The best RTX 3060 laptops you can buy right now

While RTX 3060 laptops are easier to find than their desktop-grade counterparts, inflated prices are still inescapable. Bearing that in mind, we’ve looked around for some pretty good prices on these machines to assist in your search. Let’s get into the best RTX 3060 laptops.

Picking the best RTX 3060 laptop

Here we’ll offer a disclaimer and some advice. NVIDIA has made this far more complicated than it used to be. Instead of allowing consumers to correlate the make of the GPU (RTX 3080, 3070, 3060, etc.) to performance, they’ve allowed laptop manufacturers to set power limits ranging from 60W to 115W while still marketing it as the same performance tier. A laptop with a 60W GPU will perform differently than the same GPU at 115W. Ergo, more wattage will equate to more performance, but naturally also more heat. 

Fortunately, NVIDIA has also begun requiring laptop makers to disclose GPU wattages and clock speeds upfront in product descriptions. So when in doubt, check there. Ultimately, however, the differences can range up to ~10fps, so if that matters to you, you should certainly look out for a GPU with more power allotted to it.

With that out of the way, the RTX 3060 offers some very modest power in smaller packages. Those who want a gaming laptop serviceable for school, work, or gaming will want to take advantage of the balance RTX 3060 laptops provide. Pricing is a little crazy due to current global events, but in our searching, here’s what we’ve come up with.

The best RTX 3060 laptops you can buy

• The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is our favorite pick for an RTX 3060 laptop, featuring a great blend of power and portability, as well as a bit of fun with the anime matrix lighting. 
• The MSI Stealth 15M is the sleekest RTX 3060 laptop on our list. It comes in at a little over half an inch thin and weighs only 3.73lbs for maximum portability.
• The Dell G15 is the coolest RTX 3060 laptop on the list with its Alienware-inspired cooling system that intakes through the keyboard deck.
• The Gigabyte Aero 15 is the only RTX 3060 laptop on this list that features a 4K screen. Cinematic games will look fantastic on the OLED panel. 
• The Acer Predator Helios 300 made it to our list for its overclocking abilities. Typically, laptop OEMs don’t allow much headroom, but Acer’s software allows instant profile switching and granular customization. 
• The ASUS TUF F17 lives up to its namesake; it’s tough. The build quality is military-standard-certified, so you won’t need to baby this RTX 3060 laptop too much. 
• The Lenovo Legion 5 is the best budget RTX 3060 laptop. It packs in many features and a respectable TGP for the price. 

Best overall: ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14

ASUS has multiple gaming brands, and the Republic of Gamers brand is the company’s most known one. Featuring a brilliant design with an optional anime matrix on the back of the lid, this RTX 3060 laptop is fancy, but also classy. This Zephyrus machine can run its GPU at a maximum of 80W with Dynamic Boost, which isn’t the highest figure, but if you want an all-rounded machine with great portability, this is the way to go.

See more: The best cheap gaming laptops

You get a beefy Ryzen 9 5900HS CPU and a 120Hz 1440p display. The 2022 version with Ryzen 6000 CPUs sticks to AMD GPUs, so the 2021 model is the one you’re going to have to get. You can configure the RAM to go up to 32GB DDR4, and the storage is 1TB PCIe SSD. It’s only 0.78-inch thick and comes in at 3.75 lbs. You also get a solid port selection, with 1 HDMI, 2 USB-C 3.2 Gen2, with one supporting DisplayPort, G-Sync output, and power delivery, 2 USB-A 3.2 Gen1, and a 3.5mm jack.

Most sleek: MSI Stealth 15M

MSI, as we know, is a gaming brand. However, the company has adopted a more understated look in its laptops in recent years. A more stealthy look, if you will. The Stealth 15M is an RTX 3060 laptop with a 12th-gen Core i7 processor, a 144Hz screen, and up to 64GB of RAM. This laptop’s GPU has a 75W maximum TDP on the lower end but will still offer excellent performance. The low power limit is what allows the laptop to be so thin. 

