Current location: Home Laptop Buying Guide Find the Best Gaming Laptop

Find the Best Gaming Laptop

When looking for a laptop that will give you to get the best gaming experience possible there are a few things you should take into consideration. For example, some laptops graphics card use the RAM as memory for the graphics card (so-called integrated graphics), making it a painfully slow experience. Processor, size and price are other factors that all play their part when choosing. Take advantage of our pointers before making a purchase - we'll help you find the right gaming laptop.

Recommended Gaming Laptops

Graphics Card

First of all: If you want a laptop that works well with modern 3D-games, look for the latest NVIDIA or ATI GPUSs! Mobile graphics cards weren't all that good for gaming in previous generations, but as laptops are grabbing more and more market share from desktop computers this is slowly changing. However, notebooks will be somewhat more expensive and less powerful because of the miniaturized components and thermal considerations. The graphics circuits will also be heavily strained meaning that they'll get very warm, and in a laptop there isn't much room for cooling. Hence, you will only find the fastest GPUs in larger laptops that allow ample room for cooling. Furthermore, fast components will need more current - resulting in a shorter battery life. All of this is fine, and just a compromise you have to face with the fastest gaming laptops.

The Importance of RAM and CPU

Next to the graphics card you should look for a decent amount of RAM and a fast CPU in a gaming laptop. This probably won't be a problem, as most gaming laptops come with high-end components out of the box, but look for at the very least 2GB of RAM in a new laptop, preferably of the faster DDR3 variety, as this might improve the framerate of your games somewhat. When it comes to having a fast CPU, it's nowhere near as important as the graphics card for gaming purposes, but it does affect all tasks on a computer, so it's not a component to skimp on.

What Size should it be?

This is a no-brainer.. In most cases you have no choice because of the cooling requirements - gaming laptops are large. A 15-inch form factor is a minimum to accommodate high-end GPUs, but most are 17" or even larger. As you'll be gaming you probably want a large screen anyway, so this shouldn't be a problem. It goes without saying that tiny screens won't do your games any justice.

How much will it Cost?

As mentioned previously, gaming laptops aren't exactly the cheapest computers on the market. You probably have to spend anything between $1,200 and $4,000 (yes, there is a huge gap in the pricing on these notebooks). If you can settle for last year's model you could probably score a great bargain, however.

Recommended:

  1. Review by

    - image

    The newest mobile computer from Alienware has landed. The Area-51 m15x mixes high-end features found in desktop computer housed in a mobile design. This 15.4--inch gaming machine can cost up to $5,000 if you want the complete bells and whistles. Read more

  2. Review by

    - image

    The 15-inch G50Vt gaming laptop from Asus uses the powerful Nvidia 9800M GS mobile GPU and should have no problem playing the latest games, but how did it actually perform? Read more

Most Popular Laptops & Gear

  • 1. 15.4" Macbook Pro Notebook

    15.4" Macbook Pro Notebook

  • 2. ThinkPad X200T Tablet PC

    ThinkPad X200T Tablet PC

  • 3. G60-230US Notebook

    G60-230US Notebook

  • 1. EOS Rebel T1i Black SLR Digital Camera Kit w/...

    EOS Rebel T1i Black SLR Digit

  • 2. D90 Black SLR Digital Camera Kit

    D90 Black SLR Digital Camera K

  • 3. Powershot SX10 IS Black Digital Camera

    Powershot SX10 IS Black Digita

  • 1. iPod Touch 8GB Black MP3 Player - Black

    iPod Touch 8GB Black MP3 Playe

  • 2. iPod Touch 16GB MP3 Player - Black

    iPod Touch 16GB MP3 Player - B

  • 3. iPod Touch 32GB MP3 Player - Black

    iPod Touch 32GB MP3 Player - B

  • 1. EOS Rebel T1i Black SLR Digital Camera Kit w/...

    EOS Rebel T1i Black SLR Digit

  • 2. SF-610 Portable Air Conditioner

    SF-610 Portable Air Conditione

  • 3. D90 Black SLR Digital Camera Kit

    D90 Black SLR Digital Camera K

Powered by
PriceGrabber.com

Reviews & News by brand

Latest Updates

  • ASUS Eee PC 1000HE

    The Eee PC has a slightly faster Atom processor and a faster FSB compared to the previous models. While this is not enough for anyone to upgrade, it could certainly attract first-time netbook buyers. Read More

  • Dell Vostro A860

    When price and performance must share in compromise, few laptops on the market readily answer the call of duty. When it comes to getting high quality at an affordable price, the Dell Vostro A860... Read More

  • Dell Mini 9

    By now Dell has a full range of netbooks in sizes 9", 10", and oddly a 12" model, of which we’re looking at the smallest 9-incher here. Read More

More Reviews

More Top Lists

  • Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2009

    Yet again, Apple's professional geeks will offer up sessions and hands-on code probing and testing at Moscone West in San Francisco. The dates for 2009 are June 8-12. Read More

  • E3 Expo

    The E3 Expo - also known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo - is the one trade show to visit to get the latest news from the computer and video games industry. Read More

  • CeBIT - Hannover 3-8 March

    Unlike CES, CeBIT is open to the public, so there's no need to be a press or industry affiliate to have a look at this massive trade show, which is the largest in the world. Read More

  • International CES 2009

    Find out all you need to know about the 2009 International CES. It features 2,700 exhibitors, including companies who manufacture products or provide services for the audio, digital imaging, home... Read More

  • Mac World Conference

    Make sure to make a note about the Macworld Expo at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, January 5-9. If you're a Mac user and wish to meet equivalent people in the industry this is the place for you. Read More

More Events

More Apple

More Linux

More Microsoft

Editor's Choice

  • Weird, Extraordinary and Record-Breaking Laptops

    Here are the laptops that break one record or another, be it oldest, ugliest, cheapest or just very out of the ordinary. Read More

  • Top 10 Technologies of 2008

    Laptopical's T.J. Aaron summarizes the breakthroughs in technology of 2008. As we are nearing the end of 2008 - find out what made his Top 10 of the most successful and talked about technologies of... Read More

  • Top 10 Netbooks

    The netbook world has gotten increasingly crowded, and until the massive popularity of the form factor wanes this trend will only increase. Beyond Asus and Acer, major corporations like Dell, HP... Read More

Latest Laptopical.com tweets

  •  

Follow Laptopical.com on Twitter