PC of the Month — special issue on gaming laptops (September 2025)

Today’s gaming laptops are updated faster than you can run to a date with Brumac. With the release of the RTX 50 series from NVIDIA, the choice has become much more interesting: now a gaming laptop is no longer perceived as a compromise, but rather as a full-fledged alternative to the desktop. Prices are gradually slipping down, although your wallet still feels pain when you look at the top configurations. And here it is important to count not only FPS but also hryvnia. In our series “PC of the Month” we always look at the balance of characteristics, and this time we decided to make a special issue dedicated to laptops. From compact models that can honestly run games at 1080p to real monsters with RTX 5090 capable of replace the desktop PC and at the same time act as a heater on cool September evenings.

Trends in 2025 in laptops

The gaming laptop market in 2025 looks like manufacturers have decided to finally erase the line between a “personal computer” and a “suitcase with fans.” RTX 50-series has brought a new performance bar: now even the middle class can afford 1440p with raytracing and not look like a poor relative of the desktop.

Blackwell has really changed the game and now the main question is not “will it work” but “will I have enough time to play at least one game before the next series of graphics cards comes out”. Because, as you know, real gamers have a — large backlog.

There is a noticeable trend of increasing battery life. Yes, the Titans and Raiders still cry for 1.5 hours in games, but the middle segment has learned to live for 6-8 hours in mixed mode. That is, now a gaming laptop can actually work in a classroom or office, not just on a desk near an outlet.

AI — a word that no presentation is complete without this year. Some laptops received separate cores to speed up AI tasks. For some, it is a chance to render faster, while for others it is another “make it beautiful” button. But the fact remains that laptops are becoming not only gaming stations but also workhorses for creativity and content.

Prices, as always, are steep. For example, the RTX 5090 in Titan 18HX or Blade 18 looks luxurious, but it costs the same as two top-end PCs. However, the low-end budget PCs, which are now not ashamed to be called gaming PCs, are pressing down from below. The mid-range segment seems to have benefited the most from the new generation — and that’s where the best price-performance balance is now.

The conclusion is simple: in 2025, a laptop is no longer a replacement for a desktop, but a full-fledged alternative that is even more convenient in many scenarios. The only question is your pocket and priorities: are you ready to sacrifice mobility for an ultra-monster or will you take a balanced mid-range that will hold up in the game and not disgrace you at work?

Budget laptop up to 40,000 UAH

In the segment under 40 thousand hryvnias, there is always a struggle between price and features. You won’t find RTX 5080/5090 or 4K screens here, but for work, study, and modern 1080p gaming, these laptops are the best choice without hitting the budget.

Model	Processor	GPU	TDP	Screen	Autonomy	RAM	Drive	Weight
Asus TUF Gaming A15 FA507NV-LP104	Ryzen 5 7535HS	NVIDIA RTX 4060	140 W	IPS, 15.6″, 144 Hz, 250 nits	up to 6 hours	16 GB DDR5-4800 MHz	512 GB NVMe SSD	~2.2 kg
MSI Thin A15 B7VF	Ryzen 7 7735HS	NVIDIA RTX 4060	45 W	IPS, 15.6″, 144 Hz, 300 nits	5-6 hours	16 GB DDR5-4800 MHz	512 GB NVMe SSD	~1.9 kg
Acer Nitro V 15 ANV15-51	Core i5 13420H	NVIDIA RTX 4060	75 W	IPS, 15.6″, 165 Hz, 300 nits	5-6 hours	16 GB DDR5-5200 MHz	1 TB NVMe SSD	~2.11 kg

ASUS FA507NV-LP104 — a laptop that is not afraid of serious tasks, but also won’t take the last penny from your wallet. Ryzen 5 7535HS paired with NVIDIA RTX 4060 makes it possible to run modern games in 1080p at high settings. The video card here has a maximum possible TDP of — 140 watts. And yes, 8 GB is enough for everyone!

IPS screen with 100% sRGB and 144 Hz frequency. The brightness is modest at 250 nits. Smooth gaming and good colors are a nice bonus for those who play after work or school. In addition, the screen does not “kill the eyes” with brightness, so you can not be afraid of long sessions at the laptop.

Battery ASUS FA507NV-LP104 lasts up to 6 hours of office work. For gaming, this is certainly less, but for a budget gaming laptop, it’s quite acceptable. The case is plastic but sturdy, and the RGB keyboard makes working and gaming comfortable.

