9 Best Gaming Laptops with NVIDIA RTX 2070 to Buy in 2021 For High-End Gaming
Last updated June 20, 2021
In an earlier article, we have some of the best RTX 2060 gaming laptops in the market. Now, we will have a look at the best gaming laptops with the NVIDIA RTX 2070 GPU. Moving from the RTX 2060 to the RTX 2070 offers even more graphics horsepower and enables more real-time ray tracing effects thanks to the increased number of RT and Tensor cores.
Most laptops offer GPU options for the RTX 2060, RTX 2070, and the top-end RTX 2080 in the same chassis. The choice is entirely dependent on the budget and the amount of graphics fidelity desired in games. For perspective, the RTX 2070 is about 30% faster than the GTX 1070 of the previous generation and is equivalent to a GTX 1080.
Gaming laptops featuring the RTX 2070 were made available alongside those of the RTX 2060 earlier this year. Thus, most OEMs have started offering RTX 2070 options in their portfolio. If you are looking to game at ultra settings at FHD or high settings at 1440p, the RTX 2070 gaming laptop is what you should be looking for.
With that information, here's a look at the 9 best RTX 2070 gaming laptops powered by NVIDIA that you can select from for some top-tier gaming fun.
1. MSI GE75 Raider
The MSI GE75 Raider is also available in an RTX 2070 configuration to appeal to the more discerning gamer. MSI has put a lot of thought into the design of the GE75 Raider, and it is well-made to withstand the long duration of gaming. You get a SteelSeries mechanical keyboard that is RGB-backlit and can be customized via the SteelSeries Engine. For some extra pizzazz, the USB ports also glow in red so that they are easily found in the dark. Windows recognize the trackpad as a Precision trackpad, so it supports multi-touch gestures. Gamers will appreciate the 144 Hz display that should allow for super-smooth gameplay and visuals. However, it does not support G-sync despite the RTX 2070 being fully capable of doing so. That being said, the display covers 72% of the NTSC spectrum, so colors appear vivid with good contrasts. Gaming laptops also focus on network prioritization for multiplayer gaming, and the GE75 Raider is no different. You get a Killer 1550i network card that offers low latency for smooth online gameplay.
The performance of the MSI GE75 Raider is excellent across the board. With an eight-core Coffee Lake H CPU and RTX 2070 graphics, playing modern AAA titles at 1080p ultra settings should not be a problem at all. With so much power under the hood, battery life gets an obvious hit. You cannot travel with this laptop without an accompanying charger. That is the same for most gaming laptops out there, though. Fan noise can get a bit irritating under load, so you might have to game with headphones most of the time. A good is that all that fan speed helps keep the temperatures under control. The MSI GE75 Raider is easily one of the best RTX 2070 gaming laptops in the market today and is priced in line with other similar offerings.
- Pros: Proven gaming performance; SteelSeries keyboard
- Cons: High emissions; Poor battery life
2. Razer Blade 15
Razer continues to impress with its assortment of thin and light gaming laptops, and the Razer Blade 15 is no different. The Blade 15 series has been traditionally known for providing exceptional hardware in a thin chassis, and this year's Blade 15 comes with an upgrade to Intel's 9th gen Coffee Lake H family and RTX 2070 Max-Q GPUs. The Max-Q variant is specifically designed for thin gaming laptops and consumes lesser power at the expense of a slight drop in performance. The Blade series has always been thought of as the Windows alternative to the MacBook Pro and a pretty good one. All features expected from a typical Razer laptop are available, including Razer Synapse software, a whopping 240 Hz refresh rate screen, and RGB keyboard backlighting. Despite the slim profile, connectivity options are good except for a dedicated RJ-45 LAN port.
Razer uses a new vacuum-sealed liquid-filled copper vapor chamber covering the CPU and the GPU, which should help with the cooling to a good extent. However, given the thin enclosure, expect some throttling when you push the laptop to the hilt. Noise generation is also on the higher side, although Razer has apparently addressed some of the coils while issues that have plagued the previous generation. While the Razer Blade 15 is a good RTX 2070 gaming laptop with very good performance in benchmarks, its price will likely make buyers look elsewhere. However, if you are a Razer fan, the latest Blade 15 addresses some of the issues you've always longed for a redressal.
- Pros: Thin and light chassis; Relative good gaming performance
- Cons: Expensive; High thermals
3. Asus ROG Strix Scar II
For those looking at a formidable gaming laptop in the $1,000 to $2,000 range, the Asus ROG Strix Scar II tops most other choices in the market. At almost an inch thick, it still qualifies as a thin gaming laptop with an impressive spec sheet. The Scar II offers a 6-core Core i7-8750H CPU, a full non-Max-Q RTX 2070 GPU, an FHD 144 Hz display, and enough port selection to make for a compelling gaming experience. Despite the fairly slim profile, the laptop itself is a bit heavy at close to 2.4 kg. The characteristic of most ROG laptops are the extensive RGB lighting, and Scar II is no exception. You can control the RGB effects from Asus's Aura Sync software and sync those effects with compatible peripherals.
