Do Gaming Laptops Last
What is the average life of a laptop?
It’s also one that we’ve struggled to answer on many occasions because it really depends on how you use your laptop.
A few years ago, it was pretty easy to get a decent laptop for under £400. Nowadays, it’s a whole different story. Most of our top picks in this category now start at well over £700, meaning you really need to be prepared to spend a lot more money if you want a decent machine.
Is the cost justified?
It’s important to remember that all laptops (aside from super-portable ones like tablets) need to be charged. The battery will eventually run out and you’ll have to plug it into a power socket.
How often do you charge your laptop?
The more often you charge your laptop, the longer its battery lasts. There are a few different ways you can do this:
1. Plugging your laptop into a regular wall socket
2. Using a laptop charger
3. Using a desktop charger
There’s no right or wrong way to do it. It’s totally personal preference. We’d recommend using a standard laptop charger for the vast majority of the time.
What kind of laptop should you buy?
At the high end of the spectrum, you can get a decent gaming laptop that will last you around five years. You might even stretch it to seven years if you’re careful.
You could spend upwards of £1200 on a top-of-the-range gaming laptop. But, most of the time, a more modest model will provide the same features, performance, and value for less money.
You’ll get similar performance from a laptop in the £800-£1200 price range. This is still a pretty good gaming platform that will last you for years.
However, you can also find budget laptops in this range that are much better value for money. The Acer Aspire E15, for example, is one of our favorite gaming machines at the moment.
Most gaming laptops are more expensive than a basic laptop, though, so you might be able to stretch to a more premium option. If this is the case, there are a few things to consider.
Are you gaming on a desktop or a laptop?
If you are looking to buy a laptop for use on a desktop and you want something to last you for five years, then you need to look at laptops that have been specifically designed for that.
Gaming on a laptop is a different experience from gaming on a desktop, though. There are some laptops that are just too large and clunky to be considered ideal for gaming.
Some of these models are ideal for office work and multimedia, however. If you know what you’re doing, you can find a laptop that does a good job of both.
For more information on gaming laptops, visit our dedicated article here.
What’s the best screen size for gaming?
The resolution on a display is one of the most important factors when considering a gaming laptop.
The higher the resolution, the better the experience. Most gaming laptops use screens with resolutions between 1080p and 2560 x 1440p.
A 15.6-inch screen is going to be the largest most people will ever buy, but a 17.3-inch panel is going to be much better for gaming.
Most of the time, you can get away with a 1366 x 768 screen for gaming. You might even be able to get away with a 1920 x 1080 panel for more modern titles.
We’ve seen a number of gamers report that their experience on their laptop wasn’t quite as good when they swapped out the screen. Some of this is down to the resolution.
The lower the resolution, the less your eyes need to strain. A lower resolution also means that the on-screen action is a little slower, and you’ll have a slightly sharper image to enjoy.
If you’re looking for a laptop with a high resolution, then go for a 17.3-inch panel. You’ll get better image quality, a more immersive experience, and fewer eye strains.
The lower the resolution, the easier it is to read text, though. So, if you don’t like seeing the pixels, then stick with something in the 1366 x 768 range.
How much RAM does a laptop need for games?
The more RAM you have, the better it is for gaming. More RAM means your games load faster and stay in memory longer, so you can play them for longer without worrying about a crash.
Some laptops have 4GB of RAM, some have 6GB and some have 8GB.
