Top Online Poker Laptops

You might have an amazing desktop computer now, but what about those of you looking for a great laptop?  I have seen so many people waste thousands of dollars buying the wrong laptop just because of a brand name.  In this article, we’ll first analyze what you should be looking for in a mobile computer and then look at solutions at different price points.

What to Look For

The major components of what you should be looking for in a laptop are screen size, processor speed, RAM, and hard drive capacity.   For the screen size, get something you will be comfortable with.  I like to play games and poker, so I got a 17” laptop (which more resembles a portable desktop).  My wife just likes to get on Facebook, write e-mails, and browse websites, so we got her a 13” and, in both cases, we’re happy.  If you plan to play poker, just make sure you’re getting a decent widescreen resolution.  A 17” laptop should boast a full 1080p experience (1920x1080 resolution).

Processors will vary.  Right now, the Intel i5 and i7 processors are king, and for good reason – they are awesome.  The i5 isn’t as fast as the i7, but if you’re just looking to do general computing and playing poker, then the i5 should do just nicely.

RAM is vitally important to having your operating system run smoothly.  Whether you go with a Windows 7 or a Mac OS X laptop, you’re going to need a minimum of 2 GB of RAM.  I’d highly suggest making sure you have at least 4 GB and ideally 6 GB.  I went with 6 GB, which seems to be a threshold right now because 8 GB is very pricey.

Finally, for hard drive space, you’ll need at least 100 GB to be operational and I’d suggest getting a minimum of 250 GB.  Some laptops top out at 250 GB, so you might need to be smart with your space, but higher end laptops will actually come with dual 250 GB drives for a total of 500 GB, which is ideal for anything you might want to do.

What About NetBooks or the iPad?

Netbooks are a better buy for poker players than an iPad.  The NetBooks you see in stores almost universally run a version of Windows, so all of the poker rooms and software like Holdem Manager and PokerTracker will work on them.  You can plug in an external monitor for more desktop screen space, a mouse, and a keyboard if you wanted to.  The iPad has a keyboard option, but there are no poker applications that will work on it.  Remember, it’s basically a giant iPhone, so it’s not like having a MacBook Pro at all.

What About a MacBook Pro?

No problem!  Fortunately, PokerTracker 3 has a Mac version that will work just fine.  If you play on PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, or UB.com, then you’ll be fine since those sites have native Mac software editions.  The issue with MacBook Pros is that they are not cheap since Apple is viewed as a luxury computing brand.  You’ll pay top dollar, but get a very nice laptop for your money.

Some Recommendations?

Netbook Category: Acer Aspire One AO533.  It costs $300 and has an impressive 1.83 Hz processor, 1 GB of RAM (this is standard for netbooks), 160 GB hard drive, and a 10.1” screen.  For a netbook, this is a great system.

Mac Category: 15” 2.4 GHz MacBook Pro.  Very pricey at $1,799 and comes with an Intel Core i5 processor, 4 GB of RAM, and a 320 GB hard drive.  I’d upgrade the display for $100 to increase the resolution to 1680x1050.  If you have to get a Mac, this is your best option.

Power PC User Category: ASUS G73JH-A1.  Costs $1,594, which is less than the MacBook.  It’s a 17.3” laptop featuring an Intel i7 processor and a full 1080p screen resolution.  It comes with a very nice graphics hardware chip (1 GB of memory for that) and 8 GB of internal RAM.  It has dual 500 GB hard drives for 1 TB total.  If you are looking for a great laptop, it’s hard to top this one.

Budget PC User Category: Sager NP2180.  Cost is just $803.  It’s a 15.6” laptop with 1080p screen resolution and has a very nice 1 GB video chip solution.  It boasts 4 GB of internal RAM and an Intel i7 processor.  It comes with 320 GB of hard drive space, but you can increase that to 640 GB if you’d like.  For under $1,000, you really can’t go wrong here.