Best laptops with 32GB of RAM in 2025

The need for 32GB of RAM in a laptop isn't confined to one area of the market. There are average users who need a thin and light device with extra memory for heavy multitasking, there are gamers who need extra RAM for smooth frame rates, and there are professionals who require more memory in a resilient and secure frame.

My top pick right now out of all the laptops we've recently reviewed at Windows Central is the Surface Laptop 7, available in two display sizes to better fit your needs.

There are plenty of other great options to check out if you need something different.

The quick list

Zac Bowden

Zac Bowden is the go-to source for all of the latest Windows news, and that includes laptops running the OS. With countless laptop reviews written, Zac has a clear idea of what's good and what's left behind.

Cale Hunt

With more than 8 years of experience testing and reviewing laptops, I have a clear idea of what features work for what users. I can offer clear buying advice that helps you land the perfect laptop.

Best overall laptop with 32GB RAM

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 7 was refreshed last year to include Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus ARM64 chips, heralding the start of the Copilot+ PC initiative. Along with snappy performance on or off the charger, the new Laptop 7 boasts true all-day battery life and a redesigned exterior.

Available in 13.8- and 15-inch sizes, both displays come with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate and plenty of pixel density (hitting a 2496x1664 resolution on the larger screen). Dolby Vision is included, and the displays can hit up to about 600 nits brightness.

Windows Central Senior Editor Zac Bowden reviewed the Surface Laptop 7, stating:

“Microsoft has done an incredible job with the Surface Laptop 7, right down to making the entire thing easily repairable. For example, magnets, instead of glue, keep the underside attached to the laptop. If you want to upgrade the storage in this laptop, it's a simple 10-minute job.

“The Surface Laptop 7 is the best thin and light Windows laptop you can buy on the market right now, and that entry-level $999 starting price is actually an incredible value, and that configuration is one I can seriously recommend for most people. That has never been the case with a Surface before, and that is commendable.”

Configuration options include up to 64GB of LPDDR5x RAM, up to a 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, and your choice of X Elite or X Plus System-on-Chip (SoC). Either way, you get 45 TOPS of power for local AI acceleration, including Copilot+ tools built into Windows 11. Models with 32GB of RAM start at about $2,000, but the Laptop 7 is frequently discounted.

👉 Read our full Surface Laptop 7 review

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Runner-up laptop with 32GB RAM

Dell’s XPS 16 (9640) is likely one of the last XPS models we’ll ever see Dell produce. That’s because of a major rebrand announced at CES 2025, which is set to replace the XPS lineup later this year. In the meantime, the XPS 16 remains a top laptop for anyone who requires some extra power and prefers a futuristic design.

Windows Central Editor Rebecca Spear reviewed the Dell XPS 16 (9640) favorably, mostly due to the laptop’s gorgeous design, high-quality screens, and strong performance. She remarked:

“If you like having the latest and most stylish-looking devices, then this is definitely a laptop that will catch your eye. It's elegant-looking and offers solid CPU performance, a fantastic display, and great speakers. It's also an AI PC, so it can handle local AI tasks better than most other laptops, saving you some time.”

The XPS 16 (9640) uses Intel Core Ultra Series 1 mobile CPUs, so the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) power isn’t enough to handle Copilot+. Still, it’s considered an AI PC for having an NPU at all, and the Core Ultra 9 185H/RTX 4070 Laptop GPU combination is potent.

Dell offers up to 64GB of LPDDR5x RAM and a 4TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD from the factory, and the 16-inch display can be configured at up to a 4K resolution for the OLED panel. This laptop is seriously stacked, but make sure you are comfortable with the lattice-free keyboard and seamless haptic touchpad before buying. Models with 32GB of RAM typically start at about $2,000 before any discounts.

👉 Read our full Dell XPS 16 (9640) review

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Best gaming laptop with 32GB RAM

If you’re looking for something more exciting, our favorite gaming laptop is the Alienware m16 R2. It’s a sleek 16-inch PC with an IPS display at a QHD+ resolution and 240Hz refresh rate; no OLED, but the speed of the display makes up the difference. It even has G-Sync to go with the RTX 4070 Laptop GPU.

Editor Rebecca Spear reviewed the Alienware m16 R2, discovering only a couple of minor flaws involving fan volume and screen brightness. Yes, the PC gets loud under load, but that’s the case with most gaming laptops. And at about 308 nits brightness at max, you won’t be spending much time outdoors with the PC.

Everything else is stellar, as Spear notes in her review:

“If you tend to play graphically intensive games and want a laptop that can keep up with your gaming sessions, you should consider getting the Alienware m16 R2. Its performance and how long the battery can last when running average office programs thoroughly impressed me. For this reason, the laptop will serve you well if you need to use it for work, school, and video games.”

This laptop is made for a life of performance, and you can configure up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU, NVIDIA RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, 64GB of DDR5-5600MHz RAM, and 8TB of M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe storage. Models with 32GB of RAM start at about $1,650 before any discounts.

