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- CPU: Intel Core i9-13980HX
- GPU: NVidia GeForce RTX 4090
- RAM: 32GB DDR5, 5600MHz
- Screen: 16”, 1600p, 240Hz
- CPU: Intel Core i9-13980HX
- GPU: NVidia GeForce RTX 4090
- RAM: 32GB DDR5, 5600MHz
- Screen: 17.3”, 1600p, 240Hz
- CPU: Intel Core i9-13950HX
- GPU: NVidia GeForce RTX 4090
- RAM: 32GB DDR5, 5600MHz
- Screen: 16”, dual resolution, 120 / 240Hz
- CPU: Intel Core i9-13900H
- GPU: NVidia GeForce RTX 4090
- RAM: 64GB DDR5, 4800MHz
- Screen: 17”, 1600p, 240Hz
- CPU: Intel Core i7-13700HX
- GPU: NVidia GeForce RTX 4090
- RAM: 16GB DDR5, 4800MHz
- Screen: 17”, 1600p, 165Hz
Like its desktop counterpart, the mobile RTX 4090 surpasses its predecessors by leaps & bounds. Couple it with the latest processors & display tech, and you get a generation of mobile gaming machines to remember! Finding the best RTX 4090 gaming laptop is a matter of careful research. Or, you could read our guide instead!
ASUS ROG Strix Scar 16
CPU: Intel Core i9-13980HX | GPU: NVidia GeForce RTX 4090 | RAM: 32GB DDR5, 4800MHz | Screen: 16”, 2560x1600, 240Hz | Storage: 2TB SSD | Battery life: 5h
- Fantastic screen
- Comfortable keyboard
- Excellent specs at a good price
- Either hot or loud, depending on the preset
The Scar is a long-standing staple of high-end mobile gaming, and ASUS’s 2023 model reaffirms its supremacy. It features an outstanding screen only the Blade comes close to, efficient cooling, and beastly hardware wrapped inside an attractive shell. The Scar 16 isn’t pricey as far as RTX 4090 laptop choices go, which further cements its spot.
ASUS aptly combined gaming accents with overall minimalism to create an attractive all-purpose laptop. The large exhaust grille immediately catches the eye, followed by twin RGB strips that bathe your desk in color once powered on.
Such a layout moves all the ports to the sides. You still get plenty, including Thunderbolt 4 and a 2.5G Ethernet jack. The ports flank a full-sized keyboard lacking a Numpad but with individual backlighting and regular arrow keys. You won’t need to switch it out for a gaming keyboard since typing feels great, and five media keys allow additional functionality.
Mini LEDs are making a splash this year, and we’re glad ASUS is at the forefront. The Scar 16 has a 16:10 QHD+ panel that reaches more than 1,000 nits in HDR mode. Coupled with 100% DCI-P3 coverage & OLED-like contrast, it’s great whether you’re gaming or video editing. You don’t need to calibrate the panel since it’s Pantone certified.
The Scar boasts the most powerful mobile CPU & GPU combination to date, so it’s no wonder it blazes through the most intense tasks. It does so either quietly or warmly, depending on which preset you choose. Quiet will keep the fans below 35dB yet reduce its performance potential by around 30%. Conversely, the fans turn into jet engines if you push them to the limit.
MSI Raider GE78 HX
CPU: Intel Core i9-13980HX | GPU: NVidia GeForce RTX 4090 | RAM: 32GB DDR5, 5600MHz | Screen: 17”, 2560x1600, 240Hz | Storage: 2TB SSD | Battery life: 6h
- Excellent overall specs and connectivity
- Large, vivid, and fast display
- Not too hot under heavy use
- Loud
MSI’s newest Raider is the 4090 laptop to beat in terms of overall performance. It ticks all the boxes, from world-class hardware and port coverage, to an excellent screen and typing experience. We can’t even fault its high price given how much you get compared to other premium competitors.
The GE78 HX features a revamped aesthetic inspired by the 80s and an obsession with pixels. You’ll see it in the flowing red inlays & a pixelated RGB bar on the bottom. It’s a two-parter, with sturdy hinges separating the metal lid from the plastic base.
Kudos to MSI for including three USB-C ports! One is Thunderbolt 4 with charging and DisplayPort passthrough should you want to connect an external monitor.
Not many gamers will bother, as the 16:10 display is as colorful as the Blade 16’s. The contrast is muted in comparison due to IPS limitations. Still, the wide color gamut, 400-nit brightness, and excellent response times give the 17” 240Hz panel plenty of oomph.
Speaking of, the Raider packs Intel’s best mobile CPU along with the RTX 4090. These let you max the panel’s framerate out in any competitive game and come close with others if you turn DLSS3 on. A fast NVMe storage drive and 32GB of DDR5 RAM round out the premium selection.
Gaming on the Raider never gets uncomfortably warm since the hottest areas are concentrated in the back towards the exhaust. The fans breach the 50dB range while gaming. Not unusual for a high-powered laptop, but distracting nevertheless.
