Simple Guide to the Best Gaming Laptop

There are several key features that are required to provide an optimal gaming experience on laptops.

GRAPHICS:

The best gaming laptop will have the best, fastest, and latest graphics possible. When considering a laptop for gaming purposes, be sure to look for the latest graphics card / graphics chipset. Also be sure to check the specifications of the laptop to see if you can upgrade the graphics card in your laptop when the need arises (for most laptops this is standard).

Some of the best graphics chipsets are NVIDIA, ATi Mobility Radeon 9700, Intel's Graphics Media, or ATi Mobility FireGL V3200.

NVIDIA graphics chipsets have integrated graphics cores that are noticeably smarter than any other integrated chipset from any other manufacturer on the market today and is optimal for 3D gaming.

The ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 graphics chipset will make your laptop perform a variety of functions, including 3D, HDTV, mobile video editing studio, and graphics processor. Furthermore, the Radeon 9700 is not only a quality graphics card, but it will also give you better performance while saving battery power.

Other common graphics chipsets include Trident S3, STMicro, 3D Labs, Matrox, and SIS.

RAM:

RAM is a crucial factor in getting the best laptop Buyer's Guide. Simply put, RAM, or random access memory, refers to the number of programs you can run on your laptops without slowing down. 512MB of RAM is optimal for serious gamers as it will allow for the large memory required to run the graphics that are required for gaming. Basically more RAM equals a better gaming laptop. Some laptops come with up to 2GB of RAM! RAM is essential for running video, 3D and gaming graphics in general.

Laptops also have what is called Dedicated Video RAM (VRAM) which is memory, which usually comes with a graphics card (ATI Radeon, NVIDIA GeForce, etc.) and has its own memory in MB including 32MB, 64 MB and 128 MB. This is a special RAM that is used by the video adapters inside the laptop and only handles graphics and images. VRAM is especially useful for 3D games. Today, the NVIDIA nForce is considered one of the best graphics cards.

In general, the best option for gaming is to choose a laptop with the highest VRAM graphics card you can afford. A good way to find out what memory you might need is to check the back of the CD case or your game or multimedia software manual for "system requirements" for video memory requirements.

PROCESSOR / HARD DRIVE:

The best gaming laptop has a lot of CPU speed. There is nothing more annoying than being in the middle of a game and having your computer freeze or crash. The processor is the brain or center of the computer and quality determines how your computer will perform. The speed of a processor is reported in gigahertz (GHz). While there are many brands and types of processors, one of the best available today is the Intel Core 2 Duo. And the best gaming laptop is clocked at 2.4GHz or higher. .

As far as the hard drive is concerned, it is better to go with a SATA. SATA, or Serial Advanced Technology Architecture, is best for laptops, uses less power than other hard drives, and is not limited to a particular clock speed. Be sure to check the speed of the hard drive, 7200rpm is the highest and best for a gaming laptop.

DISPLAY DISPLAY:

The screen specifications for gaming laptops play an important role. Obviously, the bigger the better, the 17-inch wide screen will offer a superb gaming experience. The resolution and quality of the screen should be able to handle the graphics for 3D games.