Buying guide: How to buy a gaming laptop/notebook – our five picks

Just a few years ago gaming on a laptop would have been nearly impossible, or somewhat possible, but very expensive.  Fortunately as time moved on, technology has become cheaper and affordable laptop gaming became possible.  Gaming on desktops still had advantages such as quad-core processors and upgradeability but for the gamer on the go, this guide will help you find the perfect gaming laptop.

Affordable has different meanings depending on your financial position.  A nice gaming laptop can still cost upwards of $3,000 but for most of us the target is an excellent price to performance ratio.

Spending $3,000 for a 10% or 15% gain in performance over say a $1,700 laptop borders on insanity but does get the purchaser bragging rights for a year or so.  Still, there are some “dos” and “don’ts” when it comes to shopping for a gaming laptop.

Automatically rule out any laptop that only offers integrated graphics.  No matter how fast the processor is or how nice the other hardware or design it will not muster the necessary frame rates on any game no matter how low the settings.

Low-end graphics such as the nvidia 8200/9200/9300 and ATi HD3200/3400 series can be considered dedicated cards but are little better than the integrated jobs they replace and should also be ruled out as options.

If size and weight are primary concerns then you are not looking for a gaming laptop and it will not be a viable option for you.  In order to pack in the necessary graphics, processing technology and the bells and whistles most gaming laptops will have 17-inch displays and weigh upwards of 7lbs.  Though there are a smattering of 15” gaming laptops those may or may not have the fastest processors or best graphics.

Most 15” laptops are equipped with a display that has a resolution of 1280 x 800 which is insufficient for gaming and should be immediately crossed off your list.  Additionally 17” laptops may offer displays with a resolution of 1440 x 900, and while this is acceptable you should aim higher.

For a 15” gaming laptop the resolution should be 1440 x 900 or higher and for a 17” it should be 1680 x 1050 or higher.

In some cases it may be necessary to sacrifice processing power for graphics power or vice versa.  What you are after is the price to performance ratio and I tend to lean towards the graphics side of things.  Keep in mind that you do not want to pair a weak processor with a nice graphics card or a weak graphics card with a nice processor.

It will be more common to sacrifice processing power for graphics power and that really comes down to personal preference.  Many gamers will choose to go for graphics over the processor.

Most of what Circuit City or Best Buy advertizes will not fall into the gaming category by any stretch of the word.  But things have gotten better and if you must shop retail there are at least a couple options to choose from.

As for specifics the processor should be of the Intel Core 2 Duo P7000 series or better or an AMD Turion X2 Ultra.  AMD isn’t known for making the fastest or most efficient processors these days and it really shows because you need to get a higher clocked processor to match the Intel offerings.

Most laptops will still be making use of DDR2 memory which is fine though DDR3 is on the rise and if you find one with it, buy it provided the processor and graphics card are up to snuff.

Intel has also just rolled out its mobile quad-core processor.  Laptops with this processor tend to be a bit expensive but expect prices to come down to affordable (at least for the gaming crowd) by the end of this year.

Here are a few models that might do the trick when it comes to gaming on the go.  In no particular order:

The Gateway P7801u may be hard to find in retail stores but as of this writing is still available at a few online stores.  It features one of the best mobile graphics card on the market in the form of a nvidia 9800M GTS complimented by an Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor.  Additional features include a 17-inch display with a resolution of 1900 x 1200, a 320GB 7200RPM hard drive and 4GB of DDR3 memory.  Wireless-n support is included for good measure.  Note that it does come with Vista 64-bit home premium so as to make use of the full 4GB.

One of the cons with this laptop is that the display quality is kind of a “Russian roulette” game.  Some users complain of “blotches” in the display which I attribute to reduced quality control so as to keep the price down.  Most LCD panels will have some kind of defect (a dead pixel or loose bezel) but this is unforgivable in my opinion.  Opinions vary as to what this actually is and I tend to side with those that it is some kind of air bubble which is trapped under the display during manufacturing.