Needless to say, gamers will immediately take a liking to Scar II. It can play almost any modern AAA title you throw at it, including PUBG, Battlefield V, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and more. The RTX 2070 also allows you to enjoy better fidelity in ray tracing than the RTX 2060, and supported games add a good dose of realism. Asus includes the Armory Crate software for tuning the laptop's finer aspects, including fan modes and overclocking. You can eke out a decent 6 to 7 hours of runtime from the battery when operated in silent mode without gaming, which is good for a laptop this powerful.
- Pros: Good gaming performance; Good port placement
- Cons: High emissions
4. Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX531
There aren't too many thin and light gaming laptops that can get the job done as well as the Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX531. It costs a premium, but the internals and performance somewhat justify the price. The Zephyrus S is just 0.6 inches thick. Therefore, Asus had to work out the cooling to ensure powerful components such as the Core i7-8750H and the NVIDIA RTX 2070 Max-Q GPU don't throttle. Unlike most gaming laptops, the Zephyrus S had added ventilation space above the keyboard deck, pushing the keyboard closer to the user than normal. This might take some time to get used to, especially since you don't get a palm rest, but it does help with the cooling. The keyboard has an excellent tactile feel, and the keys are RGB-backlit. The touchpad doubles up as the Numpad as well. The screen is excellent and covers almost 90% of the sRGB color space. The display is also Pantone-validated for accurate color reproduction for professional workflows.
The Zephyrus S GX531 uses an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q GPU. This means that the GPU is clocked lower and is configured at a lower TDP than a full RTX 2070, which is understandable considering the notebook's thin profile. Nevertheless, gaming at 60 fps at 1080p is a piece of cake for this laptop. The issue comes with pushing frame rates to make good use of the 144 Hz panel. Running games at ultra settings will hover the frames somewhere between 55 to 80 fps depending on the game. So you will have to dial down some of the in-game graphics settings to push frames beyond 100 fps. The thin profile does affect CPU performance to an extent as well but not something you should be overly worried about in daily use. Overall, the Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX531 offers a good combination of form and function and should be high on your list if you have the budget.
- Pros: Slim profile; Good keyboard and trackpad; Good performance in modern games
- Cons: LCD backlight bleeding; Occasional CPU throttling; Expensive
5. Gigabyte Aero 15 X9
The Gigabyte Aero 15 X9 caters to both gamers and content creators and gives tough competition to the likes of the Dell XPS 15 and the HP Spectre. It features top of the line specs and offers a Pantone-certified 144 Hz IPS panel for accurate color reproduction in professional workflows. The 2019 version leverages the power of Microsoft Azure AI for automatically tuning the CPU and GPU clocks as needed without any manual intervention. The Aero 15 X9 uses an all-Intel component choice from the hexa-core Core i7-8750H to the Intel 760p SSD and Thunderbolt 3. You also get Killer DoubleShot Pro advanced wireless networking based on Intel Wi-Fi for better network prioritization and low latency gaming.
Gaming and content creation on this laptop is a breeze thanks to the NVIDIA RTX 2070 GPU. A massive 94 Wh battery ensures a minimum of 8 hours battery life, which is impressive considering the powerful components. All in all, the Gigabyte Aero 15 X9 is the best RTX 2070 laptop in the market if you are looking for a powerful all-purpose machine.
- Pros: Excellent gaming performance; Color-accurate display
- Cons: Expensive
6. MSI GS65 Stealth
Usually, gaming laptops with a powerful GPU such as the RTX 2070 tend to be bulky, but the MSI GS65 Stealth seeks to defy convention with an ultra-thin body that is just 0.7 inches thick. Despite the thin profile, the laptop is powerful and doubles-up as a good multimedia and content creation notebook apart from a gaming laptop. The GS65 Stealth uses an NVIDIA RTX 2070 Max-Q for power efficiency in a thin form factor. Cooling the Core i7-8750H and the RTX 2070 is taken care of by 3 fans and 6 copper heat pipes. The GS65 Stealth offers an excellent keyboard and trackpad, with the latter supporting Windows Precision drivers for a smooth operation. The keyboard is RGB backlit, and keys can be customized individually. Networking is handled by a Killer LAN and Wi-Fi combination for reduced network latency and better network prioritization.
The overall performance is as expected for a laptop of this class. However, it does not beat or exceed the performance of other gaming laptops in this list. The thin chassis looks great, but with powerful components in a restricted space, expect throttling to occur when stressed out. Also, there have been some concerns about out of the box usability, with many components requiring driver installations before they can be used. One good aspect of the MSI GS65 Stealth is that it offers a comparably better battery life than the competition. Overall, if you are looking for a slim gaming laptop and can sacrifice some performance, the MSI GS65 Stealth is a good RTX 2070 gaming laptop for the task.
