Knowing where to look first with numerous brands and configurations to consider can be intimidating.
What Is a Gaming Laptop?
Much likewhen researching gaming PCs, gaming laptops initially seem like regular laptops.
However, laptops designed without gaming in mind don’t provide users with a dedicated graphics card.
They often have limited cooling systems, so they can’t handle the heat generated when playing games.
Instead, you need a gaming laptop to play the latest games while on the move.
Here are the key areas you oughta consider:
How Much Should a Gaming Laptop Cost?
The more you spend, the better the components and other features are.
For most players, the ideal price range is $1500 to $2000.
What Kind of Graphics Card Should a Gaming Laptop Have?
As with a gaming PC, the most critical component of a gaming laptop is its graphics card.
Graphics Card Brands
Two companies provide graphics cards for laptops: AMD and Nvidia.
Currently, Nvidia provides the best graphics cards, with the RTX 40-series leading the way.
The highest-end graphics card you’re free to find for laptops is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090.
Some gaming laptops instead include the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 or 3060 graphics card.
AMD also offers a range of graphics cards often best suited if you’re on a tighter budget.
The RX 7000 series range is worth looking at and can be high-end if you wish to spend more.
However, you will need a higher-end GPU if you want to play more advanced-looking games likeCyberpunk 2077.
Older laptops may offer a GeForce RTX 20-series graphics card, which is powerful but older than modern options.
Whichever graphics card you choose, check how much memory is on the card.
Which Processor and RAM Should a Gaming Laptop Have?
Intel and AMDare the two options for a gaming laptop when choosing a processor.
Both offer powerful processors for gaming, and your budget is usually the deciding factor between the two.
The higher the number, typically, the better the processor is, as with graphics cards.
A processor is also called aCPU, and it’s the brain of your machine.
It deals with interpreting and executing data before displaying the results on the screen.
Modern processors offer multiple cores that work like processors within processors.
These cores can multitask more effectively, with each core offering a certain speed.
Most CPUs have between four and eight cores.
In terms of core and processing speed, aim as high as possible.
ComputerRAMworks like VRAM, but it helps the computer’s CPU instead of assisting your GPU.
When gaming, it can mean levels load faster, and details load up in-game quickly.
For a gaming laptop, you need 16GB of RAM.
As with regular memory, RAM performance in a gaming laptop is not solely dependent on the quantity.
Speed is also a factor withdifferent types of RAM available.
DDR5 is the latest and fastest RAM, but many systems still use DDR4.
Anything lower than DDR4 is too old for gaming.
What Display Should a Gaming Laptop Have?
For a gaming laptop, response times andrefresh ratesare essential.
Combined with a low response time such as 1-3ms, the games you play run more smoothly.
There’s also the question of panels.
Some high-end gaming laptops offer a 4K screen with a much higher resolution than a standard HD display.
This resolution can increase the price by a few hundred dollars, but it means a sharper image.
How Portable Should My Gaming Laptop Be?
Look for a system as slim and lightweight as it’s possible for you to afford.
Also, keep an eye out for a laptop’s battery life.
Often, gaming laptops suffer from relatively low battery life.
What About the Keyboard?
Some gaming laptops, such as those made by Razer or Alienware, offer mechanical keyboards.
Who Should Buy a Gaming Laptop?
What Should I Do After I Buy a Gaming Laptop?
Here’s a quick overview.
FAQ
It’s possible tooptimize a laptop you already haveto make it work better with games.
Some options include upgrading the memory and replacing the video card.
