Gaming Laptop Buying Guide
May 28, 2009 at 12:05:13 PM, by Jesper Berg
Gaming on a laptop is a relatively new phenomenon. A few years ago no one would even have considered putting a powerful GPU in a laptop. To be perfectly honest, it’s still not that practical.
A high-end graphics card generates a lot of heat, which is a problem due to the limited space in a laptop. Another problem is the high power consumption, which essentially means that you have to stay close to an outlet if you want to play games.
The good part is that both graphics cards and processors get smaller and more efficient with each new generation, and the technological advancements and better manufacturing processes have made it possible to cram in a relatively powerful GPU into normal sized laptops.
Buying a Gaming Laptop
The first thing to look for in a gaming laptop is of course a decent graphics card. There are lots of different models, and new (or re-branded) GPUs appear all the time. However, one very specific guideline is to make sure that you get a GPU from either Nvidia or ATI. Avoid integrated graphics from Intel completely, as they are completely useless for gaming. Some integrated or low-end dedicated varieties from Nvidia/ATI are not intended for gaming either. A (very) basic rule of thumb right now is to look for an Nvidia GeForce 9600M, GT 130M, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 or better.
Gaming laptops are usually of the large variety – with 17-inch or even larger screens – although there are also quite a few 15-inch dedicated gaming laptops. Although there are even smaller laptops with halfway decent GPUs, most gamers will probably want a reasonably large screen anyway.
Alienware is likely the best-known gaming laptop manufacturer, and was recently acquired by Dell, so Alienware models will replace Dell’s popular XPS gaming laptops. Some smaller manufacturers like Gateway and MSI also release the occasional gaming notebook. To get specific information about gaming laptops, make sure to check out our gaming laptop reviews.
Recommended Minimum Specifications:
- CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Turion Ultra
- Memory: 4GB
- Hard Drive: 250-500GB
- Screen Size: 15 inches or larger
- Operating System: Windows Vista Premium or Windows XP
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