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To find the best VR ready laptop, you’ll need to determine the features that are right for you and your preferred gaming setup. We recommend that you favor laptops with high-grade processors and GPUs that excel with graphically intensive games, such as those found with virtual reality titles. Make sure to also consider the form factor, as a light and thin laptop will be better for portability and transport. When buying a VR ready laptop, always look for a powerful processor, a best-in-class graphics card, and plenty of RAM.
After analyzing hundreds of reviews amongst a multitude of products with varying price points and features, we’ve determined that the Alienware M15 is the best VR ready laptop on the market today. Keep reading about this and our other top picks to learn more about the best gaming laptops on the market.
Award: TOP PICK
WHY WE LIKE IT: Capable and powerful laptop for VR and standard gaming, with the Nvidia Geforce RTX 2070 graphics card, a 10th generation Intel Core i7 processor, and a large and speedy 1TB SSD.
The Alienware m15 meets and excels the Oculus Rift laptop requirements, making it one of the best Oculus Rift S compatible laptop and the best laptop for Oculus Link use, via the standalone Oculus Quest headset. The specs here are on point, thanks to featuring the Nvidia Geforce RTX 2070 graphics card, which features 8GB of GDDR6 RAM, and a 10th generation Intel Core i7 processor. This best gaming laptop also comes with a large and speedy 1TB solid-state drive.
Related: If you want to get actual value for your money, check the best gaming laptop under 1500.
Other solid specs include 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a gorgeous 17-inch display with a 300Hz refresh rate and a 3s response time. Of course, all of these advanced features do have one drawback, as the battery can only last a couple of hours while gaming. Still, we think it’s a great option for anyone looking for the best laptop for League of Legends.
Award: HONORABLE MENTION
WHY WE LIKE IT: A durably made laptop that boasts proprietarily designed cooling fans, for the safety of internal components, along with advanced specs, such as the inclusion of the Nvidia Geforce RTX 2070 graphics card.
The Alienware m17 R3 should stay absolutely cool to the touch, even while running advanced gaming applications through a VR headset, thanks to proprietary cooling fans that maintain the temperature of internal components. The gaming-related specs here meet and exceed requirements for using HTC Vive VR headsets, with 16GB of DDR4 RAM, an Intel Core i7-10750H processor, and the Nvidia Geforce RTX 2070 graphics card, which boasts 8GB of dedicated GDDR6 memory.
The advanced specs found with this laptop do significantly decrease battery life, particularly while gaming, so take that into consideration. Also, this is an expensive gaming laptop, which may not suit consumers looking for a budget-friendly model. For VR, Alienware is one of the best gaming laptop brands so you can’t go wrong here.
Award: BEST QUALITY
WHY WE LIKE IT: High-quality gaming laptop with a feature set that rivals most desktop computers, including 64GB of RAM, a large and speedy 2TB SSD, and a powerful 10-core processor manufactured by Intel.
The MSI GT76 Titan DT is purpose-built to handle advanced virtual reality applications, such as those found on the Oculus or Steam store, with a suite of head turning features that include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card, a 10th generation Intel Comet Lake Core i9-10900K 10-core processor, and 64GB of dedicated DDR4 RAM. This laptop also features a speedy and ultra-large 2TGB solid-state drive, which is room enough for hundreds of modern gaming applications.
All of these features come at a literal price, as this is an extremely expensive gaming laptop, though it is a relatively future-proof model, thanks to the advanced processor and loads of RAM. It is also on the heavier side, at nearly ten pounds, which does impact portability. However, that’s why they make the best laptop backpacks.
Award: BEST COOLING
WHY WE LIKE IT: Features the company’s exclusive Cooler Boost technology, which includes a trio of cooling fans and 4 heat pipes, in addition to boasting a thin and lightweight design.
The MSI GS65 Stealth should remain cool to the touch, even while running advanced virtual reality applications, thanks to the company’s proprietary Cooler Boost technology, which includes three cooling fans and four advanced heat pipes. This is a light and thin gaming laptop, clocking in at around four pounds, and features an immersive display with ultra-slim bezels, for when you want to game the old-fashioned way. The RGB backlit metal keyboard is also great for playing in the dark.
The 256GB of solid-state storage that ships with this laptop is on the lower side, which could impact consumers who like to purchase and store multiple modern games at once. Also, though the laptop itself is light and great for portability, the charger will add another three pounds to that total. Still, a great option for anyone looking for the best thin and light gaming laptop.
Award: BEST DURABILITY
WHY WE LIKE IT: Highly durable and long-lasting gaming laptop, thanks to a CNC aluminum unibody frame, with a 4K touch display, for traditional computing tasks, and a powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q graphics card.
The Razer Blade 15 is incredibly durable and should last a long time, thanks to the internal components being encased in a CNC aluminum unibody frame and featuring an innovative vacuum-sealed cooling chamber. The gaming-related specs here are on point, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q graphics card and the 10th generation Intel Core i7-10875H processor, which can overclock to 5.1GHz. The 15.6-inch 4K OLED touch display is also a nice bonus, as it turns this laptop into something of a hybrid device, with tablet-like functionality.
Though thin and compact, this laptop does weigh nearly nine pounds, which could impact portability and transport. Additionally, the integrated lithium battery can only get around five or six hours of use while performing light computing tasks, and this metric decreases considerably while gaming in virtual reality. It’s definitely one of the best 2-in-1 gaming laptops on our list.
Award: BEST STORAGE
WHY WE LIKE IT: Ships with an astounding amount of solid-state storage, 6TB split up among a trio of 2TB drives, with advanced specs such as 128GB of DDR4 RAM and a powerful Intel Core i9 processor.
