Best Laptop for Chess In 2022 [Expert Recommended]

When it comes to choosing the best laptop for chess, the options are endless; you won’t need a high-performing system. However, considering the fact that you’ll also be using the laptop for other purposes, it’s worth spending for a good unit that will last for years without any hassle.

The ideal laptop for you should be powerful enough to handle all your CPU -intensive tasks in a breeze. But there are also other factors that you should consider, including the hardware components of a laptop, such as RAM, storage type, etc.

In this article, I’ve done the legwork and compiled all the information on 5 top-rated gaming laptops in the market, so you can take your pick freely.

What’s the Difference between a Gaming Laptop and a Regular Laptop?

If you’re in the market for a new laptop, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all your options. In general, there are regular laptops and gaming laptops.

• Better Components

As the name suggests, gaming laptops are superior in terms of performance as they come with gaming components that aren’t available on regular laptops, such as a dedicated GPU, larger RAM, and high-speed processors.

• Performance-Oriented

In comparison to regular laptops, gaming laptops provide better speeds, larger memory, and faster processing power. They’re also better at handling heavy-duty computing tasks that require intensive use of CPU and GPU, such as gaming, simulation, graphics designing, and more.

• Gaming Design

Moreover, gaming laptops usually have very appealing designs. On the other hand, regular laptops mostly come with a bland appearance.

• Battery Life

Despite all these shortcomings, regular laptops offer marginally better battery life than gaming laptops.

This is possible because regular laptops use power-restricted processors and integrated GPUs, which are usually fine-tuned for the best efficiency. They’re designed for lighter computing tasks, such as browsing, creating documents, etc.

But it all boils down to one major factor that makes them distinctive: gaming laptops offer much more computing power for heavy-duty tasks than regular laptops. On the other hand, regular laptops offer impressive battery life with average performance that allows them to carry out simple tasks.

Top 5 Best Laptops For Chess In 2022 [Recommended]

You don’t necessarily have to spend a good amount of money on chess playing. Most entry-level laptops should be just fine. However, the list also includes a bit pricey laptops.

1. HP Stream 14″ Touchscreen – Best Touchscreen Laptop for Chess Gaming

One of the most compelling entry-level laptops in the market, the HP Stream has a touch-screen 14-inch LED display panel with a subpar 1366×768 resolution. While it isn’t the sharpest display panel we’ve seen, it’s still enough for your day-to-day tasks, including playing chess.

It comes with an Intel Celeron chip that has sufficient juice for simple tasks. However, it holds poorly against power-intensive tasks, and it is best suited for light jobs.

But thanks to its 8GB high-bandwidth RAM, it can easily handle a chess game as these programs aren’t very demanding. For the laptop’s price, you can’t really complain as it’s still an entry-level model.

On the bright side, it has a reasonably compact and slim form factor. It is much more lightweight than other 14-inch laptops in its segment. To top it all off, it has a rather sturdy build with textured surfaces all around the laptop.

All in all, this laptop is certainly not the most powerful laptop on this list, but it still offers bang for the buck with decent computational performance.

Verdict

2. ASUS L510 Ultra Thin Laptop – Best Ultra-Thin Light laptop for Chess Gaming

The Asus L510 is the manufacturer’s most attractive entry-level laptop that ticks all the right boxes for a budget computer. It has a stellar battery backup of more than 10 hours, a decent 15.6-inch screen, and an Intel Celeron chip combined inside a lightweight chassis that looks quite attractive.

It is made from thick and durable plastic, and the laptop weighs around 2.3 pounds. While it isn’t the lightest laptop on this list, it is still portable enough to be carried around. It also has all the standard ports, including USB 2.0, 3.0, type-C, and HDMI ports, that will be useful for connecting all your peripherals.

With a fanless Intel N4020 CPU, the Asus L510 certainly doesn’t knock the ball out of the park, but it has enough power to be compared with Intel Core i3 chipsets! It is best suited for light tasks and simple programs, but the performance will suffer when running power-intensive programs.

Verdict

3. Acer Aspire 5 A515-46-R3UB – Best Functional Laptop for Chess Gaming

If you’ve been in the market for a new laptop, you must have come across a few models from Acer. The Aspire 5 that we have here is one of their best-sellers, and it is for good reasons!

Instead of an Intel CPU that you’d find on laptops in this price range, the Aspire 5 comes with a quad-core AMD Ryzen 3. Compared to the Intel chipsets we come across on this list, the Ryzen 3 offers decent computational power and can easily handle all day-to-day tasks.

The Aspire 5 has a premium design that comprises an aluminum lid and tapered shell. It is a bit on the heavy side and weighs about 4 pounds. But the compact form factor helps in retaining portability.

With a battery life of around 7-8 hours, the laptop can easily survive a day at your office or a chess tournament.

This laptop has one of the best 15.6-inch screens on the market with a Full-HD resolution (1920×1080). But the panel doesn’t get very bright, so it isn’t ideal for outdoor usage.

Verdict

4. MSI GL65 Gaming Laptop – Best Fastest Laptop for Chess Gaming

In the world of gaming laptops, MSI has produced some of the best gaming laptops that offer unparalleled bang for the buck. The MSI GL65 is no different. With a sleek design and high-performance components, this laptop can handle heavy-duty tasks without breaking a sweat!

