The 6 Best 144Hz Laptops for Every Budget
In fast-paced shooter and battle royale games, a laptop with a high refresh rate can mean the difference between getting zero kills and that “winner, winner, chicken dinner.”
Nowadays, laptops support higher refresh rates up to 360Hz and 480Hz, but a 144Hz refresh rate strikes an outstanding balance between performance and price. You get fast and responsive gameplay without going too deep into your pockets.
So, if you’re looking to get one for yourself, here are the best 144Hz laptops for every budget.
1. MSI Pulse GL66
MSI makes some of the best gaming laptops across all budgets, and the Pulse GL66 is another reason you don’t have to spend a premium to get a powerful gaming machine. Equipped with a 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12700H processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, this laptop can push good frame rates at high settings for many modern games.
The 15.6-inch, 1080p display delivers a responsive, buttery-smooth gaming experience with excellent viewing angles and contrast. It’s not the lightest gaming laptop, but most people will be okay taking it on the go. It runs quietly and packs a great keyboard with sleek, customizable RGB backlighting. The battery life isn’t that impressive, but it lasts a few hours if you’re not doing demanding work.
2. Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-725A
Acer continues to offer more for the money with its latest Nitro 5 gaming laptops. The 2022 Acer Nitro 5 is available with up to an Intel Core i7-12700H processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU, which is plenty powerful for 1080p gaming. You get 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage out of the box, but you can upgrade to 32GB of RAM and add a couple of terabytes with an extra M.2 slot and 2.5-inch hard drive bay.
It stands out from other RTX 3060 laptops because the GPU runs without power limitations. When combined with Acer’s impressive thermal design, you get a more powerful and responsive gaming experience than similar gaming laptops with an underpowered RTX 3060 or even RTX 3070 GPU. The strong performance is matched only by the smooth and incredibly clear 1080p 144Hz screen with a quick 3ms response time.
3. ASUS TUF Gaming F15
The ASUS TUF Gaming F15 is a solid 144Hz laptop for those on a tight budget. It features an entry-level Intel Core i5-10300H processor and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 GPU, which combine to deliver decent performance as long as you don’t mind turning down the settings on some of the newest titles.
ASUS included a full-size keyboard with RGB backlighting and highlighted WASD keys, so you don’t miss a key during those late-night gaming sessions. It also has a solid and durable chassis with an easily upgradeable design. You can add more RAM and storage down the road, which is awesome since you only get 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage out of the box.
4. Acer Nitro 5 AN517-55-72R4
If you love playing games on a big screen, this large 144Hz laptop from Acer is the best option for you. It’s the 17.3-inch version of the 2022 Acer Nitro 5, and it offers a lot of gaming horsepower with a 12th-Gen Intel Core i7 processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti. It has 1TB of storage space, which is plenty enough for multiple AAA games, and better still, you can upgrade the RAM and storage down the road.
This laptop can play most games at full 1080p resolution with steady frame rates while coming in at a reasonable price. You might need to turn down the settings in some games, but for most FPS titles, like Fortnite and CS:GO, you can hit the full 144Hz refresh rate at high settings. The colorful and smooth display renders highly competitive titles with decent clarity.
Acer refined the design of the 2022 Nitro 5 laptops. They no longer scream “gaming laptop” outright, which is great if you want to use it for work, but it’s still a heavy laptop at 6.61 pounds. Onboard, you get an RGB backlit keyboard and all the ports you might need for peripherals, including a Thunderbolt 4 port with charging.
5. ASUS TUF Dash 15 (2022)
Those looking for a 144Hz gaming laptop for work or college should consider the ASUS TUF Dash F15. It’s one of the lightest gaming laptops, weighing only 4.41 pounds. It’s not as portable as the sub-3-pound ultrabooks, but the extra weight gives you a dedicated GPU to power through most of the latest games and demanding workflows like video editing.
The laptop has a clean design that doesn’t scream “gamer.” It’s also slim for a gaming laptop at 0.78 inches, which means you can throw it on your backpack and easily carry it around for work or school. ASUS claims the TUF Dash F15 meets military-grade standards for durability, so it should withstand the bumps and knocks of everyday use.
On the display side, the TUF Dash F15 features a 15.6-inch screen with a 144 Hz refresh rate and adaptive sync support for smooth and responsive gaming. Color accuracy is decent for gaming and casual use, with up to 62.5% sRGB coverage, but it may not be the best for professional color grading work. In addition, you get a backlit keyboard and a MUX Switch to choose between the best graphics power for gaming and longer battery life for everyday use.
6. HP Victus 15-fb0028nr
The HP Victus 15-fb0028nr is another affordable laptop with a 144Hz refresh rate. It features an RTX 3050 Ti GPU, a significant upgrade over the GTX 1650 found on most cheap gaming laptops. In addition, you get 16GB of RAM to go along with the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, a processor that has proven to be one of the best mainstream gaming processors.
This laptop provides an excellent gaming experience while also performing admirably on demanding productivity tasks. Plus, it has a clean design, so it can pass for gaming, college, and work. It’s a bit lacking in battery life, but that’s to be expected with most gaming laptops. The major downside is that the USB ports support slower 5Gbps speeds, so it takes longer to transfer heavy files and games.
Q: Is It Worth Buying a 144Hz Laptop?
If you play highly competitive games like first-person shooters and battle royale-style games, a 144Hz laptop is worth the money. The high refresh rate screen lets you see and react to in-game action faster, which gives you a competitive advantage over opponents using standard 60Hz laptops. Plus, a 144Hz screen makes animations appear smooth and more responsive.
Q: Should I Get a 60Hz or 144Hz Laptop?
A laptop with a 60Hz refresh rate is okay for everyday use and productivity work like browsing the web, checking email, and working with documents, but if you’re buying a laptop for gaming, a 144Hz laptop or higher refresh rate is a much better option.
Q: What Is the Highest Refresh Rate (Hz) Laptop?
The highest-refresh rate gaming laptops available are the Alienware m17 R5 and x17 R2 gaming laptops from Dell, which support high refresh rates up to 480Hz. Beyond that, the availability of 480Hz laptops is still limited.
If you want a high refresh rate laptop to buy today, plenty of 240Hz and 360Hz laptops perform incredibly well in FPS games. For those on a budget, these 144Hz laptops will give you as much competitive advantage as possible.
