These gaming laptops are winners

If you want to play PC games on the go, gaming laptops are great. They're a somewhat portable alternative to the powerful and towering desktop PC. But there's a lot more you need to know than just the laptop's raw power. A laptop with the best graphics card, SSD and processor may have the specs to blow your mind, but it could all underperform if the components overheat easily and don't have proper airflow. Battery life can also impact the stability of your gaming performance.

All that doesn't come cheap, though if you're on a tight budget and know where to compromise — such as looking for a model with components you can upgrade later to make your upfront cost a little lower, or opting for a screen that's lower resolution and slower — you can still get something that'll ensure a good gaming experience. Below are three of the best portable gaming machines CNET has reviewed.

WHAT HP Victus 16

THE COST $699.99

AVAILABLE FROM hp.com

The HP Victus 16 is a strong, affordable option. It offers a respectable balance for people with different needs for play and work. Spending more will likely get you better build quality and more enjoyable audio. But if you can get past the screen wobble, the Victus can hold its own against pricier models.

Prices start at about $700 for the 15-inch model, but you should probably avoid configurations with 8 gigabyte RAM; MacOS can get away with that, but Windows has more overhead. For a little more ($890), you can get a reasonable low-end model that you won't outgrow quickly with an Intel i5-12450H, 12 gigabytes RAM, 512 gigabytes PCIe NVMe, a 144-Hertz 1080p screen and GeForce GTX 1650.

WHAT Razer Blade 14

THE COST $1,899.99-$2,299.99

AVAILABLE FROM razer.com

A smaller version than the 15-inch staple, the 14-inch Razer Blade delivers a lot of gaming power for its size without feeling small — an important consideration for a gaming laptop. It also offers decent battery life, a nice size for travel and a subtle design (for a gaming laptop) that's buttoned-up enough for sitting in a meeting with the top brass or clients.

WHAT Asus ROG Flow X13 With XG Mobile

THE COST $1,399.99

AVAILABLE FROM shop.asus.com

Asus pairs an ultraportable 13-inch two-in-one that has a relatively powerful AMD CPU with an external GPU dock equipped with a near-top-of-the-line Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 mobile processor, and the result is an incredibly flexible system for both work and play that outperforms many bigger, clunkier gaming laptops. Because it's a two-in-one, you can comfortably use an external gaming keyboard without the built-in keyboard getting in the way.