Best RTX 3060 Laptop

With Nvidia’s 3000 series laptops now being available, and desktop GPUs being hard to find at a reasonable price, it’s the perfect time to get a gaming laptop or upgrade if that’s something you’ve been contemplating for a while. More specifically an RTX 3060 laptop if you are on a tighter budget but are still looking for a very capable RTX 30 series gaming laptop. The performance of RTX 3060 laptops in terms of higher frame rates is also increased with the help of Nvidia’s DLSS AI rendering technology.

But picking the right RTX 3060 gaming laptop isn’t easy, due to the wide range of TGPs of RTX 3000 series laptops. This means that an RTX 3060 laptop with inadequate cooling could have significantly less performance than an equivalent RTX 3060 laptop with better cooling. Therefore, we recommend you stick to well-known gaming laptop brands with adequate cooling and good TGPs. With that in mind, below we’ve carefully curated this review of the best RTX 3060 laptops.

Best RTX 3060 Laptops

1. Acer Predator Helios 300

Verdict

With a well built chassis that’s perfectly capable of keeping the powerful hardware inside cool, the Helios 300 is a great choice for gamers and is priced reasonably.

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Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7-10750H 2.6GHz | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 6GB | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512GB SSD | Dimensions: 14.31 x 10.04 x 0.9 inches | Weight: 4.85lbs

Benefits

• Powerful hardware with a six-core CPU and 16GB of RAM
• 144Hz refresh rate display
• Wi-Fi 6 and Gigabit LAN

Drawbacks

• On the heavier side at 4.85lbs

Acer’s Predator Helios 300 has been a solid overall laptop for a while now, and the newest iteration that includes Nvidia’s RTX 3060 GPU makes it even better. On the outside, you have a reasonably subtle design, with a bit of RGB sprinkled here and there, such as on the keyboard. The touchpad is offset to the left, which some people aren’t fans of, and the bezels surrounding the display could’ve been a bit slimmer.

On the inside, the laptop is pretty powerful, especially if you consider the price. The GPU is paired with Intel’s previous generation, six-core Core i7-10750H, which can turbo boost up to 5GHz, as well as 16GB of RAM and a 512GB NVMe SSD. The combination can comfortably reach over 60 FPS in AAA titles at 1080p, though the framerates do depend on the title. In competitive titles, you’ll probably get the 144 FPS the display can get. Speaking of, the 3ms response time isn’t ideal for gaming, but at this price, we aren’t complaining.

All things together, the Predator Helios 300 is a solid value choice, if you don’t mind the heft of it and the somewhat slow display response time.

2. Razer Blade 15 Base

Verdict

While this is the “Base”, as Razer puts it, This 15 inch RTX 3060 gaming laptop is an exception in every way except for the fact that it is a fingerprint magnet. It performs well in gaming and other computationally demanding task, has a great display, incredible build quality, and expandability in terms of RAM and Storage.

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Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7-10750H 2.6GHz | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 6GB | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512GB SSD | Dimensions: 13.98 x 9.25 x 0.78 inches | Weight: 4.6lbs

Benefits

• CNC-machined body is extremely well built
• Powerful hardware and room for expanding the storage and RAM
• Great display with a 144Hz refresh rate

Drawbacks

• Is a fingerprint magnet

What started off as a single Razer Blade laptop is now an extensive lineup of models. And while this is the “Base”, as Razer puts it, it’s still a strong contender in the gaming world and is a great pick for the best RTX 3060 gaming laptop. So, what do you get with the Razer Blade 15 Base?

The Blade 15’s display is pretty good, too – Razer’s known for good laptop displays. It’s a 15.6” panel with a Full HD resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate. Not only does it cover 100% of the sRGB color space, but it also has some of the slimmest bezels around at only 4.9mm. It does look rather immersive, that’s for sure. Pair this with things like Razer’s Chroma backlit keyboard, and the CNC unibody aluminum chassis, and you can easily see why this is a great choice for just about anyone.

The internals contains Intel’s 10^th generation Core i7-10750H processor. This six-core chip sits at a 2.6GHz base clock, but that clock speed increases to almost double at a massive 5.0GHz. In a laptop that’s this slim and compact, that’s surprisingly powerful. There’s also the RTX 3060 graphics card by Nvidia, which is perfectly capable of running modern titles, some of them with ray tracing too. Razer also offers you 16GB of RAM, as well as a 512GB NVMe drive. While some might say that 512GB isn’t too much, you do get another M.2 PCIe slot that’s not populated, so you can go ahead and add your own storage if you want to. The memory is expandable, too, and you can have up to 64GB of RAM as well, which should have you covered for multitasking.

3. ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15

Verdict

The ROG Zephyrus G15 is one of the best bang-for-the-buck RTX 3060 laptops, with a very powerful eight-core CPU and things like a QHD 165Hz display that makes it great for gaming.

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Specifications

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS 3.0GHz | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 6GB | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 2x512GB SSD | Dimensions: 13.97 x 9.59 x 0.78 inches | Weight: 4.21lbs

Benefits

• High-resolution QHD display with 165Hz and Pantone validation
• Dual SSDs for even faster boot and game load times
• Even though expensive, you get a lot for your money

Drawbacks

• No webcam

The Zephyrus G series have been ASUS’s bread and butter for the past couple of years, and the newest G15 is no exception. Design-wise, it’s beautiful. It’s minimal, with a keyboard that doesn’t include a Numpad and a large, spacious touchpad. Port selection is great, too, and the bezels are remarkably slim. The ergonomic hinge will also slightly elevate the laptop when the display is open for a more comfortable typing position.

When it comes to performance, the Zephyrus G15 is solid, but the RTX 3060 does struggle a bit to reach the built-in display’s 165Hz at 1440p. Lowering the resolution to 1080p does yield slightly better results, but you won’t be getting 165 FPS unless it’s a competitive title like CS: GO or Apex. Yes, the Ryzen 9 5900HS is a powerhouse of a CPU, but it can only do so much with an RTX 3060. We do like the dual SSDs, which make boot-up and loading times incredibly quick.

Overall, you’re getting a lot of value with the Zephyrus G15, but the CPU and display are a bit too much for the GPU, and it struggles to perform on their level. If you don’t mind the framerates, though, it’s an excellent choice. 

Related Article: Best RTX 3070 Laptops

4. MSI GS76 Stealth

Verdict

At only .8 inches, the GS76 Stealth is one of the thinnest 17 inch laptops with an RTX 3060 that still performs admirably. It’s heavy, though, and not exactly cheap compared to the competition.

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Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7-11800H 2.3GHz | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 6GB | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512GB | Dimensions: 14.53 x 10.2 x 0.8 inches | Weight: 5.4lbs

Benefits

• Very thin and minimal design
• Large 17.3 display with 240Hz refresh rate
• Wi-Fi 6 and Thunderbolt 4 support

Drawbacks

• On the heavier side

If you’re keen on a larger laptop, MSI’s GS76 Stealth could be a solid choice. Design-wise, it’s thin and minimal, with a full-size keyboard and rather slim bezels around the display. The touchpad is a tad too small, though – we feel like MSI could’ve done a better job considering the available space. We do like the RGB keyboard, though, as well as the overall design. It should be noted that at 5.4lbs, this is a very heavy laptop, so it’s not for everyone.

Performance-wise, MSI has paired the RTX 3060 with an 11^th gen Intel Core i7-11800H processor and added in 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD to the mix. Most games hover around 60 frames per second, although that depends on the specific title, and some AAA titles will even reach up to 100-120fps if you don’t put the settings on Ultra. With competitive titles, achieving the display’s 240Hz is certainly possible, although maybe not at the highest settings.

Overall, this is quite the laptop for users who want a 17.3” machine, but the price is very high, and overall, the laptop is rather heavy even for a 17.3” model, which makes portability a bit tricky.

Related Article: Best RTX 3070 Laptops

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14’s thin and light design paired with fantastic performance is a big selling point for this 14” gaming laptop. Its 1080p IPS panel comes with a 144Hz refresh rate, as well as 170 degree viewing angles both vertically and horizontally. It also has Pantone certification and covers 100% of the sRGB color space.

On the inside, you’re looking at AMD’s Ryzen 9 5900HS processor. This eight-core, sixteen-thread CPU runs at a modest 3.0GHz base clock, but can turbo up to 4.6GHz if you push it hard. Alongside it is Nvidia’s RTX 3060 graphics card with 6GB of GDDR6 memory, which is a pretty good pick for competitive titles. This combo is actually good enough for you to run AAA titles as well, but you might need to tone down the settings a little bit if you want higher framerates in more demanding games.

Complementing the CPU and GPU is 16GB of 3200MHz RAM in a dual-channel, as well as a rather massive 1TB NVMe SSD. You can configure this laptop with up to 40GB of RAM and an 8TB SSD, but we can confidently say that’s overkill. Overall, this is a stunning laptop that gets you excellent performance in every way.

6. MSI Crosshair 15

Verdict

The MSI Crosshair 15 offers powerful internals, a 144Hz display, and a rather durable build making it a soild choice for those wanting an MSI RTX 3060 laptop. It also has Steel Series per key RGB light and a robust cooling system.

