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Gaming laptops are revolutionizing the gaming industry by providing the power and features needed to play anything you want, whether it be single-player or multiplayer.  Nowadays, there’s a growing number of interested gamers who want the best gaming experience. This means they need an affordable laptop that meets all their needs. But what is the most important feature of a gaming laptop? Answering this question can help you decide if your next purchase should be a gaming laptop or not. After all, it takes more than specs to play games on top hardware.

Choosing a gaming laptop is no easy task. There are a lot of things you have to think about, and that’s why you need to go through some of the top laptop manufacturers in the market. As gaming laptops are getting more advanced every year, it is essential for you to select the best one that matches your requirements. With the speed and graphics power getting higher, there are other specs which has also been upgraded to increase the performance of the laptop. But there are still some things to consider before buying the best laptops. 

A gaming laptop is a game-changing device.  When selecting a gaming laptop, you will most likely be on a strict budget. This does not mean that you cannot buy a decent laptop at an affordable price. However, it is important to realize that there are other factors to consider aside from price when planning your purchase. These factors include design and performance among others. You may find yourself asking what features need to be bought in a gaming laptop. The answer would be mostly the processor and speed of the video card.

While gaming laptops are quickly becoming essential for gamers everywhere, there are still some features that many don’t know about. Here’s a list of the most important features you should look for if you’re looking to buy a new gaming laptop.

CPU

There is no doubt that a gaming laptop’s CPU (central processing unit) is as crucial as its GPU. The CPU is responsible for reading game instructions and registering player inputs. It’s crucial that your gaming laptop’s CPU is paired with its GPU if you want to enjoy your game smoothly. Even if you have a great GPU, if you don’t have a good CPU, this could compromise the quality of your gaming experience.

In choosing your gaming laptop’s CPU, look for a Core i7 10th generation or Ryzen 7 mobile processor, such as the Ryzen 7 4800H from AMD.

Using this technique, you should be able to run modern games at decent settings while managing older games with ease. If you want to run resource-consuming games at high settings, you should consider CPUs like an unlocked Core i9 or a Ryzen 7, or Ryzen 9 5000-series processor.

As with your GPU, you won’t be able to upgrade your gaming laptop’s CPU, so you should choose the right processor based on your gaming needs and budget.

GPU

Graphics processing units (GPUs) are one of the most important components of gaming laptops, as they render images, effects, and animations in crisp, detailed quality.

Look for a laptop that has a dedicated GPU with its own RAM (random access memory), called VRAM, and processor. Non-gaming laptops will have integrated graphics cards that aren’t capable of rendering high quality games. Consider the following factors before selecting your gaming laptop’s GPU:

• GPUs are related by their model number: the larger the number the better they are at performance.
• In terms of RAM, it would be ideal if it included either 6 GB OR 8 GB of dedicated virtual RAM.
• The higher its wattage, the better the performance, but at the expense of battery life and increased heat.
• Max-Q GPU.

Nvidia’s “Max-Q” graphics cards are lighter, quieter, and more compact versions of its desktop GPU. They fit into thinner laptops, making gaming more enjoyable. RTX GPUs, such as NVIDIA’s 30-series, enable ray tracing functionality for a highly appealing gaming experience.

The ongoing shortage of electronic chips might make GPUs difficult to come by, so you may have to look for NVIDIA’s RTX 20-series mobile GPU or AMD’s Radeon RX 5000M Series. Choose a gaming laptop with a long-lasting, competent GPU for your gaming preferences since it will not be upgradeable.

Display

The display on gaming laptops is built into the system, so upgrades aren’t possible. You can connect a screen or monitor to a gaming laptop, but it’s better to match your components with a high-end display

The response time and refresh rate of a gaming laptop are essential. A basic laptop has a refresh rate of 60Hz, but a good gaming laptop has a refresh rate of 120Hz or higher. When paired with a low response time like 1-3ms, the games you play will run more smoothly.

Playing fast-paced games with a low refresh rate can cause motion blur, and playing quickly with a high response time can cause problems.

Another consideration is the screen resolution of the laptop. Some high-end gaming laptops offer higher-resolution displays, but these can cost hundreds of dollars more. If the display of your choice has a higher resolution, the image will be sharper.

RAM

The final component of your gaming laptop’s top specs is its RAM. RAM is incredibly important for smooth gaming performance. If you want to maximize your gaming experience, look for a gaming laptop with at least 8GB of DDR4 RAM (you can go up to 32GB, but it won’t be necessary for pure gaming).

You can also manually upgrade the RAM on your gaming laptop. For example, if you buy a gaming laptop with 8GB of DDR4 RAM already installed, you can manually replace it with another 8GB of DDR4 RAM. You should, however, ensure that your chosen model has enough RAM slots and that you can upgrade it.

