How do you choose the best gaming laptop?
1. Power or portability?
You need to consider the type of game and where you are going to play before deciding which is the best gaming laptop for you. If you plan to play demanding games at home and on a desk, but have the ability to move your machine from time to time, then a more powerful and beefy laptop like the Alienware Area 51m could be the best choice. But if you plan on carrying your gaming laptop around, say to LAN parties, then a thinner and lighter laptop like the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin might be right for you.
2. Display
There is a wide range of screen choices for gaming laptops these days. You can opt for a standard 60Hz 1080p panel which can be equipped with built-in anti-glare features like G-Sync from Nvidia. But if you're willing to pay more, you can get gaming laptops with high refresh rate screens, often at 144Hz. technology has 300Hz screens. High refresh rate screens are great for people who play fast-paced games like Overwatch or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. But if you're mostly planning on hooking up an external monitor, you'd better save by going with a 60Hz Full HD display.
3. Budget or high-end?
If you don't want to break the bank by buying a gaming laptop, then a budget machine, like Acer's Nitro 5, might be right for you. It won't run the newest games at the best frame rate but will be more than capable of playing 1080p. For example, if you're wondering what the best Age of Empires III civilization is to start with, you won't need an extremely powerful machine for this game. But if you want a real monster, a gaming laptop that will let you play the most demanding games, a laptop like the MSI GT75VR Titan is worth checking out, but be prepared to pay quite a bit for a high-end laptop.
4. Games only, or work too?
The good thing about gaming laptops is that they're powerful enough for professional tasks, like video rendering or CAD. Since they can be expensive to buy, it might be worth buying a machine that can double as gaming and work laptop. Machines like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 or the Razer Blade Pro 17 are good examples, offering a form factor thin enough to easily take them to work while having specs powerful enough for gaming.