Buying a gaming laptop is a very important investment and therefore we have to be very careful when making a decision because a mistake could lead us directly to a bad purchase, and in the end, we would have to deal with the error for a few years, unless we are lucky enough to be able to return the device and get another model that better suits our real needs.

Many believe that when choosing a gaming laptop it’s all about powerraw performance that this device is able to offer, but the truth is that behind this general idea and partially true there are a number of important keys that we need to clarify and that we need to take into account if we do not want to make serious mistakes when buying our new gaming laptop.

I am aware not everyone knows the keys, which is why I decided to share this guide with you, in which we reveal six important mistakes that we must avoid at all costs if we want to be successful in choosing our new gaming laptop. I’ll go straight to the point in each of these six points to make this guide useful and easy to consult, but if you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments and we’ll help you out. Without further ado, let’s get started.

1.-Regardless of the weight and size of the device

It is one of the most common mistakes, because we will have to think that weight and size are secondary aspects for a gaming laptop, since it will almost always be connected to power and in a fixed place. The truth is that this idea it also has some truthbut we must take into account that the purchase of a very large and heavy device it will make life very difficult for us and it will limit us a lot while using a laptop.

For example, think about what would happen if you had to move a very heavy gaming laptop, or if you wanted to use it occasionally in different places, or even if you needed to wear it on your feet for a short period of use. It’s true that weight and size aren’t that important for a gaming laptop, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t give it minimal importance, because in the end, if we’re going to buy a “monster” weighing 3 kilograms or more, it’s almost better to go straight for a desktop pc.

In general, the ideal is to look for a gaming laptop weighing no more than 2.5 kilograms, although everything will depend on its specifications and how important power is to us. I personally prefer the gaming laptops they have approximate weight 2 kilograms, such as the ASUS TUF Dash F15, which I had the opportunity to test at the time.

2.-The processor matters, but not more than the graphics

I have seen many cases of people who bought a gaming laptop and gave absolute priority to the processor, which is a very serious mistake. When we buy a laptop of this type, our goal is to play and do the best we can. Current games are more GPU dependent and they don’t need an extremely powerful CPU to offer good performance, which means that we can enjoy a good experience even with lower mid-range processors.

With that in mind, it’s easy to see why buying a gaming laptop with a high-end GPU and a mid-range CPU is a wise move, and why you should buy a gaming laptop with a mid-range GPU and a mid-range CPU. high is an error. To see it better, I will give you an example. An acquaintance recently bought a laptop equipped with a GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile 4 GB and Core i7-12700H processorand paid more than 1,300 euros for this team. I think it’s obvious where the error is, and that the GPU is “small” compared to the CPU.

Cons of the ASUS TUF Dash F15, which a friend bought on my recommendation when it was only available for €899 works much better in games even when connected Intel Core i7-11370H because it has 6 GB GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile. This graphics card is much more powerful and makes a huge difference in games, with the processor enough to run any current title with guarantees. The conclusion we must draw from this point is simple, we have to prioritize the graphics card when we have reached the recommended minimum at the CPU level.

3.-The size of the RAM is key, but also its configuration

Yes, the quantity depends, but so does the configuration. Buying a gaming laptop with 16 GB of RAM is undoubtedly the most recommended today, since this figure will allow us to play any current and future title with all guarantees, but we must also take into account other important aspects, such as its speed and if it is configured as dual-channel or is if on the other hand mounted in one channel.

Most laptop manufacturers use RAM at a good enough speed so that the processor can work at full speed, so in that sense we have nothing to worry about. However, where the problem can arise is the dual-channel issue, as many computers still come with a single RAM memory module, even in 16GB configurations.

It is ideal to look for models that have 16 GB of RAM memory configured as dual channel, from this mode enables the 128-bit bus, which doubles the bandwidth. In this way, communication between the CPU and RAM will be faster, namely will improve performance. On the other hand, when configured in one channel, the bus is reduced to 64 bits.

4.-Not all graphics cards are the same or work at the same level

This is a topic that still raises many doubts and we are going to clarify it in the simplest way possible so as not to create more uncertainty. The performance of a graphics card for gaming laptops is determined by its architecture, the number of shaders, the amount of integrated graphics memory and their maximum operating frequency.

The maximum operating frequencies can vary greatly depending on the turbo mode, namely It depends directly on the maximum consumption of each graphics card. Within the same series of graphics cards, there can be several models with different consumption and therefore with very different working speeds. Obviously, a graphics card that runs at a lower frequency than another consumes less power and generates less heat will also be insufficient.

To top it all off, the same graphics card configured with two different power consumptions will have a different performance. For example, a GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile configured with 85 watts of power consumption will have lower performance than one configured with 125 watts of power consumption. The difference can be significant and this can also cause graphics cards that are lower in range but with higher power to perform better than other better but with lower power.

Graphics cards with higher consumption, marked as TGP in the case of NVIDIA solutions and TBP in AMD models, will be more powerful, but they use more energy and generate more heat, which limits its integration to larger and also heavier gaming laptops. Obviously, they will also need more expensive, bulkier and noisier cooling systems.

5.-Underestimate the importance of screen quality

This is another of the most common mistakes that many users make when buying a gaming laptop. They blind a it does not see beyond the configuration at the CPU and GPU levelthey think they made a good purchase, but when they get home and see the quality of the screen, they are very upset.

The quality of the screen is linked to the type of panel that each computer mounts, but even though it is clear to us that the laptop comes with VA or IPS panelit is important to check other things like the color spaces it can cover and whether it has key technologies like Adaptive synchronization. A VA or IPS screen offers very good viewing angles at 178 degrees, but in itself is not always an absolute guarantee.

The color space is also very important, and for your reference, here is an example of the ASUS TUF Dash F15, a laptop with an IPS class panel, but it has improved color reproduction as it is limited to 45% coverage in NTSC space, 62.50% in sRGB space, 62.50% and 47.34% in Adobe space. However, it makes up for it with a 144 Hz refresh rate and the inclusion of Adaptive Sync that allows us get rid of tears and stuttering.

Adaptive Sync technology makes a very important difference in any gaming laptop, even if we don’t have enough power to reach the maximum refresh rate of the panel, because it contributes to the generation clean image, no image damage and no micro captures generated by irregular and out-of-sync frame generation, even when we’re moving below 60 FPS.

6.-Do not check if it comes with a pre-installed operating system

This turned out to be a fairly common mistake due to the trend of OEMs selling gaming laptops at a slightly lower price in exchange for suppressing the operating system. this normally represents an approximate saving of between 100 and 200 eurosbut can give us more than one headacheNot all users realize this and it is not always easy to install Windows 10 or Windows 11 on a gaming laptop, especially if it has specific features that require specific drivers.

This is not to say that it is absolutely necessary to buy a gaming laptop with an OS preinstalled, in fact I did the opposite in my last refresh, but it is important to consider because maybe if we are not aware that our new laptop will arrive without an OS system, we probably get scared and we will have to take time to install the sameand necessary drivers.

If you are a user with minimal knowledge, you will have no problem, but if you have no experience, you may feel lost and that you will have to turn to a professional for the slightest problem at the driver level, causing the save to be blurry completely. Remember that it is usually possible to find all the drivers for your device on the manufacturer’s website dedicated to your device. Downloading them to a USB drive will save you time.