5 Features You Should Consider When Shopping for a Gaming Laptop
With their premium prices, colorful designs and powerful components, gaming laptops are a different kind of beast from the standard all-purpose laptops. There are many gamers playing any of the latest games, such as Battlefield 1 or Star Wars Battlefront, who are looking for the perfect laptop that can support and satisfy all their needs for graphics, dimensions, memory, and portability.
Gaming laptops are unique when it comes to design. With their backlit keyboards and bold curves, they are almost certain to catch people’s eyes. The decision of which gaming laptop to buy will be dependent on the type of games you want to play, your gaming lifestyle and the budget you are willing to sink into the purchase. But, let’s say that there is a good chance you’ll be spending between $800 – $4000 on a gaming laptop.
So, if you are a professional gamer or you want to become one of them, then take a look at the following features that you’ll need to consider while shopping for a gaming laptop; this way you will be sure that you will make the best purchase decision.
Portability
There are varying levels of portability when it comes to gaming laptops, including “slightly heavier than regular laptops” up to “too heavy to carry on your back.” A gaming laptop will be less portable and will have more power and functionality than an average laptop. If you plan on using it only at home or moving it between rooms in the same building, a laptop that’s 17”-18” wide, like the Alienware 17, would be a fine choice.
On the other hand, laptops that are 13”-14” wide offer the best portability, as they weigh less than 5 lbs. and have battery lives of up to 7.5 hours. A few good examples include the Alienware 13, the Razer Blade, and the Aorus X3 Plus V3.
Graphics Card/GPU
This is the cornerstone of every gaming laptop, as it processes and transmits data to your display in the form of images. This process can be more tedious when playing games, and as such, a GPU with dedicated memory, otherwise known as VRAM, is essential for gaming laptops.
You should consider purchasing a laptop with at least 4GB VRAM. The majority are stocked with Nvidia GPUs. However, some brands allow gamers who like AMDs to configure their systems however they prefer.
Display
There is no point in having beautiful graphics and smooth frame rates if your gaming laptop doesn’t have a screen which can promote those vivid colors and beautiful landscapes. To avoid this ugly turn of events, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
For starters, the resolution of a gaming laptop should be at least 1920 x 1080. Do you like your displays glossy or matte? And, do you prefer the V-Sync or G-Synch Nvidia technologies? Note that neither of these technologies work on laptops with resolutions that are higher than 1920 x 1080.
SSD or HDD?
When it comes to gaming, speed is vital, and this would explain why most gamers prefer SSD hard drives. They offer reduced hitching and faster game load times, ultimately leading to a great gaming experience. Consider purchasing a laptop with at least 1TB hard drive with 7200 rpm speed. If you can find a configuration with both HDD and SSD, go for it, as this allows room for your gaming files as well as everything else you may want to put on to the laptop.
Keyboards
While the above components are critical, you shouldn’t forget about the keyboard, as you will be pounding on this each time you play a game.
You want to be sure that the keyboard looks good and feels comfortable when in use. A good gaming laptop keyboard should have a customizable backlight and should deliver fast feedback without being uncomfortable. The Razer’s Synapse 2.0 software allows you to achieve all of the above with Razer hardware. The SteelSeries Engine and Alienware’s FX software are also helpful for creating quite the show with your gaming laptop keyboard.
Lastly, finding the best gaming laptop comes down to your budget. Many of the laptop recommendations and components we mentioned above are commonly priced above $1,500, so if you are strapped for cash, you may need to settle for less. Be careful with your money and decisions, but remember that sometimes it is worthwhile to spend a little bit more if you will be completely satisfied with a quality product.
If you want to know more about this world, you can find it out by reading this article about which gaming devices (PCs or consoles) are the best choice for gamers.
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