You decide to fully customize a gaming laptop and build it by yourself, you do not have to surf thousands of sites and look for the information you need, all the most important to build a gaming laptop you can find in this article. Building a gaming notebook is not an easy task and it is somewhat heavier than building a PC, because the laptop has very limited space for placement elements and has a tendency to overheat, and not only. We have found some great solutions for this task and will talk about them in detail in this article.
Intel Core i9-9900K
The fastest processor – thing you need the most
Our team has conducted an in-depth analysis and we will tell you in detail about this process, also here you can find all the hidden pitfalls and problems that can wait for you when building a laptop. To make it as easy as possible for you to choose between each part of the laptop, we have made a segmentation of laptop configurations, which allows you to simply choose more suitable for your goals and capabilities. It often happens that people quit building a laptop halfway through, so we can recommend choosing a budget gaming laptop or a laptop for modern games.
Our best configuration
MSI Z390-A PRO
The best motherboard for Intel processors
– Supports 9th and 8th gen Intel processors
– Has dual-channel DDR 4 memory
(up to 4400 MHz)
– Support for Windows 10 64-bit
MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660
The most powerful video card
– Video Memory: 6 GB GDDR5
– Clock speed up to 1860 MHz
– Outputs: Displayport x 3 (V1. 4).
HDMI 2. 0B x 1
Intel Core i9-9900K
The fastest processor
– Has 8 Cores
– Clock speed up to 5.0 GHz
– Intel Turbo Boost Technology
Western Digital 1 TB WD Blue
SSD with the highest storage capacity
– 1TB of storage
– Sequential read speeds up to 560MB per second and sequential write speeds up to 530MB per second.
– Free software for cloning a disk or backing up your data
HyperX Impact (2x16GB)
The fastest operating memory
– Has a 16 GB X 2
– Reaching speeds up to 3200MHz
– Ram Type: ddr4 SDRAM
What do you need to know before you start building a gaming laptop?
Processor
The processor is one of the most important elements of the laptop, which is responsible for the speed of tasks, for games recommended processors with a clock speed of 4.0 to 5.0 GHz. If you want maximum laptop speed, we advise you to invest in a processor. The fastest processor in our article is Intel Core i9-9900K.
Video card
For gaming laptop graphics card is very important, because it is responsible for the quality and brightness of graphics games and not only in games. If you’re going to play games with high graphics, we recommend you choose a pretty powerful graphics card.
The most important thing in graphics cards is the clock speed, for gaming needs a graphics card from 1400 MHz. The best video card in our article is MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660, it will surprise you with its performance.
RAM
RAM is responsible for the speed and multitasking of your laptop. You can upgrade it with time. The more RAM installed in your laptop, the more tasks it can perform at the same time.
A minimum of 8 GB is recommended for a gaming laptop, but it often happens that it is not enough and it is better to buy a little more to improve multitasking right away.
SDD
For laptops, we do not recommend using HDD, because it is slower and noisier than SSD, so in our article all configurations include SSD. For a gaming laptop, 250 GB of storage will be enough, but if you are going to have a lot of modern games on your laptop then it is worth choosing a 500 GB SSD.
Display
The display is important for color transfer, you need a great display for the picture to be smooth and bright.
For a gaming laptop, it is very important to have a 144Hz and full HD screen of 15.6 inches.
Compatibility of elements
Well, let’s begin, first, you need to consider everything that will be in your laptop and then start buying and building. After all, you need to choose the suitable motherboard for your processor, in our article we advise 2 motherboards, Asus ROG Strix B550-F for AMD processors and MSI Z390-A PRO for Intel.
You should also think about the power of the processor and graphics card, these are two of the most important elements in a gaming laptop, try to make them be about the same performance because in the case of a gaming laptop powerful graphics card is useless with a weak processor, otherwise, it could be that you get an insanely slow laptop, but with good graphics.
