Every new gamer or veteran must know what to look for in a gaming laptop to ensure they get the best experience.
Gaming laptops have grown in popularity, and their increased demand means more in the market, making it hard to get the best one for your needs.
Gaming has unique demands, so a regular laptop guide might get you a high-performance laptop that is not ideal for gaming.
You can get the best service by understanding what gaming requires, and here is all the information on the topic to help you make the right choice;
What To Look For In A Gaming Laptop
Choosing a gaming laptop can be daunting, but knowing what to look for is easy. Many factors are in play, and considering them will reduce the prospects and give you the needed laptop. Here are the most important considerations to have in mind.
External Considerations For A Gaming Laptop
Aesthetics and size are essential when getting anything since they give you a nice feel of what is to come. You, therefore, have to keep some external factors about your laptop before purchasing, and here are some factors that will affect your gaming experience;
1. The Monitor
The display is one of the most critical aspects when choosing a gaming laptop, and there is more than the monitor size. One of the first considerations in the screen is the resolution, which determines how clear the images will appear on the screen.
Newer laptops could have 4K or 1440 pixels, but you can get a good experience with 1080p, which is the standard. You also need to get a monitor with a high refresh rate to ensure it redraws the images faster so they appear smoother.
A refresh rate of 120Hz or higher will provide good quality images even with complex graphics, which makes up a good visual. You should also get a comfortable-sized screen or explore connecting to an external screen like a TV.
This way, you can have your gaming device performing optimally with the better visuals of a screen that can offer more resolution.
2. The Laptop’s Design
Gaming laptops have many designs that have changed over the years. The initial gaming laptops focused on performance and portability, and companies are buckling down on performance, which means gaming laptops are a bit bigger.
Recent technological advancements have allowed for the creation of thinner and more powerful gaming laptops.
You need to get the perfect balance between performance and portability before you make a final choice for a gaming laptop.
You need a high-quality build, such as an aluminum casing that offers aesthetics and durability. If you plan to move with it, a thinner laptop will be the best choice as it will be lighter and fit in more bags.
Getting a powerful laptop will be better for those rarely moving their laptops since weight won’t concern you. Dell and HP are particularly big on producing slim laptops; companies like these could be an excellent place to start looking.
3. Ports and Connectivity Options
All laptops in the last decade have wireless connectivity options like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth but have different connectivity and speeds. Get a good Wi-Fi connection for your device for online gaming and streaming.
Having more ports on a gaming laptop means you have more room to expand the functionalities and have a better experience. Some laptops reduce ports to make the device smaller, so remember this.
Connections for external video devices like HDTVs and projectors are essential for gaming laptops since most people need a bigger screen. You should look for a Display Port or HDMI port for such connections if you don’t have wireless connectivity for monitors.
The best USB drivers and ports will help with faster data transfers, making installation from external media faster. You also need mice, external keyboards, headsets, and storage USB ports.
Audio connectors for external speakers and headsets will give room for the best surround sound and a more immersive gaming experience. Even if the laptop has an excellent sound system, external speakers or gaming headsets will be better.
Internal Considerations For A Gaming Laptop
Laptops have many internal components that come together to make them work, and understanding their value will help you choose the best device. These are the most important considerations, and here are the aspects to look into;
1. The Central Processing Unit (CPU)
The CPU is the brain in your gaming PC, so it directly affects how your laptop runs. You need a robust and up-to-date processor, preferably a Core i7. You will especially need high clock speeds for streaming since the software often requires a lot of processing power.
You should get one with multiple cores working together since they dramatically increase the laptop’s performance. A good CPU choice will open up opportunities for other things like overclocking, allowing you to play a broader range of games.
2. The Graphics Processing Unit
The GPU is a gaming image that has the processing power to render graphics by creating pixels that form images on your computer screen. It works with the CPU, so you must ensure they are powerful enough to provide high-resolution and smooth gameplay.
You must have a powerful GPU to game in 4K or 1440 Pixels since weaker GPUs will lag and freeze. The laptop GPU must hit steady frame rates while giving proper images and video rendering on the monitor or TV.
Consider the system requirements for your game and the CPU power before changing the GPUS. A high refresh rate depends on the CPU as much as the GPU, so make sure you get a powerful laptop GPU.
Some gaming laptops have upgradeable graphics cards, so one of these could be the best choice if you are unsure about your needs.
3. Internal Storage Capabilities
Storage is crucial when choosing a gaming laptop since you need a place to keep the games. External storage devices aren’t reliable, and you might have difficulty installing the games, so it’s best to have them on the internal storage.
The storage comes in two options: HDDs and SSDs. Solit-state drives are the latest and best choice for storage since they use flash memory to write and read data without any motion. This means they are quieter and produce significantly less heat than HDDs.
HDDs are mechanical and slower than SSDs, so you will have to deal with slower speeds and a bit of noise since they come with internal fans. Regardless of the type, selecting one with ample storage space above 250 GB is crucial to store multiple games.
4. The RAM
RAM is a temporary storage type that holds data about to be processed in batches. The larger the data the RAM can hold, the better performance you will get from a gaming laptop. You, therefore, need to get a laptop with at least 8 GB RAM for a good gaming experience.
Most laptops will have room to expand the RAM, and using it is a good idea. You can get an affordable 4GB RAM laptop and buy an 8 GB RAM stick to upgrade the device and allow it to run all games.
You can review some of the game titles you want to play to see how much RAM they need then plan your purchase based on that.
5. The Laptop’s Cooling System
Gaming PCs have sophisticated cooling systems like water cooling to help them keep everything cool despite the high demands of gaming. This isn’t an option for laptops since they are significantly smaller with components stuffed together.
The common choice for cooling in laptops is an internal fan. You should get a well-designed laptop with an excellent fan to cool all its internal components. It should be able to do this while staying quiet so you can enjoy the audio of your games.
The fan should also have adjustable settings to help manage its power so your battery can hold power longer. Cooling is essential if you intend to overclock your computer, as the components will heat up and get damaged without an efficient cooling system.
An efficient cooling system includes fans, correctly placed vents, cooling pipes and other innovative air current technologies. With proper technology and organization, you can get a cool system without running a fan that will drown your speakers.
Conclusion
That is all the information on what to look for in a gaming laptop, and hopefully, you will have an easy time choosing your next laptop. A good gaming laptop is a combination of external and internal aspects that come together to give the user what they need.
You should balance size, screen quality, functionalities, and performance to get an all-around device with external video and audio connectivity. User needs and gaming requirements will vary, so choose the best gaming laptop for your games.
