The first video game, astonishingly, was developed in the 1950’s. It was developed as a project for A.S. Dougal’s PhD degree. To think, a simple edition of Tic-Tac-Toe was the result. It was two decades later that the first commercial home game console was released – this was the Odyssey, designed by Ralph Baer. Magnavox released the game. The Odyssey incased twelve games. The home game console was released in 1972 and a year before that Nolan Bushnell, as well as Ted Dabney produced the first arcade game. This game – Computer Space – was based on Nolan’s Spacewar game. The following year, Nolan Bushnell and Al Alcorn hit gold with the release of their new arcade game: Pong! With this great new game, everyone wanted to be the master of Pong! When they realized the potential, Bushnell and Dabney’s new company – Atari – released Pong! as a home video game. This was in 1975.
Computer gaming has flourished since then and is now a billion dollar industry. Pong! is nothing more than a distant memory, even for those who nostalgically remember it. A massive industry has developed from what can only be considered a humble beginning. Buying a gaming laptop or PC involves many factors, something which true gamers realize today. When you move around a lot or when you wish to play at work as well as at home, then a laptop or notebook is the best option – the only one actually. There are however many different types of laptops available on the market. When looking to buy gaming laptops, the following factors should be taken into consideration:
Processor When buying a laptop – especially a gaming laptop – the processor the first and most imperative part to look at. Nowadays you will find that anything less than a 1.6 GHz processor is not sufficient as most games require that or more. A 2 GHz processor or more is recommended.
Memory After the Processor (CPU), the memory space is the most important aspect to consider. A low memory will slow down your computer’s processing speed tremendously which will result in a lot of frustration. Newer games need a lot of memory space and thus we recommend a RAM memory of no less than 1GB – 2GB is the better option. When looking at memory speed, do not settle for anything less than 667Mhz.
Graphics Graphics is also an important factor when buying a gaming laptop. No matter the game you play – be it a strategic game or an action packed game – you will need a very good graphics card. We recommend that you look at graphic cards with 512MB dedicated memory, but even this could be insufficient.
Hard Drive It is astonishing to think that only a few years ago a 100GB hard drive seemed to be more than sufficient for even the biggest and best gamers out there. Now, you cannot settle for less than 500GB, and even that can prove insufficient. Luckily when your hard drive becomes too full, you can easily purchase an extra portable hard drive, which comes in sizes up to and exceeding 1 TB.
Optical Drive Depending on your need, it will be best to look for a multiformat (DVDRW) DVD burner. You don’t need to worry too much about the drive’s write speed, and could possibly save a few dollars buy going for the slower but cheaper option here.
Display No self-respecting gamer will settle for a gaming laptop with a screen size less than 19 inches. Go with maximum resolution available on the screen size of your choice, as this will enhance your viewing pleasure whenever you decide to pop in a movie dvd or blu-ray disc. It will also seem to greatly improve the graphics output of your chosen game.
As you can see, there are many things to consider when buying a gaming laptop, and you should not take to this challenge without advice from professionals if you are new to gaming. Ask around, and remember to shop around. Computer sales are a competitive environment, and you may be surprised by some of the specials out there.
Michael Stanton is a gaming laptops expert. He currently owns the NP8662.