The HIDevolution ASUS ROG Mothership comes with 6TB of solid-state storage, split across three 2TB drives, allowing for hundreds and hundreds of large applications, 4K movies, and personal documents. The specs here are also excellent, thanks to 128GB of DDR4 RAM, a 9th generation Intel Core i9 8-core processor, and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card. We also appreciated that this is a 2 in 1 laptop design, as the display detaches from the keyboard for use as a tablet.
This is a highly advanced machine that rivals or exceeds most desktop computers and, as such, it is extremely expensive, so take that into consideration. Also, the battery life here takes a huge hit, thanks to the aforementioned specs, and only allows for a couple of hours of use before needing a recharge. It’s a great option for anyone looking for the best gaming laptop for school.
Award: BEST COMPACT DESIGN
WHY WE LIKE IT: Incredibly light and thin compact design, weighing just over 3lb, with some decent features that include a TB SSD and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q with 6GB of dedicated GDDR6 RAM.
The HIDevolution ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is built for portability and easy transport, as it is on the thinner side and weighs just over three pounds. The gaming-related specs here are also decent and more than enough for standard VR applications, with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q processor, which features 6GB of GDDR6 RAM, and the AMD 4th Generation Ryzen 9 8-core, 16-thread processor. This laptop also comes with a large and speedy 1TB solid-state drive, which should hold plenty of games, movies, and personal documents.
The display on this Asus VR ready laptop is just 14-inches wide, which obviously does not impact playing in virtual reality but could decrease immersion while playing traditional computer games. For traditional computer games, we suggest checking our list of the best laptops for WOW.
Award: BEST UNIQUE DESIGN
WHY WE LIKE IT: Features a secondary touch screen above the keyboard, for the purposes of making adjustments on the fly, with a robust feature set that includes a powerful Intel Hexa-core processor.
The HP Omen X 2S features an innovative and unique dual-screen design that places a secondary touch screen above the keyboard and below the main display. This secondary display allows for on-the-fly adjustments as you game, which can come in handy. The gaming-related specs here are also fantastic, with a powerful ninth-generation Intel Hexa-core processor and the NVIDIA RTX 2070 Max-Q graphics card, which includes 8GB of dedicated graphics memory.
Though the 16GB of DDR4 RAM is on the lower side, it is easily upgradable. The battery, however, can only last for around four hours of use before needing a recharge, and that is before you add on the CPU load that comes with playing modern games at high settings. Just make sure you have the best gaming chair to go with it.
Award: BEST VALUE
WHY WE LIKE IT: Value-conscious laptop with some seriously beefy features, including an NVIDIA GeForce RTX2060 graphics card with 6GB of GDDR6 RAM and a backlit keyboard that allows for single key customization.
The MSI GS66 Stealth comes in at a value-friendly price but offers a robust feature set that could be found in much more expensive models, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX2060 graphics card, along with 6GB of dedicated GDDR6 RAM and Intel Core i7-10875H processor that can overclock up to 5.1GHz. This laptop also integrates nicely with modern Wi-Fi 6 standards and features a keyboard that allows for each and every key to be customized to your liking.
Though most of the specs on this gaming laptop meet and exceed the requirements for VR gaming, the RAM is on the lower side, at 16GB. Additionally, the storage here is somewhat minimal, as this computer only ships with one 512GB solid-state drive. You might also like to check out our best gaming gear buying guide to complete your gaming room setup.
Award: BEST ON A BUDGET
WHY WE LIKE IT: Budget-conscious laptop with a robust feature set that includes a long-lasting lithium battery (10 hours) and the powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics card with 6GB of GDDR6 RAM.
The Lenovo Legion Y545 comes in at a budget-friendly price while offering features in line with more expensive competitors, such as a 9th generation Intel Hexa-Core i7-9750H processor that can overclock to 4.5GHz and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics card, which features a full 6GB of dedicated GDDR6 RAM. The battery here is also well designed, allowing for around ten hours of use on a single charge.
This laptop only comes with a 128GB solid-state drive, though it does also include a 1TB HDD for additional storage. Also, the integrated cooling tech can struggle to keep the laptop cool while running advanced gaming applications, such as VR titles. You might also like our best gaming laptop for Fortnite buying guide for even more gaming capabilities.
To help narrow down to the above list, we wanted to make sure that these gaming laptops excelled in both traditional gaming setups and those that include a VR rig. To ensure that a laptop meets and excels with recommended specifications set forth by Steam and Oculus, we only picked laptops with powerful processors and graphics cards, often manufactured by Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA.
Gaming in virtual reality also requires a fair amount of RAM for a completely lag-free experience, so we chose laptops with plenty of integrated DDR4 RAM, with a minimum threshold of 16GB. We also only picked laptops that used solid-state storage drives as their primary method of storing and accessing data, as this can also positively impact the virtual reality experience.
As for form factor, we liked laptops that were relatively thin and light, though we know that laptops that can easily handle VR specifications are still somewhat heftier than garden-variety laptops, due to the advanced specs. Finally, we liked laptops with plenty of useful ports, for connectivity, and those that integrate nicely with modern Bluetooth and Wi-Fi standards.
VR ready laptops tend to be extremely powerful and filled to the brim with gaming-forward technologies, including best-in-class processors and graphics cards, the latter usually manufactured by industry giant NVIDIA. They also typically feature tons of DDR4 RAM, large solid-state drives, and all the ports and connection options you would need for a proper VR rig. The only downside here is that these are advanced computers with advanced price tags.
