How to choose the right gaming laptop

CPU

The central processing unit (CPU) is the brain of your laptop. The CPU sends signals to the computer components as well as processing instructions sent by the software on the system. There are a handful of specifications that you can look at when deciding what CPU you would prefer, such as clock speed and core count along with a few others.

• Clock speed: Will determine how quickly the CPU retrieves and carries out instructions. Generally, the higher the clock speed the faster the CPU. (Measured in GHz).
• Core count: A CPU can have multiple cores, each core acting as its own individual processing unit. The more cores, the more tasks your CPU is able to handle.

There are plenty of CPUs on the market to choose from. If you’d like something a little punchier, you can purchase unlocked CPUs in which you can overclock for additional performance. Overclocking means to push your clock speed of your processor past its limits. Clock speed is the number of cycles your CPU can complete in a second. DIY overclocking will produce much higher clock speed. But please bear in mind that the faster your CPU goes, the hotter your CPU gets which can cause many problems within your system, especially with a laptop where cooling may be compromised! So, in order to not reduce the life span of your new laptop, make sure you are following your hardware guides on how to overclock and stay within the safe margins.

GPU

A GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) creates the pixels that form the picture on the screen. It works hand in hand with the CPU to produce smooth frame rates and high-resolution gaming.

All laptops have a GPU, but most are integrated into the motherboard and in most cases, this will suffice for the standard user. But if you are a gamer and would like something with a little more power, you can plump for an upmarket GPU. Most gaming laptops are easily purchased with a GeForce GTX GPU factory fitted. These GPUs are generally a less powerful version of a desktop card of the same series, but optimisations mean they would definitely perform to a similar level to plug in systems.

Storage

Solid-state Drives (SSDs) outclass their older mechanical counterparts, hard disk drives (HDDs) in almost every aspect of gaming. SSDs are much faster than HDDs which means the system will be able to load files and programs much quicker to reduce start times for games as well as the system itself. SSDs also come with no spinning parts which means they will produce less heat than their HDD relative.

Almost all gaming laptops now will come with an SSD. And they come in different interfaces, the fastest being the PCIe NVMe M.2. Your choice depends on how much storage you would like. A large number of laptops will also give you the opportunity to upgrade or add another SSD, which is definitely something you should look for as you can improve your system overtime with upgraded parts.

If you require any additional storage after the purchase and you have a laptop with an M.2 NVMe port, Kingston provides a fantastic option tailor-made for gaming! The Kingston FURY Renegade SSD, leveraging the latest Gen 4x4 NVMe controller and 3D TLC NAND, provides a cutting-edge performance in high capacities for gaming and hardware enthusiasts seeking extreme performance for PC builds and upgrades. With speeds of up to 7,300/7,000MB/s read/write{{Footnote.N64559}} and capacities up to 4TB{{Footnote.N37130}}, you won’t have to delete data to find space for a very long time.

RAM

RAM (Random Access Memory) is memory that stores data temporarily but makes it much easier and quicker for your CPU to retrieve. You can purchase gaming laptops with a good amount of RAM already installed, it will just depend on your budget. Some laptops do come with the freedom of being able to upgrade the existing RAM into something faster at a later date.

An option we can recommend is the Kingston FURY Impact DDR5, an Intel® XMP 3.0 certified SODIMM with speeds of 4800MT/s{{Footnote.N65242}} and capacities of up to 64GB. A fantastic upgrade to a gaming laptop!

When buying a gaming laptop, consider all the above before making your decision. Although storage and RAM are incredibly important, these can be upgraded at a later date if you do not have the sufficient funds to get the best. Don’t be afraid to focus on other aspects to get the best possible laptop you can. Just make sure you are able to upgrade whichever model it is that you decide to get!

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