The best 17 inch laptops in 2017 are ideal for games, working and entertainment purposes. Let’s analyze what makes a great 17 inch laptop in this post
In this list of the best 17 inch laptops in 2017, we will analyze the best models with a large screen and why you should buy one. We will analyze different types of laptops and their hardware, explaining their display and resolution specs.
Are you a gamer? Or perhaps you work with graphic design? 17 inch laptop are great for a number of reasons, and below we will list the main hardware aspects you should consider when buying a 17 inch laptop.
Best 17 Inch Laptops: Overview
There are a number of different categories within the niche of 17 nch laptops. You may want to buy an entry level 17 inch laptop with basic hardware components or you may be looking for a powerful gaming machine with high performance. Regardless of your needs, there are 17 inch laptops for all types of users.
First of all, you should determine what is the main use of your 17 inch laptop. If you just want a laptop to watch streaming services or work with Photoshop and Illustrator, you will not need an extremely powerful hardware. However, if your main purpose is gaming, you will need a pretty fast 17 inch laptop.
Before we get to analyze each different niche of 17 laptops, let’s give a more broad insight to laptops with large displays. There ar a few things to consider if you want to buy a 17 inch laptop, regardless of your usage, they are the following:
Portability:
17 inch laptops are great, but due to its display size, its dimensions are not the most compact available. If you need to transport your laptop from different places on a daily basis or like to use it outdoors, you should consider a 13 or 15 inch laptop instead.
You can in any case easily transport your 17 inch laptop, and there are a wide variety of laptop bags made especially for 17 inch models. As the technology advances, the overall weight and thickness of 17 inch laptops decreases. However, gaming models are usually the heaviest, as they have powerful components and a higher demand for complex cooling systems.
Resolution:
If you are considering a 17 inch laptop, I strongly recommend buying one with Full HD resolution (or superior). There are 17 inch laptops available with HD or HD+ resolution, but Full HD will allow you to enjoy your large laptop screen to the fullest.
There are also some models available with 4K (UHD) resolution, which can be also a good option. Most high-end laptops nowadays are Full HD, with a fewer number of UHD available. While UHD will probably become the standard after a few years, Full HD is more than enough to enjoy a high quality image output.
A 17 inch screen combined with a powerful processor and GPU will make a great laptop setup. It will provide hours of entertainment playing your favorite games, with high FPS in great detail.
Connectivity:
Another key aspect of your 17 inch laptop, and any laptop for that matter, is its connectivity. Make sure your laptop has enough USB ports to manage your peripherals. Ideally it should have 3 USB ports, being at least one of these using the USB 3.1 technology.
17 inch Gaming Laptops
Gaming: When it comes to gaming, 17 inch laptops are often the most preferred. Every knows how critical it is to have as detailed and quality graphics in a great output.
If the main purpose of your laptop is gaming, make sure it has hardware up to your requirements. I would recommend buying only quad core laptops with chips from the 6th or 7th generation of Intel chips, to guarantee maximum performance.
Other than that, a dedicated GPU with plenty of RAM is also required. I would recommend laptops using dedicated GPUs from the NVIDIA GeForce 900 and 10 series, being the 10 series the latest from the brand.
17 inch Laptops for Graphic Design
If you are looking for a 17 inch laptop to work with graphic design, firstly you should consider what kind of software you will use. Photo (and vector) editing software will require much less hardware power than CGI software like 3ds MAX or Cinema 4D.
For those working with Photoshop, Corel Draw or similar software, you can have pretty good results with much less hardware power. I would recommend laptops using the processor i5-7200U or superior, and at least 8 GB RAM.
If you work with 3d renders you will certainly need a lot of hardware power. The same hardware specs recommend for gaming also apply here, including a powerful quad core processor, a dedicated GPU and RAM.
15 or 17 inch laptops
If you are choosing between a 15 or a 17 inch laptop, you probably have notice that each of these laptop categories have its advantages. While 15 inch laptops are more compact and easy to carry, 17 inchers are ideal if you use it for long hours, in my opinion.
The one disadvantage of 17 inch laptops is that there are much less options to choose from. 15 inch laptops are considerably more popular, having a larger selection of models available. However, getting the right 17 inch laptop can prove to be the best option, especially for gamers.
Best 17 Inch Laptops 2017
Below you will find a list of the best 17 inch laptops in 2017. I have focused on models which are great for all uses, including heavy gaming. There are other great 17 inch laptops not featured in this list, so it will depend strictly on your personal requirements for choosing a laptop.