We should remember that not every memory card and SSD will be suitable for every motherboard, in our article all the configurations we offer have elements perfectly suited to each other.
Cooling system
For an excellent and long-lasting laptop, it must have a solid cooling system, and the more powerful the processor and graphics card is, the better the cooling system it needs.
Use high-quality thermal paste for your laptop, apply it carefully to the joints of the cooling system with the graphics card and CPU. We recommend ARCTIC MX-4 thermal paste for the best effect. If you are afraid that your built laptop will still be exposed to overheating, we recommend using a cooling pad.
Battery
For gaming, the laptop battery is quite an important element, because sometimes we have to use a laptop without a power connection.
To select the battery you have to pay attention to its form and type of connection, it has to fully fit your laptop, because it may be that its size will be too big or small. When choosing a battery, pay attention to its capacity, for a comfortable gaming experience it should not be less than 2200mAh.
Weight
When choosing the configuration of your laptop you should take into account the weight of each of the parts, because it may be that it will be too heavy for comfortable everyday use. Be prepared for it to be heavier than a usual laptop, because the more powerful each element of the laptop, the heavier it is.
Why you should trust us
Our approach to writing is different than usual. Our team of professionals conducts research on each product, studies hundreds of reviews, and tries to understand the reader’s needs as much as possible.
In our article, you can find the cons of each product and get a full description of it with tips and instructions. We carefully check all the information we find and publish only 100% reliable information.
Everything you need for building a gaming laptop
We’ve put together for you the best options for building a gaming laptop and have done a power segmentation for each configuration. All parts fit one another perfectly, you can of course replace them, now or in the future, but make sure that they will work perfectly with other parts.
For heavy gaming
If you want to play the latest games, have the best FPS on the server, and enjoy the smooth graphics, this configuration is the perfect option for you. You’ll be surprised by the power of each of the elements and be able to enjoy clear graphics in games at 100%.
Perfect for games with system requirements:
- Processor 4.00 GHz or higher
- Video card with a core clock of 1530 MHz or higher
- RAM 8 GB and more
Smooth gaming experience with games like Watch Dogs Legion, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Cyberpunk 2077.
MSI Z390-A PRO
The best motherboard for Intel processors
– Supports 9th and 8th gen Intel processors
– Has dual-channel DDR 4 memory
(up to 4400 MHz)
– Support for Windows 10 64-bit
MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660
The most powerful video card
– Video Memory: 6 GB GDDR5
– Clock speed up to 1860 MHz
– Outputs: Displayport x 3 (V1. 4).
HDMI 2. 0B x 1
Intel Core i9-9900K
The fastest processor
– Has 8 Cores
– Clock speed up to 5.0 GHz
– Intel Turbo Boost Technology
Western Digital 1 TB WD Blue
SSD with the highest storage capacity
– 1TB of storage
– Sequential read speeds up to 560MB per second and sequential write speeds up to 530MB per second.
– Free software for cloning a disk or backing up your data
HyperX Impact (2x16GB)
The fastest operating memory
– Has a 16 GB X 2
– Reaching speeds up to 3200MHz
– Ram Type: ddr4 SDRAM
For the casual gaming
At first glance, computer graphics have not advanced much in recent years, while the system requirements are growing by leaps and bounds. To play most modern games with graphics that do not hurt your eyes is ideal for the following configuration, steadily good and pretty good graphics.
Perfect for games with system requirements:
- Processor 3.6 GHz or higher
- Video card with a core clock of 1485 MHz or higher
- RAM 16 GB
The laptop with such hardware works great for games like Fortnite, Overwatch, World of warcraft.
