In each technological equipment, there are a set of features that you must have in a machine; gaming laptops are no exception. Buying a gaming laptop might cost heavily on your pockets, so gaming laptop rental is the best option for pro gamers. To get one of the top gaming laptops you might want to know about the must-have features that must align with your gaming needs to never lose your game.
- Display
- Graphics
- Processor
- Storage
- RAM
- Battery Life
- Keyboard
Take a look at the complete specifications and get ready to enter the ultimate gaming arena.
Display
Every gamer goes the extra mile for getting a display that never misses a single detail. Coupled with the top-notch equipment to back smooth gaming, the display is crucial to all pro gamers. Multiple factors contribute to the perfect display system for leading gaming laptops. Have a look at the features that should be considered while choosing the ideal display.
Display Size
Good gaming laptops have screen sizes between optimal 13 inches to a huge display of 21 inches. Big is always better but each big display comes with heavy hardware. You have to make a size-to-weight trade-off, so choose the display size according to your preferences. Even if you have an optimal display, you can always switch to a bigger screen by getting dedicated monitors for your gaming system. You can even opt for monitor rental services if you don’t want to buy one.
Display Resolution
The bigger display is useless if you don’t have enough resolution. 1080p x 1980p is the bottom line when it comes to the resolution of the best budget gaming laptops. Anything lesser than this will hinder your performance on the gaming battlefield. 4k displays give the ideal resolution for premium gaming laptops.
Display Refresh Rate
Refresh depicts the number of times the display refreshes its frames in one second. The more the refresh rate is, the smoother the gaming experience would be. 1080p x 1980p displays usually come with 60Hz refresh rate, but higher resolution displays come with 144Hz, 240Hz, and even 360Hz refresh rate. The high refresh rate demands a powerful GPU, so it’s on you whether you choose to be extravagant or stay within your budget.
Display Syncing
When using high-end settings, you need to make sure that your display refresh rate is synchronized with the frame rate of your graphics card or GPU. If the refresh rate lacks synchronization with the response time, you may experience display tearing and ghosting issues.
Additional Display Features
OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) displays are gaudy and produce vibrant images. Similarly, some of the most expensive gaming laptops come with additional touch screens. If you want to play your games on vibrant displays, you can opt for such displays, but these displays drain the battery power faster.
Graphics
Cutting-edge graphics hardware makes ordinary laptops the best gaming laptops for experiencing the utmost thrill of the gaming arena. Premium graphic settings cannot be skipped when casting resource-intensive games over gaming displays. There are two main settings for graphics:
Integrated Graphics
Such graphics use the same motherboard, as for the other computational tasks. Graphic cards are used for integrated graphics setups. AMD and Intel are well-known manufacturers of integrated graphics cards.
Discrete Graphics
Such graphics are produced independently by a dedicated GPU. Having a discrete graphic unit gives a boost to the overall performance of the gaming systems. The two most famous GPU manufacturers are Nvidia and AMD. Both of these companies are famous in the gaming industry for launching a complete range of graphics hardware for exceptional gaming laptops.
The gamers can choose the graphic settings according to their requirements. Here’s the categorical guide for choosing the graphic setting best suited for your gaming requirements.
Novice Gamers
In the early stages of your gaming career, you may not have very high-end requirements for gaming PCs. They usually choose to get their hands on professional gaming in some optimal settings. Entry-level gamers can choose Nvidia-GTX 3050 or AMD-RX 5500M which gives an optimal gaming experience. Even Nvidia-GTX 3060 gives a bit more edge over GTX 3050 graphic cards.
Livestream Gamers
The gamers who choose to live stream their gaming need top-of-the-line settings for graphics, so discrete graphics is a go-to option for them. The best-suited graphic card for mainstream gamers is Nvidia GeForce- RTX 3070 or 3070 Ti. But if you are considering AMD, RX 6700 can provide you with satisfactory performance while your gaming session goes live.
Pro Gamers
Gamers with deep pockets can always choose to go for premium settings. On the Nvidia side, GTX 3070, 3080, and 3080 Ti can give gradually levelled-up graphics as you level up these numbers. If you don’t mind investing heavily in the graphics, choose Nvidia GeForce 3080 Ti for a premium 4k resolution and added VR effects.
Processor
Along with powerful graphics, gamers should have a keen eye for a robust processor. The performance of CPU and Graphics go hand in hand. Here are the factors that have high contributions to CPU performance:
CPU Clock Speed
Clock speed is the number of processing cycles completed by a CPU in one second and is measured in GHz (Giga Hertz). The higher the clock speed is, the better the performance. To avoid lag in heavy games, good gaming laptops should have a speed above 3GHz.
