The majority of the best laptops available today have been slimmed down to the point that internal hardware is no longer modular. Components like wireless cards, solid-state drives (SSD), and especially memory (RAM) are often soldered right to the motherboard along with the processor (CPU), making it difficult or entirely impossible to upgrade anything once the device leaves the factory.
This can result in laptops lasting much less. If you have to replace your laptop because the RAM is no longer enough, despite the processor still being very fast, you’re throwing a whole laptop away for what should be a relatively easy upgrade. The good news? All hope is not lost. There are still some great upgradeable laptops on the market, and we’ve collected them here to help you find the right one.
Our favorite upgradeable laptops in 2024
Editor’s Choice
Framework Laptop 13
The most modular laptop you can buy
Framework Laptops are the most upgradeable you’ll find on the market today. The latest Laptop 13 is available with Intel or AMD hardware, and you can buy a DIY kit or a complete model depending on how comfortable you are with building PCs. Its modular design lets you upgrade everything down to the mainboard as you see fit.
- The most upgradeable laptop you’ll find
- Comfy keyboard with 1.5mm key travel
- 13.5-inch display with 3:2 aspect ratio
- Relatively slim and lightweight
- You may have to wait some time to get your order
- It doesn’t get the latest processors as quickly as some other models
Framework’s Laptop 13 is an evolution of the modular PC that makes it better than ever. Not only can you configure a model to your liking from the manufacturer, you can also buy a DIY version and essentially assemble it yourself. And, to keep things running longer into the future, you can buy different modular parts and upgrade any time you’d like.
Framework so far has done a great job of keeping up with new hardware releases. The Framework Laptop 13 is now available with 13th Gen Intel Core and AMD Ryzen 7040 mobile CPUs, with myriad storage and RAM configurations based on your needs. You can also swap out things like ports, bezel, battery, keyboard, and even the mainboard as you see fit.
This is not a laptop that cuts many corners, either. It has a 13.5-inch display with 3:2 aspect ratio, glossy or matte finish, 2256×1504 (2.2K) resolution, 100% sRGB color reproduction, and about 400 nits brightness. Its keyboard has 1.5mm of key travel, rivaling that of ThinkPads. And the whole thing weighs in at only about 2.8 pounds (1.3kg) and measures 0.6 inches (15.8mm) thin.
The latest Framework Laptop 13 is now available to purchase. Prices start at about $849 for the latest DIY Intel and AMD versions, climbing to about $1,049 if you get an assembled version.
Best value
Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (2024)
Versatile, affordable, and upgradeable
$550 $750 Save $200
The Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 may not have all the bells and whistles of a premium laptop, but it offers great performance and versatility thanks to the convertible form factor. And yet, despite this design, it still has both upgradeable RAM and storage, all while being decently affordable. We especially recommend the AMD version.
- AMD Ryzen 8000 series processors
- Premium-feeling aluminum build
- Plenty of ports and a versatile form factor
- Display is a bit dull and not very bright
- Audio gets distorted at max volume
We live in a time when the most expensive laptops are often not the ones with the most flexibility for the user. And the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 for 2024 is a great example of that. This is a very affordable laptop that starts at around $730, and it offers a great combination of performance, reliability, and upgradeability. We’re mostly talking about the AMD version here, which is the one we reviewed and very much liked.
Inside the Dell Inspiron 14 (2024) are AMD Ryzen 8000 series processors, starting with a Ryzen 5 8540HS, which is already a very solid performer for all kinds of daily tasks and even some light gaming. Along with that, you can get up to 16GB of RAM out of the box, which isn’t all that mind-blowing, making the room for upgrades even more important. For storage, you get a large 512GB SSD to boot, with the option for a 1TB model if you prefer. Both of these are upgradeable, with two SODIMM slots and one M.2 slot available for you to swap out whatever you need.
All of that adds up to great performance for daily use, with our reviewer Sherri L. Smith noting that it “had no problem dealing with my 65 open tabs in Google Chrome with my usual smattering of G-Suite apps, social media, news and entertainment sites, and YouTube videos”.
