Gaming laptops have come a long way from being bulky under-powered machines to sleek and elegant-looking performance beasts. That is, in part, thanks to the newer and more efficient GPUs and CPUs from Intel and AMD. Nvidia’s RTX 40 series is a prime example of that, and you can find gaming laptops in many different price brackets, depending on the GPU and CPU combination. While the Nvidia RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 laptops will offer the best gaming performance, they come at the cost of size and affordability. This is where the RTX 4060 laptops come in.

The gaming laptops that are powered by the RTX 4060 GPU are much more affordable and can be more compact than their older siblings. This is because the RTX 4060 is much easier to cool than an RTX 4080 or RTX 4090, and thermals are the main concern with powerful gaming laptops. That’s not to say that the RTX 4060 powered laptops won’t be able to run games. They are highly capable and can run all modern AAA titles at decent visual settings and frame rates. Depending on the games you play, hitting 120 FPS or higher at up to 2K resolution is very possible.

  • ASUS ROG Strix G16 laptop
    ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2024) G614JVR-ES94
    Best Overall RTX 4060 Gaming Laptop
    $1686 at Amazon
  • Dell G15 5535 gaming laptop
    Dell G15 5535
    Best Budget RTX 4060 Gaming Laptop
    $1150 at Best Buy
  • GIGABYTE AORUS 15 gaming laptop
    Gigabyte Aorus 15
    Best Entry-Level RTX 4060 Gaming Laptop
    $1199 at Amazon
  • Razer Blade 14 gaming laptop
    Razer Blade 14 (Nvidia RTX 4060)
    Best Compact RTX 4060 Gaming Laptop
    $1800 at Amazon
  • MSI Vector 16 HX gaming laptop
    MSI Vector 16 HX
    Best Performing RTX 4060 Gaming Laptop
    $2500 at Amazon
  • Razer Blade 16 gaming laptop
    Razer Blade 16 (Core i9-13950HX)
    Best Premium RTX 4060 Gaming Laptop
    $3239 at Newegg
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Game ZXC’s Picks for the Best Nvidia RTX 4060 Laptops

To get the best possible gaming experience, a laptop must have a sharp and fast display, a powerful CPU and GPU, and an efficient cooling solution. The ASUS ROG Strix G16 strikes the perfect balance between these three factors, making it the best gaming laptop with the Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU on the market. And on top of that, it does not cost an arm and a leg, even when considering other RTX 4060 laptops.

The ROG Strix G16 is powered by the Core i9-14900HX CPU, 16GB DDR5 RAM, and 1TB PCIe SSD for fast storage. These specs, in combination with the RTX 4060 (140W), are capable of running most AAA titles at the full 2.5K resolution that the display supports and at high FPS, though not as much as the display is capable of. ASUS is using its Nebula Display which is 2.5K 240Hz, 3ms response time, with 500 nits brightness and 100% DCI-P3 coverage. You also get support for Nvidia G-Sync.

Along with the beautiful display goes the vibrant per-key RGB enabled keyboard with what ASUS calls Overstroke technology that essentially allows for the keypresses to register earlier in the stroke for a quicker response. For cooling, the 16-inch chassis has enabled the use of three fans and seven heatpipes, and there are vents all around. There is also a 90Wh battery which supports up to 100W charging via USB Type-C.

The ASUS ROG Strix G16 is an excellent option for gamers who don’t want to compromise on the gaming experience and at the same time save some money.

Those on a strict budget will have to make some compromises and the Dell G15 5535 makes the right ones. At $1000, it is a great entry into the latest Nvidia technologies with the RTX 4060. Even though you get only a 15.6-inch full-HD display, the fact that it supports 165Hz, has a 3ms response time, 100% sRGB coverage, and support for Nvidia G-Sync, makes up for the lower resolution.

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It is powered by the AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS CPU and comes with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. While the RAM is sufficient, the storage may be a let-down for some. It’s not ideal to have to invest in external storage after just buying a new gaming laptop. There is also a relatively smaller battery at 86Wh, but that shouldn’t be a problem since the laptop will be connected to the 330W power adapter while gaming.

The keyboard on the Dell G15 5535 is well laid out and comfortable to type on. It also has four zone RGB lighting, which is a bonus at this price point. Dell has also paid attention to the thermals and is using a combination of four heat pipes, fans with ultra-thin blades, a vapor chamber, and Element 31 thermal interface. There are vents on the sides, bottoms, and the back to keep the air moving.

At this price point, the Dell G15 5535 offers great value and is easily the best budget offering in the RTX 4060 gaming laptop space.

For a little more money than the Dell G15, you can get a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU, a 2.5K display, and more storage. The GIGABYTE AORUS 15 is the perfect budget offering, and it punches above its weight, especially when on sale. It is powered by the Core i7-13700H CPU, a 140W Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and 1TB of storage. What’s great is that you can add more RAM down the line if you feel the need thanks to the two SO-DIMM sockets.

The screen is a 15.6-inch QHD 2560x1440 display with 165Hz refresh rate, and up to 100% DCI-P3 coverage. The keyboard has three-zone RGB lighting, and it sits right above a large trackpad. GIGABYTE is using its WINDFORCE cooling tech which includes two fans with thin blades, five heat pipes, and ultra-thin thermal fins which makes sure that the AORUS 15 remains cool under load. There is also an RGB lightbar below the display.

For being a budget-friendly model, the gaming laptop comes with AI Boost optimization, MUX switch, a Thunderbolt 4 port, and a massive 99Wh battery. For connectivity, you get Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, and an RJ45 Ethernet port. The two 2W speakers come with DTS:X Ultra Audio Technology, which is another impressive feature of this entry-level laptop.

