How to choose a gaming laptop?

Playing game has never been a cheap pleasure, either on a laptop or on a desktop computer.

There are some things you should know before buying one. When you’re buying a gaming laptop, you’re not just looking at specifications. You’re looking at a whole computer, including a built-in keyboard and display.

•  Graphic card: The most important component to play comfortably video games is obviously the graphics card. She will provide the computing power needed to display the graphics of your video games. A dedicated graphics card (GPU) is essential; forget the integrated graphics processors (IGP) integrated into the central processor (CPU). As for processors, not all graphics cards are equal, that’s why we must be vigilant on this point. You need to choose a laptop with powerful graphics cards like NVIDIA’s GTX950M, GTX960M, GTX970M, GTX980M or AMD’s Radon M370, M380 and M390. You will achieve the best performance in games by choosing the latest Vida graphics processors such as the GTX 1070, 1060, 1050 TI, 1050. The graphics card should have 4 GB of high-speed video, although with 2 GB you will achieve satisfactory results if you slightly reduce the level of 3D detail in the games.

• Processor and hardware platform : If you just want a basic computer and do not plan to move away from surfing, using Word, enjoying movies or the simplest games, you do not need to look beyond Pentium. Intel’s slightly stronger models that we can classify as middle-range and high-end processors are: Intel Core i3, Intel Core i5, Intel Core i7. The larger number in front of the letters means that the processor is better. The Intel Core i5 belongs to high-end processors, and it offers stability, reliability, and the ability to perform almost all of the tasks. But the best is Intel core i7, an extremely powerful processor is needed primarily for advanced users.

• RAM: instead of the processor is really better to be invested in the graphics card and the working memory. Taking into account that the working memory is one of the main components for the speed of your laptop operation, and this is especially appreciated when playing heavy games. Gaming can be RAM intensive, and 8GB is what we recommend for even average productivity tasks. If you can, you should go for 16GB on a gaming PC.

•  Storage: Hard drive or SSD? Why not both? Some budget gaming laptops will come with only a hard drive (usually 1TB), but the majority of gaming notebooks also include a small SSD to serve as a boot drive.  The problem with the SSD drive might be a smaller capacity, and the latest games take up more than 40GB of memory. For gaming, you will need a SSD drive of at least 256 GB and a recommended 512 GB. But, like memory, storage can be upgraded in gaming notebooks. So if you need more space, you can toss in a 2TB or larger HDD.

• Operating system and screen size:

Windows 10 is currently the best choice for your competition if you want to use your computer for games and multimedia. Thanks to the integrated support for Direct X 12, Windows 10 will provide you with the best support for the currently available, but also for all upcoming games.
It’s usually useful to have a bigger screen for games, but if you are using a laptop, it’s clear that you cannot greatly affect the size of your screen. You definitely need to move away from 13-inch that is too small and slim for games. Avoid touchscreens as they are unnecessary on gaming notebooks. They kill battery life and can make the display overly glossy.

• Battery life :

For sure, you cannot count on your gaming notebook being super portable.

If you’re using your laptop to play games, you need to keep your laptop plugged in to get the full performance out of your GPU. And if you don’t, you’ll be lucky if your laptop lasts an hour gaming.

• Accessories:  Optical mouse, headphones and cooling pad are necessary equipment.  Optical mouse is certainly an inevitable addition to every gamer’s laptop. Depending on the type of game you like to play most, you can also choose a gamepad, but wireless variants are always the best choice. Sounds play a crucial role to enjoy playing a game. It’s a key element to know if the game is good and adds up to the whole gaming experience. Cooling pads save our gaming laptops from overheating after using it for hours. It lowers the temperature of your device and increases the airflow.

A laptop with these specifications will be a good choice for most of today’s game’s and for your entry into the gaming world.