The display is solid, too, with a 14-inch 16:10 panel coming it at Full HD+ resolution. The colors won’t blow you away, and it’s not super bright, but for this price, that’s to be expected, and you’ll still be just fine using the laptop indoors. Plus, since this is a convertible, it has a touchscreen, which is always a plus.
All of this comes wrapped in an aluminum chassis that feels very durable, making this a good long-term investment if you want to save a buck. Plus, with plenty of ports including USB-C, USB Type-A, HDMI, an SD card reader, and a headphone jack, you have plenty of connectivity options, too. And while it comes with a Wi-Fi 6E wireless card, you can also upgrade this yourself if you so choose.
Premium pick
Dell XPS 16
Like a MacBook, but with actual upgrade options
Dell’s brand-new XPS 16 is a significant refresh of what we’ve had before, with a beautiful new design language and plenty of power on offer. Compared to previous models, we lost upgradeable RAM, but you can still upgrade the storage and Wi-Fi card, plus it all comes in a sleek new chassis.
- Tons of power to work with
- Good port selection with microSD card reader
- Brilliant display options
- It’s fairly expensive
- RAM and Wi-Fi modem can’t be upgraded
Dell is no stranger to making some of the best laptops money can buy in the XPS lineup, and that’s only become more true with the all-new XPS 16. Dell has embraced the 16-inch form factor and put its ultra-modern design twist on it, with a zero-lattice keyboard and a powerful speaker setup for immersive audio.
Inside the Dell XPS 16 you’ll find up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H, which is already a powerful chip, but it comes paired with up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 with 60W of power, providing an extra kick for workloads like video editing and 3D rendering. This is a very powerful laptop, backed by up to 64GB of RAM and a 4TB SSD. The RAM can’t be upgraded after the fact, but if you feel like Dell is charging way too much for the SSD, you can upgrade it yourself later. Sadly, the Wi-Fi module is also not upgradable.
While Dell has certainly cut back on what can be upgraded, this is still an excellent laptop across the board. The display is beautiful, including a stunning 4K OLED option, and the quad stereo speakers provide someof the best audio you can get on a Windows laptop. Plus, that Wi-Fi chip may not be upgradable, but it already supports Wi-Fi 7, so it’s unlikely you’ll need to upgrade in the next few years.
All of this makes the XPS 16 an absolutely fantastic laptop, even if some upgradability has been sacrificed.
Best gaming
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 9
The height of mobile PC fun
Gamers who want the best laptop out there right now should check out the Legion Pro 7i (Gen 8). It’s extremely powerful with a great cooling system, and you can get inside to upgrade the RAM and SSD as you see fit. Plus, it has some RGB lighting to appeal to the flashier gamers.
- Upgradeable RAM and SSD
- Plenty of RGB accents
- Premium design and build quality
- Fantastic performance without thermal issues
- Expensive
- On the heavy side
When it comes to the best gaming laptops you can buy today, Lenovo’s Legion Pro 7i (Gen 9) is one of the very best. The combination of rock-solid performance without thermal issues, pleasing design, and high-end display option help propel it ahead of the competition, and the addition of upgradeable SSD and RAM will keep you gaming for longer into the future.
In our Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (Gen 9) review, we said that “this laptop is a powerhouse”, and perhaps most importantly, it fixed the biggest issue with its predecessor — the lackluster color accuracy of the panel. That makes this an all-around stellar laptop for gaming and just about any demanding workload.
Lenovo offers up to a 14th Gen Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 laptop GPU (though we reviewed the 4080), 32GB of DDR5-5600MHz RAM, and 2TB of M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD storage space; you can also drop things down to a lower spec if you don’t want to spend as much. Both the RAM and storage can be upgraded later, so it’s easier to save some money on the initial purchase.
The 16-inch display has a 2560×1600 (QHD+) resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio, 240Hz refresh rate, 3ms response time, tons of brightness, and Dolby Vision support. Like last year, it’s only rated for 100% of sRGB coverage, but this year’s model covers nearly 100% of DCI-P3 as well, so colors look much more vibrant.
This laptop is very expensive, but you can’t do much better when it comes to gaming performance.
