What laptop is better to buy for gaming

Notebook – not the best form factor for a gaming computer. This is due to the low performance of the cooling system and limited upgrade options.

What laptop is better to buy for games: characteristics and manufacturers

When choosing a gaming laptop is worth paying attention to the following features:

1. Technical characteristics (graphics card, processor, amount of RAM, resolution and screen diagonal);
2. Gamer features;
3. The manufacturer.
4. In addition, the price is important.

Features and specifications of the gaming notebook

Price

Gaming laptops are expensive. Therefore, it is worth immediately selecting a device that is in the price range “from 60 thousand rubles” (for 2017). Laptops that cost less are unlikely to have a sufficiently efficient graphics card, processor or cooling system.

But the price – not an indicator of “playability”. So, ultrabooks Dell XPS 13 (2017) cost much more than 60 thousand rubles, but they are not suitable for games. You should pay attention to the technical characteristics.

The processor

Only two families of processors are suitable for gaming – Intel Core i5 and i7. Everything else, including chips from AMD, will not be able to provide enough performance.

It is desirable that the laptop is equipped with a desktop processor. Intel chips designed for use in mobile computers are labeled with the letters Y or U. These processors are not suitable for gaming, because they are characterized by reduced peak performance – in order to reduce power consumption and degree of heat.

For gaming laptops, suitable processors from Intel, which do not have any letters, or are marked with the letters Q, HK, K. Such chips provide sufficient performance in games.

Nevertheless, if you do not plan to play modern projects at maximum settings, any processor from the Intel Core i5 and i7 families will do.

Video card

Integrated graphics cards (Intel HD Graphics or even Intel Iris series) are not suitable for modern games. Various “casual” and old projects it can still “pull”, but when it comes to something newer than GTA San Andreas, this graphics gas pedal fails.

For a comfortable game requires at least a discrete graphics card. And the more powerful the better. The optimal configuration for 2017 is a graphics card with 2 GB of video memory GDDR5. Better, of course, more, but this will increase not only the cost, but also the price.

The minimum video card suitable for modern gaming is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980. But, of course, it is better to buy a more productive model. Such as NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060-1080.

RAM capacity

The more RAM in your laptop, the better. The minimum required capacity is 8GB. True, with so much RAM laptop “pulls” unless very old, or not too demanding to resources the game.

Optimal amount of RAM – from 16 to 32 GB. It’s good enough for most of today’s games.

Notebooks with 64 GB RAM are very rare. For example, this volume can be found in the top configuration Asus ROG GX800, the flagship gamer laptop, which sells for 5500 euros (about 380000 rubles for September 2017).

the diagonal and resolution of the screen

Flagship mobile graphics cards (including the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080) are quite capable of delivering eye-pleasing 4K resolution at around 30-60 fps. However, at 15.6-inch screen still can not enjoy all the beauty of HD because of its small size.

The minimum screen diagonal of a gaming laptop is 15.6 inches. Larger displays provide a better gamer experience, but reduce the mobility of the computer. The optimal resolution is as follows:

1. 15.6″ – F
   l HD (1920×1080 pixels);
   • 17.3 inches or more – 4K.

It is also worth remembering that the higher the resolution of the screen – the greater its power consumption. 4K displays drain the battery about twice as fast as FHD, and regardless of the diagonal.

Gamer Features

Among the specialized gamer features that significantly improve the gaming experience (and in some cases just as significantly increase the cost of the laptop) can be distinguished:

1. Mechanical keyboard or just increased key stroke. Makes the game in dynamic shooters and similar projects pleasant, because you can better control the behavior of the character;
2. Desktop graphics cards support. Unfortunately, this is implemented only in one model of gaming laptops – the Razer Blade – but it provides maximum graphics performance;
3. Reprogrammable Keyboard. Many gaming laptops have a special block of keys or touchpad, which can be customized by hanging the necessary hotkeys;
4. Ultra-thin chassis. Some gaming notebook models (like the Aorus x5 v6 or Dell Inspiron 15 Gaming) have dimensions that are similar to classic mobile computers. It makes them more portable, but it significantly reduces battery life. Thus, another ultra-thin laptop – Razer Blade – has a battery life of less than 4 hours.

Producers

The best laptops for gaming produce the following companies:

1. Razer;
2. Dell;
3. Asus;
4. Gigabyte;
5. HP;
6. Aorus.

Razer

Razer launches flagship gaming laptops. For example, its 2016 Blade and Blade Pro models featured totally gamer “stuffing” like NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 graphics cards, 32GB of RAM, and a 2TB SSD installed in a PCIe slot for maximum speed. And all of these premium components somehow fit into a slim chassis. In addition, Razer has invented a unique system “upgrade” laptops – to Blade can connect an external graphics card via a special unit. The disadvantage is quite predictable – the price.

Dell

Dell makes two lines of gaming notebooks – expensive and not so expensive. First up is the A-series