Overview
Having an old laptop can be frustrating because all the modern games require a high-end, top of the line gaming laptop. But what if you don’t have the budget for a brand-new laptop? What if you want to save money by reusing that old laptop?
There’s a way to breathe fresh life into that old laptop: you can turn it into a gaming laptop. While it may not meet the latest standards, it still can take you far when played on the right settings.
The process isn’t too tough or expensive. All you need is a little knowledge and some extra hardware. Let’s take a deep dive into how you can make your old laptop less crappy, and into gaming shape.
Overheating
One of the biggest issues gamers have with an old laptop is overheating. Additionally, with an aging laptop, you’re likely to experience slower speeds and performance. To counter these issues, and make your laptop ready for gaming, you should first clean out the interior (such as the fan and vents). Or, if you aren’t tech savvy, take it to a specialist to get it cleaned out.
You can also invest in a laptop cooling pad to keep your laptop cool while gaming. These pads are relatively cheap, ranging from $15 to $25, and can create a noticeable difference in performance and temperature. But, as a more general precaution, it’s best to keep the laptop on a flat surface, as opposed to running it on your lap or a pillow.
Graphics Card
If your graphics card can’t handle the latest games, you could replace it. Nowadays, this is a relatively simple process. You can get a compatible external graphics card with minimum system requirements and slightly better performance for about $150. Depending on your laptop model, the graphics card may be a removable part. However, doing the work yourself might void your laptop’s warranty.
Purchasing an external graphics card lets you upgrade the GPU without laying out a lot of money right away. You can go with the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Super or the RX 5500 XT. They offer better performance than most stock or onboard graphics cards, and they aren’t very expensive games. When it comes to tweaking your laptop’s hardware, these are the two options you should consider.
Memory Upgrade
The main issue that could affect the performance of your gaming laptop is the amount of RAM you have. Sure, RAM isn’t the same as a powerful graphics card, but it’s still important. If you don’t upgrade it, your gaming laptop won’t be able to keep up with modern games.
If your laptop has a 4GB RAM, you should consider upgrading it to 8GB. If it already has 8GB of RAM, consider upgrading it to 16GB. This should give you enough juice to power through the most intensive game titles.
RAM is relatively cheap, and you shouldn’t spend more than $60 on it. If you opt for a 16GB RAM, you may need to do a bit of tinkering to get it to work. You may also want to upgrade your RAM if you’re going to install larger applications, as they can quickly exhaust the existing memory.
External SSD Upgrade
If your laptop has an HDD drive instead of an SSD drive, your gaming experience can be negatively impacted. HDDs are the cheaper, slow-data-access drive, due to their meager read/write speeds. To see a significant boost in your laptop’s speed, you should replace the HDD with an external SSD hard drive.
An SSD laptop drive can make your laptop up to 20 times faster. In addition to improving performance, it also makes games load quicker. This makes an external SSD a worthwhile upgrade as it can help you load games faster and provide smoother performance.
While an external SSD can be slightly expensive, it is worth the investment. It will help to give an old laptop a new lease of life and make it suitable for gaming.
Adjust Windows Settings
One of the easiest ways to improve gaming performance is to adjust Windows settings. You can improve your laptop’s gaming performance without spending a penny.
By simply changing some settings in the Control Panel, you can enhance the performance and stability on your laptop. There are a few Windows settings you can tweak that will help with gaming, such as the power settings, visual effects, and background processes or applications.
Additionally, if you want to squeeze out even more performance, you could upgrade your OS to Windows 10, which is the best OS for gaming. This OS includes several new features and settings for gamers, including Game Mode and improved graphics.
Upgrade your Battery
Another factor that can affect your gaming experience is your laptop’s battery life. To avoid the battery from draining too quickly, you can buy a high-capacity battery to replace the existing one.
Replacing the battery is a simple process, and you could buy a high-capacity battery for about $50. This will help your laptop stay powered for a longer period of time, allowing you to enjoy gaming for a longer period of time.
Not only will this help extend your laptop’s battery, it will also help you to save on battery costs. Since a high-capacity battery lasts longer, you won’t have to charge it as often, saving money on electricity.
The Final Word
Changing out the hardware and upgrading your Windows settings can make all the difference when it comes to gaming with an old laptop. Depending on your laptop’s model and your budget, you may be able to upgrade some of the more expensive parts, such as a graphics card or RAM. Doing so could make your laptop just as capable as a brand-new gaming laptop.
At the end of the day, you can turn your old laptop into a gaming laptop with just a few tweaks. Hopefully, this guide has given you the information and insight to do so without breaking the bank. Good luck!
