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.

CPU and memory – what kind of processor and how much RAM do you need for gaming?

The processor (CPU) plays a vital role in a laptop's overall performance. It handles tasks such as processing mouse movements, loading new levels or maps, and passing data to the graphics card. For entry-level gaming, an Intel Core i5 is a good starting point. A quad-core processor is also essential, as most modern games utilize multiple cores. The CPU's role is even more important if you want to stream gameplay to platforms like Twitch.

System memory (RAM) allows your computer to run multiple programs simultaneously and efficiently. Gaming and heavy photo or video editing require more RAM than basic tasks. We recommend at least 16 GB for modern games to ensure smooth gameplay and background processes. Gaming laptops typically use DDR4 or, in newer models, DDR5 RAM. Higher clock speeds (e.g., 3200 MHz or more) improve performance.

In some gaming laptops, the memory is soldered, making it impossible to upgrade. If you want to add more memory later, choose a model with removable RAM or available memory slots. You get the best performance with a machine that utilizes dual-channel technology – for example, using two 8 GB memory sticks instead of a single 16 GB stick.