Best workstation laptops in 2023

best workstation laptops
(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

The best workstation laptops are the only laptops that can handle crunching hordes of data or video-editing large files in 4K.

Of course, the best workstation laptops are targeted toward professional users who need to run graphics-intensive apps. The key difference between some of the best gaming laptops around and a workstation is its GPU, as it's primarily optimized for tasks such as design and 3D rendering instead of sheer gaming performance. And workstations generally have stronger CPUs as well, like an Intel Core i9 or Intel Xeon processor, instead of the typical Core i7 you'd find in most gaming laptops.

To speed up your workflow in apps like Adobe Premiere or Blender, your workstation needs a beastly processor (such as Intel's Xeon series); a vibrant, color-accurate display; and a powerful GPU. If you're looking for a beast with a 30-series GPU, see our beginner's guide to Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 series mobile GPUs

Looking for something on the creative front? -- See our latest Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra review. If you or your kid have a wild imagination and need a fun and safe outlet for that, check out our DND tips page to get started on the world's best adventure game. Read our best of CES 2023 article to see the future of tech.

While the quest to procure the best workstation laptop is no feeble task, we will help you pick the best system for your needs and budget. Whether you need a huge, vibrant display or an affordable powerhouse, here are the best workstation laptops you can buy right now. 

What are the best workstation laptops? 

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The best workstation laptop that you can buy right now is the MSI WS66 10TMT. The WS65 packs a powerful 10th-Gen Core i9 processor and Nvidia Quadro RTX 5000 Max-Q GPU into a superslim, durable chassis. Top that off with solid battery life and a gorgeous 15.6-inch, 4K display. Meanwhile, the HP ZBook Studio x360 G5 is also an excellent choice, as you’ll get an indomitable beast with an Intel Xeon processor and a Quadro P1000 GPU. Between its dazzling 4K display, bouncy keyboard and long battery life, the ZBook Studio is quite amazing all around. Not to mention that its chassis is military-durable and pretty sexy at the same time.

If you’re looking for a 17-inch workstation, you can’t go wrong with the Asus ProArt StudioBook Pro W700G3T. The StudioBook Pro has one of the most stunning designs I've ever seen on a laptop. In its gorgeous, 0.7-inch-slim design lies a strong Intel Xeon E-2276M processor and an Nvidia Quadro RTX 3000 GPU along with a vivid, 17-inch, 16:10 display and a comfortable keyboard.

If you need a gaming laptop that can double as a workstation, then look no further than the Alienware Area-51m. Armed with a desktop Intel Core i9 processor and one of Nvidia's superpowered RTX GPUs, it absolutely demolished every test we put in front of it with graceful aplomb. It will also make a big dent in your wallet. But if you consider that this is the first future-proof gaming laptop, it seems a small price to pay for a truly upgradable system and what Alienware is calling its first real desktop replacement.

The best workstation laptops you can buy today

HP ZBook Fury 17 G8 best workstation laptops

Don’t let the unassuming aesthetics fool you. In the known universe of world-class workstations, the HP ZBook Fury 17 G8 laptop may as well be the finger of God. (Image credit: Laptop Mag)
The best workstation laptop you can buy

Specifications

CPU: Intel Xeon W-11955M
GPU: Nvidia RTX A5000
RAM: 64GB
Storage: 1TB SSD
Display: 17.3-inch UHD (3840 x 2160)
Size: 15.7 x 10.5 x 1.1 inches
Weight: 7 pounds

Reasons to buy

+
Gorgeous 17-inch, 4K touchscreen
+
Mind-boggling CPU/GPU performance
+
Integrated fingerprint reader
+
Minimal bloatware

Reasons to avoid

-
Prohibitively expensive

Is the HP ZBook Fury 17 G8 the best workstation on the market? I suppose that depends on your budget and configuration, but if your pockets are deep enough for an Intel Xeon processor and Nvidia RTX A5000 graphics (boy howdy!), this is about as future-proof as laptops get right now.

In terms of raw power, this notebook is tough to beat, and even if it runs out of battery when you’re on the go, it’s still heavy enough to fight crime with. Granted, the $6K configuration we tested is overkill for most laptop users; it’s nigh impossible for this kind of mobile muscle to fail too hard on our standard benchmarks. And that’s partially the point, in my opinion. The world of mobile tech continues to march forward at an exponential rate, and if you don’t have the right laptop for your respective career, opportunity might very well pass you by. 

But that’s hardly a concern with the ZBook Fury 17 G8 thanks to a stunning 17.3-inch touchscreen, intimidating specs under the hood, and plenty of ports to power your pertinent peripherals.

See our full HP ZBook Fury 17 G8 review.

Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 review best workstations

The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 offers excellent performance comboed with a gorgeous display, a clicky keyboard, and great audio. Unfortunately, it’s stupid expensive. (Image credit: Future)
The best Lenovo workstation you can buy

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i9-12950HX vPro
GPU: Nvidia RTX A5500 16GB
RAM: 64GB
Storage: 2TB SSD
Display: 16-inch, 3840 x 2400
Size: 14.3 x 10.5 x 1.2 inches
Weight: 6.6 pounds

Reasons to buy

+
Gorgeous 16-inch display
+
Clicky keyboard
+
Great audio
+
Strong performance

Reasons to avoid

-
Short battery life

I love playing with expensive toys, but who the heck is the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 really for? Not the budget-friendly professional nor up-and-coming businesses — it’s for the highly paid professional or Fortune 500 companies. So unless you can afford $4,663, look away now.

Okay, big spenders. The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 will net you a beautiful 16-inch, 4K display, a comfortable keyboard, a great pair of speakers, and a powerful Core i9-12950HX vPro processor and Nvidia RTX A5500 GPU. However, despite its ridiculous price and boring design, it has a short battery life, so you’re going to have to stay plugged in the majority of the time.

This is one of the best workstations I’ve reviewed — I’m just a tad salty about the battery life.

See our full Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 review.

MSI Creator Z16P review: A content creator’s dream

The MSI Creator Z16P is an elegantly designed laptop packed with premium components that make it a powerhouse content creating workstation, but it will cost you. (Image credit: Future)
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The best MSI workstation

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i9-12900H
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080Ti 12GB vRAM
RAM: 64GB
Storage: 2TB SSD
Display: 16-inch QHD (2560 x1600) 16:10
Size: 14.13 x 10.08 x 0.75 inches
Weight: 5.3 pounds

Reasons to buy

+
Excellent build quality
+
Powerful performance
+
Massive bright colorful crisp display
+
Solid audio performance

Reasons to avoid

-
Middling battery life

When you see "MSI," I'm sure the first thing you think about is gaming laptops, but the company has been pumping out some serious workstations in recent years, including the MSI Creator Z16P.

The MSI Creator Z16P is packing 12th Gen Intel Core i9-12900H processor, an Nvidia Geforce RTX 3080 Ti graphics card with 16GB of VRAM, 64GB of RAM, a 2TB NVMe SSD, and a 16-inch QHD (2560 x 1600), 16:10 aspect ratio, 165Hz touchscreen. That's a beefy boy, but you'll have to pay the premium, aka $4,299.

In terms of display, we're talking 113.4% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and 375 nits of brightness, which is excellent for content creators, video editors, or photo-editors that need accurate colors and a sharp screen.

Now lets get into the thick of it. The MSI Creator Z16P powered through GeekBench with 14,386, which doubles the average of competitors and then some. It also took an easy 4 minutes and 50 seconds to transcode a 4K video to 1080p on HandBrake. And don't even stress about the SSD, because it has a speedy transfer rate of 1,936 megabytes per second.

See our full MSI Creator Z16P review.

Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15 (UX582L) best workstation laptops

The Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15 has a lot to offer, including dual displays, strong performance, and good looks, making it one of the best workstation laptops available. (Image credit: Future)
The best Asus workstation

Specifications

Display: 15.6-inch, 4K UHD
CPU: Intel Core i9-10980HK
GPU: Nvidia RTX 3070 8GB vRAM
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 1TB SSD
Battery Life: 6:50 - 5:01
Weight: 5.3 pounds

Reasons to buy

+
Excellent build quality
+
Great curb appeal
+
Punchy performance
+
Second display is functional

Reasons to avoid

-
Pricey

The Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15 is a unique dual-screen laptop with a 15-inch, 4K OLED panel up top and a smaller OLED screen above the keyboard. Asus’s take on dual-screen laptops has evolved since the first iteration of the Asus ZenBook Duo (UX481), with improvements in build quality and ergonomics addressing some of the original problems. Has it grown enough to make Asus’s vision of a dual-screen laptop something consumers clamor for? In some regards, yes, but it still feels like a niche device for a subsection of content creators (who have large budgets).

The ZenBook Duo Pro 15 UX582L brings a lot to the table with powerful specs for those who need them, and a second screen not only adds a wow factor but functionality. Some may not be fond of the keyboard and touchpad location, and the price is a serious deterrent, but the ZenBook Duo Pro 15 should be considered by content creators who need more screen real estate while on the go. While it's not technically a workstation, its performance and utility has earned its way on our best workstation laptops page.

See our full Asus ZenBook Pro Duo (UX582L) review.

