FOR YOU ENTERTAINMENT
LIFT YOUR
GAME
The essential laptop specs to take your gaming to the next level.
BY MARC SALTZMAN
UNDEFINED / GETTYIMAGES. COM. AU
For many years, gaming laptops were extremely heavy machines notorious for overheating. Their battery life was measured in minutes rather than hours. How things have changed! Today’ s gaming laptops are thin, light and powerful, and they can run cool for many hours on a single charge.
The following guidelines can help you pick a great machine for yourself or a loved one.
The power plant
The central processing unit( CPU), or processor, is the engine that drives your laptop’ s performance. As such, it’ s one of the most important considerations.
I suggest a model with an Intel Core i5 at a minimum; better yet is a Core i7, and even better than that is a Core i9. An AMD Ryzen R7 or R9 is also a strong CPU choice. With both Intel and AMD, the higher the CPU number, the more powerful it is.
The big picture
When it comes to rendering video game visuals, a powerful graphics processing unit( GPU) is critical. Most games are GPUdependent and you can’ t upgrade these units in laptops. Therefore, it’ s wise to invest in a good one, such as an NVIDIA GeForce RTX( or GTX at a minimum) or an AMD Radeon RX, out of the gate. Doing so will ensure several
SEVAG SAGHERIAN
MARC. SALTZMAN
Marc Saltzman is a tech journalist, host of the Tech It Out podcast and a regular contributor to the Connection.
14 | SEP / OCT 2023 COSTCO CONNECTION