How to buy a gaming laptop: CPU and GPU options, tips on how to make the right choice

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Gaming laptops are the next best thing to building a gaming PC. It removes the clutter of cables and all the hassle that goes into maintaining a PC. Plus, you have the added benefit of being able to carry your entire gaming setup in your backpack. But you shouldn't think of this as a device just for gaming, as with any high-end PC, a gaming laptop can also double as your editing machine for work or live streaming setup. A powerful gaming laptop is like your flagship smartphone – it tends to age much better than cheaper models, and it will still deliver good performance many years later.

Technically, any modern laptop with half a decent CPU will be able to “run” most games. The difference between a regular laptop and a gaming one is how well these games run. If you're a casual gamer and only stick to role-playing or turn-based shooter games, then your existing laptop should be able to handle it, even if it's a few years old. If the gameplay is not smooth, then you should look at upgrading to a laptop with a dedicated GPU.

Also read: Planning to buy a new laptop? Here's how to choose the right Intel CPU for your machine

Most gaming laptops start with mid-range CPUs, but even here, you'll ideally want a high-performance part. If you're opting for AMD, stick to the Ryzen 7040/ 7045 series or 8040/ 8045 series only. The last two digits in the name indicate the architecture and performance segment it falls under. ‘4' stands for the Zen 4 architecture, which is the latest for AMD's laptop chips, while the last digit should ideally be ‘5'. The CPU will also have a suffix at the end, like Ryzen 5 7640HS. Here, ‘HS' and ‘HX' are high-power models, while ‘U' is geared more towards power saving.

There are just a couple of really high-end machines which have AMD's X3D suffixed CPUs, featuring AMD's 3D V-Cache. This CPU has a massive 128MB of L3 cache, which offers a big performance boost in gaming. AMD has a full list of its laptop CPUs and their capabilities for reference.

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