Quality graphics are key for good gaming laptops

By Sven Appel Jul 19, 2010, 11:56 GMT

Munich - The dominant role of the workplace PC is slowly giving way to the ever-present laptop, as people begin to favour mobile computing over fixed-place work.

That trend has, until now, mostly centred upon the workplace because, as interested as gamers might have been in laptops, the size of laptops' displays and the quality of their graphics cards have proven too insurmountable a hurdle.

Thus, while laptops have proven fine for less computing-intensive activities like surfing, email and photo viewing, the leap into graphics-intensive gaming has often meant either giving a laptop a major makeover or risking intense disappointment. And even those makeovers cannot promise complete satisfaction.

But now, there is hope for gamers who want to take their games on the go.

Some major, established laptop manufacturers have developed laptops for gamers. But there are also options from lesser-known manufacturers like Schenker, Deviltech or Alienware, which specialises in gaming notebooks and was recently purchased by Dell.

Such gadgets usually weigh about three kilograms and have displays measuring a relatively generous 43 to 46 centimetres.

But on-the-go gaming still faces one major limitation. 'You can just forget the battery life with these devices,' says Florian Muessig of the German computer magazine c't. Most of them run through their charge after about an hour and a half.

This means there's no hope of ever finishing that new 3D shooter game on your next plane trip. And adapters for gaming netbooks tend to be bulky, so even if you're travelling on a train where you can plug in, the experience can still be a nuisance.

The advantage is that a gaming laptop takes up much less space than a PC. That can be helpful if you get children and suddenly have to turn your hobby room into a kid's room, says Daniel Visarius of Gamestar, a gaming magazine.

Experts say a notebook's graphics card is the key thing to look at when making a choice.

A pre-installed solution is not an option. A custom graphics card is the only way to go. If you opt to go with a Nvidia card, then make sure you get one from its GTS series or better. With ATI, Visarius recommends picking the Mobility Radeon 5700 or a superior model.

But shoppers cannot expect that a notebook outfitted with a new graphics card will have the same capabilities as a desktop PC, even if the card has a name similar to one used for the desktop version.

Visarius says manufacturers attempt to create the illusion of equality by picking similar sounding names between desktops and laptops, but adds that such equality does not exist. 'Graphics cards for notebooks are two classes slower,' he says.

Processors need to be dual or quad core, says Muessig. 'Four gigabytes is standard for working memory.' Anyone who wants to upgrade eventually needs to get a 64-bit system that can accommodate additional memory.

Gaming notebooks are increasingly being marketed with full HD resolution. But that high resolution has some drawbacks. Text grows ever smaller and full HD puts even more of a burden on the graphics card.

When it comes to sound, notebook shoppers don't need to pay a lot of extra attention. Most devices operate with a HDA sound card.

'The speakers are sometimes better, sometimes worse, but they always have stereo,' says Muessig. Most keyboards are also standard. 'Sometimes there are programmable keyboards or illuminated ones,' says Visarius. 'But that's not important.'

Visarius advises checking out the keyboard before purchase. And anyone who plans to play first-person shooter games will likely need a mouse which can be connected via a USB cable. 'It's no fun playing a shooter with the touchpad,' notes Muessig.

Shoppers need to plan on spending at least 1,000 euros (1,264 dollars) for a gaming notebook, says Visarius. Muessig says to plan on spending 1,500 euros.