The 14-inch form factor may be considered too small for some, but a lot of gamers appreciate the portability, especially those who use an external display to game on. The Razer Blade 14 is a compact, yet powerful gaming machine that is powered by the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS, a 140W Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. All this performance is packed into a chassis that is just 17.9mm thick and weighs under 2 kgs.

You get a 14-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1600) 240Hz display with support for AMD FreeSync Premium, under 3ms response time, up to 100% DCI-P3 coverage, and an anti-glare matte coating. There is still an ongoing debate about whether it is worth having a matte coating on displays, as it can reduce brightness and sharpness of colors. It does, however, get rid of reflections, which can be a major concern in some environments.

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From a high core count CPU to GPUs with ray-tracing capabilities, these 14-inch gaming laptops provide an excellent gaming experience.

The smaller 14-inch chassis allows for a smaller 68.1Wh battery which is pretty small on paper, but considering the efficiency of the internal hardware and the fact that it will be plugged in for gaming, that’s not much of a concern. As is common with most Razer products, you get stereo speakers with THX Spatial Audio support.

It can be challenging to cool all these components, so Razer has gone with a vapor chamber design with dual exhaust fans, and super-thin fins. While it has all the latest wireless connectivity options, like Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, there is no Ethernet port, so that’s something to keep in mind.

MSI has been kind of an underdog in the gaming laptop space. It makes great gaming products in general, and its laptops are no exception. The MSI Vector 16 HX is an excellent mid-range offering, considering you can get RTX 4060 laptops upwards of $4000 depending on how you spec them. With the Vector 16 HX, you get a top-of-the-line Core i9-14900HX CPU, a 140W Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU, 64GB of RAM, and 2TB of storage. With this amount of RAM and storage, most gamers will not feel the need for an upgrade any time soon.

It also features a 16-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1600) 240Hz display and, even though 16 inches is plenty of screen real-estate, the Thunderbolt 4 port and the HDMI 2.1 port will allow you to connect multiple high resolution and high refresh rate displays. The typing experience is also elevated here thanks to the SteelSeries keyboard with per-key RGB lighting. You also get a dedicated number pad with the Vector 16 HX.

Every manufacturer has been adding AI in some form to their gaming laptops and MSI has done the same with its Vector 16 HX. The MSI AI Engine automatically adjusts hardware settings to deliver the best performance at all times. It can detect the kind of workflow and then adjust the power accordingly. All this is backed by a 90Wh battery and the laptop ships with a 280W power adapter. With the internal components using around 195W at load, there is plenty of headroom for overclocking.

Razer is synonymous with premium gaming peripherals and the Razer Blade 16 gaming laptop is a prime example of that. Even though it packs an older generation CPU, the Intel Core i9-13950HX, it is capable of running any and all modern AAA titles in combination with the 140W Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and 64GB of RAM. It also comes with 2TB of storage, which is plenty for most use cases.

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The Blade 16, as the name suggests, comes with a 16-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1600) WQXGA 240Hz display. On paper, you may feel that the Razer option offers similar specifications to the MSI Vector 16 HX, but where the Blade 16 takes the cake is build quality, battery capacity, and its sleek and elegant form factor. The Razer laptop is made from T6 CNC aluminum which is anodized black and there is an illuminated Razer logo on top.

It is backed by a 95.2Wh battery and ships with a 280W GaN power adapter, which is much more compact than the non-GaN adapters. You also get a four-speaker setup with support for THX Spatial Audio and two smart amps. For connectivity, there is a Thunderbolt 4 port with support for 100W USB PD 3, among other ports. The Razer Blade 16, despite being a generation old at this point, comes with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, so you will not notice any lag or latency issues when gaming.

It should be noted that Razer has stopped selling 16-inch models with the Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU on its website, but this model can be found at multiple retailers.

What to Look For in a Gaming Laptop

Screen Size: Gaming laptops, regardless of the configuration, can range from 14 inches to 18 inches. While 18-inch gaming laptops are able to accommodate more powerful components and have more immersive displays, they suffer in the portability department. On the other hand, 14-inch laptops are compact and very portable, but they cannot accommodate the more power-hungry components.

CPU and GPU: The combination of the CPU and GPU dictates how well the laptop will be able to run games. Intel is currently on its 14th generation of CPUs while AMD is currently selling its Ryzen 8000 series chips. Both are excellent when it comes to gaming, and you can’t go wrong with either. That said, even last generation CPUs and GPUs are very capable of running modern AAA titles.

Refresh Rate: For gaming, the higher the refresh rate the better. The refresh rate supported by a display is the maximum FPS that it can push. Fortunately, most gaming laptops come with at least 120Hz displays, but those who spend most of their time gaming competitively would benefit from a higher 165Hz or even 240Hz display.

RAM and Storage: The RAM and storage are mostly the first components to show their age. With 16GB RAM and 1TB storage being the default for most gaming laptops, you would feel the need for more storage sooner than you might feel the need for more RAM, especially when it comes to gaming. Depending on the budget, it is ideal to spec your gaming laptop with as much RAM and storage as possible. It should also be noted that not all laptops allow RAM and storage expansion after purchase.

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FAQ

Q: Is the laptop RTX 4060 good for gaming?

The Nvidia RTX 4060 for laptop is a great mid-tier GPU for gaming and depending on the wattage (typically 140W), it can deliver impressive gaming performance in modern AAA titles. It can even outperform a lower wattage Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU in some cases.

Q: Is RTX 3070 better than RTX 4060?

The Nvidia RTX 4060 is a newer GPU, so it is more efficient and quieter. It is also supports the latest Nvidia technologies which may not always trickly down to older hardware. The RTX 4060 will also have better longevity while the RTX 3070 is phased out.