Unlike a common laptop for everyday use, a gaming laptop needs to offer particularly high performance! How high you need depends on the type of games you want to play and how hardcore (or not) of a gamer you are!

But no matter which category you belong to, let's take a look at the basic specs you need to consider!

Hardware

Graphics Card (GPU)

First of all, you need to have a separate graphics card and not an integrated one, like a simple laptop. In the gaming space, 2 brands dominate. Nvidia with the GeForce RTX series and AMD with the Radeon RX. If you are a casual gamer or you like games like WoW or strategy games, an RTX 3070 or 3080 will be more than satisfactory, otherwise you can opt for an AMD Radeon RX 6600. If, on the other hand, you are a hardcore gamer or want to play the latest action titles at the highest settings, then it's worth investing in the latest generation, such as the GeForce RTX 4060, 4070 or 4090 or Radeon RX 7600, 7700 or 7900.

RAM Memory

Here the rule is simple. 8GB is enough for casual gaming, while prefer 16GB for more demanding games. If you really want to go all out, you can look for 32GB, which however will be excessive in many cases, except for hardcore action gaming.

CPU (Processor)

The choices from brands are 2. The AMD Ryzen and the Intel Core. Generally, for casual gaming, a Ryzen 5 or Core i5 will be satisfactory choices. For higher performance, you can opt for Ryzen 7 or Core i7 respectively. Something more expensive like the 9 series doesn't make much sense in gaming, as its applications mainly involve multitasking and video editing.

Storage Space

Prefer models that have an SSD disk as they offer much faster loading compared to HDD hard drives. If you don't want to have many heavy games and mainly play 2-3 titles or from independent small studios, a 512GB disk will be ideal. In case you want to have a wider range of latest technology games, give something extra and choose one with 1TB capacity.  

Screen

Resolution

Most laptops have a minimum screen resolution of Full High Definition, while you can find many more premium options that feature QHD (2K) technology, or even 4K, although on a laptop screen you won't notice a big difference between 4K and 2K. For hardcore gaming, a laptop with a QHD screen offers the perfect balance between budget and performance.

Refresh Rate (Hz)

In addition to resolution, the screen's refresh rate is particularly important, which is how quickly the displayed image is refreshed. The higher the refresh rate, the smoother the game's image is. If you play action games, prefer a screen with 120Hz and above, as you can better distinguish fast movements, which gives you an advantage in competitive games like shooters and provides a much better experience.

Size

Most gaming laptops have a screen size of 15 - 17 inches, to balance weight and volume with viewing experience. If you want to move around a lot or generally something lighter, it will be difficult to find something below 14" as it loses the meaning of gaming, while if space and mobility are not a problem, there are several options, above 17".

Type

As a general rule, OLED screens offer the best contrast and colors, with LED screens being more affordable and having faster refresh rates.

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