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About Cheap Gaming Laptops

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By Jennifer Claerr
eHow Contributing Writer
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About Cheap Gaming Laptops

Laptops aren't the best computers for gaming. However, if you like to take your games on the road, there are ways to get a laptop with the power to run graphics-intensive games. If you shop around and compare products and options, you will get what you need without making too many sacrifices.

    Features

  1. There are several different ways to get a cheap gaming laptop. One is to buy a used or refurbished laptop with the features you want. Another idea is to get last year's model or find a laptop at an overstock store or website. Be sure to check for discounts while you're shopping. Compare the features of the different models to see which one offers the most power for the lowest price. Gaming laptops need a minimum of 1 gigabyte (GB) of memory. However, 3 or 4 GB will offer more optimal performance for graphics-intensive games. The CPU of a gaming laptop should have at least 2 gigahertz (GHz) of processing power.
  2. Function

  3. Gaming laptops need four basic components to function well. These are a fast central processing unit (CPU), lots of random access memory (RAM), a wireless card, a fast graphics processing unit (GPU) with its own memory and a decent sound card. Preferably, it should have a large screen, a joystick and speakers or headphones, but these are not as essential. A gaming laptop needs a CD/DVD drive to run games on disks. It will also require a hard drive with about 200 GB of storage space to store essential gaming files.
  4. Types

  5. Multi-core processors outperform single-core processors, even when the single-core is faster. Quad-core processors will produce the best possible gaming performance. Select double data rate synchronous dynamic RAM (DDR SDRAM) rather than single rate RAM, as this will significantly increase the speed of your computer's memory. DDR2 and DDR3 SDRAM will create even more memory bandwidth than regular DDR SDRAM, increasing the responsiveness of your gaming system.
  6. Benefits

  7. Gaming laptops are portable. They will free you from being tied down to gaming at a specific location. If you enjoy playing games away from home, a cheap, well-optimized laptop will enhance your gaming experience. A multi-core processor, 4 gigabytes (GB) of RAM and a GPU with 512 MB of memory will offer the most benefits for computer gamers. Any other accessories should be relatively inexpensive, portable and lightweight.
  8. Considerations

  9. Laptops are harder to upgrade than desktop computers. If you decide to get a cheap computer and upgrade, you may encounter serious problems as a result of doing the work yourself. It may not be worth the time and energy you put into the project. If you're technically savvy and you've done work on laptop computers successfully in the past, you may be able to succeed in creating your own gaming laptop. However, most cheap laptops cannot accept graphics or sound upgrades, so you may to build your computer from the ground up. Used laptops may seem like a bargain, yet some of them may be in poor condition. There may be no way to return a used laptop to the seller. Always test-drive a used laptop before you buy. When in doubt, visit a professional used computer shop that refurbishes computers and offers a warranty.
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