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Beginner's Guide To Gaming Laptop Computer Microprocessors, Memory, And Operating Systems

thehigherstandard | Jan 7, 2012 |

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If you are in the market for a gaming laptop computer this year, there are three essential things that you should be concerned with: speed, sound, and image quality. Trust me: gaming laptop systems are not your father’s laptops of yesteryear. Designed to help the working public complete work-related tasks without being tethered to their desktop computers, the first laptop computers were made with one thing in mind: portability. However, these portable computers have come a long way due, in large part, to the consuming public who refuse to allow technology to limit their desires. Now, however, a new segment of the laptop using community are gamers. Of course, these game playing users have a whole new set of demands upon the computer manufacturers: they want everything that the typical laptop includes plus more speed, better sound, and better image clarity. Fortunately, the manufacturers have stepped up to the plate and delivered in a big way, producing gaming laptop computers that far exceed the expectation of most gamers.

With that said, however, if you are going to buy a gaming computer, there are many different features that must be considered in order to optimize your gaming experience. One of the most important features of a gaming laptop computer is the microprocessor.

The Gamer Laptop Microprocessor Must Be Big And Fast

Although the term is a bit antiquated, the gaming laptop microprocessor is also known as its “central processing unit” (also called the “CPU”). If you are in the market to buy the best gaming laptop computer, do not buy one that makes any compromises when it comes to the microprocessor. In a nutshell, this is the main component is determining just how powerful the laptop computer is going to be. Although there are exceptions to this general rule, the more powerful the microprocessor, the faster and more efficient the computer will be. Without getting too technical, the computer world is made of billions and billions of “0s” and “1s0.” The computer is able function by converting various sequences of these two numbers into instructions that it will follow. The microprocessor is the place where these numbers are received, crunched and analyzed, which it later sends out in a command-like form to another piece of hardware or software to be carried out.

Because today’s computer games absolutely demand high-speed capability, do not skimp here, especially if you expect it to deliver gaming-quality image resolutions, high-fidelity audio, and high-definition video, all the while running a game with a graphical user interface. [A graphical user interface, also known as “GUI,” simply means that you can participate in the game by pointing at stuff on the monitor and clicking your mouse button (or gaming control, as the case is here)].

Back when gamers (and other laptop users) first started demanding faster, more powerful computers, two “chip” designers came to the forefront and gave the consumers what they wanted: Intel and AMD. As a result, most of the standard laptops manufactured in the world today are designed and built by these two companies.

With that said, it is important to note that the best CPU is only as good as the “bus” and the memory that accompanies it. Generally speaking the “bus” is the wires that move the data from one point within the computer to another while the memory is, well, the memory (commonly described in turns of “RAM”). The reason this is important is that you can have the faster microprocessor in the world but if the bus and the memory cannot keep up, the data will not be transferred fast enough and will become backlogged, thereby significantly slowing down the process. And remember that when it comes to gaming laptop systems, slow is bad!

It is important to realize that the CPUs found in standard laptops are the universe of choices you have to install in your gaming laptop. There really are only three manufacturers of microprocessors that are entirely compatible with operating systems and software designed for Intel-based systems: Intel, AMD, and VIA. As such, it is important to briefly touch upon the three manufacturers’ “families” of CPUs.

Intel Gaming Laptop Microprocessors

Intel is the world’s leader when it comes to microprocessors. There are currently three different types of CPUs being manufactured by Intel: the Intel Atom, the Intel Celeron, and the Intel Centrino family.

The Intel Atom is the least powerful of all of Intel’s CPUs. Designed primarily to be used in netbooks, this microprocessor draws approximately one watt of power to operate properly. Because the typical laptop processors draw from 15 to 65 watts to accomplish the same tasks, this significantly reduces the heat generated by the laptop, as well as extends the life of the battery. While it is certainly capable of carrying out basic tasks and is good for work-related tasks (i.e., word processing), it is quickly out-matched if asked to do more complex things like run a high-speed computer game. As such, this is not a good option for the gamer’s laptop computer.

The Intel Celeron is the next type of CPU currently made by Intel for inclusion in laptops. Although more powerful than the Intel Atom, and despite the fact that it used to be the top of the line, it is now typically utilized at the bottom of Intel’s product line. Therefore, it is not a gaming lap CPU.

The final Intel microprocessor is the Intel Centrino family, their most powerful, which is grouped into the Intel Core i7 mobile processor (in both standard and Extreme version), as well as the less advanced Intel Core 2 (which is further grouped into Extreme, Quad, and Solo versions). These CPUs are really starting to push laptop technology such that it is likely that the same microprocessors will be able to be used in both desktop and laptop computers.

AMD Gaming Laptop Microprocessors

AMD has a few basic types of laptop processors: (a) the mobile AMD Athlon Neo, (b) the Mobile AMD Sempron, (c) the Mobile AMD Anthlon, (d) the AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core processor; and (e) AMD A-series Accelerated Processing Unit (“APU”). Only the last two AMD CPUs should be considered for a gaming laptop computer.

VIA Gaming Laptop Microprocessors

Finally, VIA has jumped into the CPUs fray, offering up the VIA Nano and the Via Nano dual core. With sufficient gaming CPUs available from Intel and AMD, there really is no need to considering use VIA chips in your gaming laptop.

Part 2 of this article can be found here: What You Should Know About Your Gaming Laptop System's Microprocessor.

Part 3 of this article can be found here: What You Should Know About Your Gamer Laptop System's Operating System.