RTX 3080 laptops: The best options to buy right now
Powerful RTX gaming in a mobile package.
Getting your hands on one of today's hottest graphics cards is tough, so buying pre-built is a good option. But a desktop isn't very convenient, so if you're looking for ultimate power in something you can carry around, you'll want a top gaming laptop with NVIDIA's RTX 3080 inside. These are the best RTX 3080 laptops you can get right now.
Top choice
Not only is the Razer Blade 15 the best gaming laptop you can buy right now, but it's also one of the most powerful. The latest refresh sees it packed with a 12th Gen Intel Core i7, and if you have the budget, an RTX 3080 Ti graphics card. The display is superb; you can upgrade the RAM and the storage; and with Thunderbolt 4, you'll never need to worry about connecting anything you need.
Best value
Getting a laptop with an RTX 3080 inside will mean you're spending a fair bit, but it doesn't have to be completely out of reach thanks to great value options like this from ASUS. With the ROG Strix Scar 15, you still get an RTX 3080, paired with an AMD Ryzen 9, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. The display is "only" 1080p, but with a 300Hz refresh rate for some crispy, high frame rate gaming.
Aggressive style
The thick, heavy Alienware gaming laptops of old are no more, and while the m15 is still quite large, it's a lot slimmer than its predecessors. The important part is inside, where you can pair an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 with an RTX 3080 and 32GB of RAM, while only weighing a shade over 5 pounds. You also get a high refresh rate 1080p display and a not-too-outrageous price tag.
14-inch beast
The Razer Blade 14, the company's first-ever AMD Ryzen laptop, is an absolute monster. It follows the traditional Blade design, but size-wise slots between the Blade Stealth and Blade 15. You get a 14-inch, 165Hz 1440p display, a Ryzen 9 5900HX, and an NVIDIA RTX 3080. Razer's traditional features such as Chroma are here, too, as is plenty of connectivity and an innovative cooling solution.
Budget choice
If you're looking for the cheapest way to get an RTX 3080 laptop then look no further. The MSI GP66 is substantially more affordable than most other gaming laptops in this class but without cutting corners. You still get an 11th Gen Intel Core i7, 16GB of RAM, and a high refresh rate 1080p display, but at a much more attractive price.
17-incher
Generally speaking, a 17-inch laptop allows for more powerful hardware, but they're still not as common as they once were. This one from Gigabyte is a beast, with an RTX 3080 paired up with an 11th Gen Intel Core i7, 32GB of RAM, and a 300Hz 1080p display. It's a tad chunky, perhaps, but it's got tons of ports, it doesn't scream gamer in its design, and it's very well priced.
Plenty of configuration options
HP's build-to-order Omen by HP Laptop comes with plenty of configuration options, giving you the ability to outfit your mobile gaming rig with as much power as you desire. Upgrading the components will quickly add to the cost of the Omen, but this gaming powerhouse tops out with an Intel Core i7-12700H processor, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, 2TB of storage, and RTX 3080 Ti graphics. Build-to-order options take longer to ship, but at least you won't be stuck with lower-end configurations.
Summary
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The RTX 3080 mobile GPU is among the most powerful gaming graphics you can get in a notebook PC, and some of the best gaming laptops you can get make full use of it. Many of the laptops available today pair the RTX 3080 with similar spec hardware, but there is also something for everyone. And if you need more graphics performance, you can even step up to a laptop with an RTX 3080 Ti, like the Omen by HP gaming notebook on our list.
Razer has some terrific options in its 14-inch and 15-inch Blades, while those looking to keep the budget a little tighter can look towards ASUS, MSI, and Gigabyte for equally powerful, but more affordable RTX 3080 laptops. And if you don't need the full power of NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3080 mobile graphics, you can also step down to a gaming laptop equipped with an RTX 3070.
You can't go wrong with any of these, though, and you'll have one incredible powerhouse in your bag.
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Chuong's passion for gadgets began with the humble PDA. Since then, he has covered a range of consumer and enterprise devices, raning from smartphones to tablets, laptops to desktops and everything in between for publications like Pocketnow, Digital Trends, Wareable, Paste Magazine, and TechRadar in the past before joining the awesome team at Windows Central. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, when not working, he likes exploring the diverse and eclectic food scene, taking short jaunts to wine country, soaking in the sun along California's coast, consuming news, and finding new hiking trails.
- Richard DevineManaging Editor - Tech, Reviews