Using laptops for gaming is popular because, although they are pricier and weigh more than handheld gaming units, they are portable and they allow gamers to do more than compete. As the performance and technology of hardware improvements, the best laptop for gaming becomes more crucial for serious gamers as they increasingly choose them over desktop computers or other gaming units.

The best laptop for gaming includes new technology like video power, plenty of memory, large hard drives, dual-core processors, and long life batteries. With the use of a broadband card, the best laptop for gaming will allow users to compete online from anywhere.

Many gamers build laptops to their own specifications for serious gaming that includes easily upgradeable components and parts. The following details some things to look for when seeking the best laptop for gaming.

A Huge Memory

The best laptop for gaming has a huge amount of pre-installed RAM, or memory. This will save you in the long run, as you won’t have to upgrade your memory to run bigger games. You can run 3-D games and multiple other applications simultaneously with plenty of VRAM (video RAM) for the video drivers of a laptop.

SATA Drive

The most common hard drive for laptops is an IDE drive that uses parallel technology to carry program data in parallel streams. SATA drives carry data in a single stream. They are faster and more efficient than IDE hard drives. The best laptop for gaming uses a SATA drive with the largest amount of storage capacity available.

Excellent Resolution

The best laptop for gaming features excellent display resolution, especially for 3-D gaming. Calibrated by the number of dots (or pixels), more pixels equals a higher resolution screen. The best laptop for gaming has a TFT (thin film transistor) active matrix LCD (liquid crystal display) screen.

Powerful Video Cards

For gaming, it is crucial to have a fast and powerful video card. Ideally, look for a video card that provides plenty of power without drastically draining your battery. In addition, make sure the laptop has plenty of VRAM and integrated graphics. The best laptop for gaming is prepared for handling the most serious gaming applications like HDTV and 3-D.

Fast Processor

The best laptop for gaming has a lightning-fast processor. Typically, the processor choice will drive the largest part of a gaming laptop, so it’s crucial not to skimp on the processor. A faster processor gives a laptop the ability to handle serious gaming applications like 3-D graphics. A slow processor can distort or even freeze games. The best laptop for gaming features both a huge amount of RAM and a fast processor of at least 3.4 GHz. A slower processor can still work for laptop gaming if budget is an issue. However, the processor powers a laptop, so an investment in speed is usually worth the cost in the end.

A high-end system is ultimately the best laptop for gaming. For serious gamers, building a laptop specifically for gaming is sometimes desirable. Regardless of purchasing a system or building one, the best laptop for gaming has as many of these high tech gaming components that will allow for years of quality gaming excitement and competition.