Best workstation
Dell Precision 5690
High-performance professional PC
If you’re someone who needs a ton of power for business, whether that’s working on 3D renders or training and running AI models, the Dell Precision 5690 delivers. It’s a beastly machine with top-of-the-line specs in a chassis that, while thick and heavy, still looks sleek and modern.
- 4K OLED display option is gorgeous
- Upgradeable memory and storage
- Incredibly powerful specs
- Limited battery life
- It gets insanely expensive for top-tier configurations
When it comes to workstations, few laptops are as well known as Dell’s Precision lineup. The latest Precision 5690 shows exactly why that is, delivering a phenomenal experience at every turn.
Workstations are known for power, and with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and an Nvidia RTX 5000 Ada Generation, the Dell Precision 5690 delivers on that front. Whether you’re working in Blender or Premiere Pro or whatever high-power software you need to run, the Precision 5690 can keep up. That’s also helped by the massive 64GB of RAM and up to two 4TB drives, though these upgrades add a lot to the price. But you can cut back on that by going with a cheaper configuration and upgrading it later, which this laptop lets you do.
On top of that, the Dell Precision 5690 comes with the option for a stunning 4K OLED display with 100% coverage of DCI-P3, meaning it ideal for color-sensitive work and anything requiring visibility of finer details. In our review, we said that this display is “bursting with color”, and that makes for a great experience. The speakers also sound great.
The biggest downside with this laptop is evidently its eye-watering price, which only gets worse as you upgrade the specs. But that’s par for the course with workstations, so that doesn’t take away from this machine.
Best business
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 5
Many configurations available
The ThinkPad T14 is Lenovo’s most popular business laptop, and for good reason. This machine features high-end hardware in a durable and professional chassis, complete with features like the iconic TrackPoint. You can choose AMD or Intel versions, both of which have space for upgrades.
- AMD or Intel options with modern CPUs
- Professional and subdued design
- Upgradeable RAM, storage, and wireless cards
- Performance may not be as high as some other laptops
- Display is a bit dull
Business laptops typically excel at repairability, and the ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 is one of the prime examples of this. Lenovo’s most popular ThinkPad comes in either Intel or AMD versions, and both of them have a range of upgrade options. Out of the box, you can already go up to 64GB of RAM and 2TB of storage, but if you want to upgrade later on, both of these components are replaceable. There are two SODIMM slots and one M.2 slot for storage. In our tests, the ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 lagged behind some of its competitors performance-wise, but the excellent battery life made up for it.
The display in the base model isn’t all that impressive as it can be a bit dull, but thankfully, you can configure this laptop with up to a 2.8K OLED panel that looks absolutely stunning. On top of that, you get a 5MP webcam, which is still one of the best you can get in a laptop. It’s a great experience all around.
This comes in Lenovo’s iconic ThinkPad style, with either a black or grey chassis with some red accents, featuring the classic TrackPoint nub and duplicate mouse buttons. Both models use a mix of carbon fiber and plastic, with the grey version also using aluminum for the lid, so the laptop is fairly lightweight. And connectivity is stellar here, with two Thunderbolt 4 ports (USB4 on the AMD models), two USB Type-A ports, RJ45 Ethernet, HDMI, and a headphone jack. Plus, both models come with an upgradeable Wi-Fi card. If you opt for a cellular-enabled version, you can also upgrade that module later (though you need to choose the cellular version at checkout so you get the necessary antennae).
Any business user should love the ThinkPad T14 Gen 5, and if you like the ability to upgrade your laptop, you really can’t go wrong here.
Best 17-inch
Dell XPS 17 (2023)
Huge screen, huge power
The XPS 17 for 2023 is the best 17-inch laptop around, and its size allows for dual SODIMM and M.2 slots for RAM and storage upgrades after purchase. This laptop doesn’t come cheap, but it’s extremely powerful, it has a knockout display, and it’s built to a premium standard.
- The best laptop display
- Lots of power under the hood
- Full size SD card reader
- Powerful audio
- Upgradeable RAM and SSD
- Battery life is just OK
- It’s pricey
- 720p webcam
Dell’s XPS 17 for 2023 is the best 17-inch laptop on the market. It’s as easy as that, and if you’re interested in the oversized display, you’ll also get a powerful and svelte laptop with high-end features. In his Dell XPS 17 (2023) review, Editor-in-Chief Rich Woods noted, “Between the premium build, powerful internals, best-in-class display, and everything else, you can’t beat it.”