MSI B7VF-412XPL — looks like a good option among compact laptops. The 15.6-inch IPS display with a 144 Hz frequency pleases with rich colors, contrast, and smooth animations.

The combination of Ryzen 7 7735HS and RTX 4060 looks like a sports engine in a hatchback: you expect economy, but you get a certain drive. The laptop runs modern games at 1080p without any problems, and 1440p is also a realistic option, albeit a rather compromise. Don’t forget about the gift from NVIDIA — Smooth Motion for RTX 40 as well.

Autonomy is predictable: about 5-6 hours in office tasks, which is typical for a laptop with a discrete graphics card. For gaming, the battery dies quickly, so you’ll need to have a charger on hand.

The keyboard is full-sized, the key travel is pleasant, and there is an RGB backlight that can be customized. The case is sturdy and a little heavier than some alternatives, but this is compensated by the feeling of reliability.

Ports MSI B7VF-412XPL are logically arranged: USB-A, USB-C, HDMI, Ethernet — everything is at your fingertips. You can connect external monitors, a mouse, and storage devices simultaneously without any discomfort.

Acer Nitro V 15 ANV15-51 — a typical gaming laptop in its class that balances performance and price. Here, the 8-core Core i5-13420H and 8GB GDDR6 RTX 4060 categorically guarantee comfortable gaming at 1080p on ultra, and the 165Hz IPS screen makes the screen movement smooth and vivid.

The 16 GB DDR5 RAM with a frequency of 5200 MHz is enough for most modern games and multitasking, plus we have a 1 TB M.2 SSD. For upgrades, there is an additional M.2 PCIe 4.0 slot.

Battery Acer Nitro V 15 ANV15-51 57Wh — up to 5-6 hours of office work, which is typical for laptops with RTX 4060. The island keyboard with white backlighting is pleasant to use, and the touchpad is precise.

Ports include Acer Nitro V 15 ANV15-51 There are HDMI 2.1, three USB-A 5 Gbps, USB4/Thunderbolt 4, and RJ-45. The laptop weighs 2.11 kg and is made of matte plastic.

The best laptop up to 80000 UAH

For those who want to combine gaming power with mobility, the “Best Laptop under 80,000 UAH” offers reasonable options. Here, you can go beyond basic graphics and 1080p: models can run modern games at 1440p or even 4K on high settings, while remaining light enough for everyday use. This is the golden balance between performance, screen quality, and price, where every hryvnia works in the user’s favor.

Model	Processor	GPU	TDP	Screen	Autonomy	RAM	Drive	Weight
Gigabyte A16 CWH	Core i7 13620H	NVIDIA RTX 5070	85 W	IPS, 16″, 165 Hz	6-7 hours	32 GB DDR5-5200 MHz	1 TB NVMe SSD	~2.2 kg
Lenovo Legion 5 15AKP10	Ryzen AI 7 350	NVIDIA RTX 5070	115 W	OLED, 15.1″, 165 Hz	5-6 hours	32 GB DDR5-5600 MHz	1 TB NVMe SSD	~2 kg
MSI Crosshair A16 HX D8WGKG	Ryzen 7 8840HX	NVIDIA RTX 5070	115 W	IPS, 16″, 165 Hz	5 hours	32 GB DDR5-5600 MHz	1 TB NVMe SSD	~2.6 kg

Gigabyte A16 CWH — this is an example of how a gaming laptop can look restrained. A thin body, without unnecessary illumination and aggressive inserts, but with Core i7 13620H and RTX 5070 under the hood. The result is a machine that honestly pulls out modern games in 1080p and 1440p.

Screen Gigabyte A16 CWH 16-inch 1920×1200 (16:10) resolution at 165Hz gives gamers exactly what they expect: smoothness and comfort in dynamic scenes, even if color reproduction is inferior to tops. Brightness is slightly above average at —300 nits.

The RGB — keyboard is more decorative than really gaming, but it’s comfortable to type and play, and the trackpad was a pleasant surprise with its accuracy.

Battery life Gigabyte A16 CWH — average for this class: 6-7 hours in the browser and quick exhaustion when playing games. The noise of the fans is audible, but it does not turn into a “Boeing takeoff”. It’s a laptop for those who want a relaxed gaming experience at a reasonable price — without pathos, but also without painful compromises.

