Top 8 Best Ryzen 9 5000 series Gaming Laptops: for bleeding edge performance
If you always wanted the power of the latest and greatest AMD processor on your portable gaming platform, your wait is finally over. Ryzen 9 5000 series chips are finally making their way into laptops. Asus has come up with several models and we love them all. In this discussion, we shall look at the top 8 best Ryzen 9 5000 series laptops and discuss their strengths and weaknesses.
1. ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17 G733 17.3-inch Gaming Laptop
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, RTX 3080, 2TB SSD – BEST FOR BIG DISPLAY
- CPU: This version is powered by an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX Processor with a base clock speed of 3.3 GHz CPU
- GPU: Paired with the superfast CPU is an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 discrete graphics.
- Storage: 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD make up for the storage on this laptop.
- Memory: Memory on the laptop is composed of a 16GB DDR4 stick. You can upgrade it to a maximum of 64GB.
- Display: The 17.3-inch IPS display resolution offers WQHD (2560 x 1440) resolution. The refresh rate is 165 Hz.
- Build Quality: Build quality is good. At 2.7kg weight, this one just tips the scale for a heavy laptop. Not easily transportable.
- Other features: Uses the standard 4-cell 90Wh battery. Conform to the Wi-Fi 6 protocols (802.11ax) and supports dual-band (2.4 & 5 GHz). RJ45 port has been provided too for connecting with a wired LAN.
Also available are Ryzen 7 models paired with GeForce RTX 3070 GPU or RTX 3060 GPU.
Who should buy it?
Designed for gamers the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17 G733 Gaming Laptop G733QS-K4141T is an out and out gaming laptop. The laptop is powerful enough for gamers to live stream using Twitch or other platforms. Apart from gaming and streaming, it is a great platform for content creators, animators, photo and video editors particularly in using the system to render heavy video files. With its big display and high refresh rate, everything is within your field of view and you will never miss anything.
2. ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE GX551 15.6-inch Gaming Laptop
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, RTX 3080, 2TB SSD – BEST FOR GRAPHIC PERFORMANCE, INNOVATIVE DUAL DISPLAY
- CPU: This laptop is powered by an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX Processor with a base clock speed of 3.3 GHz.
- GPU: Graphics is powered by an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 with 16GB GDDR6.
- Storage: Uses a dual storage solution. There is a 1TB + 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD storage.
- Memory: 16GB GDDR6 RAM makes up the memory of the laptop. The maximum capacity is 48 GB.
- Display: The 15.6-inch display offers a resolution of 4K UHD (3840 x 2160). Brilliant anti-glare sRGB color gamut with a refresh rate of 120 Hz.
- Build Quality: Decent build quality.
- Other features: The battery of the laptop is rated at 90WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion.
Who should buy it?
No prizes for guessing that this laptop is designed for gamers. Ryzen 9 is a very powerful CPU and pairing it up with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 GPU this becomes a superb machine. Add to that the 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and it a pure pleasure to play games in full color and good refresh rates. A model with the same CPU and GPU but a lower resolution Full HD display is also available with a whooping 300Hz refresh rate, if you value smoothness over pixels.
The dual SSD storage can be configured for maximum performance using RAID0. There is a secondary display just above the keyboard that serves as a giant touchpad great for game streaming, multitasking and extra shortcuts. Apart from gamers, of course, this laptop can be also used by animators, photo editors and video editors for editing and compiling their footages. sRGB is the Internet standard for photos. So, photo editors should find this laptop of use for them.
RELATED: ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo SE: The ultimate gaming laptop
3. ASUS ROG Strix SCAR G533 15 15.6-inch Gaming Laptop
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, RTX 3080, 2TB SSD – BEST FOR ALL ROUND PERFORMER
- CPU: The ASUS ROG Strix SCAR G533 15 is powered by an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX Processor with a base clock speed of 3.3 GHz.
- GPU: Graphics is powered by an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 16GB GDDR6
- Storage: Dual storage comes with 1TB SSD plus a 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD.
- Memory: 16GB DDR4 memory stick makes up for the memory of the laptop.
- Display: The display of the laptop is a fantastic 15.6-inch WQHD (2560 x 1440). The refresh rate is 165 Hz. Good enough for game playing. The IPS display has a response time of 3ms.
- Build Quality: Good build quality.
- Other features: The battery is a 90WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion. Network ports include a Wi-Fi 6(802.11ax) for fast Internet connectivity.
Who should buy it?
