Recommended Laptops for Gaming
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Players who prefer having a more mobile computer to play, or who prefer playing not on a desk, but playing on the couch or other places may enjoy the experience of laptops while gaming. In this article, I will recommend some of the laptops that I liked in my experience and explain why I liked each of them. The products will be ordered from cheapest to most expensive.
For less expensive laptops, you'll sometimes see me recommending Lenovo laptops. This is because for some years I have used some Lenovo laptops for gaming, with Intel HD graphics adapters, and I have had a very good experience with gaming on these Lenovo laptops. This is why I recommend them for Intel HD gaming.
The Video Game Literate's Recommended Laptops for Gaming
Lenovo Ideapad 330
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- Intel Pentium Silver
- Intel UHD Graphics 600
- 4 GB RAM
- 500 GB HDD
This is an affordable laptop which is a great choice for people who do not want to spend as much on their laptop as they would in a more expensive model. While this laptop will not be able to run most of the most recent AAA video games, it allows to play many video games if you do not mind playing older games. However, this model does not have a dedicated video card, so it is best for playing older games of the 1990s and 2000s and some 2D games.
My Experience With a Very Similar Model
For years, I have used a very similar model to this one. My own model had an inferior graphics adapter, the Intel HD 620, which still allowed me to play great indie games such as Darkest Dungeon (2016), Don't Starve (2013), Terraria (2011), and some older games such as Fable (2004), Final Fantasy VII (1997), Just Cause (2006) and Mount & Blade (2008), among others. This model linked here has a better graphics adapter than the one I had, the Intel UHD 600.
Limitations on Gaming
Due to having 4 GB RAM, some video games, especially more recent ones, will not perform as well. For this reason, if you are willing to spend a little more, I'd recommend a laptop with at least 8 GB RAM to have more options of games to play. I will show a 8 GB RAM laptop next. I strongly suggest purchasing a laptop that either has 8 GB RAM or upgrading the laptop to 8 GB RAM, due to the requirements of Windows 11.
Advantages of Resolution for Performance
Considering that this model has a resolution of 1366 x 768 instead of 1920 x 1080, this means that video games in this computer will require less graphical processing power, which in turn means better performance for your gaming. This subtle detail is very important for players gaming with integrated graphics adapters. In some cases, I have seen the next laptop model, which has superior RAM and storage, with a cheaper price than this one, so if you are thinking of buying one of these, it is worth to check both of them to see which has the lower price at the moment.
Some Examples of Playable Games
Due to the limitations of Intel HD graphics adapter, and 4 GB RAM, if you plan on gaming with this laptop you will mostly be limited to 1990s video games, 2000s video games, and some 2D video games. Some of the 1990s era video games that can be played on this laptop include Final Fantasy VII (1997), Half-Life (1998) and Tomb Raider (1996). Some of the 2000s video games include Gothic (2001), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003) and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (2002). Some of the 2D video games include Darkest Dungeon (2016), Don't Starve (2013) and Terraria (2011). Of course, you will also be able to play many video games from the 1980s and early 1990s, such as Doom (1993), Street Fighter II (1991), The Elder Scrolls I: Arena (1994), among many others.
Caveats of Gaming with Intel HD
It must be noted, however, that since this laptop has an Intel HD and not a dedicated video card, you will likely not be able to run well all 2000s video games, as many of these video games are 32bit applications, which means they can't use more than 2 GB of memory at a single time, a characteristic that prevents the Intel HD graphics adapter from using all of its capability (since it is reliant on RAM). For this reason, you will be able to play many 1990s video games, but some 2000s video games. As for 2D video games, most of the 2D video games released in the 2010s are 64bit applications, especially indie video games and remastered titles, thus in this case the Intel HD will be able to use more RAM available.
Playable Games with Lenovo Ideapad 330
Examples of games that can be played with this laptop: Age of Empires II HD (2013), Darkest Dungeon (2016), Deus Ex (2000), Diablo (1996), Don't Starve (2013), Doom (1993), Fable (2004), Final Fantasy VII (1997), Gothic (2001), Gun (2005), Half-Life (1998), Just Cause (2006), Mount & Blade (2008), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003), Quake (1996), Sid Meier's Civilization III (2001), Street Fighter II (1991), Terraria (2011), The Elder Scrolls I: Arena (1994), The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall (1996), The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (2002), Tomb Raider (1996), Tomb Raider: Anniversary (2007).
Lenovo Ideapad 3
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- Intel Pentium Gold
- Intel UHD Graphics
- 8 GB RAM
- 256 GB SSD
During some time I used a laptop very similar to this one, with 8 GB RAM, an SSD and integrated graphics, and I used it for gaming for a reasonable time. It is an affordable laptop which can run many games, although it will likely not run the most recent AAA video games. The presence of 8 GB RAM and an SSD allows you to play many more games than the previous model of this article, as integrated graphics adapters, such as the one present in this model, use the RAM for the graphical processing, improving performance. Due to the lack of a dedicated video card, this model is best for playing older games of the 1990s and 2000s and some 2D games.