MSI Z390-A PRO
The best motherboard for Intel processors
– Supports 9th and 8th gen Intel processors
– Has dual channel DDR 4 memory
(up to 4400 MHz)
– Support for Windows 10 64-bit
MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1650
One of the most powerful video cards
– Video Memory: 4 GB GDDR6
– Clock speed up to 1620 MHz
– Outputs: DL-DVI-D x 1. DisplayPort x 1 (v1.4). HDMI 2.0b x 1
Intel Core i5-9600KF
One of the most powerful processors
– Has 6 Cores
– Clock speed up to 4.6 GHz
– Requires Bios update for excellent performance
Western Digital 500GB WD Blue
SSD with the highest storage capacity
– 500 GB of storage
– Sequential read speeds up to 560MB per second and sequential write speeds up to 530MB per second.
– Free software for cloning a disk or backing up your data
HyperX Impact (2x16GB)
The fastest operating memory
– Has a 16 GB X 2
– Reaching speeds up to 3200MHz
– Ram Type: ddr4 SDRAM
Budget option
Even though it is a budget configuration option, it is ideal for games with average system requirements, do not worry, with this laptop you can play a lot of games with great graphics and high . It is also possible to improve some elements (RAM, SSD, GPU) over time, for a better gaming experience.
Perfect for games with system requirements:
- Processor 3.0 GHz or higher
- Video card with a core clock of 1354 MHz or higher
- RAM 8 GB
Works for games like Battlefield V, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
ASUS ROG Strix B550-F
The best motherboard for AMD processors
– AM4 Socket. Supports 3rd and 5th gen AMD processors
– Optimized thermal solution
– Supports HDMI 2. 1, DisplayPort 1. 2, featuring dual M. 2 slots, USB 3. 2 type-C
ASUS GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
A solid video card
– Video Memory: 4 GB GDDR5
– Clock speed up to 1400 MHz
– Outputs: DVI-D, HDMI DP 1.4
AMD Ryzen 5 3600
A solid processor for gaming
– Has 6 Cores
– Clock speed up to 4.2 GHz
– For the advanced socket AM4
Western Digital 250GB WD Blue
SSD with enough storage space for games
– 250 GB of storage
– Sequential read speeds up to 560MB per second and sequential write speeds up to 530MB per second.
– Free software for cloning a disk or backing up your data
HyperX Impact (4x4GB)
The fastest operating memory
– Has a 4 GB X 4
– Reaching speeds up to 3200MHz
– Ram Type: ddr4 SDRAM
How to build a gaming laptop step-by-step
Is it worth building a gaming laptop?
Difficulties in building
The difficulties of building a gaming laptop are waiting for you, the challenge is the limited space, you have to make sure that you have enough space for each of the elements. Also, a big barrier is choosing the right elements that will work smoothly together. You must make sure that each part of the laptop does not interfere with the other. And of course, the quality and reliability of this build are up to you.
💻 If you think that building a laptop will be an impossible task, we recommend our two articles about gaming laptops for high-end games and budget laptops under $800.
Wasted time
You should keep in mind that it takes a long time to select the parts and wait for each one to be delivered. This makes assembling a gaming laptop even more difficult than just ordering a ready-made and tested one by others.
Spending Money
Summary
In the end, of course, you can build a gaming laptop from scratch, using the configuration we offer. You can also change some elements in the future or even include other elements in the configuration, making sure that they are compatible. But do not forget about all the difficulties of building a laptop, in addition, it is often more expensive than buying a finished gaming laptop. It is up to you to decide if it is worth it.
FAQs
❓How much is it to build a gaming laptop?
Depends on how powerful it is, but between $1,000 and $2,000.
💰Is it cheaper to build your own laptop?
In most cases, it’s more expensive than buying ready-made. You have to understand that cheating the system and making it cheaper than the market is a difficult task if you do not cooperate with the manufacturers of parts, as large companies do.
💾How much RAM do I need for gaming?
For gaming laptops, we recommend 16 GB, as modern games are becoming more and more demanding. Also, the RAM is responsible for the overall speed of task execution.
🔨How hard is it to build a laptop?
It’s difficult enough because you need to consider many things (finding every part, building it yourself, compatibility of all elements), but if you approach this issue with the proper responsibility — it is quite realistic.
