 10 cores doubles the processing power.

Moreover, the graphics on the Macbook pro 16 are cruised with 32 cores to add hype to the performance of the most brutal games and apps.

Display / Battery / Wifi / USB ports:

The display on my Apple Macbook pro 16 is a dream come true.

A 1080P FaceTime HD camera that involves the latest image processing technology makes my video calls up to the mark.

The 16-inch display has some serious contrast ratio with liquid retina XRD for detailed image delivery.

Moreover, the battery span lefts behind any of the laptops you see on the list with a 21-hour backup time.

I found it vibrant, charming, and never got any headaches after using it for hours.

Ports like SDXC, HDMI, and Thunderbolt 4 spice it up for fast transfers.

RAM / ROM:

16GB random access memory is a sign of excellence in laptops and my Macbook pro has it.

It’s from the DDR4 family and its behavior toward multiple tasks is harsh and brutal.

SSD / Hard drive / SSHD:

HDDs are far left behind by SSDs.

This laptop has an SSD and I am not saying that the capacity of 512Gb on it is enough for me.

But it stores a good portion of my data that includes some photography and videography stuff.

However, the SSD gives me an edge in performance.

Conclusion:

As for the configurations, the Apple Macbook Pro 16 has set its standards. The CPU and GPU on the laptop are the need-fulfilling chips housed inside it.

The design looks professional and the battery stays longer.

Moreover, the display has all the technologies that no other laptop brand offers.

This laptop for programming and gaming is a full-on workstation if know what you can do with it.

To the folks out there confused about getting the finest laptop for their work. The Apple Macbook Pro 16 seals the door if you can pay its expense.

The Good

  • CPU & GPU: Apple M1 pro
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • Storage: 512 GB
  • Battery: 21 hours
  • Display: 16 inches, 3456 x 2234, XRD
  • OS: macOS
  • Weight: 4.7 pounds
  • Dimension: 0.66 x 14.01 x 9.77 inches

The Bad

  • Not offering the USB Type-A ports

Also read: Best laptops for gaming

2. Razer Blade 17

Razer Blade 17 review

Taking pictures and editing my recorded gaming streams will never end for me.

I love doing it because I have the proper means for it in the form of laptops and PC computers.

A month ago, one of my friends sent me this Razer laptop in my Facebook inbox.

At first, the thought of ignoring this device crossed my mind.

Then I remember, wait, I need a laptop for programming and the Razer 17 might be a nice for.

Although, I have dozens of notebooks for different purposes. Because next week I had a flight to Australia to meet my new client for a videography project.

To have a whole new experience with a new laptop during my journey, the Razer Blade looked promising. Later on, I handed over to my programmer to build my apps.

But It was an awesome experience editing videos, photos, and playing games in my spare time with this vibrant display and hardware configurations.

Feature:

Processor / Graphics:

A 12th Gen chip with 14 cores and RTX 3070 Ti GPU on my Razer Blade 17 are manifested to hypnotize any game title with 100 frames per second.

On turbo boost, the processing chip clocks at 4.8Ghz, and ideal frames per second were received for games from the GPU.

Whereas, the graphics are good because the latest AI technologies like ray-tracing and NVIDIA DLSS features are added to this 2nd gen RTX.

Other than that, the Max-Q technology makes my laptop super fast for almost everything.

The programming and video editing jobs were done like a charm.

Display / Battery / Wifi / USB ports:

Although the 17-inches nature of the laptop made my journey a little hectic but I had the benefits of a wider screen.

Display comes with the NVIDIA G-SYNC to match the GPU requirements.

Whereas, it’s QHD with 240Hz refresh rate and blooms some realistic images with 1440 pixels that make me engrossed.

Sadly, the battery life is the worst. I kept my laptop’s power bank with me to keep it charged while traveling.

The wide range of Wifi connectivity is worth admiring and the Razer Blade 17 is on Thunderbolt 4 alongside some fast USB ports.

RAM / ROM:

DDR5 is the of RAM is the finest one for a laptop and especially when it’s 16 GB. I must say, the Blade 17 did what It was meant to buy.

My employee loved it when doing some brutal multitasking.

As for me, I enjoyed some smooth gameplays on it after a long day of video editing.

SSD / Hard drive / SSHD:

SSDs is the new culture in laptop, HDDs are longer dominant.

The difference is the RPM which is lower on hard drives as compared to SSD.

It results in faster data delivery for instant startups and boot up. A 1TB SSD is what this laptop has to stop the buffers on the system.

Conclusion:

Video editing makes you sweat bullets when your laptop is underperforming. Luckily my Razer Blade 17 is free of complaints.

It’s smooth and gives me fast relief from my work. I know the plugging in of the charger because of poor battery span all the time is tiring.

However, the perks of this laptop are endless.