Legion 5 15AKP10 looks completely different — the solid aluminum and plastic body immediately hints that we are looking at a more “adult” gaming laptop. Ryzen AI 7 350 paired with RTX 5070 provide an excellent power reserve, and the laptop is quieter than most competitors.

Even under heavy load, the Legion does not turn into a turbine — which will appeal to those who value acoustic comfort.

Display Legion 5 15AKP10 — OLED with a resolution of 2560×1600 and a frequency of 165 Hz, and it is equally well suited for gaming and multimedia work. Brightness reaches 500 nits in normal mode and up to 1000 nits at peak, and DisplayHDR 600 True Black certification guarantees deep contrast and rich colors.

The well-thought-out rear port layout adds convenience when connecting peripherals. There is also USB-C with Power Delivery, which is nice.

Keyboard Legion 5 15AKP10— in the spirit of the series: large buttons, comfortable grip, RGB without excessive shine. As for the battery life, it’s better not to take it on a trip for a long time without charging, as the battery melts quickly during games.

Legion 5 15AKP10 — the choice of those who want a serious tool for work and play, but without excessive aggression in design. This laptop fits easily into both office interiors and gaming rooms.

MSI Crosshair A16 HX D8WGKG — here we get 32 GB of RAM, 1 TB of SSD and RTX 5070 paired with Ryzen 7 8840HX — a configuration that allows you to run games not only in 1080p, but also in 1440p, or in native 2560×1600 (16:10) resolution. 240Hz screen with 100% DCI-P3 color gamut.

Body MSI Crosshair A16 HX D8WGKG It’s quite massive, but it’s built with high quality, no cheap materials. It’s not a laptop for daily travel, but rather for those who want a portable gaming center with all the ports and the ability to connect to a streaming setup.

Under load MSI Crosshair A16 HX D8WGKG It breathes loudly with fans, but keeps temperatures within normal limits — it is definitely not in danger of overheating. Of course, the battery life suffers: like most similar machines, it quickly eats up the battery in heavy tasks.

Progressive laptop up to 200000 UAH

The Progressive Laptop segment includes models for those who need maximum performance without compromise. They run modern games at high settings, work with raytracing and AI rendering (you can earn up to $9000), and easily handle multimedia and work tasks. At the same time, the weight and dimensions remain noticeable — these are laptops that tend to be desktops.

Model	Processor	GPU	TDP	Screen	Autonomy	RAM	Drive	Weight
HP OMEN MAX 16-ah0000	Core Ultra 9 275HX	NVIDIA RTX 5090	175 W	IPS, 16″, 240 Hz	6-7 hours	32 GB DDR5-5600 MHz	2 TB NVMe SSD	~2.8 kg
MSI Raider A18 HX A9WJG	Ryzen 9 9955HX3D	NVIDIA RTX 5090	175 W	miniLED, 18″, 120 Hz	5-6 hours	32 GB DDR5-5600 MHz	1 TB NVMe SSD	~3.6 kg
Lenovo Legion 5 15AKP10	Core Ultra 9 275HX	NVIDIA RTX 5090	175 W	OLED, 16″, 240 Hz	6 hours	32 GB DDR5-6400 MHz	1 TB NVMe SSD	~2.6 kg

HP OMEN MAX 16-ah0000 — this is the case when a laptop looks more serious than you expect from a 16-inch machine. It has top-level hardware: Core Ultra 9 275HX and RTX 5090 Laptop allow you to crank up the ultras with raytracing and not see the slideshow.

Visuals HP OMEN MAX 16-ah0000 — is a strong argument. The QHD 2560×1600 (16:10) 240Hz screen with G-Sync makes the picture smooth and the colors — pleasing even without calibration. It’s not OLED, but the picture doesn’t fade or fade at an angle. But in terms of contrast and blacks, it holds its own – in dark games, you don’t feel like you’re looking at a gray haze. Brightness — 500 nits.

The laptop has a great set of ports. You can actually build a workstation without docking stations: USB-C with PD, HDMI 2.1, Ethernet and enough USB. It’s a small thing, but when competitors have to live with hubs, OMEN makes you feel like they thought of you.

Autonomy HP OMEN MAX 16-ah0000 — a standard song for a gamer. It lasts for half a day without an outlet, but as soon as you log on to Steam —, you’re back in stationary mode in a couple of hours. At least the charging is fast: I put on some coffee, and the laptop came to life.