👉 Read our full Alienware m16 R2 review

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Premium gaming laptop with 32GB RAM

Razer’s Blade 18 is now available in a refreshed 2025 model that includes an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM, and up to an NVIDIA RTX 5090 Laptop GPU.

The 2024 model we reviewed is still readily available to purchase, and, yes, you can get 32GB of RAM inside.

It remains the premium gaming pick due to its sheer power and incredible design. If you’re looking for desktop-class performance in a mobile package, this is it. It has an outstanding keyboard and touchpad, the 5MP webcam with IR sensor works wonders, and top-firing speakers pump out quality audio.

Windows Central Senior Editor Ben Wilson reviewed the Blade 18 (2024), noting:

“Razer sticks to its plans with the monstrous Blade 18 and doesn't change the fundamental design for its 2024 refresh. Instead, it makes incremental improvements and delivers an ultra-powerful 14th Gen Intel HX processor with the latest Wi-Fi 7 tech and Thunderbolt 5 USB-C standard. The RTX 4090 inside is still the most powerful GPU you can get in a laptop, and it performs best in the Blade 18 (2024) with zero issues running any game you can think of. It'll cost you a fortune, but Razer isn't ripping you off — it's still the best gaming laptop in the world.”

The 18-inch IPS display comes standard with a QHD+ resolution and 240Hz refresh rate, but you can upgrade to a QHD+ mini-LED panel for perfect color and contrast. It even has a 300Hz refresh rate to better accommodate the monster performance hardware inside.

It’s also one of the only laptops on the market to feature Thunderbolt 5, opening up compatibility with the best Thunderbolt docks and accessories.

The Blade 18 certainly doesn’t come cheap, starting at about $3,500 before discounts. However, if you need top-end power in one of the best-built laptops, you can’t go wrong here.

👉 Read our full Razer Blade 18 (2024) review

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Best 2-in-1 laptop with 32GB RAM

The Surface Pro 11 is Microsoft’s flagship 2-in-1 that sets the standard for the versatile form factor. It’s a sibling to the Surface Laptop 7, announced at the same time as one of the first-ever Copilot+ PCs. It runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite or X Plus SoC, complete with an NPU capable of 45 TOPS for Copilot+ tools. Microsoft includes up to 64GB of LPDDR5x RAM and up to a 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD.

Qualcomm’s chips provide exceptional performance even when you’re running on battery power, which is impressive in its own right at about 10 hours of average life from a charge (climbing to 15 hours in certain situations).

Windows Central Editor-in-Chief Daniel Rubino tested and reviewed the Surface Pro 11, stating:

“The short version of this review is that the new Surface Pro 11 and Flex Keyboard are an outstanding combination that dramatically improves the Surface Pro line—only the original Surface Pro and Surface Pro 4 rival it in terms of impact. [...] Having witnessed the evolution of every Surface Pro version and yearning for a device that excels in performance and battery life akin to the best Windows laptops (and even MacBooks), Microsoft has undeniably nailed it with the Surface Pro 11, making it a strong recommendation.”

The Surface Pro 11 now comes with a 13-inch OLED touch display option for better color and contrast than ever before, but you can always default to IPS to save some money. Either way, you get a 120Hz refresh rate and Dolby Vision support.

Surface Pro 11 models with 32GB of RAM typically start at about $2,100, but you can often find deals on bundles with the device and a keyboard.

👉 Read our full Surface Pro 11 review

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Best convertible laptop with 32GB RAM

Dell’s early-2025 laptop rebrand didn’t come as much of a surprise considering HP did the same thing in 2024. The OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 that I’m highlighting here is essentially a new version of the Spectre x360 14 that’s been retired. The OmniBook line isn’t quite as flashy as the Spectre, but it’s still built to a high standard and has plenty of appealing features.

The 14-inch touch display has a 2880x1800 resolution, OLED panel with outstanding color and contrast, 120Hz refresh rate, and up to 500 nits brightness. With 360-degree hinges, you can rotate it around all the way for use as a tablet.

Despite having a rather compact body, the OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 manages to keep cool under pressure. Not only that, it’s easy to get eight hours of real-world use before requiring a charge. And with AMD’s Ryzen AI 300 or Intel’s Core Ultra Series 2 chips inside, you get Copilot+ access on top of steady performance.

Windows Central Staff Writer Zachary Boddy reviewed the OmniBook Ultra Flip 14, remarking:

“The foundation upon which the OmniBook Ultra is built is rock solid. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 is an absolutely fantastic chipset that is guaranteed to remain incredible for years into the AI PC revolution, and it lends a great deal of aid toward making this laptop long-lasting enough that you can rely on it to push through entire workdays without worry. The addition of Thunderbolt 4 ports soften one of the few remaining blows for those interested in an AMD-powered device, and the arrival of HP's Wolf Security platform on a consumer device is an underrated boon for everyone.”

AMD models with 32GB of RAM start at about $1,449, making them the more affordable option compared to Intel’s $1,700 starting price.

