Awesome Gaming Laptop Tips

Traditionally, laptop computers have been used for business and academic applications. But as laptop technology has advanced, video game lovers have been generating demand for high-powered gaming laptops for portable PC gaming. Using a laptop PC for video games is a fantastic way to play your favorite games anytime, anywhere. Especially when gathering with your friends in a multiplayer LAN party.

If you're shopping around for a new laptop with gaming in mind, there are some things that you need to be aware of in order to give yourself the best laptop gaming experience possible. We've put together some ideas for you to help you along!


MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Every PC game comes with a list of minimum system requirements needed to play the game. If your specs don't make the grade, then it's game over before you've even begun!

Video games will also list the recommended system specifications that the developers suggest for the best results for playing their games. It's best to look at some of the newest titles that are out right now and look for a laptop with hardware specs that are just above the games' recommended requirements. Not only will you be ready to play the hot new titles, but you'll also have invested in being prepared for games coming out in the near future.


At the time of this writing, we recommend a laptop that has at least a dual-core CPU of 1.6Ghz, 60GB of available hard drive space, and as much RAM as you can get!


PRICE

Naturally, the price of a laptop weighs heavy into how you shop. If you're looking for a laptop that you know you'll want to use for video games, then you'll have spend a bit more. Realistically, low-priced netbooks and "red tag sale" laptops will only frustrate you if you try to use them for video games.

The only exception being if you have a more casual attitude toward gaming and intend to use your laptop to play PC games that are older than 7 years or Flash games found on the web. Otherwise, expect to pay at least $1500 for a machine capable of playing current popular game titles.


VIDEO PROCESSOR

A computer's GPU (or Graphics Processor Unit) is the keystone of a PC video game's performance. What you definitely don't want is a graphics processor that's integrated with the motherboard. A separate graphics card is best since it takes care of the whole video workload by itself, freeing the laptop's system resources.

ATi and nVidia make the best laptop graphics cards on the market right now with 128MB-256MB of video memory.


SCREEN SIZE

How you view your video games is a crucial part of how you interact with them. Luckily, laptop LCD screens have come a long way in quality over the past couple of years. While smaller displays come with the territory of smaller, more portable laptops, size matters for video games.

For the best view of your PC games, you'll want a laptop screen that's at least 15 inches. We recommend a screen that's closer to 17 inches just so you don't have to squint as much while trying to concentrate on a PC game's finer graphical details. A screen with a natural resolution of 1280x800 pixels is also best for getting the clearest quality of picture.

You may need to consider whether or not you prefer a laptop with a standard or widescreen LCD display. More computer monitors and laptop LCD screens are being produced in widescreen format to keep up with trends in high-definition television.


However, not as many PC games are being developed with widescreen displays in mind. Playing a PC game in fullscreen mode on a widescreen display may cause the game to appear stretched out or fuzzy. We recommend a widescreen display because of its advantages outside of gaming and in expectation that more PC game developers will adopt widescreen display options.

Of course there are details like contrast, viewing angles, etc., but that’s a whole different topic in itself! The best idea is to go to your local retailer’s laptop displays and let your eyes be the judge. Note the specs of whichever ones look the best to you and shop around for laptop models with similar displays.


PERIPHERALS

There's always more gadgets that you can add to your laptop to enhance your gaming experience! Most laptop owners that use a laptop at home prefer to connect a full-sized USB keyboard and mouse, as well as connect their laptop to a docking station or port replicator to expand their audio/video options.

Whether you're at home or on the go, we recommend at least using a USB optical mouse with your laptop for the best possible control of your game.

The #1 killer of computer hardware is heat and laptops are notorious for overheating, due to their compact design. Of course, nothing heats up a system more than a CPU/GPU generating high-quality 3D graphics! For this, you should look into picking up a cooling fan for your laptop. If for no other reason than to keep from cooking your legs from resting your laptop on your lap! Ouch!

Most PC games come with the option to play with a gamepad or joystick, which is great for people who aren't used to playing on a keyboard. Arguably, the gamer's favorite controller design of all-time is Sony's Dual Shock controller for its PlayStation consoles. By using a PlayStation-to-PC USB adapter, you can connect any PSone or PS2 controller to your laptop.

This includes any other controller accessory made for PlayStation, like steering wheels and dance pads. The most popular use is for connecting arcade-style joysticks for playing classic arcade games or competitive fighting games like Street Fighter IV.


For all of our available video game accessories, please browse through our online store. If you have any questions about PC gaming or for more gaming laptop advice, please feel free to send us an email!

Back-To-School Checklist for Laptops

The new school year is upon us! With the fall semester just about to start, it's important to make sure that you or your student are well equipped for handling all their schoolwork.

To make sure you have everything you need to be prepared, we've put together a list of tips to maximize your gear:


NETBOOKS

Netbooks are the hottest new tool for portable computing. They're ideal for students because of their petite, travel-friendly size, economic prices, and easy mobile web access. While they're not as powerful as most desktop or laptop computers, they pack just enough power to dedicate to schoolwork and basic web-based communication.

Whichever model of netbook you plan to buy, you'll need to make sure that you have all the right netbook accessories. Using a slim, external DVD drive is essential for installing all the necessary software that you or your student may need for school projects. Netbooks lack any kind of optical disc drive, so it's good idea if you need to read or backup any data to a CD or DVD. You may also want to pick up a spare netbook AC adapter, to make sure that your netbook can be fully charged no matter where you go.


LAPTOP BATTERIES
& AC ADAPTERS

Notebook PCs need love just as much as netbooks. If you're frequently on the move, keep a spare laptop battery handy to double your mobile computer work time. And just in case of an emergency, pack a spare laptop AC adapter to make sure that you're laptop is powered up and your work time goes on, uninterrupted.