You don’t want to buy more RAM and not have your gaming laptop register it, so you should choose a laptop with at least 16GB or 32GB maximum RAM. Also, you should be aware that RAM on your laptop differs from graphics memory on your GPU. Unlike system RAM, VRAM cannot be upgraded.

Graphics Card

The best graphics cards available for laptops are from AMD and Nvidia. At the moment, Nvidia’s RTX 30-series graphics cards lead the way, and the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is Nvidia’s highest-end graphics card. 

Rather than using a GeForce RTX 3070 or 3060 graphics card, gamers usually use an RTX 30-series graphics card if they want to play games at 4K resolutions or ultra-high detail levels.

If your budget is tight, AMD offers the RX 6000 series range of graphics cards, which can be high-end if you wish to spend more. However, the RX 6000 series is generally recommended for playing games at 1080p resolutions.

Any of these graphics cards will work well for games such as Fortnite, Call of Duty, or Final Fantasy XIV, as these games scale down well to 1080p. However, if you wish to play more advanced games, such as Cyberpunk 2077, you will need a higher-end GPU.

Whichever graphics card you choose, check how much memory is on the card. A graphics card with 12GB of RAM is likely to perform better than one with 4 or 8GB of RAM. GPU RAM, also known as VRAM (video random access memory), is a specific type of RAM that works to assist your system’s graphics card.

GeForce RTX 30-series graphics cards offer better performance than older laptops with GeForce RTX 20-series graphics cards. If you can afford it, you should invest in the newest technology as there is no substitute for the latest technology.

Gaming laptops can cost expensive with the most advanced RTX 3080 Ti graphics card, which means that an RTX 3070 graphics card is often a better buy for gamers. Your graphics card’s performance will improve if you have more VRAM, and you can’t upgrade it later.

Portability

As gaming laptops require higher-end hardware and a more extensive cooling system, they tend to be bulkier than standard laptops. Make sure to look for a system as thin and lightweight as possible. Also, pay attention to how much battery life your laptop has. Gaming laptops often have short battery lives.

When it comes to portability, you may need to choose lower specs if you want the battery to last longer than an hour away from a charging point. You will need a lower set of specs if portability is your top priority. This will ensure the battery will last longer away from the power source.

Keyboard

Some gaming laptops, such as those made by Razer or Alienware, offer mechanical keyboards.  A mechanical keyboard has physical switches beneath the keys, so they’re noisier but far more satisfying (and accurate) to use. Highly durable, they work particularly well when gaming and such extras can be a helpful way of gaining the edge when playing games on your gaming laptop.

HDDs or SSDs 

The storage space of your gaming laptop is another upgradeable feature you should consider. Modern games are taking up more and more space, so if you’re looking to have a sizable gaming library, you’ll also want at least 1TB of storage space. Some laptops can have two drives so that you can have one for your current games and one for the rest of your library.

You need to weigh HDDs vs. SSDs or hard disk drives vs. solid-state drives. Hard disk drives give you more storage space per dollar, but SSDs are much faster. You can choose from a variety of laptop configurations, with most laptops nowadays supporting HDDs and SSDs as well as portable storage devices.

Battery Life

The battery life of gaming laptops isn’t the best due to their powerful components. If you choose a laptop with underpowered components, your gaming performance could suffer. You might get longer battery life from a laptop with less powerful components, but you might not get as good a gaming experience.

On the other hand, that laptop might come with a weaker battery which offsets the reason you choose such a weak laptop. Battery replacement but not upgrade are limitations of gaming laptops. For this reason, if possible, a game with your laptop plugged into a power source even though batteries are getting better in gaming laptops.

To make sure you get a long-lasting gaming laptop, however, take product descriptions with a grain of salt and, instead, read what real owners and reviewers have to say about the models you’re considering.

Conclusion: 

Regardless of which brand you choose, make sure that you do a little research to determine which laptop is right for you. With the popularity of PC gaming accelerating every year, there’s no doubt that gaming laptops are going to continue thriving in the foreseeable future. You might be surprised at how much a gaming laptop can cost. Luckily, if you don’t need the top-of-the-line specs, a cheaper option should suit your needs just fine. Not only that but finding out the most important features of a gaming laptop will enable you to more easily find what you need.

In this article, we discussed the most important features of a gaming laptop, as well as what to look for when buying a laptop. However, remember that there are also a lot of other features that can affect your gaming experience. Nowadays, there are laptops with powerful hardware and the latest technology that allow you to play your favorite games. Think about how you intend to use it, then look for the right specifications, RAM, and storage options that could fit your needs.

The selection of a gaming laptop may be somewhat difficult, but once you know your priorities, it should be easier to find one that is a good match for your lifestyle. In the end, nobody can tell you which laptop is going to be the best for you—that decision is entirely up to you. At the same time, comparing various models online can help you find a better deal so long as you read reviews directly from people like yourself who have purchased the product and can share their experiences.