Gaming Laptops
What you need to take the game on the road
Gaming laptops give gamers the flexibility to play their favorite computer games while on the go. Laptops for gaming are more powerful and expensive than general purpose or business laptops because of the requirements for the latest PC games.
The best gaming laptops have fast, powerful processors, lots of RAM, large hard drives, high-quality video and sound cards, networking capability, high-resolution screens and Windows Vista, which has been optimized for gamers.
The amount of laptop gaming memory you have is especially important because games require a lot of computer memory to run smoothly. You can get up to 4 GB of RAM on a gaming laptop, but 2 GB is more than enough to run most of today's popular games. Plus, you can always upgrade your RAM if you require more.
Your video card also has RAM on it that contributes to the overall speed and performance of the graphics. For adequate performance, 512 MB is enough, but for the optimal gaming experience, it may be worth purchasing an upgraded laptop with 1 GB of video card RAM for a few hundred dollars more.
If you're looking for cheap gaming laptops, consider purchasing used or refurbished. This will generally save you a couple hundred dollars.
Must-Have Features
- Efficient 350 watt power supply
- Intel Core 2 Duo or Intel Core 2 Extreme Processor
- Large screen
- Laptop video card (ATI and Nvidia are the best choices)
- 80 GB hard drive (minimum)
Major Considerations
- How heavy is it? (If you are interested in a large screen for optimal gaming, it will obviously be much heavier for travelling around.)
- How many USB ports do I need for external devices and gaming accessories?
- Does it have all the features I need?
Top Manufacturers
Some of the most popular gaming laptop brands to look for are:
- Dell
- Alienware
- Voodoo
- Vigor
- HP
Common Accessories or Add-Ons
- Wired mouse with programmable buttons
- Good-quality headphones
- Game controller, flight stick, steering wheel, etc.
- Subwoofer
Price Range
Laptops marketed specifically as gaming laptops generally range in price from $1,500 to over $3,000, not including accessories and add-ons.
Summary
Gaming on the go has never been easier, with laptops optimized for PC gaming. These laptops are loaded with high-performance hardware and Windows Vista, which has been optimized for gamers. Many gamers opt to also purchase accessories and add-ons for the ultimate mobile gaming experience.
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