How to Choose a Gaming Laptop – DIY in 5 Ep 197

Опубликовано 7 мая 2023, 13:00

How to choose the correct gaming laptop for your needs? It’s never been easier for gamers to get their hands on great hardware. The GPU shortage continues to lessen, with good deals abundant.

Advantages
While desktop computers are often preferred, being more upgradable and generally offering better performance, laptops are far more portable for vacations, work trips, or LAN parties. However, these days, laptops can also have high-spec hardware options, giving you the best of both worlds.

Display
There are a few things to keep in mind about your desired laptop hardware. First, the display. For those on the go, your laptop screen will be your main screen more often than not. Some of us prefer larger and some of us prefer smaller screens. Visual acuity is the determining factor, and it is influenced by screen resolution. A 17-inch screen will need a higher resolution than a 13-inch screen to achieve the same visual acuity. The refresh rate is also important: how many times per second can the screen show a new image? Refresh rates are measured in hertz (Hz), with each hertz equivalent to one image. A higher Hz rate is preferable. 144Hz is recommended for smoother gaming. Competitive gamers playing fast-paced games may prefer something even faster, but those into cozy games like Stardew Valley might not notice the difference.

CPU & GPU
The brain of the laptop, the CPU, requires a hefty clock speed and core count to perform when running modern games. Clock speed influences whether we can run our games in high or low quality and what the frame rate will be, while core count governs how many tasks the CPU can cover at one time. While we call them gaming laptops, machines with these kinds of specs are also effective for simulation, video editing, programming etc. Anyone using their laptop in these capacities will benefit from more cores. It’s a good idea to check on the websites of your favorite games and manufacturers to see the recommended CPU clock speed, and make your choice accordingly. All laptops have at minimum a low-performance integrated GPU, which will suffice for most standard users. But gaming laptops can easily be purchased with a GeForce GTX GPU factory-fitted. These laptop GPUs may be less powerful than desktop cards of the same series, but with optimizations they can definitely perform at a similar level to plug-in systems.

Upgrading Storage and Memory
We talk about it a lot on this channel, but remember that solid-state drives outclass their mechanical counterparts. They’re faster at loading files, programs, reducing game start time, and more besides. Most laptops come with SSDs. Different interfaces like the PCI NVMe M.2 offer substantial benefits as your weapon—or drive—of choice for gaming laptops.

Contrary to the stereotype, more laptops than ever are letting owners upgrade at least certain components. Additional storage options, for example, are nice to have. The Kingston FURY Renegade SSD would fit the bill. It supports the latest Gen 4x4 NVMe controller and 3D TLC NAND, providing a cutting-edge performance that benefits games and other tasks which rely on fast hard drive access.
Lastly, RAM. Sometimes, laptop RAM can be upgraded at a later date. Purchasing a new machine with an immediately satisfactory RAM configuration is not as critical as it was. However, always double-check that your laptop can be upgraded with the storage and RAM capacity that you desire. Most games can get by with 16GB of RAM, but upgrading to 32GB is a good idea. If you do decide to upgrade, fast RAM such as the Kingston FURY Impact DDR5, an Intel© XMP 3.0 certified SODIMM with speeds of 4800MT/s3 and capacities of up to 64GB. Capacities like that mean RAM will never be an issue.

Recap
In summary, keep in mind display size, resolution and frame rate, CPU cores and clock speeds when shopping gaming laptops. Also look for a dedicated GPU, SSD storage and at least 32GB of RAM. With all of this in place, you can game with confidence on your great new laptop.
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0:00 Intro
0:42 Advantages
1:16 Display
2:27 CPU & GPU
3:29 Upgrading storage and memory
5:06 Outro