SECURITY CABLES

Keeping your laptop or netbook secure is crucial to keep from falling into the hands of thieves. Most laptops and netbooks come equipped with slots to connect a Kensington notebook security cable lock. These laptop cable locks will keep your notebook or netbook firmly tethered so that they don't sprout wings and fly away. Laptops are expensive enough to replace, but imagine losing any irreplaceable schoolwork that might be stored inside!


BACK-UP!

Hardware failure, viruses, theft... No matter how you lose your data, it could cost you hours, days, or even weeks worth of work! Back up your data routinely; preferably every day. You can use a USB thumb drive (2GB or more) or an external DVD burner for backing up smaller files or projects, or you can use a larger external hard drive for larger tasks. Remember, though, it's only a back-up if you have more than one copy!


WIRELESS CARDS

Public WiFi access is increasing, with free wireless web access becoming available in most restaurants and other local businesses. However, not every laptop comes with wireless hardware built in. If your laptop doesn't have a laptop wireless card, you should definitely get one. With wireless accessibility, your laptop can truly be mobile, connecting to local wireless networks and WiFi hotspots.

Staying connected is becoming more and more critical for school to keep in touch with teachers, fellow students, and other online resources.


DOCKING STATIONS

If you want to get the most out of your laptop, you can use a laptop port replicator or docking station to expand the functionality of the laptop while working at home.

A laptop itself is excellent for mobile computing, but when you return home to your desk, it's nice to be able to view your work on a larger monitor and hear music through full-sized speakers. A port replicator can get your laptop working like a desktop, allowing it to connect to just about any computer accessory.


TRAVEL BAGS

While carrying around your laptop, you want to make sure that it has as much protection as possible. Most people use laptop travel bags (which are great), but they stand out like a beacon through the eyes of thieves. Your best bet is to use a backpack to blend in with the crowd, but make sure it has extra padding to protect your laptop. Many new backpacks are designed with special compartments for storing laptops or netbooks, so picking up one of those is definitely recommended.


GAMING

Naturally you'll want to have some fun with your laptop or netbook. Any computer you own for the purpose of school or business should be considered a tool first and a toy well below that. But there's always that rule of all work and no play...

To provide some extra comfort in your game time, we offer the PlayStation-to-PC USB adapter. This little gadget will let you connect any PSone or PS2 controller or accessory to your PC. It's compatible with any desktop, laptop, or notebook computer with an available USB 2.0 port. It's great for any joystick-enabled PC games or ports of classic games found on download services like Steam.


With all this kit on hand, you should be ready to make the grade! Of course, if you're ever in need of repair or upgrade service for your netbook or notebook PC, Triangle Laptops offers it's fantastic laptop repair service in order to keep your computer up and running! For more information, please visit the Triangle Laptops homepage or call 1-919-620-6886.

Get The Most of Your Netbook with an External DVD Drive

Netbooks have exploded in popularity this past year, with their sales expected to exceed $32million by year’s end. At nearly half the size and price of the average laptop, netbooks offer a convenient, affordable means of mobile web access.

With the next school year starting up in just a month or so, many are picking up netbooks as part of their essential school supplies. Netbooks are ideal for parents who are nervous about investing in expensive laptops that may be lost or stolen at school. The limited power of the netbook also lifts many parents’ worry about their child’s school computer being used more for gaming or downloading media.

Our very own Ann from Triangle Laptops HQ recently bought a laptop for her family and was happy to share her thoughts on these impressive new devices. Like most parents, Ann bought her netbook for her son, Cole, to use for school. They bought the netbook this past spring, but look forward to putting it to use when school begins again in the fall.

After researching through the reviews of various netbook models, Ann went with the Aspire One D150. She’d shopped around to find the best price and also to get a hands-on sense for the netbook to make sure it felt comfortable to use.

“It’s great!” Ann said about her new netbook, “Cole no longer has to worry about remembering to back up his computer work at school to take home. He just takes the netbook to and from school and his work stays in the same place.” Thanks to the travel-friendly size of the netbook, most people needn’t worry about having to sync up their data between multiple locations.

Ann also confesses that there is some entertainment value to this educational tool. Cole recently spent some time in the hospital, though the days felt less long with the netbook by his side. “He’d connect through the hospital’s wifi network and watch online videos,” Ann explained. “It was nice, but it would have been nicer if he could have watched some DVDs from home.”

One drawback to netbooks (as a trade-off for their petite size) is that they lack any kind of optical disc drive. Not only does this prevent the ability to watch DVD movies, but it also makes the installation of any disc-based software impossible.

Luckily, Ann found a solution through Triangle Laptops. The external CD/DVD drive for netbooks connects to the netbook with ease through its USB port. With this external optical drive, netbook owners can now access their favorite files and software.

Most netbooks have a limited storage capacity compared to laptop and desktop PCs, so backing up data is a common necessity. The external DVD burner allows you to easily back up your data or music from your netbook to CD or DVD. No matter how careful you treat your netbook, we always recommend routinely backing up your data in case of an accident or hardware failure.

The netbook external DVD drive comes in three snazzy colors, depending on your personal tastes: Black, white, and silver. It’s also super-slim, making it just as portable as the netbook itself. There’s no need to worry about compatibility since the external DVD drive can connect with any netbook, PC, or Mac computer with a USB 2.0 port.

For a faster, more reliable data transfer; these external optical drives also have internal SATA connections.

Now is the time to pick up the right netbook accessories to make sure that you or your student is completely prepared to get the full benefits of a netbook before school begins this fall. Triangle Laptops also offers replacement netbook keyboards and netbook AC adapters, as well as other useful computer-related accessories.