High powered laptops have been gaining a lot of popularity in recent times. Many leading brands are diving deep into assembling these laptops as they come with high powered graphic cards that give an enhanced performance, which in turn lets you play heavy games on your laptop with the utmost ease. But what about if you want to buy a normal looking gaming laptop without all the flashing lights and gamers decals plastered all over the casing?
It is a myth (so switch off Reddit!) that laptops for playing games are generally more massive than the normal ones in terms of everything and that they look different too – but that is not the case anymore! If you want to have a super fast laptop while not compromising on the overall looks of the same, then our top 5 best plain looking laptop review guide is definitely for you.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE EDITORS CHOICE FOR 2021
In reviewing gaming laptops we need to make sure they meet the following criteria:
- Look like a regular looking laptop.
- Powerful and fast enough to run the latest PC games like CoD, League of Legends, Fortnite, FIFA, DOTA 2 and World of Warcraft (WoW).
- Compatible with other apps such as Microsoft Word, Teams, Excel, Zoom, Skype and Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator.
- Represent value for money.
Laptops for gamers are specifically designed to give you a pro-level gamers experience – comparable to a desktop computer but can be moved around the home or packed away in a backpack and used at work, college or university for example.
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Last update on 2021-09-22 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Did you know: The best normal looking laptops that run high powered games also double up as superb laptops for Zoom / Skype and Microsoft Teams apps because of the high processing power and top level GPU cards.
Top 5 Gaming Laptops for Grown-Ups in 2021
The below-listed gaming laptops are equipped to give you the same experience and look like a standard laptop. We start with one of best laptops for gaming from a reliable and highly reviewed brand, Dell.
1. Dell XPS 15 7000 15.6-inch FHD IPS Laptop [Editors Pick]
One of the finest laptops on the UK market, the Dell XPS 15 7000 is one of the most reviewed (even on Reddit) gaming laptops on the market. Shipping in stunning grey / silver it ticks all the boxes thanks to it’s all round, high powered features such as Intel 9th Generation CPU, fast 8GB RAM and the NVIDIA GeForce graphics card renders even the most demanding games with ease.
Add the brilliant battery life along with the smallest HD webcam in the world etched right in front on its HD display it really has everything you would want whilst looking like a normal laptop.
The stylish and lightweight case contains a 256GB solid state drive (SSD) – for maximum speed and efficiency making the Dell XPS our best buy for regular looking games laptop of the year.
9th Gen CPU and high powered components in a regular looking laptop..
- Features:
- CPU: Intel Core i5-9300H
- Graphics Card: Nvidia GTX 1650 GPU
- RAM: 8GB DDR4 SDRAM
- Storage Space: 256GB SSD
- Operating System: Windows 10 Home
- Extras: OLED screen, Windows Hello, Bluetooth, Micro HD webcam
- Advanced Wi-Fi 6 technology
- Display: 1080p Full HD Pixels
Stylish silver and black bevel trim..
- Pros:
- Lightweight 1.8 kg gaming laptop
- CPU, graphics and memory all high specced – great for gamers!
- Simple, silver/grey casing – no annoying LED lights or tacky decals
- Doubles up as a perfect “working” laptop for business, education and home
What can be improved?
- Cons:
- Not the cheapest laptop in our review list but Dell produce laptops to last and built to the highest standards.
Weird name, great laptop! our number two rated device is the ASUS ROG 14 inch laptop…
2. ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 Full HD 120Hz Gaming Laptop
With a full-fledged IPS Level 120 Hz display that helps to boost frame rate per second ratios the ASUS ROG is a beast of machine bundled in a nifty 14 inch display. Designed to be portable without compromising speed or component quality, the G14 pushes the Dell very closely for the number one spot.
We really liked the immersive graphics of this normal looking laptop. Powered by a hefty Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650Ti 6GB Graphics Card – this outputs stunning 3d graphics at high speed and very low lag times. If playing resource hungry games like Call of Duty (CoD), Fortnite, FIFA, SIMS 4, Mafia 2 and Grand Theft Auto is your thing then this laptop is right up your street…
An un-rivalled list of power components…
- CPU: AMD R7 processor running at 2.9 GHz
- Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650Ti
- RAM: 16GB DDR4 SDRAM
- Storage Space: 512GB SSD
- OS: Windows 10
- WI-FI Ready / Multiple USB ports
But why should I buy this PC gaming system?
- Pros:
- Good battery performance compared to that of other gaming laptops
- Superb portability: Slim form and light when carried
- The whopping 6GB NVIDIA GeForce graphics card eats up games for breakfast
- AMD Ryzen7 4800H CPU is nice and quiet
- First ASUS ROG with fingerprint login
- Cons:
- No webcam
3. HP OMEN 15-en0008na 15.6 Inch Full HD 144 Hz Gaming Laptop
If you are searching for a laptop that supports multiple games efficiently, then the HP OMEN will not disappoint you. This is a powerful machine built to impress and a perfect choice whether you are a beginner or pro-gamer.
Generally, it has great aesthetics both structurally as well as in the visual output, ensuring this computer looks like a normal laptop but with all the power required to run resource hungry apps like Adobe Creative Suite and the latest games from the top 10 PC charts.
Having powerful quad speakers that are custom-tuned with an FHD 15.6 inch display, it delivers the best gaming experience. Further, it has an OMAN command center that allows you to customize this machine to a personal level. And lastly, it comes with RTX 2060 GPU for real-time gaming and supports MU-MIMO devices.