Keep it cool: The best laptop coolers

The core black color is a deviation from the grey that the last model had, but manages to look classy as usual. This design can be taken out of a bag in a professional setting without attracting too many eyes. It also features stellar cooling, with two fans and four heat pipes to keep the internals cool during gaming sessions. 

Best cooling: Dell G15

Dell’s G lineup is the point right before entering its Alienware gaming brand, but these laptops are no slumps. Dell has refreshed this one with the latest 12th Gen Intel chips. Cooling is no slacker either, with the two large vents at the back and on either side. This laptop’s GPU has a 115W base TGP and 130W max TGP which will be fantastic for maximum performance at the cost of some battery life and heat.

See also: The best Alienware laptops you can buy 

This RTX 3060 laptop also has 16GB of DDR5 RAM, 512GB of SSD storage, and a 120Hz screen as the icing on the cake. Cooling is done via an Alienware-inspired system that intakes through the keyboard deck and expels heat via the side and rear vents. When it comes to beefy gaming laptops, this one is near the top of the list.

4K visuals: Gigabyte Aero 15

Gigabyte only got into the laptop game relatively recently, but its offerings have been on point for as long as they’ve been around. While this RTX 3060 laptop is served as a creator laptop, its parts will handle games with grace. The RTX 3060 inside this laptop runs at a pretty great 105 watts, putting it in a great spot to balance heat, battery life, and performance. 

Related: The best gaming laptops you can buy

Aside from the 11th-gen i7 processor, the 4K OLED display on this laptop will provide stellar visuals. It may be best to turn the display down to QHD, or 2K, though, as the 3060 isn’t the greatest for 4K visuals. Other parts of this machine include 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. 

Best overclocker: Acer Predator Helios 300

This Predator Helios laptop is perfect for highly competitive gamers on the go, with its 144Hz display featuring a low 3ms response time. The RTX 3060 and an all-new 12th-gen i7 processor in this machine will assist in delivering gaming bliss. The GPU in this machine runs at a maximum of 130W, which is on the higher end of the spectrum. 

Further reading: The best Acer laptops

The Helios 3000 cools itself similarly to the G5 above, by drawing air through the keyboard and expelling it through the back and sides. This machine aligns with the others on this list with its 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. The 2022 model also gets a design update, making the Helios 300 one of the better-looking machines on this list.

Most durable: ASUS TUF F17

Asus’ other gaming lineup, TUF, has less RGB and a more rugged look. Rugged looks also come with rugged designs though, and the TUF F17 is MIL-STD-810H tested, meaning it can withstand extreme temperatures, humidity, and mechanical shocks. Toss this in your bag, and don’t fret; it’ll be just fine. The GPU in this machine runs up to 95W with ASUS’s dynamic boost tech. In the thin chassis that this machine offers, you’ll get fantastic performance from it. 

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Of course, this is still an RTX 3060 laptop, and as such, it can handle some serious gaming with its 12th-gen Core i7 processor. The TUF F17 features bottom-intake cooling, so be careful where you place the machine while gaming. Other specs include a 17-inch IPS 144Hz display, 16GB of RAM, and a huge 1TB SSD.

Budget power: Lenovo Legion 5

Lenovo makes some solid gaming laptops these days, and the Legion series is among the best on the market. The Legion 5 is the most reasonably-priced machine on this list, and it’s quite a performer, featuring AMD Ryzen 5000 series chips. The RTX 3060 in this machine can go up to 130W, making for some impressive performance.

See more: The best laptop deals

That aside, this RTX 3060 laptop rocks a 165Hz display and 1TB of SSD storage. It also gets a 165Hz display in Full HD or 1440p resolution, packed into an attractive low-key chassis. All of this is backed by an 80WH battery, with a promised battery life of over nine hours. You also get a huge 300W power brick to power it all.

That’s it for our list of the best RTX 3060 laptops. Though the pickings are slim, prices fluctuate all the time, so grab the deals when you see them. Also, grab a cooling pad so these beasts won’t overheat while you’re on the move.