CPU Variations
To cater to a variety of users, there are multiple options available. Core i3 is better for very basic usage and has nothing to do with the gaming industry. The bottom line for the processor is the Intel Core i5. Any lesser power is potent enough to give you a headache later, as CPUs are non-upgradable in cheap gaming laptops. Intel Core i7 is the most preferred processor for gamers. If you want the highest level of CPU performance, you can opt for the Intel Core i9.
Number of Cores
A CPU can have multiple cores and each core acts as an additional processor. The budget-friendly settings may include a dual or quad-core setup. Some deep-pocketed users may go for 6 or 8 cores depending on their requirements. Dual-core or quad-core i7 gaming laptops are ideal for a top-notch gaming experience.
Storage
There are two storage options for the laptops: moving HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) and static SSDs (Solid State Drives). Hard drives are built-in storage options in budget gaming laptops, whereas SSDs can be used for booting storage capacity. When choosing performance over budget, you can go for dual storage options. The combo of 128GB SSD and 1TB HDD is ideal for gamers. You can always upgrade storage whenever you want to but upgraded storage may increase memory accession time. Thus, if you are considering upgrading storage, go for 7200 rpm (rotations per minute) HDDs.
RAM
If you are looking for a multi-tasking gaming laptop, you cannot overlook the importance of RAM (Random Access Memory). It is the temporary memory that keeps the track of record of each task. Apart from Gigabyte (GB) counts, there are some features that should be considered before choosing the best laptops for gaming and work.
Accessing Speed
How fast the CPU accesses the RAM is crucial for gaming on the go. It is measured in MHz (Megahertz) and should be at least 3200MHz for affordable gaming laptops.
RAM Upgradation
Some of the top gaming laptops have the option to access and upgrade RAM when required. This feature is not common and may even cause issues if you fail to contact an expert professional with complex systems knowledge. So, you should choose the optimum RAM at the time of buying.
8GB RAM is a safe option for satisfactory performance in average gaming setups, but if you want to go for heavy multi-tasking along with hardcore gaming, you need to get 16GB RAM. You can also choose 32GB RAM if you won’t mind going extravagant while looking for heavy multitasking along with uninterrupted gaming.
Battery Life
If you are looking for a portable gaming option, you’ll face a hard time finding an ideal fit for you. Only a few gaming laptops that last eight hours of hardcore gaming. For continuous gaming at the expense of charging capacity, you might have to face a dim display, or you may need to plug in the charger each time you want to experience the ultimate adventure of a vibrant battlefield.
Alongside making a compromise over the display, the long-lasting charging capacity would always come with a heavy gaming laptop. The more battery life you choose, the heavier your laptop would be. So, you have to make a trade-off between battery timing and weight for getting a portable gaming option.
Keyboard
In gaming laptops, the keyboard is not a mere piece of hardware meant for input. Strafing and rapid firing can never be accomplished with ordinary keyboards. Here are the crucial factors you should be looking for in the best gaming laptops.
Anti-ghosting
Multiple keystrokes simultaneously can ghost ordinary keyboards. Anti-ghosting allows sending multiple keystrokes in the same order as they are pressed. Make sure your keyboard anti-ghosts when you need to boom the battlefield with rapid firing.
Actuation Point
The actuation point is the minimum amount of force needed to make your keypress hit the activation point; the activation point is the distance at which the keystroke is recognized by the keyboard. It should neither be too low nor too high; too low may cause ghosting and too high may need stiff keypresses. The optimum actuation point is 2mm, however, pro-gamers can go for 1mm.
Key Travel Distance
Best gaming laptops allow for higher key travel distances so they can go crazy while shooting vigorously without breaking off keys. Any travel distance lesser than 2mm can displace the keys from the gamer’s keyboards. Ace gamers choose mechanical keyboards that make a clicking sound due to a spring-backed design.
Key Pitch
Pitch is the distance between the centres of two keys on the keyboard. Make sure the keys have enough space for your keypresses without getting stuck. The optimum pitch is 19mm for each keyboard but more crucial for the best gaming laptops.
Macro Keys
Macro keys are a set of keys that are dedicated to performing a specific function or carrying out scripted actions. Look for a keyboard that allows for customizable macro keys that can be programmed for complex gaming actions.
N-key Rollover
It gives the number of keys that can be pressed simultaneously and recognized by the keyboard without any error. ‘N’ is usually a generalization and has a specific number for each keyboard. Choose the one that matches your gaming style.
Additional Features
Apart from technical specifications, gamers want a pro-gamer look and feel. Psychedelic backlighting and click sounds make gaming keyboards look like cool gaming keyboards. One can choose according to his taste.