Gaming laptops are changing so fast it is hard to keep track even for the most avid gamers. All this new gaming technology makes finding the ultimate gaming laptop all that much harder. Don't despair, here are a few dream machines you might consider...
Copyright (c) 2007 Titus Hoskins
Gaming technology is developing at a blistering pace. Extremely fast. White knuckle fast. So fast it is very hard to keep track of all the latest innovations even for the most die-hard gaming enthusiast.
Gaming laptops are getting faster, sleeker and more powerful even as you read this. There has been a rapid deployment of gaming and laptop technology recently... dual core, dual graphics, dual hard drives... and the list keeps growing.
Larger screens are another major improvement with 19 and even 20 inch displays coming on stream, offering us a greater viewing area and more enjoyment.
With all these changes taking place in the gaming sector, where can you find the ultimate gaming laptop, the most powerful motherboard of all extreme machines? The best gaming performance for the money?
Where to look? Where to start the search?
Every gamer can tell you the heart of any gaming laptop is the graphics card. You must get the most powerful graphics or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) if you want your gaming system to perform to the max.
Now everything is coming up dual!
If one card is good, two must be better! You can now get gaming systems with twin or dual graphics with over a Gig of memory. You must also have a way to handle all this power so look for PCI-Express with SLI (Scalable Link Interface) systems.
Don't skimp your pennies here, try to get the best Graphics possible - a lot of gamers go for the high end GPUs such as ATI Mobility Radeon or NVIDIA GeForce Go series. Usually the higher the number the better performance it will deliver.
Know Your RAM
RAM is very important in a gaming laptop mainly because, as with any computer, RAM will largely determine how fast it will perform. Same as with your graphics card, go for the highest RAM possible. Know the difference between ordinary RAM and Video RAM. The latter is very important for running and getting full enjoyment out of your extreme gaming laptop.
Helping to speed everything up, high end gaming laptops now come with dual core processors, most gamers go for Intel or AMD processors. Go with a SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) hard drive with the highest storage and speed you can afford.
If Money Is No Object
If you want the ultimate gaming laptop you will probably have to pay a hefty price for top performance. The ultimate gaming laptop is really a luxury item where price is never much of a consideration in the first place. For those lucky few where money is no object (These creatures do roam the earth I am told!), searching out the best laptop money can buy must be a pleasant task.
Your hunt would no doubt begin with some of the top gaming brands such as Alienware (now owned by Dell), Voodoo (now a part of HP) and Rock Direct, a UK Laptop Company.
Let's face it, these high end gaming laptop manufacturers are mainly selling style and looks at a premium price. Many people criticize this as style over substance, most of these companies are using the same gaming components shipped in from Taiwan and assembling them into neat little gaming (marketing) packages.
But we are talking about luxury items here, if truth be told how many people would buy a Ferrari if it looked like a Model T? If you're looking for the ultimate gaming machine, you will probably want the looks too? It's a package deal. You can't have Paris without a Hilton!
New Alienware ALX
Some of the latest gaming models have to be seen to be believed. The new Alienware ALX Series should be on your list if you're looking for the ultimate gaming machine. Don't dismiss the latest Dell XPS M1710 laptop, which replaces the current XPS M170.
You should also cast your eye back to the mother country, Rock Direct in the UK has always been an innovator when it comes to gaming laptops. They were one of the first makers to ship Dual Core laptops. Their Xtreme SL Pro comes highly rated with twin AMD Turion 64 TL-60 (2GHz) processors and dual NVIDIA GeForce Go 7950 GTX 512MB graphics cards via PCI-Express with SLI.
Gamers will be taking note of the new DirectX 10 Znote 6625WD from Zepto. Another company in Europe who is taking the lead by introducing DirectX 10 gaming which will be powered by Santa Rosa, Intel's 4th generation Centrino Pro platform. Other vendors closer to home are featuring this new platform such as HP's Pavilion dv6500t.
Other Brands
Of course, you must not forget many of the other major laptop companies which produce high performance machines such as the Apple's MacBook Pro series and the HP's Pavilion line. These shouldn't be ignored in your search for the ultimate gaming machine.
Actually the search for the ultimate gaming laptop is rather pointless, wait two minutes after you have purchased your prized machine and there will probably be something new that will outperform it. Your best bet is to try to buy a machine that you can easily up-grade.
Besides, most gamers are an independent and stubborn lot, so regardless of what the experts or the benchmarks say, any gaming notebook they finally do buy will be their ultimate gaming laptop. If not in fact
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