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Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7-11800H 2.3GHz | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 6GB | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512GB SSD | Dimensions: 14.13 x 10.2 x 0.94 inches | Weight: 4.63lbs

Benefits

• Excellent build quality and port selection
• Minimalist design with slim bezels
• Great cooling to eliminate thermal throttling

Drawbacks

• On the thicker side

The Crosshair 15 is MSI’s bulkier gaming laptop, especially when you pit it against thinner, lighter offerings that some of the competitors get you. However, it still has a rather nice design, with slim bezels and a backlit keyboard that gets you a solid typing experience. The port selection is quite good, with full-size HDMI and USB-A, as well as a LAN port.

On the inside, you’ve got Intel’s Core i7-11800H CPU and 16GB of RAM to go alongside the RTX 3060. Gaming performance is solid, although most AAA titles struggle to reach the display’s 144Hz refresh rate. You can, instead, expect around 60-70 FPS on medium to high settings, but this does depend on the title. All of this is paired with a 512GB NVMe SSD which is both spacious enough and fast enough for quick load times.

All in all, the Crosshair15 is good, but not particularly impressive. When you consider the incredibly small touchpad, as well as the fact that its asking price is much higher than the competition, it’s outright bad in terms of value.

Related Article: Best RTX 3080 Laptops

7. Gigabyte AERO 15

Verdict

The AERO 15 4K is great for content creators who also want good gaming performance in an RTX 3060 gaming laptop. This is because it has a 4K OLED AMOLED display, a Thunderbolt 3 port, and a UHS-II SD card reader along with great computing performance making it perfect for content creators/gamers.

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Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7-11800H 2.3GHz | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 6GB | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512GB SSD | Dimensions: 14 x 9.8 x 0.78 inches | Weight: 4.4lbs

Benefits

• Excellent AMOLED 4k display for content creation
• Very slim bezels and overall clean design

Drawbacks

• GPU isn’t really suitable for gaming at 4K

On the outside of Gigabyte’s AERO 15, you get an RGB backlit keyboard, as well as some rather good speakers. The bezels on the display are slim, and you have a Thunderbolt 3 port included with its wide selection of ports. We also like the inclusion of a UHS-II SD card reader, which makes it an even better choice for creators.

And so, we arrive at one of the AERO 15’s strongest points – the display. Unlike most of the competition, the AERO 15 comes with a Samsung-made AMOLED display. Not only does it have a 4K resolution, but it also has some of the best colors you’ll ever see on a laptop. Each display is X-Rite Pantone Certified and is individually calibrated in the factory. You don’t get this on many other laptops, do you?

At the core is Intel’s previous-gen Core i7-11800H CPU, which sits at 2.3GHz, but can turbo up to 4.6GHz if pushed hard. The GPU is, of course, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 with 6GB of GDDR6 memory. It also supports DLSS which you can use for AI rendering, which is a nice addition. Since this is one of the features Gigabyte is marketing for the AERO 15, you can easily see that this laptop is made for both gamers and creators. In terms of memory, you’re looking at 16GB of RAM and a 512GB NVMe SSD. There is another slot that’s available in case 512GB isn’t enough, so upgrading the storage should be easy enough.

8. MSI GS66 Stealth

Verdict

MSI’s GS66 Stealth comes with a rather compact design and subtle aesthetics that make it look rather professional, however this laptop is exception at gaming and other work loads. And at only .71 inches, this is one of the thinnest gaming laptops out there.

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Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7-10750H 2.6GHz | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 6GB | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 1TB SSD | Dimensions: 14.17 x 9.65 x 0.71 inches | Weight: 4.63lbs

Benefits

• Incredibly thin at only .71 inches
• Powerful internals with a 1TB SSD
• Stealthy all-black design

Drawbacks

• Some fan problems reported

On the stealthy all-black outside of the MSI GS66 Stealth, you get a SteelSeries-made keyboard with a per-key RGB backlight, so you can customize it as you see fit. There’s is a decent selection of ports including a Thunderbolt 3 port which you can use for high-bandwidth connections like monitors or multiple external drives.

The display is an interesting pick here because MSI put a full HD display with a 240Hz refresh rate and a 3ms response time. This is faster than most of the competition, and honestly, it’s incredibly smooth whatever you’re doing. Unfortunately, the panel itself doesn’t come with the best in terms of quality, but it does do a decent job overall and it’s perfectly fine for gaming.