HP OMEN MAX 16-ah0000 — a typical hi-end of 2025 in the best sense of the word: strong in hardware, nice in appearance, balanced in capabilities.

MSI Raider A18 HX A9WJG — is a laptop that immediately makes it clear: it’s here to play. The large 18-inch 3840×2400 (16:10) 120Hz display makes you forget about the monitor on your desk. The heart of the laptop is the powerful Ryzen 9 9955HX3D.

The RTX 5090 Laptop is not just for gaming, but actually pulls everything that can be run in 4K, albeit sometimes with DLSS. Coolers are not limited either: at peak loads, the laptop resembles a quiet turbo engine.

Case MSI Raider A18 HX A9WJG huge, thick, but the ergonomics are made with the user in mind: a keyboard with RGB zones that can be customized according to the game, and a large touchpad without unnecessary loud features. The ports are arranged logically: USB-C for fast charging and data transfer, HDMI for a monitor, and Ethernet for stable Internet. Connect everything and you’re ready to go.

The battery here is like all the big gamers: no more than a couple of hours in gaming mode, but fast charging saves the day. The MSI Center software allows you to adjust performance, temperature, and RGB, which adds a sense of control rather than chaos.

MSI Raider A18 HX A9WJG — it’s not about “all at once,” but about the fact that it can be your main game tool if you are willing to put up with the size and weight. And the price, of course.

Lenovo Legion Pro 7 16IAX10H immediately strikes the eye with its compact yet austere design: The 16-inch 2560×1600 OLED display at 240 Hz looks great. The emphasis here is on ultimativeness: The RTX 5090 Laptop is enough for all current games at 1440p/1600p with raytracing, and at the same time, the temperature does not turn the laptop into a stove. And 24 GB of video memory opens the door for offline neural network enthusiasts.

Body Lenovo Legion Pro 7 16IAX10H metal, durable, without unnecessary flashy inserts. The ports are conveniently located: USB-C for data transfer and charging, HDMI and mini DisplayPort for external monitors, plus Ethernet for a stable connection. The keyboard in Legion Pro 7 has a tangible stroke, traditionally one of the best.

The battery lasts about 6 hours in mixed mode, which is very decent for a mid-range gaming laptop. Legion Coldfront 5.0 cools the chips without being too loud, so you don’t have to listen to roaring turbines in games.

Another strong point Lenovo Legion Pro 7 16IAX10H — Lenovo Vantage software, which allows you to adjust performance, monitor temperature, and optimize battery charging. Everything is clear: no need to look for hidden settings, everything is at your fingertips.

Lenovo Legion Pro 7 16IAX10H — this is a laptop for those who want “maximum FPS” for every hryvnia they give.

Conclusions

If you want “power without compromise”, you should look towards real flagships — HP OMEN MAX 16-ah0000 or Lenovo Legion Pro 7 16IAX10H. These are machines that give you the feeling of desktop power in a laptop format, run any game at maximum settings, and handle raytracing and AI rendering without a hitch. But at the same time, they turn the concept of portability into a joke: carrying such a device every day is not for the faint of heart. However, if you want to have maximum capabilities at your fingertips without compromise, this is the case.

For those who prefer a reasonable balance between weight, performance, and comfort, the following devices are more suitable Gigabyte A16 CWH or MSI Crosshair A16 HX D8WGKG. They are lighter, more compact, and do not turn every gaming session into a symphony of roaring fans. At the same time, they have enough capabilities not only for modern games but also for working with complex projects. You can already take this format to a meeting or on a trip.

And if you have a limited budget, then ASUS FA507NV-LP104 or Acer Nitro V 15 ANV15-51 will be a good choice. They confidently cover 1080p gaming scenarios, feel good in esports disciplines, and cope with everyday tasks. Of course, you shouldn’t expect them to provide stable raytracing or fast AI rendering, but they cost significantly less and remain a perfectly working tool.

And here it is appropriate to remind you of the main thing: you should choose a laptop for your own tasks, not just because of its status or a loud name. NVIDIA 5000 series — is not just another marketing gimmick, but a real power, but it should work for you, not force you to carry a 3-kilogram machine around every day unnecessarily.

Maxed-out gaming machines are not always synonymous with gaming happiness. Sometimes it’s much nicer to have a quiet laptop with an extra two hours of battery life than another dozen FPS in DOOM: The Dark Ages. So the real upgrade is the ability to find your golden mean, so that you can play and work comfortably.