Gamers mainly. Gamers will find the specs excellent. The surprise package is that the smaller 15.6-inch display offers a much sharper resolution of 2560 x 1440, it is not 4K UHD but for many games, this is plenty. That means you can enjoy your games at a much higher detail than on normal Full-HD displays. Plus, the refresh rate is 165 Hz. For gaming, this means no stuttering or ghosting, just pure buttery motion. This is paired with the chart topping GeForce RTX 3080 with a whopping 16GB graphic memory. It can also be boosted up to 1645MHz at 115W using ROG Boost or 130W with Dynamic Boost. Absolutely bonkers! This is also one of the few gaming laptop on our list with RGB lighting.
4. ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503 15.6-inch Ultra Slim Gaming Laptop
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS, RTX 3060, 1TB SSD – BEST FOR SLIM & LIGHT DESIGN WITH A FULL SIZE DISPLAY
- CPU: This laptop is powered by an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS processor with a base clock speed of 3.1 GHz.
- GPU: The NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080 with an 8GB GDDR6 VRAM
- Storage: 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe makes for the storage of this laptop.
- Memory: The system comes with 8GB DDR4 onboard but you can add 24 GB additional memory if you need it.
- Display: The 15.6-inch display of the laptop offers WQHD (2560 x 1440) resolution. The refresh rate of the system is 165 Hz.
- Build Quality: Build quality is decent. Weighs only 1.9kg. This is extremely lightweight and can be easily transported.
- Other features: Supports Wi-Fi 6(802.11ax). The battery on the system is a 90WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion.
Who should buy it?
Ryzen 9 5900HS powered laptops are great for gaming purposes. Gaming laptops are also useful for animators who routinely require high configuration machines for animation. These laptops are also suitable for content creators. The main focus for this number is in its ultra slim and lightweight design. For that it only comes with 8GB GDDR6 memory for its already powerful GeForce RTX 3080 GPU and only a single 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe drive. While others here may have 16GB GPU memory and dual 1TB drives, these may be overkill for some users. Here is one that still offers a big 15.6-inch screen with WQHD resolution and high 165Hz refresh rate but above all the 1.99cm thin profile with two choice of colours, back or white.
5. ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401 14-inch Gaming Laptop
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS, RTX 3060, 1TB SSD [BEST FOR PORTABILITY]
- CPU: The Asus ROG is powered by an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS Processor with a base clock speed of 3.1 GHz.
- GPU: Paired with the processor is an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU with 6GB GDDR6 VRAM.
- Storage: Storage on the laptop is composed of 1TB M.2 NVMe™ PCIe® 3.0 SSD.
- Memory: Memory on the laptop is composed of a 16GB DDR4 unit with maximum scalability of 32 GB.
- Display: Display on the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401 is a bit smaller than the other 15.6-inch and the 17-inch units we have listed here. The 14-inch IPS-level display of this laptop offers a WQHD (2560 x 1440) resolution. The refresh rate is 120 Hz.
- Build Quality: The build is quality good. But it does not seem as solid as some of the other units we have discussed here. The laptop weighs only 1.7kg.
- Other features: The battery on this unit is a 76WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion unit. The laptop supports Wi-Fi 6(802.11ax) for faster internet connectivity.
Who should buy it?
The 14-inch display isn’t the most suited for gaming purposes. For serious gamers, a large screen with a minimum of Full-HD resolution and a minimum 120 Hz refresh rate is a must-have. That said, this laptop should come in handy for someone looking for a powerful laptop to do photo editing, video editing, and other complex workflow with field work and on-site shooting being a major ask. When you are back at base, you will need to plug-in an external screen to get a bigger picture. Apart from these, the laptop would be suitable for a casual gamer, those who travel a lot for work or other professional reasons. It is the third smallest and next lightest in our list at 1.7kg.
6. ASUS TUF A15 15.6-inch Gaming Laptop
AMD Ryzen 9 4900H, RTX 2060, 1TB SSD
- CPU: The best configuration of this laptop is powered by an AMD Ryzen 9 4900H processor with a base clock speed of 3.0 GHz.
- GPU: You get several GPU options to go with this laptop. But the best one is paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 with 6GB GDDR6.
- Storage: There are several storage options available with different configurations of this laptop. You can opt for either a hybrid configuration consisting of a 1TB 5400RPM 2.5″ SATA HDD with a 512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD. But we recommend the 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD.
- Memory: Memory on the laptop is powered by 16GB DDR4 RAM.
