A laptop for gaming

[halfeye]

Uhhh... no. We're looking at a 1.5 GHz quad-core proc with 4 GB RAM. And actually, due to the 64 bit ARM proc, it's actually quite a bit more efficient than a desktop's proc of similar speed and core count.

It is a puzzle, I remember the original Arm being quoted as 4Mips from an 8Mz chip when the 68000 and 386 were nothing like that. Apparently due to out of order processing and the failure of RAM to keep up, Intel's Core chips are now a lot faster per clock.

The thermal efficiency is a big plus, but there are several other options that might work out better, though they have smaller userbases and less support, and it seems the newer pis are running hot enough to be worrying.

[factotum]

Intel basically borrowed a lot of ideas from RISC processors--stuff like out-of-order execution, which is not something the original x86 processors had. ARM still wins on "amount of stuff it can do per watt", of course, which is why they're almost invariably used in smartphones.

[GhoulKaven]

you can go with any budget laptop for gaming, for example Lenovo or Asus

[Kaptin Keen]

you can go with any budget laptop for gaming, for example Lenovo or Asus

Ehhh ... I'm not entirely sure that's factually correct.

[halfeye]

Ehhh ... I'm not entirely sure that's factually correct.

If you mean solitaire, it's right, but if you want more than that it's rubbish.

[Kaptin Keen]

If you mean solitaire, it's right, but if you want more than that it's rubbish.

Yea, that was my estimation too. To have a halfway decent gaming experience, I'm fairly sure you need more than 'any budget laptop' =)

[Erloas]

It is also kind of meaningless because Lenovo and Asus are manufacturers that make a full range of laptops, from budget ones, to mid range, to high end. And you can rightly get laptops from either company that will run anything.
The biggest variable is what someone considers a "budget" laptop, as for some people that means $400 and others it is $1500. There is also the question of "will it run the game" and "will it run the game well enough to meet most people's expectations" because those can be very different things.

[GloatingSwine]

Cant say much about the specs but definitely look into a high quality cooling pad as gaming laptops tensdto get very hot

I have a cooling pad for mine, and it's worth 5-10 degrees off the GPU temperature in gaming.

Doesn't need to be an expensive one, my cooling pad was about £20.

[Psyren]

This might belong in Mad Science/Grumpy Technology, but anyway.

@OP - for any laptop(s) you're interested in, visit this page to compare their GPUs:

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile...ist.844.0.html

Avoid anything in category 3 or below - even if it can run the game you want to play now, it's already on the low end of useful. Category 2 or higher should be able to handle modern gaming with decent resolutions and effects. Category 1 is bleeding edge and will last you a long time but will also have a hefty price tag.

Remember that the GPU is only one component of gaming performance and shop accordingly. A laptop with a screaming GPU and no solid-state drive is going to run like molasses, as is one with insufficient memory. Ideally you want a fat SSD (put the OS on there for sure, and perhaps your more intensive games as well) and a HDD for long-term storage (e.g. video captures). Try not to go below 256 GB for your SSD, and if you can get 1TB that's even better. Compare the transfer rates as well.

As for the cooling pad, the main benefit is having a portable hard surface to place the laptop on, the fans in it are a side-benefit. What you should really be prepared to do is replace the cooling paste and blow dust out of the housing periodically (~1-2 years or so.) It's helpful, especially if you plan on owning that laptop for a while (e.g. several years) to pick a laptop that won't be a headache to open up and get at these components.