All Things Netbooks

Being a big PC gamer while having to constantly be on the move can be a drag, especially if you can’t stand being away from your tricked out gaming rig for long periods of time. But dragging around your gaming rig, along with your custom screen, keyboard and optical mouse, can be an even bigger drag. Having an ordinary laptop for the road just isn’t going to cut it, so what can you do?

The solution is to invest in a gaming laptop. Just think of it as a portable gaming solution – you get to have the most powerful processors and video graphics in a package that’s easier to carry around than your gaming tower. With a gaming laptop, you can do nearly all of the things that you would be able to do with your desktop gaming rig without having to lug a colossal tower around.

The first thing to consider when buying a gaming laptop is how big you want it to be. Gaming laptops range from 15” models that are convenient for carrying around to 18” models that offer the largest screens and the best video graphics cards available. Laptops are generally referred to by the size of their screens, so keep this in mind when choosing one. Also keep in mind how often you plan on carrying around your gaming laptop before choosing a size. Most 17” and above laptops are considered “desktop replacements” and thanks to their size and weight, these models aren’t recommended for constant carrying around.

Gaming laptops come with a variety of processors, mostly from vendors such as AMD and Intel. Most of these laptops will come with processors featuring multiple cores and the ability to be overclocked in small amounts for a decent boost in speed and processing power. Most games rely heavily on both processor and video graphics power, so having the most powerful chip you can buy can make a great difference when it comes to overall performance.

Dedicated video cards from ATI and nVidia are the norm in gaming laptops. These video cards are much different than the “integrated” graphics solutions found in other laptops. For one thing, dedicated video cards are actual video cards that are designed around a particular laptop model and attach to the motherboard via a slot. Only a few of these cards are upgradeable, since most feature proprietary shapes that won’t fit in other laptops. With faster dedicated memory and improved graphics chipsets, dedicated video cards can handle the needs of even the most hardcore gamer.

When it comes to system memory, gaming laptops are able to accommodate gobs of it. Most laptops are now able to hold and use up to 8GB of system memory, although some laptops can only use 6.8GB thanks to chipset limitations. Most companies will supply their gaming laptops with 2GB of RAM at the minimum, with options to upgrade during the order process.

These systems can put a hurt on your wallet. $1500 is the minimum price one should expect when buying a gaming laptop. When it comes to custom made laptops, the sky – and your bank account – is the limit, with systems coming in at $2500 and beyond. So whether you want an affordable system that can handle all of your current games, or if you want a system that can make others weep, you should be able to find exactly what you want.