Anyone who has a tough working schedule like me is permitted to use the Razer Blade 15 on their own. Because it saves you time and eliminates the lag headaches.

The Good

  • CPU: Intel 12th gen 14-Core i7
  • GPU: GeForce RTX 3070 Ti
  • RAM: 16 GB gen 5
  • Storage: 1 TB
  • Display: 17.3 inches, 1440P, QHD
  • OS: Windows 11
  • Weight: ‎10.33 pounds
  • Dimension: 18.4 x 14.5 x 4 inches

The Bad

  • 2hours of battery span
  • Hard to carry around

3. HP Spectre x360 Luxury 14T

HP Spectre x360 Luxury 14T review

I am a videographer and worked with many video production companies.

During the projects, I get less time to type the client requirements on my laptop. Buying a foldable laptop became my need a month ago.

Because such devices come with a stylus and it’s easy for me to take notes easily.

Besides that, I couldn’t compromise on the hardware either.

The design of the HP Spectre x360 looked more like a normal laptop.

But I have to get it because within 6 days I was going abroad to shoot some video shots for a video production company.

When this laptop arrived, despite what the design looked like online, it was decent in hand.

Whereas, the performance of its configurations was justifiable for the price tag HP Spectre x360 Luxury 14T is holding.

Features:

Processor / Graphics:

The x369 is on an intel chip from the i7 family that summons all the processes with its high performing speed.

As the laptop is made for professional use and also some casual gaming, it offers an integrated graphics card.

It’s just not an old school GPU that you see on some cheap laptops. But it took the responsibility of my video editing tasks with pride.

Display / Battery / Wifi / USB ports:

Being a foldable laptop, it’s featuring a touchscreen as using a stylus on a normal screen laptop isn’t possible.

You may criticize the 13.5-inch small screen size. However, other features like 1080 pixels, higher refresh rate, and aspect ratio may change your perception as it did mine.

The battery is also good with 10 hours span for a long day of video editing and programming.

Playing games on the Spectre x360 may compromise its battery time a little.

Yet the device still delivers the best battery spans in comparison to many other laptops.

I got fast and reliable USB ports, including the USB-A and USB-C ports, on the laptop.

Whereas, the Wifi connectivity can drag the internet from a longer distance.

RAM / ROM:

In the mid-range laptops, the 16 gigabytes is some kind of culture. It’s a good thing because it keeps the laptop’s performance snappy.

Whereas, my laptop is having the same amount of memory for the DDR4 family.

It kept me fluent in getting done my video editing tasks in a short span.

SSD / Hard drive / SSHD:

1 Terabyte of SSD is fast and consistent in fast app startups. There’s a room available for tons of data on this SSD and It’s hard to fill that up.

However, the graphics demanding games can beat it if I save too many of them on the HP Spectre x360 Luxury 14T.

Conclusion:

I like the fancy designs on laptops.

However, it’s not the case here for me. The HP Spectre x360 is a decent looking notebook that is rigged for programming and other tasks.

Whereas, no RGB lights are there to add that glamour that many modern gaming laptops have.

The processor with integrated graphics does the job remarkably.

And, some movies and gaming entertainment is allowed too by this device.

The Good

  • CPU: Intel i7-1165G7
  • GPU: Integrated
  • RAM: 16 GB gen 4
  • Storage: 1 TB SSD + 64GB flash drive
  • Display: 13.5 inches, 1080P, OLED
  • OS: Windows 10 pro
  • Weight: ‎10.03 pounds
  • Dimension: 11.75 x 8.67 x 0.67 inches

The Bad

  • There’s no HDMI port
  • Touchpad could have been better

4. LG Gram 17Z90P

LG Gram 17Z90P review

Despite the fact that my LG Gram 17 is one of the big screen laptops. It’s unlike others.

I am able to carry it around while traveling because it doesn’t weigh much.

I saw this laptop while attending a seminar arranged by different entrepreneurs in Canada.

One of my friends also planned to go with me on the journey to Canada. A week before, he came to my house with his laptop which was LG Gram 17Z90P.

We sat down to sort some things up on this laptop before the seminar.

I noticed that the laptop is well equipped with fast hardware which made me engrossed.

Whereas, the display and slim design had their own class.

As a videographer, I wanted to give it a try.

I had mine and it traveled with me all the way to Canada to help me edit the beautiful shorts of landscapes on the way.

Features:

Processor / Graphics:

Inside this beautiful laptop sits an Intel Evo i7 CPU chip from the 11th gen integrated with the Intel Xe Graphics.

It makes the video editing software run with smoothness. It gives freedom to all my 4k videos to run stutter-free.

I also had some gaming experience with these configurations. I must say my streams were flawless.

Display / Battery / Wifi / USB ports:

The 17 inches display is determined to give me crisp and clear picture quality.

It is tear-free because of some extraordinary features and support.

