HELP DESK
Laptops just for games emerging

By Kim Komando

Until recently, beefy desktop computers have been the best way to play the latest video games. Laptops didn't have the power to keep up with 3-D animation, for example.

That's changing.

Companies such as Alienware (www.alienware.com) and Voodoo PC (www.voodoopc.com) have found ways to make high-powered portable machines. Even mainstream companies such as Dell (www.dell.com) and Hewlett-Packard (www.hpshopping.com) are getting into the fray, with laptops designed especially for gamers.

Gaming laptops are expensive. They are packed with the latest processors, graphics cards and displays. Base prices start at $2,000. With upgrades, you can easily top $5,000. These machines are not only excellent at playing games, they're great for viewing DVDs and for video and image editing, which helps to justify their high prices.

When buying a gaming laptop, pay close attention to three major components.

The processor. Although the Centrino Pentium-M chip is ideal for extending battery life and keeping your laptop light, it's not the best chip for playing games. You'll want to go with a Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon 64 processor.

Most high-end gaming laptops offer 3.4-gigahertz Intel processors or the Athlon equivalent. You can save a few hundred dollars by choosing a slightly slower — 2.8 or 3GHz processor — without sacrificing too much in performance.

Graphics cards. Most games rely more on the graphics card than on the processing power of the computer. This is one area where you'll want the best.

Once, it was next to impossible to upgrade anything on a laptop, except for memory. Today Alienware, Dell and Voodoo PC have upgrade programs. When a newer and better graphics card is released, you can buy an upgrade. Dell sends a service technician to your house. Voodoo PC makes you send in your laptop. Alienware has configured its laptops so owners can open them and swap out the old graphics cards.

Memory. Most models start with 256 or 512 megabytes of RAM. That won't cut it for high-end gaming. A gigabyte of RAM is the sweet spot for maximum performance when using Windows XP. Expect to budget an extra $200 for a memory boost to 1 gigabyte.

A souped-up gaming laptop has some other tradeoffs. It will be heavy, generally weighing 8 to 10 pounds. Faster processors, more memory and robust graphics cards all drain batteries quickly. Don't expect much more than a hour of battery life.