Dell Precision 5470 best workstation laptops

This premium workstation may not look the part at first glance, but make no mistake: the Precision 5470 is a low-key multitasking monster that was mindfully made for mobility — and the biz sector. (Image credit: Laptop Mag)
The best Dell workstation

Specifications

Display: 14 inches, 1920 x 1200
CPU: 12th-Gen Intel Core i9-12900H
GPU: Nvidia RTX A1000
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 1TB SSD
Battery Life: 11:39
Weight: 3.3 pounds

Reasons to buy

+
Powerful performance in a premium package
+
Sleek chassis, economical design
+
Beautiful InfinityEdge touchscreen
+
Outstanding battery life

Reasons to avoid

-
Premium price point

Billed as “the world’s smallest, thinnest, and most powerful 14-inch workstation,” the Dell Precision 5470 is a premium laptop that doubles as a casual gaming platform.

When we reviewed the 17-inch Dell Precision 5760 last year, we were pretty darn impressed by the colorful WLED 4K touchscreen, not to mention those beefy specs under the hood: an 11th-Gen Intel Core i7 CPU, Nvidia RTX A3000 GPU, 32GB of RAM, and 2TB SSD. The new Dell Precision 5470 shares similar specs as its bigger, older brother, but comes in a much-more-mobile 14-inch package. Plus, thanks to a 12th-Gen Intel Core i9-12900H CPU, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage, this middle child can certainly hold its own at the next family reunion.

Pound for pixelated pound, the Dell Precision 5470 may be the most portable, powerful workstation you’ll find on the market, and it’s the ultimate tool for on-the-go creatives, workaholics, and multimedia junkies alike.

See our full Dell Precision 5470 review.

HP ZBook Studio G8 review best workstation laptops

A sleek, lightweight, powerful, top-five content creator mobile workstation, that can get pricey depending on the options you choose (Image credit: Future)
The best HP 15-inch workstation

Specifications

Display: 15.6-inch, OLED 4K (3840 x 2160)
CPU: Intel Core i9-11950H
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 6GB vRAM
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 2TB SSD
Battery Life: 4:56
Weight: 3.3 pounds

Reasons to buy

+
Stunning 4K OLED display
+
Powerful overall and gaming performance
+
Comfortable keyboard
+
Good audio

Reasons to avoid

-
Pricey

This year’s HP ZBook Studio G8 holds on to the award-winning G7 series styling but bumps up the power to help content creators with their creative projects either in the studio or in the field. The $4,727 system is gorgeous, powerful, MIL-SPEC tough, and is one of the best content creator laptops on the market. Oh, I forgot to mention, its OLED 4K touchscreen is bright, vivid and positively stunning.

This salacious attention grabber comes with an 11th Gen Intel Core i9 processor, 32GB of RAM, 2TB of SSD storage, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 GPU that will more than handle all your Adobe Creative Suite power-hungry needs and then some. It's easily one of the best workstation laptops that we've tested, even if it's priced at a whopping $4,727 as reviewed.

See our full HP ZBook Studio G8 review.

Alienware X17 review best workstation laptops

If you need a workstation to double as a gaming laptop, the Alienware X17 is an absolute beast in every regard, especially in performance, which puts it in the best workstation laptops ranking.  (Image credit: Laptop Mag)
The best gaming laptop

Specifications

Display: 17.3-inch, 1080p
CPU: Intel Core i7-8700 to Intel Core i9-9900K
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 to RTX 2080
RAM: 8GB to 64GB
Storage: 1TB SSHD to two 2TB SSD and 1TB SSHD
Battery Life: 2
Weight: 8.5 pounds

Reasons to buy

+
Gorgeous, slim design
+
Great overall and gaming performance
+
Extra comfortable keyboard
+
Solid battery life

Reasons to avoid

-
Exorbitantly expensive

Alienware continues to raise the bar of what a gaming laptop can and should be. The latest addition to the family is the X17, a beautiful bruiser of a desktop replacement that’s only 0.8-inches thick. The ultra-premium system comes with all the fixings including an Intel Core i7 processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU and dual SSDs. Need more? How’s a 17.3-inch, 4K display, powerful speakers and a Cherry MX keyboard sound?

Of course, something this pretty and powerful is also seriously expensive at $3,679 ($2,199 starting), so it’s not for the faint of heart or small of bank account. But if you can afford it, the Alienware X17 is a hell of a powerhouse that easily makes its way onto our best workstation laptops page.

See our full Alienware X17 review.

Lenovo ThinkPad P15 Gen 2 workstation laptop

Lenovo ThinkPad P15 Gen 2 is the best workstation on the market. (Image credit: Laptop Mag/Sean Riley)
The most powerful workstation

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7-11950H vPro
GPU: Nvidia RTX A5000
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 1TB SSD
Display: 15.6-inch, FHD (1920x1080)
Size: 14.7 x 9.9 x 1.2 inches
Weight: 6.2 pounds

Reasons to buy

+
Class-leading performance
+
Excellent array of ports
+
Bright display
+
Durable build

Reasons to avoid

-
Expensive
-
Heavy

The Lenovo ThinkPad P15 Gen 2 improves on what was already a winning formula with the original ThinkPad P15 with upgraded performance and stellar battery life for the 1080p model.