‎2560 x 1600P resolutions, a decent refresh rate, and a good aspect ratio is what this display is up for

The battery span is worth it because it stands at a 19 hours survival time.

Ports like Thunderbolt 4, USB-C ports 3.1, and USB-A ports 3.2 are supportive of the LG Gram 17.

RAM / ROM:

As always, it’s my 4th laptop on the list with 16GB RAM. What makes it different from others is the LPDDR4X family.

It’s rigged to beat multitasking, video, and photo editing with 4266mhz speed.

SSD / Hard drive / SSHD:

Higher RPMs for data delivery is the case here because of an SSD. The storage capacity is enormous with a 1TB capacity.

It’s a PCIe M.2  SSD that made me more productive and saved me more time because of instant outputs.

Conclusion:

I praise very few 17 inches laptops when it comes to traveling. First, they’re heavy, and secondly, their big nature makes me irritated.

However, apart from the ragged performance for tasks I performed on it, the LG Gram 17 traveled with me without making me bothered.

Its vibrant display delivers elegant images.

Some gaming in my free time also helped me with my mental health.

Also, my videos had nice end results after editing them on this laptop.

All in all, I would say “there’s no better example of Gram 17 being one of the best laptops for gaming and programming”.

The Good

  • CPU: Intel Evo 11th gen Core i7
  • GPU: Intel Xe
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • Storage: 1 TB SSD
  • Display: 17 inches, 4k, LCD
  • OS: Windows 10 Home
  • Weight: ‎2.98 pounds
  • Dimension: 14.97 x 10.24 x 0.7 inches
  • Battery life: 19 hours

The Bad

  • Priced high
  • The touchpad is not the best of all

5. ROG Zephyrus G14

ROG Zephyrus G14 review

I have done many video editing jobs and along the way, I found the Zephyrus G14.

The irony is that I didn’t find this laptop from a google search.

Instead, my colleague actually suggested me to go for a mixed-breed laptop which is now G14.

It’s all because wanted to have some gaming entertainment after a long day of hassle with video and photo editing.

So far the laptop is doing great with the performance although I have filled it up with many games and apps.

It’s an AMD and RTX-based laptop that has no empathy for gaming and working.

Features:

Processor / Graphics:

Octa-Core Ryzen 9 5900HS chip from AMD can gas out any process with its clocking speed.

It’s a nightmare for i9 chips.

Whereas, honored with the RTX 3000 series named the GeForce RTX 3060 with 6GB GDDR6 memory.

Combining these two has massive video editing benefits.

Display / Battery / Wifi / USB ports:

Based on the legit testing, the battery life can last only 2 hours on gaming.

I don’t have anything to say because I have much better laptops with a good battery span as compared to my G14.

The display is good with some good reliabilities. It delivers some smooth playback on high resolutions videos.

Whereas, internet connectivity is made easy by the 802.11ax.

No Thunderbolt but the other connectivity options are praised wisely by my team and me.

RAM / ROM:

16 GB RAM like other G14 models, video editing, programming, photo editing, and multitasking are made super easy.

Why shouldn’t they, after all, it’s a DDR4 memory that covers most of the performance flaws.

SSD / Hard drive / SSHD:

1 terabyte SSD for massive data storage and fast data calls from the processor is what the G14 is all about.

Conclusion:

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is a perfect example of a gaming laptop. Don’t be tricked by the gaming title attached to it.

Because I have tried many other things on the G14 and it did exactly what I was expecting it to do.

My video editing and gaming streams were enhanced.

I haven’t experienced a minor glitch in the speed.

For those of you who need a lightweight laptop for gaming and programming, ROG Zephyrus G14 is the one for you.

The Good

  • CPU: AMD Octa-Core Ryzen 9 5900HS
  • GPU: RTX 3060
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • Storage: 1 TB SSD
  • Display: 14 inches, 1080P
  • OS: Windows 10
  • Weight: ‎3.64 pounds
  • Dimension: 12.8 x 8.7 x 0.7 inches
  • Battery life: 8 hours on normal use

The Bad

  • I bought a webcam because there isn’t any
  • Wired internet connectivity is the luxury it’s missing on

FAQs:

Conclusion

Guys, I guess my job delivering finest laptops is done here. I shared my experience with these notebooks so that you can benefit from it.

Do let me know what is your favorite one out of all these best laptops for gaming and programming.

You can also use our Laptop Finder to get the job done for you.

I like my LG Gram 17 these days because I am really hustling on evolving my video editing skills.

Hope it helps!

read more:

About the author

Erick Rowan

Hi, this is Erick. I can't resist testing Laptops, Gaming PCs, and cameras. Being a photographer and gamer, I am always eager to try something. I am reviewing and helping people for almost 7 years with my experience with the mentioned technologies and I'll keep doing this till the end.

Leave a Comment