Purchasing a new gaming computer or laptop is always a fun experience. It means that you will be able to play brand new games on better graphics settings and experience them the way they were meant to be played. What is more, you will be better at them, especially online gaming titles, because everything will run smoother and better and your reactions and decision-making will increase in quality.
However, purchasing a new gaming build is also challenging because the components themselves are pricey. This is especially true nowadays when the shortage of new models caused the prices of old ones to skyrocket. Building a fresh new gaming PC has never been harder, but this is hardly the only way to do things. There are always gaming laptops to consider instead.
In many ways, a gaming laptop is better than a gaming PC. While they have their own drawbacks, they offer a great alternative in these times when it is next to impossible to assemble a new gaming PC. What is more, quality gaming laptops can last you for years and allow you to play several generations of games without any problems. In this article, we will talk about the most important tips when building your own gaming laptop is concerned. If you wish to learn more about this, we advise you to check out gamingbeasts.com.
Gaming PCs Versus Gaming Laptops
The age-old question of what is better between these two is hard to deal with since there cannot exist a simple answer to such a complex problem. First of all, they are different machines meant for different types of gamers. On one hand, we have stationary machines that are more powerful and heavy-duty, and on the other, there are portable, lightweight powerhouses that still offer amazing performances albeit somewhat less powerful. What one needs is highly subjective. However, what modern gaming norms imply is not that difficult to narrow down.
Minimal System Requirements
An average build in the modern gaming world looks a little something like this. You will need a graphics card along the lines of NVIDIA GeForce 1060 GTX or Radeon RX 580 at least. Your CPU should be mid-tier, let us say AMD Ryzen 5 3600 XT or Intel i5-10600K. Regarding the memory, between 8 and 16 GB of RAM is enough and you should have an SSD of at least 128 GB with a 1 TB HDD. Optimal gaming nowadays is done at full HD resolution, which is 1920 x 1080. The monitor should be above 75 Hz if possible for best performance.
With such a machine, you will be able to run all games that are available but the beasts among them like Red Dead Redemption 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and Metro Exodus will take all the computer has in store to run on the minimal settings. For basic gaming of less demanding titles, such a configuration is more than enough and it will set you back less than $1,000 with the monitor. For laptops, you will pay even less. But there is a catch.
High-Level Gaming
Desktop computers perform much better when compared to laptops of the exact same specifications because they are always around 20 to 30% faster and more powerful. Since they get more power and are bigger, they also cool faster and can run for longer. This means that you are far better off on a mid-level PC than a laptop. When you start going up, however, things change and PC components become incredibly more expensive. The best alternative is therefore a strong gaming laptop that will cost slightly less, but you will have a complete computer instead of just the specs connected together without a monitor and the peripherals.
Building a Gaming Laptop
Now to tackle the titular issue of the article and talk about the best tips for building a gaming laptop. It should immediately be mentioned that building a gaming laptop on your own is not really a thing. Unless you specifically ask a laptop gaming company or service to assemble and upgrade an existing new gaming model with additional specs you need, we cannot really talk about building laptops. You will probably be satisfied with the GPU, CPU, and motherboard, so pay attention to the rest of the specs.
Older models did not even have removable parts, to begin with. Around ten years ago, give or take, a new range of laptops arrived in which it was easy to remove and replace GPUs, RAM, and hard drives. The motherboards and CPUs were still an issue, and so was the battery. Therefore, if we are to talk about building a laptop from scratch, we must actually talk about updating a laptop with what is offered at the store you are shopping from.
1. Increase RAM Capacity
The easiest thing to upgrade on a modern gaming laptop is RAM memory. If the base model comes with 8 GB, you will definitely want to double or triple that. Having between 16 and 32 GB is much better for high-end gaming and it is not that difficult to install, nor is it pricey.
2. At Least 17” 1920 x 1080
Gaming on small screens with low resolution is awful, trust us. Your gaming laptop should be among the larger models out there and have a display of at least 17”. Going lower than that and opting for 15” or 13” will be cheaper, but the gaming experience will suffer greatly.
3. Do Not Save on Cooling
If you have a chance to go with a model that has enhanced cooling with fans on the back for slightly more money, go for it. Also, if you can replace the stock fans with more powerful ones that spin faster and cool better, do not hesitate. Overheating has always been the worst problem of gaming laptops so do all you can to prevent it. Pro tip: make sure to get a laptop cooling stand too for increased cooling as well as a higher and better angle on the table.
4. Save on Disk Space
If you will only use the laptop for gaming, you can easily survive with just 512 GB SSD. You do not an HDD or multiple disks of any sort in it. It will cause more heating and prevent your machine from running faster. The laptop will also be heavier. It is smarter to have external drives where you will keep important data anyway.
5. RGB Keyboard, Gaming Mouse, Headset
You definitely need a light-up keyboard to play in the dark. A gaming mouse is crucial as you cannot really play on a touchpad. A quality headset is also key since most laptops have poor speakers for gamers who are used to quality sound.
