Alas, there comes a time when all good things come to an end.
Currently, my laptop is slowly dying. There is a problem between the screen and the rest of the compute, meaning my laptop has turned into a desktop as the screen has to stay in one position to work. This is a bit of a pain, but considering my current laptop (An HP Pavilion) lasted me through half my university degree, six months backpacking through Asia (during rainy season), moving house here in Australia, my introduction to Blizzard gaming and starting this blog, I think I can safely say she’s done her job. But it’s as good as an excuse as ever to go looking at new ones!
Buying a new computer is an expensive purchase, and one you should be putting a lot of thought into. Both laptops I bought, I had either the help of my father (who is great with computers) or my partner (who got me into Blizzard gaming and my slight WoW addiction…) to make things easier. Both times taught me a few tips to think of before making your final decision!
Here are my 4 quick tips for choosing a gaming computer!
What is your end goal?
What do you need your computer for? Because rarely nowadays is a computer singular use, especially when you are buying your first gaming computer. While gaming may be your main focus (or one of your main focus), there will be other things you’ll need your computer for. Are you doing video or photo editing? Are you a student and writing essays? Or are you streaming or hosting a server? Each of these will affect you decision.
Certain aspects such as streaming or hosting servers may be better done with a gaming desktop as their tiered performance is going to be greater than laptops in general (not to say that you can’t do either of these thing with a laptop, when it comes to components size can matter. A desktop is more accommodating for these features.) , easier to add extra storage and set up with extra accessories (mics, a second screen, video camera, etc.). Factors such as being a student and needing to bring your work to campus every day, or wanting to be able to travel with your work lends itself more to the portability of a laptop. Once you figure out if you are looking for a gaming PC or a laptop, it makes it a whole lot easier to narrow down your focus.
What are your gaming needs?
Mainly what games are you playing, what are there specs, and what is important to you? Do you want better graphics for game cinematics sequences and game play or the portability for a LAN party with friends? Do you want extra memory because your game selection is huge? Remember that each change can affect both how your computer functions and for a laptop, the potential size of the laptop.
Which leads me to my next point…
For a laptop; weight vs. performance!
With a laptop, portability is a main function. You want to be able to go where you need to go, and game wherever you want. But you also need to balance that out with weight and size. Deciding whether to go with a bigger screen (17+ inches vs. about 15”), or more power usually mean an increase of a kilo. This doesn’t seem like a lot, but if you are carrying it around all day (think university classes or multiple meetings) it can easily feel like a lot more. So balance weight with other features, as it can mean the difference between happy days and a big back ache!
Lastly, budget!
What can you comfortably afford to spend? The perfect laptop may be $1500, but if your budget is $1000, then you will need to make a few compromises. Think back to your end goal and what is really important to you and work from there. Also, if you aren’t comfortable with custom building from scratch (which can be budget friendly, but only if you know what you are doing), try going for a trusted brand such as HP for a premade one! If your budget is around $1000-$1500, check out the HP Omen gaming laptops. They have a good selection for price range, performance and size. Plus, speaking from personal experience, a HP can handle a bit of a beating. (Great for the traveller!) And don’t forget to budget in for accessories! Having a great mouse, headset and carrying case can really make the difference, and keep your new expensive purchase safe while travelling. (I can’t recommend a decent laptop bag highly enough! This is the laptop backpack I am currently using as it also allows me to haul all my camera gear around. It has a ton of padding!)
What are your thoughts on buying a gaming laptop or computer? Leave them in the comments below!
Happy gaming!
-SB
Fit & Nerd 
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