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What Gaming Laptop Should I Buy?

Compiled and Written by Titus Hoskins.

What Gaming Laptop Should I Buy? This is a question which is often heard in online forums and on many tech sites, potential buyers want to know which gaming laptop they should purchase? Of course, the answer would depend upon many factors but perhaps the most overwhelming factor would have to be price.

While laptop prices have steadily fallen in recent years, gaming rigs can still command a costly sum, especially if you want a maxed out system with all the latest components. However, if you shop around for online coupons and bargains, you can get a half-decent gaming rig for under $1500 or even under $1000. But regardless of what price you pay, your gaming laptop must have certain features if you want to play the latest video games.

A gaming notebook should have a good mid to high-end graphics card(s) or GPU with dedicated video memory, a fast processor(s) and plenty of RAM. Most gamers also look for high resolution displays capable of handling the latest HD 1080 images from a Blu-ray Optical Drive. Now if money is no object, many gamers go for a fully loaded gaming rig with multiple GPUs (connected by ATI CrossFire or Nvidia's SLI), quad processors and the largest display on the market. One of these fully loaded custom gaming rigs, such as those from Sager, Alienware, Rockdirect and Falcon Northwest, could put you back 4 or 5 grand.

That's the main reason many die-hard gamers suggest a laptop for gaming is a totally ridiculous idea. They cost too much, they over heat, they are too noisy and worst of all - they are very hard to upgrade. These gamers argue you can buy a powerful desktop gaming PC for much less and have money left over for a small portable laptop which you can take on your trips and outings.

We will put this issue to one side for the moment because most of us don't have that kind of money to spend anyway, since most of us will be on a tight budget when we're buying any laptop - gaming or otherwise. But if money is tight, the first thing you should consider is the graphics card in your gaming laptop. Try to get the best one you can afford and these days prices are coming down so if shouldn't be all that hard. Always check the online gaming forums for feedback from gamers on the different GPUs and whether or not they can handle the games you want to play.

You can also do the same for any gaming notebook you are considering buying, just check the forums to see what other gamers/users are saying about the laptop in question. Keep in mind, most mid to high end cards and mid-range laptops for that matter, can play most games but you might have to settle for a lower resolution, especially if all you can afford is an inexpensive laptop.

Having a dedicated graphics card should be your first goal, one that will usually handle most games. Next, you should check for a fast processor with enough power to get the job done. They are some relatively new Intel quad core based processors in the i3, i5 and i7 lines which look very promising for gaming. You should also check the amount of RAM you have and most gamers want a high resolution display with a Blu-ray Drive if that can be squeezed into your budget.

Lately, there are some novel features which have been introduced to gaming laptops such as ATI's Eyefinity (three external displays) as seen on the HP Envy 17. There are also Full 3D gaming machines such as the ASUS G51JX-3DE which has the 120Hz display necessary for true 3D images.

Regardless, of your price range, there are many good quality gaming notebooks on the market. Most gamers suggest you go with the top brands listed above if you can afford them, but other less inexpensive brands could include the Asus Republic of Gamers line, MSI laptops if you can find them, and Toshiba's Qosmio x505 line with their large 18.4 displays and reasonable prices.

Of course, you're not limited to those brand names, just shop around and you will find many suitable gaming notebooks in your price range to meet your needs. While you're looking, just keep in mind the points listed above and you should have no trouble finding the gaming laptop you should buy.

Happy gaming.

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