The best laptops for gaming, creativity, music making and work.
Here are some serious contenders for your next laptop purchase – no matter your needs:
Gaming
Rader Blade 14
No introduction, if you know your gaming laptops, and the 14-inch model is the most compact it makes – perfect for moving from e or from desk to desk. Top-tier AMD processors and Radeon GPUs will run your games effortlessly, and the laptop’s looks are sleek enough that it’s suitable for offices and coffee shops too.
From R106 000 via wantitall.co.za
Gigabyte AORUS 17X
This is one of Gigabyte’s flagship gaming laptops and it’s an absolute beast — so expect to pay a high price, of course. There’s an Intel Core i9 processor here, and a top-of-the-range Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 or 4090 GPU, and they combine to ensure that every single game flies by on the polished, super speedy 17.3-inch display.
PU*, gigabyte.com/za/Laptop/AORUS-17X–Intel-12th-Gen
Alienware m16
Come for the distinct styling, stay for the raw power and performance. The Alienware m16 wouldn’t look out of place on a sci-fi movie set but its premium Intel or AMD processors and RTX 4000 series GPUs from Nvidia are very much from this planet. The screen is super sharp and you can configure this with a lot of RAM and storage as well.
From R48 999, www.dellonline.co.za
Creativity
Lenovo Yoga Book 9i
If you need a laptop to be creative with, why not opt for the flexibility of two screens? The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i is like a giant foldable tablet, so you can turn the bottom half of it into a touch keyboard, a graphics tablet or a movie screen. You get some very decent specs inside, as well as a conventional external keyboard that connects via Bluetooth.
PU*, lenovo.com/za/en/
Microsoft Surface Pro 9
Microsoft wants its Surface line of laptops to set an example for how good portable Windows computers can be, and the Surface Pro 9 certainly manages it. Besides powerful internal components and a super-sharp and super-bright screen, you get the creative flexibility of being able to switch between laptop and tablet modes when you need to.
From R23 999, microsoft.com/en-za/
16-inch Apple MacBook Pro
Apple’s MacBook Pros have long been favoured by creatives because of their high-end specs, gorgeous screens, and slick software – the latest 16-inch MacBook Pro certainly delivers all of that and then some. The latest M2 chips inside this laptop mean that not only is the computing performance fantastic, but you also get great battery life.
From R58 499, istore.co.za
Music Making
15-inch Apple MacBook Air
Apple’s MacBook Air hits just the right balance of performance and portability, and the 15-inch version gives you enough room for your mixing and recording software on screen without making the laptop overly bulky. With the latest M2 chip inside, you’re going to get excellent performance at the same time as excellent battery life.
From R27 999, istore.co.za
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
Should you need to use touch input or get a closer look at your music mixes, this flexible Microsoft workstation has a screen that can move in front of the keyboard, making it versatile as well as powerful. What’s more, its clean lines and glorious 14.4-inch screen add to the appeal, no matter what you’re doing with it.
PU*, microsoft.com/en-za/
Work
Acer Aspire 5
If you’re buying a laptop for work, you want a no-nonsense design, rock-solid internal components, high-end video-conferencing features, and the latest software – and the Acer Aspire 5 scores highly in all of these departments and several more. It’s available in multiple configurations so you can pick the one that suits you best.
From R15 999, shopacer.co.za
Words: David Nield
Photography: Niel Godwin