The laptop’s 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11950H CPU, Nvidia RTX A5000 GPU and 32GB of RAM make it an absolute workhorse of a workstation. If raw performance is your goal, it will be hard to beat the ThinkPad P15 Gen 2. The one concern for creatives will be the display, but if that’s crucial for you consider the OLED panel option or perhaps an external display.

See our full Lenovo ThinkPad P15 Gen 2 review.

HP ZBook Firefly 14 G8 review best workstation laptops

The Zbook Firefly 14 G8 is an excellent mobile workstation that won’t keep business users stuck in the office and tethered to an outlet. Easily one of the best workstation laptops. (Image credit: Future)
The most mobile workstation

Specifications

Display: 14-inch, 1080p
CPU: Intel Core i7-1165G7
GPU: Nvidia T500 4GB vRAM
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 512GB SSD
Battery Life: 9:27
Weight: 3.1 pounds

Reasons to buy

+
Lightweight and sturdy chassis
+
Beautiful color-accurate display
+
Good port selection
+
Long battery life

Reasons to avoid

-
Top configs can get pricey

HP continues to design lightweight, powerhouse workstations and I keep enjoying them. The HP ZBook Firefly G8 14-inch mobile workstation is another Zbook meant for those who push their mobile workstations to the limits. Do you need to write documents? No problem; Do you run graphics-heavy programs? Not an issue. Need to connect to a 5G network? The ZBook Firefly can do that too. 

You get all that and a gorgeous, color-accurate, 14-inch DreamColor display. We’re always eager to get our hands on a new laptop and for our lab to vigorously test it. Sometimes we’re thrilled with the results, and other times, our little laptop-loving hearts are broken. Despite that, it’s one of the best workstation laptops on the market.

See our full HP ZBook Firefly 14 G8 review.

How much does a workstation laptop cost?

Workstations start around $1,000, but many models at that price lack the discrete graphics card you'll need to take on tasks like video editing or 3D modeling. And it'll most likely have a 1080p display at that price range, so you might want to spring for a 4K model if your work involves editing high-res photos and videos.

You can get some work done with one of the top cheap gaming laptops, which has a GPU like an Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti or greater, but they're not optimized specifically for media creation like Nvidia's Quadro GPU is. If you're looking to get some real work done, you'll need a workstation with a Quadro GPU and a colorful, high-resolution display, which will most definitely run you over $2,000. While it's not necessarily a workstation, the Asus ZenBook Pro Duo can handle rigorous tasks with multiple screens all for $2,999.

How to choose the best workstation laptops for you 

Choosing the right workstation for you comes down to why you need it in the first place. You can pick up an affordable workstation to do some heavier work than your average laptop, but if you need a straight up tank to handle taxing programs, you’re going to pay a hefty price. If it’s the former, we recommend looking at something like the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 or Dell Precision 5540.

If money is no object, you can pick up some beastly workstations like the MSI WS65 9TM and the HP ZBook Studio x360 G5, which are incredibly powerful and durable machines that can withstand most tests that you’ll throw at them. The WS65 9TM is great if you want your display to be super colorful and bright, but the ZBook Studio x360 is better if you need a stylus to get into graphic designing or something else.

How we test the best workstation laptops 

We put each laptop through extensive benchmark testing — both synthetic and real-world — before they end up in the hands of our reviewers. We evaluate each aspect of the laptop, including its performance, battery life, display, speakers and heat management.

In our benchmark testing, we use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the brightness and sRGB color gamut of the laptop's display. For performance testing, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 4.3 and 5.0 and 3DMark professional graphics tests. 

To determine real-world performance, we task the laptop to convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution and to duplicate a 4.97GB multimedia file. Our real-world graphics test is the Dirt 3 benchmark with medium settings at 1080p resolution.

We also run heat tests by playing a 15-minute full-screen video and measuring temperatures in different areas of the laptop. Last but not least, our battery test consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. For MacBooks and premium Windows 10 laptops, a runtime of over 9 hours is considered a good result whereas gaming laptops and workstations that can stay powered for longer than 5 hours deserve praise. 

These tests are complemented with extensive hands-on testing from our reviewers who critique everything from the laptop's materials to the feel of its touchpad.

Rami Tabari
Editor

Rami Tabari is an Editor for Laptop Mag. He reviews every shape and form of a laptop as well as all sorts of cool tech. You can find him sitting at his desk surrounded by a hoarder's dream of laptops, and when he navigates his way out to civilization, you can catch him watching really bad anime or playing some kind of painfully difficult game. He’s the best at every game and he just doesn’t lose. That’s why you’ll occasionally catch his byline attached to the latest Souls-like challenge.