A 17-inch laptop gives you a larger screen and keyboard, plus additional space for more powerful components. That makes this size a great choice for designers, gamers, and professionals who want a mobile laptop that provides impressive specs or excellent versatility. However, 17-inch laptops are increasingly hard to find, with laptops having moved toward either a 16-inch or 18-inch size.
To help you make your choice, we've collected the best 17-inch laptops for 2024, starting with our overall favorite, the Dell XPS 17. With its modern components and discrete graphics, it's ready for anything. But take a look at our list of the overall best laptops for 2024 for more buying options.
Why you should buy this: It's an excellent professional laptop with a larger display.
Who's it for: Professionals, visual editors, and many others.
Why we picked the Dell XPS 17 9730:
While we are fans of the more compact XPS 13, there's also a lot to like about its larger cousin, the XPS 17, which retains many of the features that make the XPS line such a versatile option for laptop buyers — on a larger scale for those who really need more display room for their work.
This laptop starts with the Intel 13th-generation 45-watt Core i5-13500H processor with 12 cores (four Performance and eight Efficient) and 16 threads, and ramps up to the Core i9-13900H with 14 cores (six Performance and eight Efficient) and 20 threads. GPU options range from integrated Intel UHD graphics up to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080. Up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM and up to an 8TB PCIe 4.0 solid-state drive (SSD) round out the specifications. Display options include a 17-inch 16:10 Full HD+ (1920 x 1200) IPS panel and a 17-inch 16:10 UHD+ (3840 x 2400) IPS display with incredibly wide and accurate colors and deep contrast.
While the XPS 17 does have a similar compact design to smaller XPS machines, keep in mind that the larger display and greater weight (5.37 pounds) will make it more difficult to tote around. Find a compatible laptop bag, if necessary. Dell has recently announced the XPS 16, a smaller machine with similar specifications that will take the XPS 17's place. We'll update this list once we've had a chance to review it.
Why you should buy this: You want a good gaming laptop that's affordable but has enough juice to handle your gaming needs.
Who's it for: Gamers who want top-tier performance at an attractive price.
Why we picked the Asus ROG Strix G17
With their larger screens and more room for powerful components, it’s no surprise that many 17-inch laptops are focused on gaming. But which should you look at first? We love this 17.0-inch ROG Strix G17 laptop, which sports extra RGB lighting for style and an excellent keyboard for top performance. The display runs at 2560 x 1440 and up to 240Hz, which is perfect for the laptop's performance.
Inside, you’ll find up to an AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX processor and a GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card to handle modern titles at 1440p. The primary port out is HDMI 2.1 if you ever want to switch to a different screen, and the laptop also comes with USB-C, USB-A, and Ethernet connections.
It's a lot of gaming laptop for the money.
Why you should buy this: You want a lot of power in a mobile workstation but aren't primarily interested in gaming.
Who's it for: Professionals with serious laptop requirements who will only settle for the best.
Why we picked the MSI Creator Z17 HX Studio:
If you’re looking for a lot of power in a laptop that isn’t necessarily focused on gaming, then this MSI model has you covered. It offers an Intel Core i9-13980HX processor, up to 64GB of RAM, up to a 2TB SSD, and up to an Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU, all great specs for tackling larger projects that most laptops struggle to handle.
The laptop also includes a USB-C port in addition to several USB-A ports, plus HDMI and Thunderbolt 4. The display is a 17.0-inch QHD+ IPS display running at up to 165Hz. It's expensive, but that's the price you pay.
We highly recommend the MSI Creator Z17 HX Studio if you are looking for an effective mobile workstation that can handle more demanding tasks that you usually rely on a desktop to complete.
Why you should buy this: It's a reliable 17-inch budget laptop that can get for around $500 depending on your spec choices.
Who's it for: Those who want a larger screen and keyboard on a budget.
Why we picked the HP Laptop 17:
Others may be looking for a large laptop that’s friendly for their wallet, in which case laptops that are priced at thousands of dollars may not be a starting point. Here, we advise looking at this HP Laptop 17 model, which starts at around $650.
This model includes an Intel Core i7-1355U 10-core/12-thread CPU, 16GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and a secondary 1TB HDD. Connections include a USB-C port, two USB-A ports, a full-size HDMI 1.4b port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Some of these specs are upgradeable, but this will also lead to a significant jump in price. The biggest compromise is the Full HD (1920 x 1080) display, but at these prices, it's a compromise worth making.
This mix of affordability and customization isn't easy to find. If you have limited funds and need a large laptop, then the HP Laptop 17 is for you.
Why you should buy this: You want a highly portable laptop with a larger display for work or play.
Who’s it for: People who appreciate a larger screen, but are carrying their laptop around all day and prefer a lightweight option.
For laptop users who are always traveling, consider the LG Gram 17 for a lighter, extremely portable option than the laptops you’ve previously used. This device weighs in at around 3 pounds. Don’t let that number fool you, though. Despite its weight, the laptop packs a powerful punch — it uses a durable, nanocarbon, “military-grade” magnesium metal frame to keep the weight down.
