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If you're a gamer, you may own a console like an Xbox Series X, PS5, or Nintendo Switch 2. Or perhaps you prefer a handheld like a Steam Deck. There are also high-end gaming PCs and powerful gaming laptops that let you take gaming with you on the go. They can be upgraded with new components, such as RAM or storage, to make them even more of a powerhouse and allow you to play the latest games with ease.

Gaming laptops are capable devices that can last quite a while. According to users who've owned one, they tend to last a few years. Many stated they've had devices for the last four years, with others commenting they've had theirs for up to six. This all depends on how often you use the laptop and what games you play and want to play.

It's possible to play games on any old laptop, but if you want to play the latest AAA releases or games that require certain system requirements, you'll need one built for gaming. For instance, "007 First Light" is recommended to have a 64-bit processor and operating system, and Intel Core i5 13500 or AMD Ryzen 5 7600, 16 GB of RAM, and a GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, or equivalent GPU, with at least 80 GB of available storage. When it comes to which to choose, here's a list of every major gaming laptop brand ranked from worst to best.

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There are several things to look out for when it comes to getting a gaming laptop. Performance and fidelity are two key components to gaming. The former is focused on how the game runs with settings focused on providing a smoother and faster experience with increased framerates. The latter is how everything looks on screen.

Gaming laptops are built with powerful CPUs, GPUs, RAM, and quick SSDs that ensure the game you're playing runs smoothly and looks as it should. Look for a high-performance GPU such as Nvidia's GeForce RTX series and a CPU like an Intel Core i9 14900HX. While you are unable to upgrade parts like the GPU and CPU in a laptop, you can and should upgrade the RAM and SSD to help get more life out of it.

To help your gaming laptop last longer, users suggest performing routine maintenance on it and cleaning the interior to brush out dust, dirt, and grime. While there are many gaming laptop myths, deleting unneeded or unused files isn't one of them, and can help your laptop to last longer as well. One major upgrade you can do is giving the machine more RAM. I've owned an Acer Nitro 5 AN515-54 since 2020, and it recently started to fail. I added more RAM, got two new fans, and cleaned it out; now it runs much better.

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A gaming laptop should be well cared for to avoid it failing on you. It's a good rule of thumb to get a gaming laptop that comes from a recognizable brand. Names like Razer, Acer, and ASUS are all popular computer manufacturers and put out some incredibly high-performance laptops.

One potentially laptop-damaging problem is overheating. Gaming laptops tend to get quite warm when running more intensive games. Owners have said that while it can be normal to see and feel the laptop get warmer, too high of temperatures can harm the laptop, especially in thinner models. Using a cooling pad, fan, and having the laptop off of soft surfaces can help ensure it ventilates properly, though there are reasons you may not need a laptop cooling pad at all.

It's worth mentioning again that you should take the time to clean the laptop to prevent clogging the ventilation and parts. Gaming is an expensive hobby, and it's only getting more expensive with increased pricing for games and hardware, so taking care of your gaming laptop and upgrading RAM and storage is one step to increasing the lifespan of your laptop. Upgrading parts is certainly less expensive than a brand-new laptop every four to six years.