Still, the hardware is right as well as the $1,599 price tag.  You will be hard pressed to find a better deal.  Just have realistic expectations of the quality.  Sticking power buttons, faulty power supplies and unresponsive keyboards have also been reported.

Next up is the MSI GT735 at $1,099 which features a Turion X2 Ultra ZM-82 processor, 320GB hard drive with an ATi mobility HD3850 graphics card rounding out the package.  It too features 4GB of memory albeit the slower DDR2 variety, a 17-inch display with a resolution of 1680 x 1050 and also features support for Wireless-n.  Turbo mode boosts the processor to 2.6GHz (up from 2.2GHz) for extra performance when plugged into AC power.  Just be aware that use of that mode may require extra cooling.  This one comes in with a weight of 7lbs thanks in part to its aluminum construction and includes a laptop backpack carrying case.

Not to put other manufacturers down but MSI seems to do a better job when it comes to the quality control of its products.  Unlike Gateway, MSI did not see a reason to include Vista 64-bit home premium so all 4GB of memory will not be available unless you upgrade the operating system yourself.  Drivers for 64-bit Vista appear a bit harder to come by with this model as well though they do exist.

MSI is also preparing two new models to replace this one.  The GT725-075 and GT725-074 will feature P9500 and P8600 processors, respectively.  Both feature 4GB of memory and the same ATI R4850 graphics card.  The GT725-075 also tosses in a Blu-Ray drive for $1,599 but if that is not a concern then the GT725-074 model runs a cool $1,349.  Neither model has officially been released but are available for pre-order.  Support for Vista 64-bit is also not confirmed.

Toshiba manages to get in on the gaming action with its Qosmio X305-Q711.  This laptop features a Core 2 Duo P8600 processor, 4GB or DDR3 memory and a 320GB 7200RPM hard drive.  While it does manage a 17-inch display the resolution is limited to 1440 x 900 which is relatively low for a 17-inch display and is somewhat a sacrifice considering the $1,499 price tag.  Though it does manage to include a nvidia 9700M GTS.

Some may be put off by the almost fire truck red coloring and glossy black case which attracts fingerprints.  This is not a gaming laptop that you can also carry into the business meeting.  I also wouldn’t want to carry it into a lecture hall but that’s just my opinion.

Asus by and large offers some of the best hardware and best built laptops on the market.  A majority of its offerings are geared directly towards the mobile gamer and it is on our list with two models that warrant special attention.

Since some of the specifications are the same I do not see the need to separate them expect as noted.  The G71G-X1 and G71G-A1 are cut from the same mold.  Both feature Windows Vista 64-bit home premium and come with Core 2 Duo T9400 processor, nvidia 9800M GS graphics and the same 17-inch display with a 1900 x 1200 resolution.  The X1 has 4GB of memory and a 320GB hard drive while the A1 packs 6GB of memory and a 500GB hard drive.  For good measure Asus includes a carry bag and mouse with both laptops and tosses in a 1-year accidental damage warranty with an additional 2-year limited international warranty.

The X1 is currently priced at $1,649 with the A1 priced at $1,749.  Both prices are after currently offered rebates and discounts.  The regular prices are $1,699 and $1,899.

An honorable mention goes to the Sager NP5793 which is available with either a silver or orange trim case, a 17-inch display with a 1920 x 1200 display.  It falls a bit short with the standard T8100 processor but picks things up with the included Blu-Ray drive and 9800M GTS graphics.  The included hard drive is also a bit small at only 250GB but it does include both Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit home premium editions.  At a retail price of $1,499 (after $600 instant savings) it is almost as good a value as the Gateway mentioned earlier and is probably far superior in the quality department.

From this list you should gather that a fast gaming laptop can be had without costing too much money.  It is possible to spend more and it is possible to spend less but by spending more you do not get the price to performance ratio and in many cases the gain is just not worth it.  By spending less the same applies but the reduction in performance is usually not worth the savings trade off.