5 Common Problems With Gaming Laptops

PC gaming is quite attractive, considering that it is the platform with the most games available. You can build a gaming PC, but it can be a lengthy and expensive process. An easier and more cost-effective entry point into the world of PC gaming, especially when you factor in the RAM crisis, is to get a gaming laptop instead. While it’s not as satisfying as putting together a rig custom-designed for your gaming needs, you can still get a ready-made portable machine that does a decent job playing the latest games.

However, no technology is perfect, and a few issues have been irritating the laptop gaming community for a long time. It is worth knowing them before inheriting them. You have to figure out the specs, possible heat issues, bulky builds, and terrible battery life. This is why some gamers prefer consoles, as these are even more plug-and-play than a gaming laptop (without the portability).

You may not experience all of the issues mentioned here. But if you do, you may have to deal with it in the long run, since gaming laptops aren’t that customizable (at least until modular laptops become less of a niche). With this information, you might decide it’s best to build a gaming PC or buy a console. It could also give you the information you need to choose a gaming laptop that suits your needs.

Gaming laptops have limited expandability, making it extremely important to find one with the right specs. If this will be your primary gaming machine for a while, you don’t want to get stuck with a machine that doesn’t play the games you want. The two most important components you need to pay attention to are the CPU and GPU. These cannot be upgraded on the vast majority of laptops because they are soldered onto the motherboard and are not meant to be removed.

The CPU is responsible for running the game (executing its instructions). As of this writing, you need a processor with a minimum of six cores and 12 threads; eight cores or more are recommended for high-end gaming. Then you need to think about clock speed, which is how fast it executes instructions (measured in gigahertz), and for that you need 3.5 GHz. The GPU is what renders the game’s graphics, and at the very least, you need it with 8GB of VRAM to run modern games at 4K resolution. Features like ray tracing for enhanced visuals and DLSS for AI-based scaling are useful but not prohibitive.

Two other important components are RAM and SSDs (gaming has long since abandoned hard drives). You need 32GB of RAM to future-proof your device, but 16GB is usually the minimum required for most games. With the way games continue to grow in size, the minimum storage space you need is 1TB.

While overheating isn’t much of an issue these days, gaming laptops still tend to heat up to the point that they can become uncomfortable when sitting on your lap. This is because the CPU and GPU consume a lot of power to maintain the speeds needed for you to enjoy modern games with crisp visuals and high frame rates. However, the more power a component consumes, the more heat it generates.

Desktop GPUs, for example, are good at dissipating this heat. They usually have two or three fans with a large heatsink placed above the chip. Additionally, they continue to grow larger as these chips become more powerful. Unfortunately, all of this can’t fit on a laptop without sacrificing its smaller form factor. Manufacturers packing that desktop GPU into the clunky chassis of a laptop is the reason you’re going to feel the heat on your lap.

Naturally, the laptop needs a way to dissipate all that extra heat from the GPU and CPU. At this point, it will start spinning the fan at maximum speed to keep things cool, which can roar like a jet engine. If the fan is not enough to cool the laptop, these components will self-throttle (reduce their speed) in order to use less power and keep cooler. The problem is that you may notice frame drops and lags. If this happens to you often, you should consider getting a cooling pad.

Gaming laptops come in different sizes, so it’s not a universal rule that they’re all larger and heavier than their non-gaming counterparts. However, the most powerful ones usually fit this stereotype. As we’ve already explained, with great power comes great cooling requirements. This way they don’t easily reach their thermal limit and start limiting performance.

Processors have different thermal limits. For example, an Intel processor is at 100 degrees Celsius and an AMD processor is at 95 degrees Celsius. However, a safe temperature during intensive gaming should be below 85 degrees Celsius. Achieving this requires advanced cooling systems. Powerful gaming laptops feature a combination of active and passive cooling systems. These units come with several large built-in fans and liquid cooling systems like vapor chambers that dissipate heat well at the cost of making the laptop bulkier and heavier.

On top of that, gaming laptops have larger batteries than their non-gaming counterparts, which adds more weight. Additionally, these items are sturdy and made from premium and durable metals and plastics, such as aluminum, magnesium alloy, high-quality polycarbonates, and ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) plastics. Other things that contribute to size and weight include the larger screens, which measure around 15 to 17 inches, full-size keyboards, and RGB lighting.

Mobile devices are usually designed to be efficient because they run on battery power, but gaming laptops don’t. These are designed to push the hardware so you get the best gaming experience possible. When using your laptop normally, you can expect three to four hours of use (up to six hours with light use). But since the GPU and CPU consume too much power during intensive gaming sessions, this can drop to one to two hours.

This is why gaming laptops are notorious for having terrible battery life, and you’ll find yourself constantly charging your laptop more. So don’t expect to be able to play for hours without plugging in, the same way you can write an assignment or browse all afternoon without your laptop needing to recharge.

Also, remember that we said that the laptop may heat up more than normal when gaming. This is not only a problem for your comfort, but also for the battery, as heat is a well-known killer for batteries. Heat stress can cause the battery to age much faster. Under normal usage, you can expect battery life to be three to four years, but for a gaming laptop, that’s two to three years before you see a massive drop in capacity.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a new gaming laptop capable of playing the latest games for less than $800. The good thing about the budget options is that they still provide an excellent and solid gaming experience, with 1080p/60FPS on medium to high settings. You just have to accept that you won’t maximize everything unless you spend thousands of dollars on a high-end model. This suits the majority of players, as many don’t care to see every hair follicle, every reflection, and every tiny movement.

The problem is that you get entry-level hardware that is less scalable since the performance ceiling you start with is low. This will last an entire console generation, but you should be prepared to lower graphics settings over time. For example, as the generation progresses and developers strive to improve graphics performance and fidelity, a budget laptop’s 4GB to 8GB GPU will start to show its age compared to the PS5 and Xbox Series X’s 16GB of unified memory.

For the price of an entry-level budget laptop, you can get the PS5 or Xbox Series X Digital Edition for $599.99 and still have enough left over for the latest triple-A game or three. You will also be able to play most games from across the generation in 4K/60FPS. This doesn’t mean the consoles are inherently better since they will last the entire generation without lowering settings.