- Display: All specs come with a 15.6-inch display with Full HD display resolution. But the best one comes with a 144 Hz IPS-level display.
- Build Quality: Build quality is more than good.
- Other features: Please note this is one of the rare laptops on this list that comes with a Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac). The battery on the top end spec is a 90WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion.
Who should buy it?
Like the previous generation Zephyrus G14 at the bottom of this list, this is last generation gaming laptop with 4000 series Ryzen CPU. It is still mighty popular and gets a lot of love from the web. Internet access will be a little slower than the Wi-Fi 6 laptops that we have listed here. There will be a slight difference in performance, and it will be apparent to serious gamers as it has to rely on the RTX 2060 graphics but the display is Full HD at 144Hz which would be sufficient for most. Especially when game playing and live streaming at the same time. For casual gamers, this should not be a major issue. For someone doing animation or photo editing and video editing, this can be a good option. And, as it has been around, you may be able to get this at a discounted price.
7. ASUS ROG Flow X13 GV301 13.4-inch Gaming Laptop
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS, GTX 1650, 512GB SSD [BEST FOR LIGHTWEIGHT DESIGN]
- CPU: Let’s get straight to the processor bit. The laptop is powered by an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS Processor with a base clock speed of 3.1 GHz.
- GPU: Paired with the processor is an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 GPU with a 4GB GDDR6 VRAM.
- Storage: You get a 512GB M.2 2230 NVMe PCIe SSD unit. There are no other options.
- Memory: The installed (and maximum) memory on the laptop is 16GB. Installed is a 16GB LPDDR4X stick.
- Display: A 13.4-inch WUXGA glossy display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200. The IPS-Level display has a refresh rate of 120 Hz.
- Build Quality: Excellent build quality. At 1.3kg this is one of the lightest laptops on this list. Build quality is acceptable.
- Other features: The battery pack provided in the laptop is 62WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion.
Who should buy it?
Casual gamers who would like to have an ultra lightweight yet powerful gaming laptop look no further. The ASUS ROG Flow X13 GV301 is easy to transport so you can take this laptop anywhere you go. It weights only 1.3kg, the lightest on our list and with ultra narrow bezels, the footprint is quite tight too. It also comes with a rotating hinge so you can change between laptop and tablet mode in one 360 degree flip action.
Having said that serious gamers will find the small display a detriment. Even for video editing and rendering this laptop will not allow an editor to display the timeline expansively given its small 13.4-inch display. That said, photo editors will find the laptop quite suitable. They won’t need a higher GPU and in that sense, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is overkill.
If you must game on the move, get the optional XG Mobile eGPU external graphics with up to RTX 3080 graphics. It connects via the dedicated PCIe 3.0 x8 interface and offers expansion pots for USB, SD and ethernet plus an integrated 280W power adapter.
We are expecting a version of this laptop with a Ryzen 9-5980HS and 1TB SSD very soon. We will update this review when we have access to that new unit with the updated specs.
8. ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401 14-inch Gaming Laptop
AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS GTX 2060, 1TB
- CPU: The highest configuration of this laptop comes with an AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS Processor. The base clock speed of the laptop is 3.0 GHz.
- GPU: Paired with the CPU is an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q graphics card and a 6GB GDDR6 VRAM.
- Storage: 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD makes up for the storage on this laptop.
- Memory: The onboard memory of the laptop is 16GB DDR4. You can further extend it to 32 GB max.
- Display: The 14-inch display offers a resolution of WQHD (2560 x 1440). The IPS-Level display has a refresh rate of 60Hz.
- Build Quality: At 1.6kg the laptop is very lightweight. Transportable is the more appropriate word. Build quality is decent.
- Other features: The battery of the laptop is a 76WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion unit.
Who should buy it?
We have to admit that this isn’t the Ryzen 5000 series CPU that you are promised. A previous generation ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 with AMD Ryzen 4900HS processor and GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q is one that we reviewed not that long ago. At only a 60 Hz refresh rate this laptop is not suitable for serious gamers either. But it makes up for this with higher than Full HD, or WQHD resolution making this display sharper. The minimum recommended refresh rate for gaming is 120 Hz or 144 Hz for those who are serious about gaming on the laptop and you can get one from this generation with a Full HD screen at 120Hz but will have to make do with Ryzen 5 4600HS and GeForce GTX1650 Ti.
RELATED: Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 Review: Powerful mobile gaming laptop & workstation
