Sometimes, in the tech world, it feels as if any company can justify a huge price tag just by slapping the gaming tag in front of the name. Gaming laptops, gaming PCs and gaming phones all carry a huge price tag. And while they carry the best performance hardware that is out there, it becomes difficult to justify these tags, especially for gamers who are just getting started. In theory, any powerful machine can run some games. Right? Well, yes but what justifies the gaming name or title? Today let’s talk about gaming laptops.
To slay the beast, we need to get into the beast’s head. And this we shall do by understanding what a gaming laptop is. The simplest definition would be that it is a laptop that is optimized for gaming. These optimizations come in the form of upgrades over the industry standard. More specifically, these are gaming-related upgrades. The most common thing that one notices right away upon seeing a gaming laptop is cooling. Air channels and huge air vents and fans to cool the heavy firepower as you game is necessary. The RAM is also a step up from the normal RAM in normal student and business laptops. Graphics are also a key upgrade that gaming laptops target. The screen is next. A bright and colourful screen is common with these machines. The same is also true for high refresh rates, a key characteristic of video games. Screen resolution is also a key consideration. No one wants to game in 480P. Storage is also key as all these games have to go somewhere.
Gamers are a specific group of individuals. And they have their preferences. The customer is king they say and so often, you will find that most gaming laptops look the same. They look blocky and hardy. They also have backlit keyboards and most times have colourful LEDs. They support gaming accessories like controllers and mice to get the most out of the game and the machine. If looks are something that you look at (no pun intended), then you should expect this of gaming laptops.
Now, all the above features come at a premium. They are not cheap. But can they be justified? We say yes. Gaming is an intensive activity that demands the most out of your machine. It helps if that machine is capable. But what if gaming is not the core of your business with a laptop, you ask? Well, in that case, we would think that the gaming laptop is just as appropriate if not more for graphics-related tasks. So if you are a video or photo editor, or graphics designer and you enjoy a little gaming on the side, get that gaming laptop. I once worked in a media company which issued gaming laptops to their content creation team for video editing, It will get you the most of both worlds. Some cons of gaming laptops are their bulky size and terrible batteries. They perform best when plugged into a power source. They work best for an individual who doesn’t move around as much. However, if you barely play games, a gaming laptop is overkill and you will be just fine with a normal standard laptop.