👉 Read our full HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 (2024) review

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Best business laptop with 32GB RAM

Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon has long been considered by our reviewers (including myself) to be one of the absolute best business laptops you can buy. The latest iteration, now in its 13th generation, is somehow thinner and lighter than its predecessors. Despite the slimmer look, the keyboard feels as good as ever and there are no concerns about durability.

Staff Writer Zachary Boddy took the X1 Carbon (Gen 13) for review and handed it a Windows Central Best Award, stating:

“I truly love the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon. Its design is an eccentric blend of the decades-old and instantly familiar industrial ruggedness of Lenovo's matte black enterprise fleet and an impossibly lightweight construction that still boasts industry-leading durability. In some ways it's a dreadfully boring laptop like the rest of the ThinkPad family, and in others this is one of the most exciting devices in Lenovo's entire lineup. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 13) continues to push that vibe in the best possible way.”

Performance from the Core Ultra Series 2 mobile chips takes a slight hit due to the thermal constraints inside the thin PC, but you’re still getting more than enough power to handle day-to-day business-related tasks. It’s a Copilot+ PC thanks to Intel’s NPU inside, and Lenovo offers 32GB of LPDDR5x-8533MHz RAM with a 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD as backup.

For a secure, mobile, and feature-laden business laptop like this, you can expect to pay about $2,447 to start. That does, of course, include 32GB of RAM.

👉 Read our full Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 13) review

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Honorable mentions and recent reviews

Don't see a laptop that's exactly what you need in the list above? Here are a few more great laptops with 32GB of RAM to consider.

• ASUS Zenbook A14 (2025): This laptop's "ceraluminum" chassis makes this one of the thinnest and lightest laptops ever, yet it doesn't suffer any creaking or hollow feel. It might not be as cut out for heavy work as the other options in this list (its Snapdragon X1 SoC instead focuses more on efficiency and snappiness), but it is available with up to 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM. 👉 Read the full ASUS Zenbook A14 (2025) review
• HP EliteBook X 14 (G1a): Need a compact business laptop with a high-end build quality, AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX CPU, and up to 64GB of LPDDR5x RAM? HP's new EliteBook should definitely be considered. 👉 Read the full HP EliteBook X 14 (G1a) review
• ASUS ROG Flow Z13: This 2-in-1 laptop takes the idea of a Surface Pro and turns it into a powerhouse thanks to the Ryzen AI MAX chip that can take system RAM to use for its integrated GPU. For that reason, it comes with up to 96GB of RAM. 👉 Read the full ASUS ROG Flow Z13 review

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How we test laptops at Windows Central

At Windows Central, we take a personal approach to laptop reviews. Every laptop that comes our way for testing goes through a similar process, in which we adopt the PC for regular use.

This gives us a clear idea of what works well (and where the PC falters) during standard, everyday use. Webcam quality, speaker quality, typing feel, pointing accuracy, and port layout are all covered this way.

For the display, we use a colorimeter to accurately test color reproduction across sRGB, DCI-P3, and AdobeRGB gamuts, as well as brightness levels.

Performance hardware is measured using synthetic benchmarks, including Geekbench, Cinebench, CrossMark, CrystalDiskMark, PCMark, 3DMark, and more. This allows us to accurately compare speed and efficiency to other laptop we've recently tested.

System noise is also taken into account, measured with a decibel meter. And for thermal abilities, we check to see the hotspots on the laptop's frame with a FLIR camera.

👉 How we test and review laptops at Windows Central

Choosing the best laptop with 32GB of RAM for you

Countless Windows laptops are reviewed every year at Windows Central. In the hands of our experts, they're all put through the same rigorous testing period involving synthetic benchmarks, real-world performance analysis, and more.

The collection of laptop reviews that's always being updated on Windows Central makes my job easy. I can gather the top-rated models, check to see if they apply to what I'm writing about — in this case they must have at least 32GB of RAM — and balance the pros and cons to see if they deserve a spot in my roundup.

Having 32GB of RAM in a laptop can help with multitasking, gaming, and virtually any task that benefits from extra temporary storage. I generally don't recommend anyone buy a laptop these days without at least 16GB, and 32GB will only improve performance.

With that in mind, I'm recommending the Surface Laptop 7 as the top pick for most people. It's a Copilot+ PC using Qualcomm's Snapdragon X chips, which means you get outstanding performance on or off the charger. Qualcomm's ARM64 architecture also benefits battery life, and you can expect to go a full day without needing to plug in. Models with 32GB of RAM typically start at about $2,000, but they often go on sale.

The sibling Surface Pro 11, released alongside the Laptop 7 as one of the first Copilot+ PCs, can be seen as a more versatile alternative thanks to its 2-in-1 design. It's available with an OLED touch display, and it too can offer all-day battery life alongside steady performance. Models with 32GB of RAM usually start at about $2,100.

Gamers should check out the Alienware m16 R2 or Razer Blade 18, while professionals might be attracted to the security and durability that comes with the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 13). You can also consider the XPS 16 (9640) for an Ultrabook with discrete GPU, while HP's new OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 is your best option if you want a convertible PC.