Prior to this year, I never really thought that laptops were viable for a gaming computer. But, as gaming laptop technology has increased, I am now considering buying a laptop to be my primary gaming computer. That is why I decided to write this gaming laptop buyers guide.
Advantages of a Gaming Laptop:
I am not suggesting that a gaming laptop is for everyone, but here are some of the things that I think make gaming notebook computers a great way to play video games and especially MMO games.
- Gaming laptops are great for travellers - My work requires me to travel a lot. I hate it when I can’t play my MMORPGs on the road. A gaming notebook computer is a perfect option for me when I am traveling.
- Great for relaxing - My wife hates my video game addiction. But, using a gaming laptop allows me to play my video games while sitting on the couch next to her.
- Versatility - Laptops are very versatile. I do a lot of work on my computer, and I love being able to go to the book store and do my work there.
Gaming Laptop Buyers Guide
Let’s stop wasting time. You are here to learn how to buy a gaming laptop. Here are the things that I think you need consider when buying a gaming notebook computer:
Graphics Cards - The most important component when choosing a gaming laptop is a great graphics card. I really think that this is much more important than the speed and power of the CPU. You have two choices when buying a graphics cards, NVIDIA or ATI. Most laptops cannot be easily upgraded so make sure you buy a gaming laptop with the best graphics card you can afford to buy. Additionally, I believe that Nvidia is developing graphics cards that are more easily upgradeable. I really like the Nvidia Scalable Link Interface (SLI) graphics cards. SLI allows you to use two or more graphics card in the same computer to increase their power and performance.
LCD Screen - The next most important component of a gaming notebook computer is the quality of the LCD diplay screen. You want to find at a minimum a LCD of SXGA+ (1400×1050) or WSXGA+ (1680×1050). But, these are bare minimums. Next you need to look at the aspect ratio of the LCD screen. As more and more games become wide screen, having a 16:10 aspect ratio is important. But, traditionally the acpect ratio of most games is still 4:3. Before you buy your gaming notebook laptop, check your favorite games and determine what aspect ratio they use.
Memory - Memory is crucial for modern PC game performance. You need to look for 2 things when choosing memory, speed and capacity. I would not buy a computer with less than 2 gigs of memory. You also need to look at memory speed. Standard today is DDR2 memory, buy DDR3 is coming.
Hard Disk Drive - When comparing laptop hard disk drives there are two things to consider hard disk drive speed and storage capacity. For the performance of your games the faster the RPM speed of you HD Drive the better. It will allow your games to load faster. For your gaming laptop, the hard drive speed should be at least 7200 RPM. The second factor is storage capacity. Games keep requiring more hard disk space. Therefore, you need a HDD big enough to hold your favorite games and all of your other files, like videos, photos, etc.
Battery life - Hey if you need to be plugged in all the time, why bother with a laptop!!! Make sure you buy a battery that will run a long time.Bling! When it comes to a gamer laptop, looks matter! Highlighted WASD keys clearly show to your neighbor on the flight that you take your gaming seriously.
I hope that you enjoyed this gaming laptop buyers guide. What do you look for in a gaming laptop?
Tags : gaming laptop gaming notebook gaming notebook computer
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7 comments ↓
What brands do you recommend?
Yeah, a laptop for gaming is only for true hardcore gamers who won’t even settle for a PSP or a DS, I bring my laptop around for entertainment but it just takes up too much space.
To play such kind of games,one must have good practise .And need to play very regularly
The cost of laptops have really fallen in the last couple of years, you can now get a really good specc’ed gaming laptop for a reasonable amount - what would have been the entry level for a basic laptop a few years ago!
I’m seriously considering getting rid of my desktop machine and going for a gaming laptop instead, they take up much less space in the home.
Anyone know if Rock laptops are any good?
Try looking at some of the new Intel Centrino laptops as well, they offer really good battery life.
Of course if you’re primarily gaming, you won’t be worrying about that as much, battery life and 17″ screen aren’t quite compatible.
But, I use my laptop in between service calls to get in a little fix of WOW. Connect through my wireless Verizon card, and play a little in the battlegrounds between calls. They are definitely viable, and not that expensive anymore. For around $1,200-1,500 you can get a really kick butt machine.
I usually buy a new computer every couple of years or so - same as a lot of people I’m sure - and I always used to think that you got a hell of a lot more bang for your buck buying a desktop.
When my follks got their first ever computer a year ago I got them to get a desktop. At about the same time I got my new laptop and not long after that my desktop broke. It’s fixable, but I haven’t bothered. I don’t need to. My laptop is capable of doing everything my desktop did but it much more convienient.
Laptops all the way
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