Looking for a new gaming laptop? Gaming has become a world-renowned hobby and even a sport for many people, and if you’ve seen the quality of some of these games, you’d understand the need for a laptop that can cope with the demands. Choosing a gaming laptop can be challenging. For one, they need to be able to handle the games you want to play on them. Then, they also need to be future-proof, being able to handle newer games that’ll come out in the years to come.
So, to help you, we’ve designed a gaming laptop buyers guide to help you choose the best gaming laptop for you in 2024.
Quick Tips
It’s helpful to know what you’re looking for before you start shopping around. Here’s a quick look at the specs:
Prioritise a good GPU and CPU that’s future-proof
Consider future upgrades. RAM and storage can often be upgraded in gaming laptops
Choose between resolution and speed: Do you want a good speed screen resolution or both? Avoid sacrificing speed for resolution
Choose a responsive keyboard. Mechanical keyboards are preferred for gaming
Expect poor battery life. Gaming laptops typically last under 8 hours per charge, and performance is reliant on the power supply.
What GPU do you need?
Most games are GPU-dependent, making the GPU a main factor in what laptop you choose. For a while now, the Nvidia GeForce RTX GPUs have dominated the market, including the latest RTX 40-series cards like the RTX 4050 to RTX 4090, while AMD offers the Radeon RX 7000M and 7000S series. We’d suggest looking for a laptop that has one of these GPUs in it to be safe. Here are some recommendations for gaming laptop GPUs:
Entry-level Gaming: RTX 4050 or older Radeon cards for moderate settings
Mainstream Gaming: RTX 4060 for high settings or RTX 4070 for better performance
VR and Highest Settings: RTX 4070 for high settings or RTX 4080/4090 for smoother
VR and advanced effects
These cards support ray-traced gaming and may enable 4K gaming depending on settings.
What other specs should I look for?
We’ve already established the importance of the GPU, but getting a good CPU with sufficient RAM and good storage is also vital! For a gaming laptop, we’d suggest nothing less than an i7 processor to an i9. Both these CPUs are extremely capable and should see you well into the future.
In regards to RAM, 8GB is often considered the minimum RAM needed, but this, too, might not be sufficient if you’re looking to run multiple programs at a time while gaming. So we’d suggest looking for 16GB or more when it comes to RAM.
Then there’s storage. Games require tons of storage these days, and unfortunately, old HDD storage devices don’t process information as quickly as SDDs. So, we’d suggest looking for a gaming laptop that has an SDD with at least 500GB of storage space.
What should I look for in a display?
Displays have a lot to do with your gaming experience. They don’t just offer a more immersive and enjoyable gaming experience, but they can also improve how well your game runs. For instance, 144GHz 2K or 4K screens provide real-time actions as you play your game, ensuring that there’s no latency or lagging while you play.
For gamers in a first-person shooter, this could be the difference between dying or getting your kills in. Screen size is also something to consider. Having a larger screen just improves your gaming experience and provides you with more screen real-estate to use as you play.
We’d suggest going for a 24-27” display with a good balance between speed and resolution. This way, you won’t need to pay through the roof, and you’ll still get a decent gaming experience.
What should I look for in a keyboard?
This is where things get even more technical because the keyboard on your gaming laptop matters. When gaming on a laptop keyboard, expect chiclet keys with LED backlighting. As a gamer, key travel (this is how far your finger has to travel to hit the next key) is important.
Aim for a key travel of over 1.5 millimetres, preferably 2mm, to avoid bottoming out.
With higher-end laptops offering mechanical keys. The actuation force should ideally be between 65 and 70g for optimal resistance. While macro keys are less common on gaming notebooks, they’re valuable for streamlining tasks, often customisable through manufacturer software.
Look for anti-ghosting and n-key rollover features to ensure all key presses register during intense gaming sessions. While budget laptops offer basic backlighting, higher-quality keyboards boast RGB backlighting, with options for zone or per-key customisation, enhancing the gaming experience.
How About Battery Life?
Gaming laptops are built for one thing: power! With that in mind, don’t expect them to have the best battery power or portability. Because manufacturers prioritise filling gaming laptops with hardware to boost their power and performance, they sacrifice things like battery size and capacity. You can expect most gaming laptops to have a limit of 8 hours, maybe slightly more, of battery power. They’ll also be heavier than laptops like notebooks. This is because of the extra hardware they have in them. So, while they are portable, they won’t be as portable as other laptops.
Final Thoughts
Choosing a gaming laptop is exciting, there are so many options ranging from budget-friendly laptops to extremely expensive, monster gaming laptops. As you decide what laptop is best for you, consider your budget and the types of games you want to play, then choose the laptop accordingly.