How to Choose a Gaming Laptop

A gaming laptop costs more than a desktop with similar performance, is harder to upgrade and is louder under load. What it buys you is a PC you can take with you. If it will spend nearly all its life on one desk, a desktop usually gives more for the money: build one in the PC builder, or see prebuilt PCs.

The Graphics spec names the dedicated graphics chip, and for gaming it matters more than anything else. Laptop graphics chips share names with desktop cards, but they are usually different and slower than the desktop card of the same name.

Video memory matters as much as it does on a desktop: more of it copes better with high texture settings and higher resolutions. Our graphics card guide explains why.

To save battery, many laptops pass the graphics chip's output through the processor's built-in graphics on its way to the screen. That costs some performance in games. A MUX switch, or a system that switches automatically, lets the dedicated chip drive the screen directly. It is worth having on a laptop bought mainly for games.

The Processor spec matters less than the graphics for most games, but a weak one can hold back a strong graphics chip. In a laptop, cooling is shared between the two, so a powerful processor in a thin chassis may not run at full speed for long. Our processor guide explains cores, clocks and cache.

Size, Resolution, Refresh Rate and Panel describe the screen, and you cannot change it later.

• Size: 14 inch laptops are the most portable, 15 and 16 inch the usual balance, and 17 and 18 inch the most comfortable to play on but heavy.
• Resolution: match it to the graphics chip. A sharper screen looks better but asks more of the chip, so a lower-tier chip suits a 1080p-class screen better.
• Refresh Rate: 144 Hz or higher is standard on gaming laptops and makes games feel smooth.
• Panel: IPS is the common choice; OLED gives deeper blacks and sharper motion at a higher price.

Our monitor guide explains these terms in more depth.

The Memory spec gives the RAM. 16 GB is the practical minimum for gaming today and 32 GB is more comfortable. Check whether it is soldered to the board, which means it can never be upgraded, or fitted in slots you can add to later.

Storage gives the SSD size. Games are large, so 1 TB is a sensible minimum. A spare M.2 slot inside lets you add a second drive later, which is often cheaper than paying for a bigger one up front.

• Cooling and noise: a thin laptop has less room to move heat, so it is often louder, hotter or held to lower power. Reviews that measure noise and temperatures under load are the best guide.
• Weight: the Weight spec is for the laptop alone. Gaming laptops come with a large power adapter that adds to what you carry.
• Battery: any gaming laptop's battery runs down quickly while gaming, and most run the graphics chip at reduced power on battery. Plan to play plugged in.

• HDMI and USB-C with video out, for a desk monitor. Check the HDMI version if you want high refresh rates on a big screen.
• Wired Ethernet, which is steadier than Wi-Fi for online games.
• Enough USB ports for a mouse, a headset and a controller without a hub.

Unlike a desktop, most of a laptop is fixed the day you buy it. Plan for that.

• Usually upgradeable: the SSD, a second SSD if there is a spare slot, and memory if it sits in slots rather than being soldered.
• Sometimes upgradeable: the Wi-Fi card.
• Not upgradeable: the graphics chip, the processor and the screen. Choose these for the years you will keep the laptop.

The Operating System spec says what comes installed. Try the keyboard and trackpad in a shop if you can, because they are the parts you touch every day and spec tables say nothing about how they feel.

• Entry level: a lower-tier graphics chip with a 1080p-class high refresh rate screen and 16 GB of memory.
• Mid-range: a mid-tier chip with a generous power limit, a sharper screen and 32 GB of memory.
• High end: the top chips with strong cooling and larger, sharper screens. Price and weight climb quickly at this level.

Within a budget, a laptop with a stronger graphics chip and a plainer chassis usually plays games better than a slimmer one with a weaker chip.

• The gaming laptops category lists laptops with a dedicated graphics chip, and can be filtered by Graphics, Processor, Size, Storage and Refresh Rate.
• Compare puts two laptops side by side, which makes differences in the graphics chip, screen and storage easy to spot.
• The deals page shows parts where UK shops disagree most on price.

Each product page shows the price at the shops we track and its price history, with a bell to set a price alert.