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The Gaming Laptop

"Gaming laptops", or "desktop replacements", or "multimedia notebooks" are what mainstream laptop computers with 17 inch or larger displays are marketed as. They are probably better for these purposes than smaller notebook computers with the same hardware. I tried to relate the prices of 17 inch laptop desktop replacements to desktops on another page. I'll do the same with laptop gaming computers here.

A top end gaming desktop will cost you $5000 to $6000. A laptop can cost even more. Pricing a customized top end gaming laptop on one of the custom builders websites brought me up to about $8500 even before I maxed out. Top end gaming desktops and laptops have special cooling systems that account for some of the higher price.

Laptop Gaming Computers

When it comes to gaming there are different levels of hardware needs depending on the games you will be playing. If your gaming is Angry Birds or Farmville you don't need anything beyond a minimal level laptop to play it. For most other games there are hardware requirements. The headline link above will lead you to some basic information about hardware.

Gaming Laptop Computers

Most computer makers sell what they call a gaming version of their computers. Most of these are upgraded high end 15 or 17 inch laptops. These generally don't match up with really top end machines.

The reason is that it isn't even bad business to sell you a machine that won't make it out of warranty. The top end machines have special cooling. I said elsewhere that speed turns into heat. Try the same components in a little notebook case that you put in a liquid cooled one and it will probably burst into flames. A $4000 desktop will be a much faster machine than the these laptops customized for gaming. Information about what to look for in these is at the end of the headline link

Best Gaming Notebook

What you see in a store as a gaming notebook is what I've called upper end laptops, the best quality laptop with a 17 inch or larger display. I use laptop and notebook interchangeably so don't think I'm talking about some thing new. Following the headline link will give you some information about what you need to game at a relatively high level.

Fastest Gaming Laptop

While most new laptops will play many new games, the best gaming laptops are models from boutique builders who specialize in top end gaming and business laptops. These are the sites where I was pricing the $8000 laptops. The headline link will lead to more information about them. When you are talking Intel processors, you will want the top end processor and video card to maximize your gaming pleasure. When you pass about $2000 dollars, you probably want to leave the manufacturers you are used to seeing and look at a less familiar manufacturer that specializes in gaming computers. They know the market, and you get a machine better suited for gaming in the $2000 to $3000 range than if you continued to upgrade a more mainstream model.

The bottom line is that there is no such thing as a cheap gaming laptop powered by Intel, unless you think more than $1000 is cheap. Between $1000 and $2000 you can get a laptop that will probably game better than any year old (or more) desktop that wasn't from one of the custom gaming computer makers.

There may be a low cost solution though. Reviewers say AMD Llano powered laptops with A8 (and possibly A6) chips run new games faster than laptops with i5 chips and discrete graphics. I have no personal experience here.

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