Dell didn’t really make any huge changes to the XPS 17 for this generation, instead focusing on a bump to performance that includes up to a 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900H CPU, Nvidia RTX 4080 Laptop GPU, 64GB or DDR5 RAM, and 8TB of M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD storage. The laptop has two M.2 slots for SSD upgrades, as well as two SODIMM slots for RAM upgrades. The WLAN card is soldered, but it should provide the wireless performance you crave.
The 17-inch display is available in either a 1920×1200 (FHD+) or 3840×2400 (UHD+) resolution to go along with the 16:10 aspect ratio. Both displays have a 60Hz refresh rate and up to 500 nits brightness, but the UHD+ version adds touch functionality and an anti-reflective finish to better reduce glare. The XPS 17 doesn’t come cheap, but it’s the best in its class and just so happens to have some decent upgrades available after purchase.
We have in-depth guides on how to upgrade the storage in the XPS 17 (2023) as well as how to upgrade the RAM in the XPS 17 (2023). There are newer XPS models out there, including the XPS 16 above, but they make some sacrifices to upgradability, so we think the XPS 17 is still worth checking out. However, this model is starting to be phased out, so it will get harder to find.
Premium gaming
Alienware x16 R2
Thin build, lots of power
Need a powerful gaming laptop with thin design and upgradeable parts? You can swap out the SSDs and WLAN chip here while enjoying the premium build with tons of RGB, high-end gaming display, and many different configuration options.
- Powerful Intel CPUs and Nvidia graphics
- Compact design compared to other gaming laptops
- Colorful display with 240Hz refresh rate
- Lots of RGB lighting
- Upgradeable SSD and WLAN
- Very expensive
- Keyboard can sound clanky
- RAM isn’t upgradeable
Alienware’s x16 R2 is a high-end product from Dell’s gaming lineup, coming at you with a slim design that measures just 0.73 inches (18.57mm) thin and weighs in at a maximum of six pounds. That’s slimmer and lighter than the mighty Alienware m16, making it easier to haul along with you wherever you want to game. While the new ALienware m16 R2 is a bit more portable, the cooling system on the x16 R2 ensures it’s still the best option for performance, as we noted in our review.
Despite being so thin (for a gaming laptop), Dell managed to engineer two accessible M.2 slots for SSD upgrades, as well as an M.2 slot for the WLAN chip. RAM is soldered, so be sure to get what you need from the factory. The Alienware x16 is also available with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU, Nvidia RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, 32GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and 8TB of storage space. The 16-inch display has three options available, starting at FHD+ with 480Hz refresh rate and climbing to QHD+ with a 240Hz refresh rate. Excellent color reproduction means you can use the laptop for creative work, but its heart remains in the gaming world.
The laptop’s aluminum chassis is drenched in RGB lighting, to the point that even the touchpad lights up to go along with the keyboard and body lighting. The Alienware x16 doesn’t come cheap with prices starting at about $2,100 before any discounts, but gamers who want a slim laptop with upgradeable storage and WLAN chip should love what Dell has to offer.
Getting the right upgradeable laptop to meet your needs
Laptops with upgradeable hardware are becoming harder to find as devices slim down, and you’ll now mostly be shopping in the business or gaming realms for a laptop with accessible memory and storage. Still, the Framework Laptop 13 is trying to change the game, and it’s easily the best option out there, since everything is upgradeable. You can change the ports, RAM, storage, and even the CPU, all while keeping the rest of the components. Even the display and webcam can be upgraded.
Of course, if you want something that’s easier to buy at a local retailer, your options are more limited. Lenovo’s ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 is a great option for business users, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is probably the best for gamers. You have options for all different kinds of users, but definitely not as many as we’d like to see.
Editor’s Choice
Framework Laptop 13
Upgrade everything
The Framework Laptop 13 is the best upgradeable laptop you can buy today. Everything is modular, and you can even go so far as to replace the entire mainboard when new CPUs arrive. Starting prices are quite reasonable, too, though they sometimes take a while to receive the latest processors.