Whenever we suppose to buy something, it might be anything, clothes to laptops, we tend to face some difficult problems. Because once we buy the product, we can’t regret it later. Thinking about it, we start to dig deeper into the matter. Here is, a gaming laptop or PC. Well, you got that right. What specs to look for in a gaming laptop or PC? Let’s discuss this in this article.
There’s a tremendous boost in the gaming industry. Recent years have seen its increasing demand in every segment of society. From kids to adults, most of us are preferring to take a hand in our favorite games. You would be amazed to know that the global gaming industry is now valued at 300 billion dollars, according to Earthweb.
You can even earn through games which were something alien to us. I can hunch you are also accustoming yourself to the gaming world. Well, keeping that aside, let’s dig into our today’s article which is about things to consider when buying a gaming PC or laptop. Except for smartphone games, gamers are heading towards choosing powerful laptops or PCs which give you more visibility, pleasure, and satisfaction as well.
Is It Worth Buying?
It depends on your demand. Whether you play for a long time or just for once in an eclipse, buying a gaming PC costs you a handsome amount if it is not realized on the basis of why you have bought it.
So, coming to the main point what to know before buying a gaming PC or Laptop?
Choosing a powerful gaming monitor is a dreadful task as there are lots of options. A powerful gaming PC is a combination of powerful RAM, CPU, cutting-edge graphics card, and the right gaming monitor. Missing any of these could reduce the satisfaction of seamless performance. So, your gaming setup should be prudently chosen. Let’s plunge into what to know when buying a gaming PC or laptop.
Factors to check when buying a gaming PC or laptop
Depending upon your choice, be it laptop or PC, there are some things to consider before buying your gaming setup. This is not an article describing the difference between a laptop and a PC. I think it depends on your choice. Let me give you some minimum requirements for a good gaming PC or even laptop.
A. Internal Performance
Before taking care of the external requirements, one must check the internal factors first. Because that decides the speed and performance of your machine.
- CPU
Most of the seamless performance depends on how powerful your CPU and GPU are. This is one of the significant factors to consider when buying a gaming laptop. Go for a 10th or 11th Gen Intel Core-i7 processor as it is the bare minimum requirement. i9 which is far better is also available in the market if you have the budget.
- GPU
Your regular PC or laptop doesn’t support today’s high-level games. So, you need to be cautious about the internal performance more than the external one. GPU plays a key role in providing you smooth gaming experience with high resolution. The minimum resolution should be 1080p. Options like Nvidia GeForce GTX or RTX series are currently the best ones to look for. If you are considering an AMD graphics card, then go for the AMD Radeon RX 5000M or 6000M series.
- RAM
There is confusion when choosing RAM for our machines. The better you feed, the better you will get. Consider the minimum requirement for gaming is 16 GB DDR4 or the latest DDR5 combined with a dual-channel feature. It lets you upgrade the RAM later, though you can go for higher capacity if you have the budget. You can upgrade your laptop’s RAM later as well if you have a dual-channel feature.
- Battery
We don’t realize how faster time flies while playing games. If the battery is not stronger, then you are compromising your gaming experience. Battery life with a minimum of 8 hours would be better, be it laptop or PC.
- Hard Drive and SSD
Look for a machine that comes with HDD as well as SSD storage. Because of an extra SSD storage capacity, your games will load faster. As much as you buy storage, you will get high-end performance. Consider 1 TB of HDD combined with 128 GB or 256 GB SSD if you can bear the budget.
B. External Performance
External performance depends on the monitor only which includes refresh rate, resolution, response time, color, etc. Before buying a gaming monitor or setting up your own gaming PC, you need to look for the below requirements to enjoy better performance.
1. Resolutions and Screen Size
Avoid low pixel resolution. The more pixel you have on your monitor, the more clarity you will get while gaming. Now, it depends on your budget. The ideal range should be between 24-32 inches with 1080p being the minimum one, 27-inch is the sweet spot. Let me give you a list of all the resolutions available in the market. Here’s the checklist.
Gaming PC
>=25-inch: 1080p
=27-inch: 1440p or 4k
>=28-inch: 4k
Gaming Laptop
The available screen sizes in the market come in between 14-inch to 18-inch. 1080p is the least minimum resolution, whereas 4k is the highest.
2. Refresh Rate
Look for a better refresh rate that helps your monitor to refresh the screen every second. The higher the rate, the better it is. 60Hz is the minimum and 500Hz is the highest.
3. Response Time
If your monitor’s response time is longer, then you will not experience seamless performance. It might cause blur issues. So, look for under 5ms response time. The less response time it is, the better your gaming experience will be.
4. Color Gamut
The bare minimum is 100% sRGB. You can go for higher depending on your budget.
5. Panels
If you are setting up your own gaming PC, it’s important to take care of the panels. There are there types of panels – In-plane Switching (IPS), Twisted Nematic (TN), and Vertical Alignment (VA). If you don’t compromise with the refresh rate, resolution, and response time, then you can choose the less expensive which are TN, or VA. Otherwise, you can go for the expensive model, IPS.
6. Flat or Curved Monitor
Depending on your personal preference, you can choose anyone. A curved monitor gives you a dynamic viewing experience and is good for your eyes. On the other hand, a flat-monitor comes budget-friendly as compared to a curved monitor. There are two types of flat monitors – 21:9 and 16:9. Some of the games are not supported by the 21:9 ratio.
7. Keyboard
When buying a gaming PC, the keyboard should be a considerable factor. Due to some action-based games, you need to put pressure on keyboards. Consider features like key travel, actuation, anti-ghosting, and n-key rollover. Check the ideal key travel distance between 1.5mm and 2mm. Today, PCs with backlighting are fascinating providing unique vibes in your room. If you can consider this, then choose the RGB backlighting keyboard which gives you more configuration power.
I hope you got the answer on how to choose the right gaming laptop or PC. Now, set a budget and brings a nice little giant to your home and make a source of earning.