Advantages of Resolution for Performance
The fact that this model uses a 1366 x 768 display resolution is also very helpful for players: the higher the resolution, the more graphical processing power required, and thus a 1920 x 1080 resolution would require more graphical processing power. In this sense, the choice of a 1366 x 768 resolution in this laptop is helpful for players because it will allow for a better performance in games than if a 1920 x 1080 had been chosen.
Tips for Choosing Specs
Make sure to pick a model with at least 8 GB RAM and at least 256 GB SSD if you plan on gaming. Whenever possible, prefer models with dual channel of the RAM, which will also increase the performance of the Intel graphics adapter.
Playable Games with Lenovo Ideapad 3
The games that were playable on the previous laptop above in this same article will also be likely playable on this laptop.
Examples of games that can be played with this laptop: Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009), Crusader Kings II (2012), Dead Space (2008), Dragon Age: Origins (2009), Europa Universalis III (2007), Resident Evil 5 (2009), Sid Meier's Civilization IV (2005), The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006), Way of the Samurai 3 (2008), Way of the Samurai 4 (2011), plus likely the ones mentioned in previous laptops of this article.
Acer Nitro 5
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- Intel Core i5
- GeForce RTX 3050
- 8 GB RAM
- 512 GB SSD
The Acer Nitro 5 is a popular gaming laptop because it is as the same time more affordable than many gaming laptops, while also providing an impressive gaming power. While previous laptop models of this article featured integrated graphics, which has a limited capability and is not capable of running well, for example, older 32bit video games (which is the case for many older video games), the Acer Nitro 5 features a dedicated video card, which is extremely important for gaming performance.
More Playable Games due to Dedicated Video Card
The Acer Nitro 5 features the RTX 3050, a dedicated video card, unlike previous models of this article. The presence of a dedicated video card, and one as powerful as the RTX 3050, allows gamers to play many more games, including older 32bit video games that would not perform as well on computers with integrated graphics adapters, such as Assassin's Creed (2007), Mass Effect (2007) and The Witcher (2007).
Some Examples of Playable Games
Moreover, the RTX 3050 has enough graphical processing power to run many late 2000s and early 2010s video games, such as Far Cry 2 (2008), Far Cry 3 (2012), GTA IV (2008), GTA V (2013), Just Cause 2 (2010), among many others. It is also able to run well late 2010s video games, such as Assassin's Creed Odyssey (2018), Dying Light (2015), Final Fantasy XV (2016), Monster Hunter: World (2018), Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018), Resident Evil 2 (2019), among many others.
Possibilities
Due to the presence of a powerful dedicated video card, 8 GB RAM and an SSD of at least 512 GB, this laptop is an excellent choice for gaming, and not as expensive as other options on the market. While this laptop will not run all current AAA video games on maximum settings, you will be able to play an impressive amount of video games of different generations, with hundreds and thousands of video games playable considering the video games of the industry, including older games from the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.
Limitations
While the RTX 3050 is a very powerful dedicated video card when compared to the integrated graphics adapters of the previous laptops of this article, for the greatest performance possible on current AAA video games you need not only a powerful dedicated video card, but also a powerful core processor, such as an i7 or an i9, while this model features an i5, which is more than capable of running most video games released in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, but it may not be enough to run very well some more demanding video games of the late 2010s and early 2020s, especially if you plan on playing games which require you to host your own dedicated servers, or games with very demanding hardware requirements. Moreover, 8 GB RAM may also not be enough for some more demanding video games. While the core processor may not be upgraded after purchase, in most cases you are able to upgrade the RAM of your laptop after purchase.
Playable Games with Acer Nitro 5
The games that were playable on the previous laptop above in this same article will also be likely playable on this laptop.
Examples of games that can be played with this laptop: Age of Wonders III (2014), Alien: Isolation (2014), Assassin's Creed (2007), Assassin's Creed II (2009), Assassin's Creed Odyssey (2018), Batman: Arkham City (2011), Dark Souls Remastered (2018), Dying Light (2015), Fallout 3 (2008), Fallout: New Vegas (2010), Far Cry 2 (2008), Far Cry 3 (2012), Final Fantasy XV (2016), Grand Theft Auto IV (2008), Grand Theft Auto V (2013), Just Cause 2 (2010), Mass Effect (2007), Mount & Blade: Warband (2010), Monster Hunter: World (2018), Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018), Resident Evil 2 (2019), Sid Meier's Civilization V (2010), The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011), The Witcher (2007), The Witcher II: Assassins of Kings (2011), plus likely the ones mentioned in previous laptops of this article.