- Pros: Slim profile; Quiet operation; Good battery life
- Cons: Somewhat lower performance than the competition
7. HP Omen 15
The HP Omen series has catered to gamers of all budgets but has been an underdog compared against the likes of Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte gaming laptops. Nevertheless, the latest HP Omen 15 gets an upgrade to the 8th gen Intel Coffee Lake H processors, an NVIDIA RTX 2070 GPU, and a 144 Hz FHD G-Sync panel. NVIDIA G-Sync helps match the refresh rate of the graphics card with that of the display so that visuals appear smooth without any tearing artifacts. In fact, we would prefer all high refresh rate panels with high-end GPUs to be G-Sync certified, given that they already command premium pricing.
The performance of the Omen 15 is excellent, albeit it does throttle at heavy load. HP offers the Omen command center an easy way to overclock the CPU and tune network settings from within Windows. The keyboard is RGB backlit, and individual lighting zones can be customized from the Omen command center software. The HP Omen 15 is also easy to service and offers upgradability for storage, RAM, and the Wi-Fi card should you need it.
- Pros: Good gaming performance; G-Sync panel
- Cons: Throttling at heavy load
8. Sager NP8956
Sager is one of the well-known Clevo barebones notebook makers, and the NP8956 offers an excellent gaming experience thanks to its powerful internals. For starters, you get an 8th gen Intel Core i7-8750H Coffee Lake CPU, 16 GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q GPU. The Max-Q variant is a somewhat lower-clocked part designed for lower power consumption and longer battery life. Expect to see a performance difference of around 10% when compared to a non-Max-Q GPU. Storage includes a 500 GB SSD and a 1 TB HDD. Sager has endowed the NP8956 with a very good FHD IPS panel with a refresh rate of 144 Hz — perfectly suited to play modern games at high or ultra-high settings on the RTX 2070 at full frame rates. The keyboard is RGB and features individual lighting zones that can be customized to the game's requirements. An Intel dual-band 9560 Wi-Fi card with Bluetooth is onboard for wireless networking. Port connectivity is excellent. There is no Thunderbolt 3, but that shouldn't be a concern with the RTX 2070 built-in.
The performance of this laptop in games is assured. You can play all modern games at 1080p in high or ultra settings, easily above 100 fps at the minimum. Toning down some settings should enable gaming at least 80 fps when the resolution is pushed to 4K. However, with all that power comes a few caveats. When not gaming, the battery life will last just about 3 to 4 hours, so you cannot really be away from the charger for a long time. If you plan to spend a full workday mobile, you may have to rethink your options. Also, the heat generated is on the higher side, so it would eventually get hot to use the laptop on your lap after some time. If you can overlook these shortcomings, the Sager NP8956 is the cheapest RTX 2070 gaming laptops in the market.
- Pros: Good specs and performance
- Cons: Low battery life; Gets hot quickly
9. MSI P65 Creator
The MSI P65 Creator is a workstation laptop that can also double up as a capable gaming machine. The P65 Creator is designed to appeal to creative professionals who also like to game after a hectic day's work. Specifications-wise, it is not too different from the other MSI laptops described above. You get an Intel 8th gen Core i7-8750H CPU, a whopping 32 GB of RAM, and a 512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 can power many creative applications such as photo and video editing software or even 3D creation apps. Apart from offering high frame rates in most games at max settings. For the power under the hood, the P65 Creator is pretty light at just 1.8 kg. MSI has designed the laptop to appeal to those who generally prefer the Dell XPS 15 or the Apple MacBook Pro. Design-wise the P65 Creator will win many accolades for sure. The keyboard and trackpad are good enough but can definitely use some improvements.
The performance is equally good as well, both for content creators and gamers. The internals does not need any introduction. Thanks to the fairly spacious interiors, the Core i7-8750H can perform well without throttling excessively. MSI has equipped the P65 with three internal fans and four heat pipes to keep the temperatures at bay. Battery life is average for a laptop of its class, but the other factors such as performance and aesthetics more than makeup for it.
- Pros: Excellent MacBook Pro alternative for creators and gamers
- Cons: Trackpad and battery life need improvements
So, that was an overview of some of the best RTX 2070 gaming laptops to buy in 2021. The RTX 2070 is one of the ideal NVIDIA GPUs for playing games at FHD and QHD resolutions. It can also play at 4K if you are willing to sacrifice some details and frame rates. Just be sure to pick a laptop that offers adequate cooling so that the machine does not crawl when pushed to the limits. We hope that this article has addressed your needs. Feel free to let us know if you have any questions, and we'll get back to you at the earliest.
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