What Is the Single Most Important Feature in a Gaming Laptop?

A lot of laptops are being marketed and sold as gaming laptops today without having the actual capability to play the latest titles at acceptable frame rates, and even less so at your display's native resolution (which is always preferable) While you can be fairly sure that gaming-oriented brands like Asus Republic of Gamers and Alienware are up to the task, others can be considerably more difficult to pinpoint. This is a problem because a lot of prospective laptop buyers are looking at models that are somewhat less expensive than the high-end gamer brands, but still want enough performance to play games.

The Processor is a Secondary Factor for Gaming

If a sales representative tells you that you need the latest and most expensive quad-core Intel Core i7 processor to play games on your laptop, you are probably better off shopping somewhere else. Although the CPU is the "heart" of the system and has a major effect on the overall performance of your notebook, it is actually a secondary factor when you play games. It is the graphics card that performs a vast majority of the heavy lifting in 3D gaming.

The only question is whether the CPU is so slow as to be a performance bottleneck for the graphics card. The short answer is that all modern processors - save for a few low-end, low-voltage or netbook variants - are fast enough to keep up with the graphics card. And if the laptop is equipped with a decent GPU, you can be fairly certain that the processor is not an issue.

Steer Clear of Integrated Graphics

So let's take a step back and answer the original question more thoroughly. The graphics card - also known as the GPU - is what really counts when it comes to gaming. The biggest GPU manufacturer is Intel, but they produce only so-called integrated graphics solutions (integrated on the same chip as the processor or on the motherboard). These GPUs - or IGPs as they are called in this case - are not capable of anything but older or less demanding 3D games. At best, you might be able to play World of Warcraft using the latest Intel IGP, with the details turned down a few notches.

Nvidia or AMD? It's Complicated

The two main competitors in gaming graphics are AMD (previously ATI) and Nvidia. Both manufacturers produce excellent graphics cards, but the difference between their entry-level and high-end offerings is huge. To make matters more complicated, both Nvidia and AMD frequently update their model names - sometimes after only minimal changes in the actual chips.

For example, the previous-generation Nvidia GeForce GT 445M is more powerful than the current-generation GT 550M. Both have a similar architecture, but the former has 144 shaders ("GPU processors"), while the latter has only 96. Moreover, the GT 445M has a larger memory bus. The exact same problem applies to AMD's GPUs, only with different model names.

This is obviously quite confusing to the average consumer, who does not generally keep track of changes in graphics processor architecture. To make matters even more convoluted, the performance of the graphics card is also affected by the manufacturer's choice of video memory. At the moment, two different types are frequently used: DDR3 and the faster GDDR5. In other words, two identically named graphics cards may perform differently depending on their memory modules.

What to Do

For obvious reasons, the average laptop buyer cannot keep track of all these factors and neither should they have to. If the laptop has been on the market for a while it has likely been reviewed by one or more websites. Look for gaming tests of the laptop you are looking to purchase and make sure that the frame rate (FPS) is at least 30 in your favorite games.

If the laptop is brand new you may have to do some alternative homework. Look for the name and model number of the laptop's graphics card and search for it online. It may have been tested in other, similar laptops. Otherwise you can visit the GPU manufacturer's homepage, look up the specifications for the card and compare it to others with similar specifications.

Jesper Berg is a technology writer with a keen interest in mobile tech, including all kinds of portable devices but especially gaming laptops. Visit bestgaminglaptop.net for the latest updates on high-end laptops, laptop gaming guides, independent analysis and buying advice.

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