Coming with a powerful AMD CPU and OMEN tempest cooling, it has remarkable features you can’t miss to have..
- Features:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 4800H
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB
- RAM: 16GB DDR4 SDRAM
- Storage Space: Fast 512GB Solid State Drive (SSD)
- OS: Windows 10 Home Edition
- WI-FI Ready
The Tempest cooling is a seriously great feature of this computer..
- Pros:
- Multi-threaded performance machine
- OMEN tempest cooling system
- Lightning fast graphics thanks to the 6GB display card
- Long battery life
- Sturdy and robust chassis
Do you need lots of USB slots?
- Cons:
- Fewer USB slots than rivals above, but don’t let this put you off if speed is your prime consideration – you can always buy a USB Hub.
4. Dell G5 15 5000 15.6 Inch FHD IPS Gaming Laptop
Crafted with Intel Core i5 – 9300H, it is a powerful machine and the perfect choice for uninterrupted gaming or office based work and study. It is a great choice for CPU-intensive projects whether they are gaming or non-gaming tasks. And it’s all thanks to the 9th Gen Intel CPU.
And for those who love gaming, this laptop display has a wider viewing angle. To enhance your gaming experience it comes with an FHD display with high visual acuity. Also, it has twin cooling fans for efficiency when multitasking or during intense training.
Lastly, it supports control calibration for personalisation. Therefore, you can tune the hardware to suit the game being played or personal preference.
Dell has a reputation for building solid, reliable laptops…
- Features:
- CPU: Intel Core i5 – 9300H
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
- RAM: 8GB Fast Ram
- Storage Space: Hybrid 128 GB SSD + 1TB HDD
- OS: Windows 10 Home Edition
- WI-FI Ready
We really like the Large crystal clear screen with high angle tolerance..
- Pros:
- Good overall gaming test speeds
- The screen has a wide viewing angle
- Full HD display (FHD)
- Supports dual 4k or one 5k display
- Thunderbolt 3 ports for fast connectivity to devices
- Dual cooling fans
- Intuitive control panel interface
A slight niggle that may put you off…
- Cons:
- Lacks mini-port display
5. HP Pavilion 15-dk1019na 15.6 Inch Full HD Gaming Laptop
HP Pavilion has been engineered to handle any role whether it’s gaming or workplace tasks. Through its 10th generation CPU (Intel Core i7 – 10750H) no task is impossible with this device. It has a high-grade GPU with a fast refresh rate and smooth gaming images delivering a better gaming experience.
Through its dual cooling fan system, it can handle extended gaming session or CPU intensive tasks efficiently.
And if you are a gaming die-hard, then the wide-angle display with a front placed powerful audio speakers will also impress you. Additionally, the PCle SSD storage has a lightning loading speed and significant space for better performance.
And if your living space is fitted with dim light, the keyboard has a backlight with a numeric pad that allows you to use it comfortably without straining. Lastly, it has a wide-angle HD cam – perfect for real-time Zoom / Skype online meetings.
- Features:
- CPU: Intel Core i7 – 10750H
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB-dedicated
- RAM: 8GB Fast Ram
- Storage Space: 512GB SSD
- OS: Windows 10 Home Edition
- Screen: 15.6 inch
- WI-FI Ready
Top feature: Large degree angle range on the screen…
- Pros:
- Wide field of view angle (88 degree)
- Professional, regular looking laptop
- Improved cooling system for best performance
- Fast refresh rate – good for first person shooters! (FPS)
The sound has a feature that not everyone will like..
- Cons:
- Dual speakers
Can Gaming Laptops be Used for Everyday Use?
High powered laptops are similar to normal laptops (in looks anyway) except that they have better performance because core components such as motherboard, GPU, CPU and RAM are faster are designed to run faster and render frames quicker.
The good news is that many office app these days require many features that you would normally find inside a games laptop..
Getting a fast laptop for office or home use apart from gaming is an excellent choice. It will enhance the productivity of your work as they are superior when it comes to features as compared to normal laptops. That said, the following key reasons are why you can use a gaming laptop as a normal laptop:
Versatility – if you are tired of replacing your laptop with the latest versions, then a gaming laptop is perfect. It’s upgradeable and allows you to stay updated through a lost cost of the upgrade as compared to a normal laptop.
Fewer problems with the hardware – gaming laptops use the latest and quality technology to run. And as such, the chances of hardware failure are low. Thus, it’s more convenient to use as compared to a normal laptop.
Easy to use – gaming laptops can run various applications that normal laptops do. And some of them include surfing, emailing, and business use, running documents, and listening to music, among others.
Speed – due to the high-end features and components they come with, they have a higher speed. Thus they not only deliver the best gaming experience but also outperform the functions of a regular laptop.
Which brand do you want to work with? There are multiple brands of best gaming laptops to choose from. Each brand has a specific price range depending on the features that the laptop has to offer. That said, the following brands are the best options to consider – Dell, Acer, HP, Asus, Lenovo, and Alienware.
Quick Overview on our Best UK 2021 Normal Laptops that You can Play Games on
We hope that you find our latest guide useful. To conclude, the trick in buying gaming laptops that suit adults is to choose a PC that has fast, CPU, RAM and graphics card whilst having decent cooling in order to run all day without overheating.
If you are at work or at home studying then all our laptops reviewed double up as gaming beasts whilst enabling you to perform normal, everyday tasks such as emailing, internet surfing, accessing social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin and using Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Adobe software tools.
