7 Top Picks
2 Reviewers
35 Hours of Research
29 Options Considered
It's utterly understandable that many find it hard to make up their minds when it comes to opting for the best i7 laptops. After all, as they are among the most powerful laptops available, they aren't as cheap compared to their 3 core and 5 core counterparts.
3 Top i7 Laptops
1. [Best Overall]
5/5
The powerful configurations of the Zenbook Pro Duo include an Intel Core i7-9750H, 32GB of RAM, NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 graphics card, and 1TB PCI-based SSD storage Express 3.0x4.
With a 4K UHD (3840x2160) OLED touchscreen display and four ultra-thin NanoEdge display borders, it gives more realistic and vivid images.
2. [Best For The Money] Asus ROG Strix Scar II Gaming Laptop
4.9/5
ASUS ROG Strix Scar II stands out with its minimal but exquisite black appearance that easily wins the user's heart at first sight. It possesses a 15.5-inch fascinating display, which enhances the user readability and allows for the engaging experience of gaming and coding. Besides, the NVidia graphics card is used for better resolution.
3. [Best For The Attractive Aluminum Design]
4.8/5
Asus Zenbook Pro UX501 is one of the most powerful laptops Asus has recently launched to assert its place in the laptop market. It possesses a 15.6 inch IPS screen, with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 to display 2K quality images.
Also, it has a solid aluminum frame, rounded edges and concentric circles, exuding great charm and elegance.
Best i7 Laptops
[Best Overall]
5/5
ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 is one of the leading products of the ZenBook series. This laptop model has a revolutionary design with ScreenPad Plus and a 14-inch secondary display.
ScreenPad Plus gives users endless opportunities for creativity by working seamlessly with the home screen and the built-in ScreenXpert software suite to promote productivity and multitasking.
The powerful configurations of the Zenbook Pro Duo include an Intel Core i7-9750H, 32GB of RAM, NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 graphics card, and 1TB PCI-based SSD storage Express 3.0x4.
With a 4K UHD (3840x2160) OLED touchscreen display and four ultra-thin NanoEdge display borders, it gives more realistic and vivid images.
Moreover, this Asus model has an Ergolift design that raises the keyboard to a small angle, creating a comfortable feel when typing.Also, the Turbo Fan mode activated with just a push of a button helps to minimize the amount of heat generated during operation. This can ensure that this powerful device will always achieve maximum performance.
However, with powerful components and features two 4K screens, the battery of Zenbook Pro Duo doesn't last long. The battery capacity is just approximately five hours.
Therefore, you should plug it into a power socket when working on heavy work or turn off the second screen and lower the brightness of the main display to eke out more battery life.
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
With the powerful components and impeccable specifications for powerful gaming performance, the ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 doesn’t come with a cheap price.
The most prominent feature of this model, the extra screen Screenpad Plus, is still unable to prove to be a great addition that's worth sacrificing the slim design.
[Best For The Money]
4.9/5
ASUS ROG Strix Scar II stands out with its minimal but exquisite black appearance that easily wins the user's heart at first sight. It possesses a fascinanting 15.5-inch display, which enhances the user readability and allows for the engaging experience of gaming and coding. Besides, the NVidia graphics card is used for better resolution.
The laptop configurations are suitable for the majority of high-settings games. With its 8th generation Intel Core i7-8750H, and a RAM of 16 GB, its power is entirely incredible.
The laptop also features Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 GPU chipset to maintain the motherboard's coolness while avid gamers are playing their fascinating games.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar II only needs minimal battery consumption and is ultimately charged with a power standby for 13 hours.
The HyperStrike Pro keyboard feels very slick in regular usage and shines in a round of PUBG when caught in battle scenarios. This laptop model owns three USB ports to accommodate the needs of streaming and gaming.
With the wireless Bluetooth feature, the ROG Strix Scar II enables users to transfer data quickly.
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
In fact, the Asus ROG Strix Scar II is one of the ideal gaming laptops, though it does not seem suitable for those who have a limited budget. However, for the great upgradability options and the gaming excitements it offers, we think it's a good value for money.
[Best For The Attractive Aluminum Design]
4.8/5
Asus Zenbook Pro UX501 is one of the most powerful laptops Asus has recently launched to assert its place in the laptop market. It possesses a 15.6 inch IPS touch screen, with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 to display 2K quality images.
Also, it has a solid aluminum frame, rounded edges and concentric circles, exuding great charm and elegance.
In addition, this laptop model owns a robust hardware configuration, including the Intel Core i7-4720HQ processor, 16GB RAM, 2GB discrete graphics card together with Intel HD Graphics 4600 graphics card.