Eluktronics P670HP6 Premium VR Ready Gaming Laptop
The Eluktronics P670HP6 is another great VR ready recently released by the brand. Its main difference compared to the P650HS-G is the screen size.
The P670HP6 comes with a 17.3 inch screen, which might appeal some types of user. In my opinion a bigger display is especially good if you work with CGI software.
Its hardware is as impressive as any of the latest Eluktronics laptops. The P670HP6 is also powered by the i7-7700HQ processor, from the Kaby Lake generation of Intel chips.
This specific models uses the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card. The GTX 1060 has a great benchmark, and is getting popular quickly since its release among high-end laptops. For its overall specs, it certainly deserves a place among the best Eluktronics i7 quad core laptops.
Click here to buy this laptop on Amazon.com
| Processor | Intel Core i7-7700HQ |
|---|---|
| Display | 17.3 inches Full HD |
| RAM | 16 GB DDR4 |
| Storage | 512 GB SSD |
Alienware AW17R4-7345SLV-PUS 17″ Laptop (7th Generation Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Silver) VR Ready with NVIDIA GTX 1070
This is the ideal gaming laptop for those looking for a 17 incher. Powered by the i7-7700HQ one of the fastest processor of the seventh generation of Intel chips.
Alienware is a Dell subsidiary focused in gaming devices, and this model is all about gaming performance. Just like some other models in this list, it uses a dedicated GPU from the NVIDIA GeForce 10 series (GTX 1070). In other words, this machine is one of the best 17 inch laptops for all purposes.
Click here to buy this laptop on Amazon.com
| Processor | Intel Core i7-7700HQ |
|---|---|
| Display | 17.3 inches Full HD |
| RAM | 16 GB DDR4 |
| Storage | 1 TB HDD |
MSI PE70 7RD-027 17.3″ Work and Play Laptop Intel Core i7-7700HQ GTX 1050 16GB DDR4 128GB SSD + 1TB Windows 10 Pro
The design of the MSI PE70 is certainly one of the most beautiful among 17 inch laptops. Its 17.3 inch Full HD display delivers quality graphics and is ideal for working and gaming.
MSI is one of my favorite high-end laptop brands, and just like all the other laptops in this list, it is very powerful.
Click here to buy this laptop on Amazon.com
| Processor | Intel Core i7-7700HQ |
|---|---|
| Display | 17.3 inches Full HD |
| RAM | 16 GB DDR4 |
| Storage | 128 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD |
ASUS ROG Strix GL702VS, 17.3″, FHD, G-SYNC, 120 Hz, VR Ready, Thin and Light Gaming Laptop, NVIDIA GTX 1070 8GB, Intel Core i7-7700HQ, 16GB DDR4, 512GB SSD, 1TB HDD, Backlit keyboard
Considering that this is a 17 inch quad core laptop, this ASUS ROG Strix has extremely compact dimensions. It is thinner than most gaming laptop, and a very elegant chassis. It is certainly one of the thinnest among the best 17 inch laptops this year.
Apart from its 17.3 Full HD display, this VR Ready laptop has a very powerful hardware setup. It includes one of the latest GPUs available (GTX 1070) and the i7-7700HQ quad core processor.
Click here to buy this laptop on Amazon.com
| Processor | Intel Core i7-7700HQ |
|---|---|
| Display | 17.3 Inches Full HD |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 |
| Storage | 1 TB HDD + 512 GB SSD |
Acer Predator 17 Gaming Laptop, Core i7, GeForce GTX 1070, 17.3” Full HD G-SYNC, 16GB DDR4, 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD, G9-793-78CM
The best 17 inch laptops in 2017 list could not be complete without an Acer Predator laptop. The Predator series is one of the best gaming series ever built, and this model featurs a great GPU card from the GeForce 10 series.
Apart from that, it also has a powerful quad processor, plenty of DDR4 RAM and storage, featuring and SSD (256 GB) and a hard drive disk (1 TB).
Click here to buy this laptop on Amazon.com
| Processor | Intel Core i7-6700HQ |
|---|---|
| Display | 17.3 Inches Full HD |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 |
| Storage | 1 TB HDD + 256 GB SSD |
I hope you have enjoyed this list of the best 17 inch laptops of 2017. If you are looking for a high-end laptop in 2017, I recommend also checking this post on the best i7-7700HQ laptops. If you work with graphic design, you might want to check the best laptops for graphic design in this post.