The LG Gram 17 is powerful. The latest model comes with up to the i7-1360P, which is a 13th-gen Intel Core processor. You can also configure it with up to 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD for storage, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU. Ports include USB-A 3.1, USB-C/Thunderbolt 4, and HDMI. In addition, the laptop features top-notch security systems, like its biometric safety feature: a built-in fingerprint reader. The battery life can vary a bit for this 17-inch laptop. However, LG says you can expect about 17 hours on average, depending on how you’re using the device.
As we mentioned, this laptop’s durability ranks at a “military-grade” level. Its safety features stand out as well. The lightweight LG Gram 17-inch can be transported easily and won’t get in your way while you’re on the move.
Why you should buy this: It's a gaming laptop that can serve as much more.
Who’s it for: Gamers interested in a mobile solution.
Why we picked the Alienware m17 R5:
This Alienware model is a versatile middle-of-the-road option for gamers who prefer a robust laptop for gaming on the go but are also interested in a model that can handle work or school tasks. The laptop is well-equipped for either, with a base model that starts with an AMD Ryzen 7 6800H processor and a GeForce RTX 3050 Ti to handle all your graphical needs. Up to the AMD Ryzen 9 6900H CPU and RTX 3080 Ti can be configured for the ultimate gaming power.
The FHD display also impresses, with support for up to a 360Hz refresh rate and built-in G-Sync support to help reduce tearing. RAM starts at 16GB and storage at a 256GB PCIe SSD, but you can also upgrade these specs depending on how much you are willing to spend and what sort of gaming you'd like to support. The Alienware m17 R5 also includes USB-A 3.2, USB-C 3.2, HDMI 2.1b, and Ethernet connection options.
The Alienware M17 R2 was introduced at CES 2024 with a radically new design. We'll update this list when we've had a chance to take a look at it.
While you can get old-school 16:9 Full HD (1920 x 1080) displays for 17-inch laptops, that's not what you want. With such large screens, you'll notice the pixels in text and images will be less than idea. The best display resolution for a 17-inch laptop is 16:10 UHD+ (3,840 x 2,400), which not only gives you a taller display that shows more vertical information but high enough resolution that text and images will remain sharp.
Higher resolutions do put more strain on battery life, but these machines aren't meant to be highly portable anyway, so carrying your charger with you is a solid compromise for a much more enjoyable experience.
In addition to the high-resolution display mentioned above, you'll likely want your 17-inch laptop to equip the latest and fastest components. Large-screen laptops are aimed at creators, workers, and gamers who require a ton of screen space, and if your CPU and GPU can't keep up than you're wasting your investment.
As of right now, that means Intel H-series 45-watt 12th-gen and AMD Ryzen 6000 CPUs. A discrete GPU, preferably starting at an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, is also a must. Finally, look for plenty of RAM, with 16GB as a minimum, and tons of storage so that the machine will grow with your needs.
You can also look for smaller and lighter chassis, as with the Dell XPS 17 that's tops on our list, but that does compromise performance. A thicker and heavier chassis often means better thermals, which will help optimize performance.
There's no doubt about it: the Dell XPS 17 that we list above is the best Dell 17-inch laptop you can buy. It's incredibly well built and attractive, features top-notch components and performance, and even gets decent battery life. Its UHD+ display is also one of the best IPS panels we've tested, with wide and accurate colors, deep contrast, and plenty of brightness.
The largest mainstream laptop display is 17.3 inches (the actual standard for 17-inch laptops). Anything larger is going to be a one-off oddity and difficult to find.
If it can be streamed, voice-activated, made better with an app, or beaten by mashing buttons, Tyler's into it. When he's not making the Internet a better place with the latest tech news, Tyler is working in the eco and investment world, writing fiction, or waiting for hiking weather.
Mark Coppock is a Freelance Writer at Digital Trends covering primarily laptop and other computing technologies. He has significant experience in Windows, macOS, laptop hardware, and other technologies around mobile computing. He has been writing about technology since 2015, and has been a professional in the technology industry since 1995.
Mark graduated from Indiana University in 1991 with a degree in Marketing, which along with an interesting in PCs parlayed into a 25-year career in sales, marketing, and sales engineering across a number of companies in Indianapolis, Indiana and Chicago, Illinois. After stepping away from marketing, Mark entered into writing with a gig at the now-defunct Winbeta.org site. He has been writing for Digital Trends since 2016, and has reviewed almost 300 laptops. You can find many of his reviews in various Digital Trends best-of lists, such as the best laptops and best laptop 2-in-1s.
Generally speaking, Mark has been a geek since MS-DOS gave way to Windows and the PalmPilot was a thing. He’s translated his love for technology into a long career aimed at helping people use technology to enhance their lives.
When he’s not writing, you’ll find him in Southern California reading and watching science fiction, taking photos with his family, and obsessing over Indiana University basketball.
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