With the internals, Intel’s Core i7-10750H runs the show. It runs at 2.6GHz, but can turbo up to 5GHz if necessary, which is more than enough. The GPU of choice is Nvidia’s RTX 3060 graphics card with 6GB of memory, and this is a combo that’s good enough for most modern titles. Note that with some AAA titles, you might need to tone down the settings, especially if you’re going to use ray tracing. Multitasking is taken care of, thanks to 16GB of DDR4 RAM which helps you run multiple apps at once, and you have a 1TB PCIe solid-state drive for all your games and files.

Overall, while the GS66 Stealth won’t win any awards, in particular, it is an overall excellent laptop that checks a lot of boxes. For gamers who want a fast display and decent performance, it’s a great choice for the best RTX 3060 laptop.

9. ASUS TUF DASH F15

Verdict

The ASUS TUF DASH F15 is a solid RTX 3060 gaming laptop that offers good gaming performance and value. It also has a decent 144hz display, a thin and light design, and good expandability. however, the main con of this laptop is its 4 core intel CPU though it still performs well in most computational demanding tasks.

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Specifications

Intel Core i7-11370H 3.3GHz | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 6GB | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512GB SSD | Dimensions: 14.17 x 9.92 x 0.78 inches | Weight: 4.41lbs

Benefits

• Solid value considering the performance you’re getting
• Rather thin and light design
• Room for upgrading RAM and storage

Drawbacks

• Only 4 core Intel CPU
• Keyboard design is not for everyone

The TUF series by ASUS has always been a great budget choice, and the DASH F15 is no exception as it has excellent gaming performance at a decent price. You get a pretty nice display, with a full HD resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate. It’s a pretty regular 15.6” panel, with slim bezels on all sides, but it does a decent job with both gaming and everyday usage.

The keyboard is a weird one because you get a backlit keyboard with differently colored WASD keys, which fits the gamer aesthetic but not all may like it. The touchpad is pretty nice, too, even though it might be a bit small. But these are all minor setbacks for what is an excellent RTX 3060 laptop for users on a budget.

Inside the TUF DASH F15 by ASUS is Intel’s 11^th generation Core i7-11370H. This is a CPU that has a rather high base clock of 3.30GHz and boosts up to 4.8GHz under load, which is rather impressive.  It does only have four cores and eight threads, whereas most of the competition has a 6c/12t configuration, but it does the job with most games.

What helps is Nvidia’s RTX 3060 graphics card, which comes with 6GB of video memory and does a great job with modern competitive titles. You can even play AAA titles at decent framerates if you tone the settings down a bit. You do also get a 512GB SSD for all your storage needs, as well as 16GB of RAM. Knowing ASUS, you can upgrade both with relative ease, but it’s enough to get you started.

10. ASUS ROG Strix G17

Verdict

With solid performance and incredibly beautiful design, the ROG Strix G17 is a great choice for gamers who want a 17.3” laptop – if they can handle the bulk and weight, as this is a heavy laptop.

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Specifications

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX 3.3GHz | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 6GB | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512GB SSD | Dimensions: 15.55 x 11.1 x 1.11 inches | Weight: 5.95lbs

Benefits

• Beautiful design with an RGB strip at the bottom
• 144Hz IPS display is great for gaming
• Great cooling solution that keeps things quiet when necessary

Drawbacks

• Bulky and heavy
• Weird keyboard layout at the arrow cluster

There is no going around it – the ROG Strix G17 is a beautiful laptop. Clean lines, minimalist design, RGB on the keyboard, and an RGB strip at the bottom, it just has that WOW factor. The bezels are almost impossibly slim, too, which is great. However, the arrow cluster is a bit weird – with a 17.3” size ASUS had a lot of room to make it better. And there’s also the size and weight – this is a big, heavy laptop at almost 6lbs.

On the other hand, performance is what you’d expect from the powerful internals that ASUS has decided to include – paired with the RTX 3060 is AMD’s powerhouse of a CPU, the Ryzen 9 5900HX, as well as 16GB of RAM. And unlike other laptops that limit the GPU to a TDP of 95-100W, ASUS gives it a bit more leeway with up to 130W TDP thanks to the cooling system. This results in slightly better performance compared to the competition.

All things together, the ROG Strix G17 is a great choice for users that want a 17.3” laptop with great performance, and don’t mind the added weight and overall heft.

Final Thoughts

Nvidia’s RTX 3060 graphics card does provide a tremendous amount of value, and if you’re looking for a decent gaming laptop, but don’t want to spend too much, that’s what you should be aiming for. Considering we’ve reviewed some excellent options above, all that’s left for you is to choose the best RTX 3060 laptop that suits your needs.