If you have a mind to buy a new laptop for the games and have this question in mind “what to look for in a gaming laptop before buying?” This detailed guide is for you.
A gaming laptop is designed to be more durable than regular laptops. It has higher speed, better graphics, faster processing power, and more memory. You can also connect the gaming laptop to connections such as Cox Internet and perform all other activities that you do on a regular laptop.
In recent years, the advent of technologies such as face recognition, virtual reality, and augmented reality have made video gaming much more fascinating. Computer games today are more advanced and therefore require additional processing power. Therefore, gaming laptops need to be equipped to respond faster at the command of the gamer, whether that’s through voice control or gestures.
The demand for gaming laptops is on the rise, especially during the pandemic when people have limited options for indoor entertainment. Different companies and brands have launched a variety of gaming laptops to cater to the growing interest and demands of consumers. With so many options at your disposal, choosing the most suitable gaming laptop can be rather difficult. To make your job easier, we’ve jotted down the top factors you need to keep in mind when purchasing a gaming laptop.
What To Look For In A Gaming Laptop?
#1. CPU & CPU
GPU stands for graphics processing unit while CPU is the central processing unit. The two work together to boost the data throughput and the number of simultaneous calculations taking place within an application. Hence, they serve as the performance drivers of your gaming machine. In other words, the better the CPU and CPU, the better the performance of your laptop.
When it comes to CPU, you should go for either 10th or 11th Gen Intel Core-i7 processor. In fact, even the i9 processor wouldn’t be a bad deal. As for GPU, among the best ones in the market at the moment are the RTX 30-series and the Nvidia GeForce GTX.
Also read:- Best Gaming Laptops Under $1500
#2. Battery Life
Higher battery life should not be your priority when choosing a gaming laptop. This is because gaming machines are typically resource-heavy. Therefore they consume batteries more quickly when in use. But this should not be a matter of concern for you as during most gaming sessions you would be connected to a power source continuously. This helps ensure that your gaming laptop is running in its turbo mode.
Having said that, the Dell G3 15 gaming laptop is worth a recommendation for battery performance. You could also go for Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 if you don’t have a problem using a processor by AMD Ryzen 9. These machines can allow up to 10 hours of uninterrupted gameplay. For gaming laptops, you shouldn’t be expecting a longer battery life than that.
#3. Refresh Rate of the Screen
The refresh rate of the screen should be a major consideration if you’re into playing games that involve multiple players. Typically, laptop screens have many refresh rate options. They start from 60 Hz and go up to 300 Hz.
The refresh rate you choose would depend on several factors. Firstly, if you only play story mode and single-player games, then the refresh rate won’t make much of a difference to you. You just need better graphical quality so that you can immerse yourself in the gameplay. However, if you happen to play games such as PUBG or other multiplayer games where anything can happen in a split moment, then we would recommend a gaming laptop that has a higher refresh rate. It would help you function faster and thereby keep you at the top of your game.
#4. Ports & Connections
Always choose gaming laptops with options for ports and connections. You would need to connect an external mouse to the machine and would also need separate ports for headphones and a microphone. Besides, you should also check for the RJ45 Lan port. You can’t be relying on Wi-Fi signals for your game-play as that could result in game lags. So consider all these aspects before buying your gaming laptop.
#5. Cooling Technology
Gaming laptops are likely to heat up because of extensive gaming. Fluctuating temperatures of the laptop degrade its frame rates and cause it to shut down on its own. This is not just annoying for the gamer but also very harmful for the internals of the machine. Hence, it is imperative to go for a laptop that has good cooling technology. This would keep the temperatures stable and allow for game continuity.
Omen 17, Acer Predator Helios 30, and Asus ROG Zephyrus S Ultra Slim are among the recommended choices for gaming laptops with effective cooling systems.