About Time: How to Select the Right Laptop for GamingBy Angelica Malin
Unlike desktops, laptops are compact enough to carry around. These gadgets are also versatile enough, and with them, users can run demanding applications. It is the best tool to play at whether in a classroom, road, or home and doing serious work. Though standalone smartphones and tablets have become a popular choice, people realize that everything from watching videos to typing a research paper and gaming works well with portable laptops. Now the question is what type of laptop is best suited for gaming. Gaming laptops vary in prices and features, which makes it challenging to buy a gaming laptop. Here is a guide on finding the right gaming laptop.
Pick a Platform
Finding the right gaming laptop platform is not easy, especially for someone who is not familiar with PCs and Macs. However, this overview of the strengths and weaknesses of each gaming laptop platform should help. Most gaming laptops come with either Mac OS, Chrome OS, or Windows. The choice depends on your personal preference, but below is a summary of what each platform offers.
Mac OS
All MacBooks come with macOS Mojave, which is the latest desktop operating system powered by Apple. The functionalities of this operating system are similar to Windows 10, but its interface is a little different. macOS Mojave replaces the Cortana digital assistants with Siri. Its users can text, take calls, or perform transactions with Apple Pay using their iPhones and unlock their gaming laptops with an Apple-powered watch.
Windows 10
It is the most flexible operating system and appears on several other models besides Mac OS x AND Chrome OS. Prices for Windows notebook range from under $150 to thousands of dollars and come with an array of features, including fingerprint readers, touch screens, and dual graphics chips. It is the latest Microsoft’s flagship operating system version, and it comes as an improvement of Windows 7 and 8. It gives users the ability to switch between desktop and tablet modes, and its Start menu is revamped with a powerful Cortana digital assistant and live tiles. Windows 10 has added an array of improvements since its launch in 2015, including the ability to search an email using any natural language. With Windows 10, users can follow-up questions with the Cortana digital assistance and scribble almost anywhere with a stylus.
Choose the Size
Gamers should first consider how portable they want their laptops to be even before they look at the pricing and specs. Gaming laptops are categorized based on the size of their display. The lightest and thinnest gaming laptop weighs around 2.5 to 3.5 pounds and comes with an 11 to 12-inch screen. With a weight of 4.5 to 6.5 pounds, the 15-inch gaming laptops are the popular option. It works well for people interested in a large screen and not interested in carrying their laptop around. However, the 17-18-inches laptops could provide gamers with the processing power that they may need for workstation-level productivity and high-end laptop gaming. But it only suits people who are comfortable with their laptops staying on their desk all the time.
Touchpad and Keyboard
Even the most impressive specs mean nothing for a laptop with poor ergonomics. A gaming laptop meant for doing a lot of work should have enough space between the keys, plenty of vertical travel, and reliable tactile feedback. Your gaming laptop should also have an accurate touchpad that can respond to multi-touch gestures consistently and give users a jumpy cursor. For a corporate or business laptop, look for a brand with pointing stick between the H and G keys to allow navigation around the computer without getting your fingers off the keyboard.
Plan Based on Your Budget
With under $200, you can find a usable gaming laptop, but with a budget, you can find a computer with stronger performance, better battery quality, and an improved display. Chromebooks are the least-expensive notebooks, with the price ranging from $150 to $250. They can run on either low-end Windows systems or Google’s browser-centric OS, but with slower processors and minimal storage. But for a powerful and portable notebook, have a budget of over $900. These laptops come with faster processors, higher-resolution screens, and discrete graphics.
Battery Life
Never worry about the battery life of a gaming laptop as long as it will stay on a desk that is near a power supply. However, anyone interested in a computer that they can use on their lap should have at least 8 hours of endurance. The best way to determine the expected battery life of a gaming laptop is not to take the word of its manufacturer. Instead, look for objective resources with third-party reviews for more information about the battery life of a notebook that you want to buy.
