The best 17-inch laptop is a pretty substantial purchase, in more ways than one. For those who play PC games exclusively on a gaming laptop, they will swear by the larger screen as a key way to get in the game on the go. Creative professional love them as well, since the expanded display real estate gives them more workspace to work with.
You can simply do more with a 17-inch laptop than with even the best 15-inch laptop, and way more than the best Ultrabooks, whether that's playing the best PC games, creating stunning graphics designs, or multitasking a couple of major projects. There's also more room for a larger keyboard with a tenkey numpad, so 17-inch laptops make great productivity devices as well.
There are definitely some tradeoffs to consider though, since 17-inch laptops might have trouble fitting into your backpack as easily as a smaller laptop, or it might not even fit at all, even with the best backpack you have.
Still, for many out there, it's go big or go home, and nothing less than a 17.3-inch diagonal display will get the job done. For them, it's now just a matter of which is the best 17-inch laptop for your needs and budget, and you have a lot of options out there. Fortunately, we're here to help you sort though the best of the best to help you make the right choice for you.
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The best 17-inch laptops of 2021
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Regardless of what you’re looking for in a computer, the MacBook Pro 16-Inch (2021) can probably handle it. That’s thanks to Apple’s impressive in-house M1 Pro and M1 Max (if you choose to upgrade) that can blaze through any application you can think of. The Pro also comes with an incredible display, as well as plenty of ports including next-gen Thunderbolt 4 ports and the return of the MagSafe charging port. All that performance does come at a price, as even the base model costs a lot. But, considering how powerful this laptop is, it’s worth the price of entry.
Read the MacBook Pro 16-Inch (2021) review
If you don’t know already, Dell makes some of the most amazing laptops on the market, especially with its XPS line. So, it’s no surprise that the Dell XPS 17 (2021) tops our best 17-inch laptops list. It’s pricey but for good reason.
It comes with the kind of components that can get you through any task including up to an Intel Core i9 CPU, 64GB of RAM, and an Nvidia RTX GeForce 3060 while touting a stunner of a screen and a design that will take your breath away. We only wish it came with more ports, but it is a nearly perfect laptop in every other way.
Read the full review: Dell XPS 17 (2021)
Laptops for work are rejoining the 17-inch fray and leading them is the much-lauded LG Gram 17 whose amazingly thin and light form factor has won awards. It’s back in 2021 and better than ever, with more powerful internals like the 11th-generation Intel chips and the Iris Xe graphics as well as two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports. The long battery life and stunner of a screen are back, though as is its steep price tag. It’s worth it though, as this is among the best 17-inch laptops for non-gaming folks.
Read the full review: LG Gram 17 (2021)
A tactile mechanical keyboard and a 300Hz refresh rate display are just the beginning. The Gigabyte Aorus 17G (2021) touts an incredible gaming performance that might just be worthy of desktop gaming PCs. With one of the RTX 3000 GPUs under the hood, this will see you through the most graphics-intensive games, including competitive ones. And, because of its impressive battery life, you can do so away from a power source. More than just the best 17-inch laptop right now, this is among the best gaming laptops of 2021.
Read the full review: Gigabyte Aorus 17G (2021)
From creativity to gaming, the MSI Creator Z17 brings a a lot of performance and exceptional display clarity to the table, and given its hefty and sturdy built, this one might be better off sitting on your desk than your lap.
Still, for a mobile creative workstation, you're getting phenomenal construction and a feature-rich 17.3-inch display that makes it a pleasure to use, and the high-end hardware makes it one of the most powerful laptops we've tested.
Just be ready with deep pockets and expectations of low battery life, because this amoung of performance doesn't exactly come cheap.
Read the full MSI Creator Z17 review
One of the most powerful gaming laptops that money can buy in 2021, the Asus ROG Strix SCAR 17 G733 barely breaks a sweat. That excellent performance is due to the impressive specs it’s kitted out with, which also sadly put out of most people’s reach, price-wise. If you can afford it, however, there are a few other things you’ll love about it, including that unapologetic design that lights up like Christmas due to its resplendent RGB lighting and that optical mechanical keyboard that’s simply one of the best we've experienced on a laptop. This isn’t just one of the best 17-inch laptops. This is among the best of the best out there, and a worthy consideration if you’re not limited by your budget.
Read the full review: Asus ROG Strix SCAR 17 G733
If you’re looking for an absolute beast, the best gaming laptop for you might just be this follow-up to Razer’s 17-inch leviathan. More than just a gaming portable, it makes for an excellent mobile workstation for creators as well – although gamers who have the cash will appreciate the RTX 3000 GPU, up to 64GB of memory, and display with fast refresh rates. It’s pretty expensive, though, so unless you need all that power or you just have the money to throw away, you really have to make sure you’ll make the most of it.
Read the full review: Razer Blade Pro 17 (2021)
Who says you can’t have your gaming cake and eat it, because with laptops like this ROG Zephyrus, it’s possible to have an incredibly powerful portable which isn’t even remotely hefty, but remains very svelte and, er, portable.
It is, in short, a gaming machine for which you don’t have to employ air quotes around the word ‘portable’, being 18.7mm thick (or rather, thin) and weighing 2.7kg. Compare that to the above Alienware which is 43mm and 4.8kg…
Yet with this Asus 17-inch laptop you still get a Core i7-8750H hexa-core CPU backed by a GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q with 8GB of video RAM (there’s up to 24GB of system memory, incidentally). All this means you can ramp up the detail levels and enjoy any game you want.
The display is also a fabulous piece of work, and what’s more it’s Pantone Validated with 100% sRGB color gamut, meaning the color accuracy is spot-on out-of-the-box, and this notebook can be used for professional photo or video editing.
Bear in mind however that battery life is disappointingly short, and the price is disappointingly hefty. For those who don’t have the hefty budget to cope with this, or the aforementioned Alienware laptop’s price tag, breathe easier and check out our next entry for a more affordable gaming option.
Read the full review: Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701
One of the most powerful mobile workstations out there, the Gigabyte Aero 17 (2021) comes with a lot of power, a gorgeous display, and a whole lotta ports. Best yet, it’s priced well below its less-powerful rivals, making it a better proposition even if you have a more flexible budget. It isn’t by any means perfect. The battery life could use a bit of a boost, for example. But, for how much you’re paying and for the other things you’re getting in return, it’s a minuscule sacrifice.
Read the full review: Gigabyte Aero 17 (2021)
This is another mobile workstation, but it represents a somewhat cheaper – and indeed a slightly slimmer – alternative to the above HP machine, with the P73 being ideally suited to content creators.
You get the choice of an Intel Xeon E-2276M processor or 9th-gen Intel Core CPU (up to an i9-9880H with vPro), with up to Nvidia Quadro RTX 5000 graphics and up to 128GB of system memory. But the display is the jewel in the crown featuring a 4K resolution, 400 nits brightness, Dolby Vision HDR and 100% coverage of the Adobe color gamut. The screen is, quite simply, ideal for serious photo or video editing.
The cutting-edge hardware support continues with Wi-Fi 6 on board, and you get a good selection of ports for wired connectivity, including a pair of Thunderbolt 3 connectors. Creative pros need look no further for something that can cater for all their needs, at a relatively reasonable asking price for the workstation market.