Hence, it fully meets the needs to handle from essential to heavy tasks like playing top-notch graphics games.
The Zenbook Pro UX501 is equipped with Bang & Olufsen's high-quality audio system (B&O) with two speakers. The sound quality is suitable for diverse forms of entertainment such as listening to music, watching movies or playing games.
Besides, the model owns a built-in Audio Wizard application to customize sound mode corresponding to the content for better user experience.
What's more, ASUS equips ZenBook Pro UX501VW with a 2-fan cooling system to direct heat from the CPU and GPU. Each fan directs hot air out through the heat sink located behind the hinge.
Therefore, when we play games, the hinge area is the hottest, while the remaining areas still maintain the coolness. Thus, it's evident that ASUS resolves the heat dissipation quite well on the ZenBook Pro UX501VW.
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
The Zenbook Pro UX501 is just a minimal update of the NX500 laptop model, and it has no significant changes. However, considering its mind-blowing features such as high-resolution display and sound quality and excellent gaming performance, this notebook model is still worth purchasing.
MSI GL72 6QF-405 17.3" belongs to the low-cost MSI gaming laptop models. It has two main colors: red and black. The chassis is made of aluminum to make the laptop more rugged and resistant to impact.
Although it is made of metal material covered with a layer of glossy paint, the device has good anti-sweat, anti-fingerprint and anti-shock assistance.
The MSI GL72 6QF-405 17.3" is a super large 17.3-inch laptop with full HD (1920x1080) resolution to display every detail most realistically.
As a gaming laptop, it has an outstanding configuration of a powerful Core i7-6700HQ CPU and discrete gaming card GTX-960 to help gamers enjoy their matches, watching movies and surfing the web, etc.
The device is equipped with a Steelseries keyboard similar to other MSI Gaming series, but the keyboard is not backlit. The raised keys can be quite high, which can affect the screen when folded down.A reasonably large 10.9 x 6.1 cm touchpad made of polished aluminum allows for multi-touch with high accuracy.
This model also owns two speakers located on the bottom right next to the users' seat to ensure that sound is transmitted in both directions.
The time it takes to charge the battery fully is about two and a half hours. The device can only last from 3 to 4 hours, depending on the tasks and programs that it is working on.
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
In general, the MSI GL72 6QF-405 17.3" This is a gaming laptop suitable for those on tight budget but who want a solid core gaming performance.
Because the system is pretty loud and the battery life is limited, gamers who have more financial power can consider other high-end MSI laptop models.
4.6/5
ASUS ROG GL752VW-DH74 is an ASUS ROG gaming laptop model with a rugged appearance, characterized by a combination of red and black. The device is equipped with a 17.3" screen with Full HD resolution of 1920x1080.
Therefore, the images can be shown in detail with fresh colors, resulting in a more comfortable gaming experience.
With high-performance Intel Core i7-6700Q quad-core 2.6 GHz, 8GB RAM, and 128GB SSD, the ASUS GL752VW is capable of handling heavy tasks smoothly.
In addition, the Nvidia GTX960M discrete graphics card, together with Full DirectX 12, allows for excellent 3D images and high graphics processing.
The ROG GL752VW has faster data transfer speed and superior load times thanks to its SSD. Besides, this is a laptop with a 1TB HDD hard drive, which allows users to store multiple games, videos or documents. The device's configuration can be easily upgraded since it supports up to 2TB HDD and 256GB SSD.
The ASUS GL752VW has several connectivity ports including LAN, VGA, HDMI, high-speed USB ports, headphone and mic jack, and SD card slot. It also supports Bluetooth 4.1, WiFi 802.11b/g/n, and GameFirst III to optimize the connection since it's an indispensable element for an excellent gaming experience.
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
With all these outstanding features, the ASUS GL752VW is indeed a gaming laptop that converges all the premium elements such as a bunker design, a robust configuration, an incredible graphics processing speed, etc. This model must be listed in the top list for the best i7 laptops.
4.4/5
Dell Inspiron 15 5000 owns an eye-catching, sophisticated, and luxurious design. Having stable performance and unique features, the Dell Inspiron 15 5000 is one of Dell's most affordable laptops in the mid-range segment.
The model has a traditional simple appearance with the "Dell" logo in the center of the covering.
Having a 15.6-inch screen with impressive Full HD resolution, high-quality IPS panel, the Dell 15 5000 offers sharp screen quality with vibrant colors and wide viewing angles. In addition, its mirror screen provides a bright, sharp display even when used outdoors.
The Dell Inspiron 15 5000 possesses Intel Core i7 4510U processor and a RAM of 16 GB for a powerful multitasking processing. It has several connectors, including 3 USB ports, card reader, Ethernet, HDMI, and 3.5mm headphone jack.
