Gaming laptop buyer's guide – choose the right components for your needs

When choosing a gaming laptop, you should focus on both ergonomics and performance. Your choice depends on whether you plan to use the laptop with an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse, or as a standalone device. This guide covers the key factors to consider when buying a laptop for gaming and high-performance use. If you need help with the basics, start by reading our laptop buying guide.

PC gaming on a laptop – performance is key

The most important factor is ensuring the laptop is powerful enough for your specific needs. Some games are much more demanding than others; if you only play light games, there's no need to pay extra for high-end components. Consider which games you want to play and check their system requirements, which are always provided by the game developers.

Graphics card – which GPU is enough for modern games?

The graphics card (GPU) renders visuals on your screen. For gaming, choose a laptop with a powerful dedicated 3D graphics card. It ensures the best performance and visuals while freeing up CPU resources. The leading manufacturers of laptop GPUs are Nvidia and AMD. AMD’s gaming series is called AMD Radeon RX, while Nvidia’s gaming cards are known as GeForce RTX.

Beyond the model number, pay attention to the video memory (VRAM), cooling, and power version of the specific GPU. You can find the requirements for modern games from the developer or gaming portals. Decide which games you want to play beforehand and choose your gaming laptop based on those requirements.

Also, check the GPU's ports if you plan to use one or more external monitors.