Are gaming laptops good for school? Here’s what you need to look out for

Updated on July 23, 3:26 p.m. (GMT+8): Improved relevancy.

Gaming laptops have come a long way from being big clunky machines available to only those with the deepest wallets. Massive strides have been made in mobile gaming technology that has made gaming laptops not only vastly more capable, but also a little more affordable. 

But the question remains: are gaming laptops good for school? Whether you’re about to embark on further studies far away from home, or need a portable machine you can transport to and forth your study spots, a laptop that isn’t capable enough means potentially losing access to one of your favorite means to relax.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. We’ve put together a list of some important factors that we think you should consider when shopping for a gaming laptop.

Are gaming laptop good for school? What specs to look out for

In terms of specifications, it really depends on what kind of games you’re into. Generally, esports titles like Valorant, Dota 2, and Rocket League don’t require too much horsepower to run at a high frame rate.

If you’re into demanding AAA titles like Cyberpunk and Starfield and want to play at high-quality settings, you want to start looking at higher-end models armed with RTX 4070s and above. 

Remember, the higher the specs, the heavier the chassis will be, and the shorter the battery life will be.

Gaming laptops are notoriously expensive, with high-end models coming up to an eye-watering US$4,500 and above, so it’s very important to know what you need for the games you want to play. 

Combining weight, noise, and specifications is key in identifying the perfect gaming laptop you want to take with you to school. If you’re willing to go for a lower-end model to spend your time away from home, the costs wouldn’t be as glaring as it often seems. 

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Study-life balance — especially when it comes to your laptop’s weight

Everything is a balancing act, and that applies even more so when considering the laptop’s weight. If you’re going to be moving classrooms that could sometimes be in another building at the end of the campus, carrying a 17-inch monster weighing nearly seven pounds might not be the most comfortable thing to do. Not only will you need to contend with the weight of the laptop, but also with other accessories such as the charger and headphones. 

That being said, going for a lighter laptop has its downsides such as increased noise, since the chassis has to work harder to remove heat in a smaller package. This also could limit the amount of graphical horsepower that could fit in a smaller laptop.

We have found that laptops within the range of 4 to 5.5 pounds strike a good balance for us between portability, performance, and build quality.

Keep the noise down — your laptop included

Gaming laptops are notoriously loud machines. When performing more demanding tasks and charging, gaming laptops have the tendency to ramp up their fans, which translates to a dramatic increase in noise being produced by the machine. You wouldn’t want to be caught in the middle of a lecture with your laptop sounding like there’s a jet engine hidden in the ceiling of the theatre. 

Thankfully, most manufacturers give you the ability to select performance and fan profiles to reduce noise to acceptable levels at the cost of performance. If you’re not playing games or doing demanding tasks like video rendering, you can set your fan profiles to silent, where the system will aggressively reduce resources to ensure that your laptop is cool and quiet. Perfect for a lecture. 

This also comes with the added benefit of increasing battery life; however, we would caution that gaming laptops are not known to have battery lives that can last the day without needing a charge. 

We think that once you have the right use cases in mind, gaming laptops can be the perfect companion for you while you are away studying. Not only do they enable you to perform every task you could need for school, but they also give you the ability to enjoy your favorite games while you are away from home.

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