Can I upgrade my laptop to a gaming laptop

One of the biggest draws to a gaming PC is having the ability to upgrade them and change their components as the user sees fit.

While this gives an almost unlimited number of unique combinations and builds for a PC, they can often run high prices if youre looking for a more high-end build. As such, a more affordable and compact option is a gaming laptop.

Gaming laptops are a good choice if the owner needs mobility. A competent gaming laptop can manage both work and gaming tasks, but there are limited alternatives for upgrading your components as games become more demanding.

Is it, however, possible to update parts in a gaming laptop?

Changing parts in a modern gaming laptop is not always possible because most manufacturers utilise integrated elements such as graphics cards and CPUs.

Parts like RAM and HDD/SSD storage may be upgraded in most gaming laptops, but upgrading to a more powerful GPU often demands changing the motherboard as well.

How can you upgrade a gaming laptop?

A gaming laptop is made up of many similar components to a typical gaming PC, such as storage drives, motherboards and CPUs. For greater performance, not every feature of a gaming laptop or a standard gaming PC can or must be upgraded.

In gaming laptops, just a few components may be altered or replaced, such as the GPU, CPU, storage drives, and display units.

8GB of RAM is usually required for freshly released games or titles with higher system requirements (Random-Access-Memory). On the other hand, more demanding games cant operate correctly on a machine with only a few gigabytes of RAM, and they slow down, crash, or fail to start.

The vast majority of gaming laptops allow you to update your RAM or have additional RAM slots. Make sure you know how much memory youll need before upgrading or adding more to the system.

To reach the memory banks on a gaming laptops backside and increase the RAM, open the systems backside. To avoid technical issues and component damage, make sure the laptop is switched off and disconnected.

Changing to a newer GPU model can improve the systems performance immediately. The GPU on a standard gaming PC can be replaced in a matter of seconds, but its significantly more difficult with gaming laptops.

A gaming laptops graphics card may only be replaced if it is not built into the motherboard or integrated into the CPU.

Installing a more powerful GPU, on the other hand, increases heat production and, as a result, increases the danger of other components being damaged. In addition, the cooling system is only compatible with the original GPU. The paucity of cards on the market is another issue that makes upgrading to a more powerful GPU difficult.

If you want to get the most out of your GPU, youll need to keep your laptop plugged in when playing games. If you dont, youll be lucky if your laptop lasts an hour while gaming.

Most gaming laptops only survive a few hours on a charge when doing other tasks, but never as long as ultraportables without discrete GPUs. If you need a laptop to last 8 hours while you work, it wont be a gaming laptop.

How to improve the performance of your gaming laptop?

With a proactive approach toward physical care, your laptops performance will only improve. Dust and dirt wreak havoc on performance.

As a result of the debris obstructing airflow, the computer may overheat. As the temperature rises, the processor, GPU, and most other components will slow down. For a gaming machine, this isnt a good combo.

The best way to go is to get rid of the dust. Its not going to be simple. The warranty on your laptop is almost certainly sealed, and opening it will almost certainly void it. The solution is to use some extremely specific cleaning techniques.

But its not just the vents on your laptop that need to be kept clear. If you often use your keyboard (as with PC gaming), check sure its free of dust, food, or other debris that might cause sticky keys.

Computers that run Windows, macOS, and Linux are almost identical in terms of hardware and architecture. This means that, regardless of the operating system, device drivers must be maintained up to date.

However, when it comes to graphic drivers, you may need to be more hands-on. While Intel graphics, which are mostly inadequate for serious gaming, will benefit from updated drivers provided by a Windows update, your third-party graphics provider will not.

Only a few gadgets can function more efficiently without effective power management. Power management is critical for laptops, which are designed to be used away from a regular power supply. Although Windows has advanced power saving options, for a better gaming experience, you should connect your laptop to a power outlet.

The hardware, drivers, and settings of your computer have the most impact on the gaming performance of your laptop. If youre playing online games, though, theres another thing to consider: your internet connection speed.

Lag is the most prevalent source of annoyance when it comes to online gaming. Problems with your internet connection are typically the cause of a slow connection between your laptop and router.

In most cases, your wireless network card will have the most up-to-date drivers thanks to Windows Update or whatever system upgrades your OS has obtained.

Finally, its worth double-checking your graphics card settings, especially if you need to play a certain game. Because the amount of RAM accessible to your laptops GPU limits the options, its usually advisable to select a system that prioritises performance above looks.

High-resolution textures, in other words, will chew up your RAM, slowing down your frame rate. If you want to improve the gaming performance of your older or low-spec laptops, then its as easy as lowering the texture and frame rates.