Razer Blade 16
CPU: Intel Core i9-13950HX | GPU: NVidia GeForce RTX 4090 | RAM: 32GB DDR5, 5600MHz | Screen: 16”, 3840x2400 – 120Hz / 1920x1200, 240Hz | Storage: 2TB SSD | Battery life: 5:30h
- Outstanding dual refresh rate screen
- Quiet for a laptop in Balanced mode
- Excellent keyboard, SD card reader, and storage drive
- Ridiculously expensive
- Gets hot
Flagship laptops should bring innovation as much as raw power, a concept Razer takes to heart. The new Blade 16 sports a unique screen that lets you play at two resolutions and refresh rates. It’s as capable as our best RTX 4090 gaming laptop, quiet, and expensive even for the premium bracket.
We expect nothing but the solid metal chassis the Blade 16 delivers. It’s black metal and superbly stylish, with a Razer logo lighting it up. Mind where you touch it, as the matte surface perfectly preserves fingerprints. The laptop barely flexes and doesn’t creek. It has a healthy port complement, including an excellent SD card reader and USB4.
The keyboard takes up the Blade’s width yet doesn’t have a Numpad, meaning you have plenty of room to type. The small arrow keys under the full-sized Shift key are a bit jarring, but the backlit board is excellent for gaming otherwise. Razer makes some of the best mice in existence. Get one, and don’t bother with the touchpad.
Razer is breaking new ground with its dual mini LED 16:10 display. You can set it to UHD at 120Hz or drop it down to 1080p but double the framerate for the best response times when playing competitive shooters. The panel can achieve blindingly bright 800-ish nits with contrasts almost rivaling OLED. Better yet, 100% DCI-P3 and 90% Adobe RGB color coverage ensure exceptional accuracy for color grading.
Coupling that with the top-tier hardware inside, turns the Blade 16 into one of the most capable portable workstations around. It trails cheaper configurations by a few percent, but the screen will be a worthy investment for many.
Acer Predator Triton 17 X
CPU: Intel Core i9-13900H | GPU: NVidia GeForce RTX 4090 | RAM: 64GB DDR5, 4800MHz | Screen: 17”, 2560x1600, 250Hz | Storage: 2TB SSD | Battery life: 4h
- Thin and light
- Great screen and connectivity
- Solid keyboard and speakers
- Expensive
- Hot
Acer joins the bid for mobile gaming supremacy with its most potent Predator Triton model to date. There’s a lot of good here, from the excellent mini LED screen through great connectivity and typing to the overall presentation. Why isn’t it our best RTX 4090 gaming laptop, then? A curtailed configuration and internals that are challenging to get to slightly sour the experience.
Previous predators prided themselves in being sleek & light. The Triton 17 X remains true to its legacy, sporting a light and thin all-metal chassis with even thinner bezels for the screen. If two Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI, power, and audio are to be believed, this doesn’t impact port variety.
The keyboard is among the better ones on the list – tactile and snappy with a well-defined actuation port. There’s no Numpad, but you get customizable keys like on the Scar. A grille housing decent speakers and part of the laptop’s exhaust is on top.
Another high-end laptop, another mini LED screen! We’re not complaining since the jump in brightness, color fidelity, and contrast is among the generation’s most noteworthy upgrades. Apart from the need for minor calibration and slightly lower 700-nit brightness when filled with white, the display is comparable to the Scar’s.
Acer went with the 13900H, a CPU with four efficiency cores less than more expensive alternatives. The RTX 4090 also has reduced power draw, so overall testing puts the Triton behind our other i9 picks. The middle of its keyboard gets uncomfortably hot when gaming too.
HP Omen 17
CPU: Intel Core i7-13700HX | GPU: NVidia GeForce RTX 4090 | RAM: 16GB DDR5, 4800MHz | Screen: 17”, 2560x1600, 165Hz | Storage: 512GB SSD | Battery life: 4:30h
- Cheap for an RTX 4090 laptop
- Comfortable keyboard
- Minimalistic look
- Needs an SSD & RAM upgrade
Can you cram a 4090 inside a laptop chassis and pay less than $3,000 for it? Yes, if you don’t mind an i7 processor and several other concessions the Omen 17 resorts to. It’s still a beastly machine, just not the best RTX 4090 gaming laptop out there.
Minimalists and office workers who game in their spare time will appreciate the Omen’s barebones look. Its lid is plastic, while the base is metal – usually, it’s the opposite. Acer crammed most of its ports, including a single USB-C, on the left side. Only two USB-A connectors get to lounge on the right.
The keyboard is large and comfortable with deep travel and six custom keys on the left. This version has four RGB zones, but we don’t mind. A grille above it expels hot air. It helps keep the Omen among our cooler recommendations.
All these mini LED screens spoiled our perception of the Omen’s standard one. There’s nothing wrong with the 300-nit IPS display other than inherent contrast limitations and color coverage at only 90% sRGB. While not as bland as some lower-end MSI displays, it could cause some to look into alternative monitor options.
The Omen’s guts need more immediate upgrades, though. Neither 16GB of DDR5 nor the 512GB drive will be enough to run & house most games in the mid to long term. The CPU isn’t as powerful or power-hungry as the competition’s, but it will let the RTX 4090 spread its wings for a while.
No alienware m16/18?
It’s by no means a bad laptop, but when you have to narrow it down to five choices and cover different price points you have to omit some good products.
Both are chunkier than most competitors and can get toasty even when you’re not running games with RTX on. Add the low battery life you customarily get with gaming laptops, and you’ve got an excellent rig spec-wise that you can’t really move anywhere.