Laptops are becoming a more popular choice for gamers, offering the opportunity to take PC gaming mobile and play wherever they want to. How do you choose the right gaming laptop though? Here are the three most important features a good gaming laptop should have to help you out.
A High-Spec Processor
In gaming laptops, the CPU, or central processing unit, usually does a little extra work than the one on a desktop gaming PC. Full-size computers can use dedicated graphics cards to process all the graphical data and produce images. Laptops do not have enough room inside for a full graphics card and will usually use ‘onboard’ graphics instead.
These onboard graphics chips are a part of the motherboard of the computer and work with the CPU to generate the images you see on the screen. This used to mean lower quality graphics with slower framerates. Modern gaming laptops like a Lenovo Gaming Ultrabook can handle the latest games and produce graphics that can compete with a full-size gaming PC.
Having a powerful processor helps gaming laptops compensate for their lack of a graphics card. Whenever you are looking for a laptop that is capable of playing triple-A titles, look for one of the latest CPUs with a high clock speed.
Screen Size
Big screens generally mean better gaming. Not only do you see more, and see things more clearly, but bigger laptop screens have more features that provide richer images and sharper graphics. Small screens are limited by their size as there is less room for extra hardware to improve their performance and the clarity of their images.
Screens above 15 inches will usually use the latest technology like OLED tech backed by custom display software that maintains the quality of its images even when running games at high framerates. This provides a more immersive gaming experience wherever you are playing. Bigger screens also perform better in daylight, making mobile gaming in the sunlight less of a problem.
The downside is that bigger screens mean a bigger laptop, making it more cumbersome to carry around. They are also a more expensive component which pushes up the price. The investment is worth it though and helps you to make the most of the rest of your gaming laptop.
Bigger Batteries
Gaming is a power-hungry business. When you are playing games on a laptop the battery can take a big hit. Playing time will be limited by battery size, and something that says it lasts eight hours may only last half that when you are pushing a game to its maximum settings.
Look for a gaming laptop that gives you a realistic statistic for its battery life. It can be a good idea to search online to see what other gamers are saying about their experience using the laptop you are interested in.
Choosing a gaming laptop should not be too difficult as long as you make sure these three components suit your needs. Get the CPU, screen, and battery life right and you will have a powerful mobile gaming machine.