Which is the Right Gaming Laptop For You?

While the most preferred device amongst the PC gamers is the desktop, sometimes it becomes necessary to have something more portable. When you are buying a gaming laptop, you are not just looking at the specs, you are looking at the entire structure of the laptop, including the display and in-built keyboard. To make it easier to buy a gaming laptop, we’ve listed down some features that you need to check before you buy one…

1. GPU or Graphics Processing Unit

The graphics card or the GPU is the heart of a gaming laptop, so if you are a hardcore gamer, a GPU-bound laptop is a must for you. The decision of what kind of GPU to purchase can be made on what kind of settings you need for your games.

If you are an entry-level gamer, who plays games like FIFA or Battlefield 1, you probably don’t need the highest setting and you can opt for a GTX 1050, which will let you play games at middling setting. A laptop with this kind of graphics card can cost you around Rs. 54,000 to Rs. 82,000.

If you are a mainstream gamer, who plays games like Mass Effect: Andromeda, you will need a good mid-level Nvidia MSI GTX 1060 that will allow you to play on high settings. It is one of the considerate standards for VR, which is like the lowest you should opt for your Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. The laptop with this GPU should cost you around Rs. 82,000 to Rs. 1,10,000.

Lastly, if you are a gamer at the highest settings with VR, playing games like The Witcher 3 or Hitman, you need to buy an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070. It is the best graphics card available in the market, with the smoothest virtual reality and high-end special effects. Depending on what kind of specs you choose, laptops with this GPU will cost you anything between Rs. 75,000 to Rs. 2,25,000.

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2. CPU, RAM and Storage

GPU is an extremely important aspect in any gaming laptop but so is a good CPU, enough RAM, and lots and lots of storage space. Depending on what your budget is, you can purchase a powerful i7 processor or a go-to i5 processor. While selecting the CPU, make sure you consider the latest quad-core processor or hexa-core processor, as CPUs aren’t upgradeable and it is a choice you will make once.

On the RAM front, it is always considered the more, the better. On an average, you should consider purchasing an 8GB memory card but if you can get your hands on a 16GB memory card for your gaming laptop, which would be the best. Memory cards are upgradeable so, if you ever want to upgrade from 8GB to 16GB, it is doable.

While deciding the storage, there could be a question of which one to choose between an HDD and a SDD. Budget laptops usually come in with a 1TB HDD but majority of gaming laptops or notebooks come with a small SDD, which acts as a boot drive. Storage, like memory, is upgradeable, so if you ever need more space, you can add on a 2TB HDD.

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3. Display

For you to feel the gaming experience, you will need a good display with a proper screen size and high resolution. Most gaming laptops have a screen size of 15 to 17-inch screens, though there are many laptops with a huge 18-inch screen and some with a handful 14-inch screen. Which size laptop to purchase is your own choice, though never forget that the bigger the screen, the heavier the laptop.

For a gaming laptop, resolution is almost everything because otherwise, how would you experience the high-end graphics? For resolution, never opt for anything below 1920 x 1080 display. If you have a high setting graphic card, you might want to consider buying a laptop with 2560 x 1440 display.

The refresh rate is another feature you might want to consider, because the faster your laptop, the better the gaming experience. Most laptops have 1080p resolution with a 60Hz display, which is high enough for gamers. Even amongst higher resolution displays, 1080p may be the best option.

For gamers, it is advised to avoid buying touchscreen laptops, as they tend to drain the battery and look glossier over the top.

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While you are making a purchase, we’d recommend you also consider buying the extended warranty plan along with your laptop, to ensure the long life of your laptop and long hours of gaming.