How to Pick the Best Gaming Laptop? Expert Advices

While the desktop remains unrivalled when it comes to playing eSports, sometimes you just need something a bit more portable. A gaming laptop is an on-the-go rig with the power to run games in a size you can take with you anywhere, anytime.

The concern is that when buying a gaming laptop, you do not just look at the specifications. You need to pay attention to a wide array of features, such as display, form factor, battery life, and, of course, the components powering it all.

Here, we will explain all the decisions you must make when shopping for the best gaming laptop to get the best value for your money.

Which screen is suitable for a gaming laptop?

When buying a gaming laptop, one of the most important decisions you must make regarding the screen is what you get on day one and stick with it until you junk the device. Go for an IPS or OLED display, though gaming laptops, through some mid-range gaming laptops, often integrate TN panels. You can buy with a 60Hz display if you mostly play single-player games, but thankfully, most gaming laptops nowadays pack 120Hz+ panels instead.

Regarding resolution, you should not get settled than a 1920 x 1080 display. It’s rare to find one with a lesser resolution, but if you don’t get it. 4K is a buzzword. This resolution delivers sharper photo viewing and more video editing space, but you may still need to turn down some settings, especially if you enable ray tracing. More and more laptops boast a 1440p middle ground, which is an excellent bet.

Aside from the resolution, screen technologies also make a difference. Some gaming laptops support AMD G-Sync and NVIDIA Free-Sync, which sync the display with the graphics cards, eliminating screen tearing and ghosting.

How to choose the best screen size for a gaming laptop?

The screen size determines the size of the laptop itself and, thus, its weight. Think long and hard about whether you’re willing to take the weight penalty in exchange for the ample screen real estate for immersive gameplay. If the laptop will be your only gaming machine, opting for a 17-inch screen might be ideal. Under the hood, a 17.3-inch screen is easier on weaker eyes than a 15.5-inch screen. Overall, this is a matter of your personal performance and budget. 

What to look for in a CPU?

The central processing unit act as a brain of your laptop. CPU sends signals to the computer components as well as processing instructions to accomplish the tasks. Choosing the right CPU ensures smooth gameplay, faster load times, and minimal bottlenecks. There are a handful of specifications that you can look at when deciding what CPU you should get, including the processor’s generation, brand, clock speed and core count, along with a few others. 

Based on your budget, you could opt for a powerful AMD or Intel i7 processor or even one suitable for overclocking, like the Intel Core i9-13900HK. Some laptops also come with desktop-grade CPUs. However, for most games, a high-quality GPU tends to have a greater impact than the CPU, meaning a Core i5 can often suffice.  

Clock speed indicates how fast the CPU can process instructions. Higher clock speeds translate into better performance, especially in games that rely on single-core efficiency. Some CPUs automatically increase clock speed under heavy loads for better performance.  A good starting point for modern gaming CPUs is around 3.5 GHz or higher. 

As for the core count, you will probably need multiple cores but typically don’t efficiently utilise more than 6 to 8 cores. Choose from Quad-core (4 cores), suitable for light gaming and older titles. While Hexa-core (6 cores) caters to most modern games, Octa-core (8 cores or more) offers the best value in multitasking, streaming, and futureproofing. 

What GPU do you need?

After the CPU, the GPU is an integral part of the laptop, creating pixels that form pictures on the screen. At the time of writing, most gaming laptops come with NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs. The newest Nvidia graphics cards are the RTX 40-series, ranging from the RTX 4050 to the RTX 4090. On the AMD side, you see the Radeon RX 7000M and 7000S series, with the key distinction being power limits—higher in the M series. AMD’s latest graphics cards include the Radeon RX 7600M and 7600M XT, as well as the RX 7700S and RX 7600S. 

If you do not need to play on the highest settings, you can go for an Nvidia RTX 4050 or an older Radeon graphics card. For mainstream gamers, NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4060 is a solid mid-range graphics card capable of running most games at high settings. However, upgrading to the RTX 4070 will provide a noticeable performance boost. 

What should I look for in a keyboard?

If you are buying the best budget gaming laptop, you are going to get chiclet keys and LED backlighting; there are more to consider, such as: 

Key travel is how far down you can press a key. It’s generally preferable to go over 1.5 millimetres of key travel, and if you hit 2mm, that’s even better.  

Actuation: This is how much force you need to apply to the key to press it down. The sweet spot lies somewhere between 65 and 70 grams, which is enough to provide resistance. 

Anti-ghosting and n-key rollover: These features ensure you perform at your peak during gaming. Anti-ghosting ensures that every input is detected when you press multiple keys simultaneously for combos or actions. Meanwhile, n-key rollover ensures that each keypress is recognised independently, regardless of how many other keys are pressed simultaneously. 

Backlighting: While affordable gaming laptops provide backlighting, it is either red or white. The high-end gaming machines offer RGB backlighting. Some keyboards control lighting by zones or sections, while others offer the option to customise each key individually. Some models even adjust the lighting based on the game you’re playing. 

What kind of storage is best for a gaming laptop?

Solid-state drives (SSDs) outperform traditional hard disk drives (HDDs) in aspect of gaming. SSDs boast higher speeds, which enable faster file and application loading. Unlike HDDs, which contain moving parts, SSDs generate less heat, making them more efficient and reliable. 

Most gaming laptops now come equipped with SSDs, available in various interfaces, with PCIe NVMe M.2 being the fastest option. Your choice will depend on your storage needs. Many laptops also allow you to install additional SSDs, which means you can expand your laptop’s storage capacity to meet your growing needs.  

How much RAM is required?

RAM, or random-access memory, is a temporary storage unit that the CPU uses for rapid retrieval. Unlike HDD or SSD, it doesn’t store data permanently and reset when it loses power; instead, it makes frequently used data available more quickly than a storage drive. 

More RAM means your laptop is more capable of running processes simultaneously. While having sufficient RAM is crucial for gaming, most modern games usually require no more than 16GB, and some can even run smoothly with just 8 GB. For most users, a gaming laptop with 16GB of RAM is a solid choice, but upgrading to 32GB is brilliant if you intend to keep the laptop for several years.  

What kind of battery life should a gaming laptop have?

The last but not least important factor is battery life. The best way to understand the battery life of a gaming laptop is to remember that you don’t have to count on your gaming notebook being super portable. 

The minute you crank up a GPU on a gaming laptop to play a game, you are restricting yourself to an hour or 2 of battery. So, it is important to keep your laptop plug plugged in to unlock the full potential of the GPU. In most cases, gaming laptops only provide a few hours of battery life for general tasks, so if you need a device that lasts 9 hours for work, a gaming laptop likely isn’t the right choice. Fortunately, more gaming laptops now support both barrel chargers and USB Type-C. Although USB-C can’t supply enough power for gaming, it’s useful for charging while handling productivity tasks. 

Bottom Line

When buying a laptop for gaming, get one that will last you for years. If you can afford it, select a mid-range to high-end discrete graphics card, though obviously, a better GPU is supposed to bring you plenty of performance.  

As you navigate the multiple choices, it is crucial to pay attention to other key capabilities rather than just the GPU, including display quality, screen size, CPU power, keyboard comfort, storage type, RAM capacity, and battery life. 

With the right gaming laptop, you can immerse yourself in thrilling gameplay without sacrificing performance or convenience and get the ultimate gaming experience wherever you are. 

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