I’m very new to gaming laptops. I’m curious as to why not those ?
And do you recommend any of the others on this list ?
At your budget, you’re not really getting into MSI’s higher-end lineup, and their lower to mid-range models tend to cut a lot of corners. The biggest issue is still the cooling — it’s just not great — and that usually means weaker GPU performance and a cheaper overall build.
It also depends on what you plan to play, but in general I’d try to aim for an RTX 4060 with 8GB VRAM if you can stretch your budget a bit. It’s a safer bet long-term.
Something like a Dell G15 or a Lenovo LOQ would be solid picks. Personally, I’ve been using an XPG Xenia 15G — performance has been very stable with zero real issues. The only downside is the build: the casing feels a bit fragile. I’ve never dropped it or hit it, but some small plastic bits have come loose over time, and opening the back is more annoying compared to something like a Dell. Fans can get a bit loud too, but overall I’m happy with it. Had Dell/Lenovos prior to this, Dell overall was better mostly due to being very accessible for a laptop (you can basically clean it once a month and never have a worry of plastics falling out and stuff, I don't even bother opening up mine myself, once every 10-12 months straight to a workshop for cleaning/pad changes), but I didn't want/need $2,000 laptop to pretty much have what I got on Xenia.
DDR4 or DDR5 ram doesn't matter too much, 8gb ram isn't enough, 16gb ram is fine, 32gb is my personal benchmark (64gb+ if you are also into video editing or graphic design), but can always be upgraded later if what you get doesn't cut it for you. Do not get liquid metal cooling, risks outweight the pros, phase cooling is best.
This post was edited by Twitchthroe on Mar 30 2026 09:23pm