In terms of battery, this laptop model only lasts 5 hours and 8 minutes for browsing the web and watching videos via WiFi connection in the Laptop Mag Battery Test 2.0.
This battery life, which is much shorter than that of the average laptop, requires users to use the connecting cable when working on this laptop constantly.
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
The Dell Inspiron 15 5000 is one of the most affordable laptops, ideal for those whose budget is limited but want an i7 laptop for gaming.
Though the slightly lower battery life may cause many people to think twice before making a decision, it's still a decent laptop model and is very light.
4.2/5
Indeed, the Surface Book's launch has shown Microsoft's determination to compete with two giants Apple and Google in the technology territory. Like other high-end laptops, this laptop model is famous for its unique design and durability.
The Microsoft Surface Book owns a 13.5" screen with a resolution of up to 3,000 x 2,000. The image quality is so excellent regarding all smooth details and fresh colors suitable for graphic design.
Besides, the screen also supports multi-touch to turn the Surface Book into a standalone tablet if users disassemble the keyboard.
The Surface Book is among the first 2-in-1 laptops equipped with a discrete Nvidia GeForce VGA card. Games like Rocker League can be played well at 30 fps with an average graphics setting.For more intensive graphics games, it can run smoothly at 25 fps in Full HD resolution. In general, the configuration is more than sufficient to handle heavy graphical tasks.
Compared to other laptops like the Macbook Pro that allows for 9 hours of mixed-use, the Surface Book laptop's battery is inferior since it only lasts about 7.5 hours for regular use.
However, to compensate for this drawback, Microsoft equipped its laptop with fast charging technology that allows full charging from 0-100% in roughly 2 hours
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
In short, the Surface Book's battery life is not good enough, and the price is a bit a bit dear for what's on offer. However, it is still a laptop with outstanding quality, a unique 2-in-1 design and a stable configuration for graphic design and other heavy tasks.
What To Consider Before Buying?
The processor is one of the most important factors when buying a laptop for gaming or graphics design. Laptops with Core i3 CPUs are usually for the basic needs of gaming and surfing the Internet. The Core i5 laptops are more powerful for gamers, and Core i7 is a high-end model that can meet all users' needs.
Now let's look at the specifications of each Intel i7 processor model below if you are still confused and worried about what to purchase.
As can be seen, there are a multiple of i7-powered laptops with the diversity of cache memory, clock speed, cores and threads, and graphics.
Before determining which i7 processor model laptop is appropriate for your needs, it's advisable to consider these above specifications.
For the basic needs of occasional gaming and graphics designing, a quad-core (U-Series) i7 laptop with 8 MB cache memory would be the best choice.
In contrast, for playing heavy games or running intensive tasks, hexa-core (H-Series) i7 laptop with a cache memory of 9MB or more could be better because of its power to run heavy games without lagging and render video 4 K (and also 8 K!).
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Are i7 laptops powerful enough for gaming?
Of course, yes. Though other specifications should be taken into account like RAM and Graphics card, the i7 processor is indeed suitable for playing games and doing other intensive tasks. However, if your budget stretches to an Intel Core i9 processor laptop, you'll enjoy more wonderful gaming experiences.
Q2: Does Intel Core i7 Processor support 16GB of RAM?
Sure, 16GB of RAM is supported in Intel Core i7 laptops. Some of the models have 16 GB of RAM, while others have 8 GB of RAM that can be expanded with an additional 8 GB of RAM. However, the majority of laptops in our list of best i7 laptops have 8GB of RAM.
Q3: Which is the suitable storage option for i7 laptop, HDD, or SSD?
While specific laptop versions can have 1 TB or 2 TB of HDD storage options, you should note that the HDD is far slower than SSD, so we suggest that you opt for SSD storage options when buying high-end laptops.
Q4: Which OS is recommended for i7 laptops?
The most highly recommended operating system for Intel Core i7-powered laptops is, of course, Windows 10. Most of the laptops mentioned in our best i7 laptop topic here have the pre-installed Windows 10 OS. Depending on your needs, you can install any other OS you like.
Conclusion
With the beautifully-built design, high portability, and powerful performance, a laptop is indeed suitable for work and leisure. It's evident that a large RAM or i7 Processor does not make a laptop exceptional.
For fantastic results and outputs, it requires connectivity, decent storage, and high compatibility rate.
Therefore, we are here to help you with the list of best i7 laptops available in the market in 2023. They are suitable for those who prefer playing heavy games, running intensive software, or doing strenuous tasks like rendering video or designing. Hopefully, you can get one for yourself after reading this.
