A Primer on Gaming Laptops

Lugging around that gaming rig, with your keyboard, mouse and screen in tow can get a bit tiring, especially if you do it on a constant basis. But how else are you going to be able to play your favourite games, since they require graphics and processing power that most mainstream laptops just don’t have? There’s a solution to nearly every question in life, and for this one, the solution just happens to be a gaming laptop.

The solution is to invest in a gaming laptop. Just think of it as a portable gaming solution – you get to have the most powerful processors and video graphics in a package that’s easier to carry around than your gaming tower. With a gaming laptop, you can do nearly all of the things that you would be able to do with your desktop gaming rig without having to lug a colossal tower around.

The first thing to consider when buying a gaming laptop is how big you want it to be. Gaming laptops range from 15″ models that are convenient for carrying around to 18″ models that offer the largest screens and the best video graphics cards available. Laptops are generally referred to by the size of their screens, so keep this in mind when choosing one. Also keep in mind how often you plan on carrying around your gaming laptop before choosing a size. Most 17″ and above laptops are considered “desktop replacements” and thanks to their size and weight, these models aren’t recommended for constant carrying around.

Gaming laptops come with a variety of processors, mostly from vendors such as AMD and Intel. Most of these laptops will come with processors featuring multiple cores and the ability to be overclocked in small amounts for a decent boost in speed and processing power. Most games rely heavily on both processor and video graphics power, so having the most powerful chip you can buy can make a great difference when it comes to overall performance.

Dedicated graphics cards are nearly mandatory when it comes to gaming laptops. Companies such as nVidia and ATI offer powerful graphics solutions that deliver superior performance over “integrated” graphics solutions. In fact, dedicated graphics cards are much different than their integrated counterparts. Instead of being graphics chips directly mounted on the main motherboard, dedicated cards are on their own board that is connected to the motherboard by a slot. With their own specialized memory and graphics chips, these cards perform much faster, giving gamers a better playing experience.

2GB of RAM is the bare minimum of what most companies will supply their gaming laptops with. Of course, custom ordered laptops are available with upgrades for system RAM, as well as hard drives and other features. Keep in mind that the maximum amount of RAM for most gaming laptops is 8GB, with some laptops only allowing 6.8GB of that RAM to be used thanks to certain hardware limitations.

These systems don’t come cheap, though. The least amount of money you can expect to spend on a system will come to at least $1500, with some systems such as Alienware’s laptop line surpassing the $2500 mark and beyond. Fortunately, there are plenty of systems that can deliver a decent punch for an affordable price, depending on how it is all configured.

Matthew Kerridge is an fan of conusmer electronics. If you want further information regarding gaming laptops or are searching for a trusted gaming laptop retailer please visit http://www.ebuyer.com