It comes with an Intel Core i5 processor that is specially designed for optimum gaming performance. Pairing it with a GeForce GTX 1650 GPU, you get a powerhouse that is capable of running AAA games. This specific model comes with 16 GB of RAM, so multitasking on the GL65 is a breeze.

Moreover, you’ll surely enjoy the blazing-fast read/write performance offered by its NVMe SSD. While 512 GB of storage is sufficient for day-to-day tasks, you also have the option to expand the storage by adding another storage disk or by upgrading the existing disk.

Some other features include its backlit keyboard. The keyboard lighting and colors can be customized to your liking, and it can also be set up for receiving in-game status updates. All in all, the 15.6-inch display allows it to have a compact form factor, so you can carry around your powerhouse without much trouble!

Verdict

5. Acer Nitro 5 AN515-55-53E5 – Best Performative Laptop for Chess Gaming

If you’re planning to go all out and get the best laptop for your chess gaming, you’ll definitely be interested in the Acer Nitro 5. One of the best gaming laptops in the market, the Nitro 5 offers flagship-grade performance on a budget. It comes with an Intel Core i5 processor and a GeForce RTX 3050 GPU.

This combination is powerful enough to run even AAA games at medium settings! The Core i5 is a proven processor for the best gaming performance in this segment, and the RTX 3050 can handle GPU-intensive programs without breaking a sweat.

But the most debatable factor of the Acer Nitro 5 is its subtle and minimal body design. It’s visually appealing to some and bland to others, but the laptop is well-built from plastic that offers enough durability for regular usage.

With flagship-grade performance, you also get flagship-grade visuals. The ultra-fast 144Hz display uses a 1080p panel that produces crisp and vibrant colors. However, the display’s brightness is below average, and you’ll have a hard time using it under the sun. Also, the battery life isn’t impressive at just around 5 hours.

Verdict

7 Things You Should Know Before Buying a Perfect Laptop for Your Chess Gaming in 2022

Choosing the right computer for your purposes doesn’t require much, but you should be familiar with a few things before you make the purchase. In general, an ideal laptop should offer enough power for running your programs and provide sufficient battery life for your usage and portability so you can carry it around.

Below, we discuss a few aspects and why they’re useful to have.

1. A Decent CPU:

The CPU of a computer is literally the brain of the system. It is responsible for handling all the programs that you run. Generally, CPUs are either power-oriented or offer marginally better efficiency for improved battery life.

If you are running demanding programs such as AAA games, video editing software, etc., you need a CPU that offers a lot of raw power. But if you’ll be using your laptop for simple tasks such as creating documents or browsing the internet, you won’t benefit much from a powerful CPU.

Instead, you could opt for power-efficient CPUs such as the Intel Celeron or AMD Ryzen 3 CPUs that offer just enough juice for light productivity performance.

2. RAM and Storage:

Generally, a computer has two types of memory. One is the RAM, and the other is for storing the OS, your files, programs, and everything else. The performance of RAM directly affects the overall performance of your laptop. If you are running demanding programs, you will benefit from having a bigger RAM.

Having a high-bandwidth RAM also significantly improves the performance of a computer. In general, 4 gigabytes of RAM is enough for day-to-day tasks. But for power-intensive programs, at least 8 gigabytes of RAM is recommended.

For storage, you can opt between a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD). An SSD offers much better performance than HDDs, with reading/writing speeds that are unreachable on HDDs. Moreover, they’re also more reliable as they don’t involve mechanical components.

You must determine the amount of storage you need based on the type of programs you’ll be running on the laptop. Not having enough storage would lead to a hard disk full of files, which not just affects performance but also takes a toll on the laptop’s usability.

That being said, 256GB of SSD is the minimum. If you want to store files and stuff, get the 512GB variant. Higher capacity is recommended if you’ll be using the laptop for more intensive games.

3. Touch-Screen and Non-Touch:

Whether you need a touch-screen display or not is a matter of your preference. Having a touch-screen display will boost your productivity and allow you to get creative in using your programs. You can get the same tasks done by using a mouse for a non-touch display.

4. Audio Output Quality:

Laptops aren’t known for good quality audio output, but some laptops come with really good speakers that offer great sound. If the sound is crucial for you, make sure to look into the speakers of your desired laptop.

5. Battery Life:

You shouldn’t underestimate the battery backup. The better battery life you get, the longer you can use your laptop without having to charge it.

6. Budget and Price-to-Performance Ratio:

Last but not least, you should assess your requirements and choice based on your budget. If you have a tight budget, your first priorities should be performance and battery life.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) on the Best Laptop for Chess In 2022

1. Can a laptop run a chess game?

Yes, a laptop can run chess games. However, it must have a minimum CPU clock speed of 1.00 GHz and have at least 1 GB of RAM installed.

2. Are under $300 laptops good for chess gaming?

Although it depends on the model you’re getting, you can play chess games on most entry-level laptops, including those that cost below $300.

3. What features to look for in a chess gaming notebook?

It depends on your preferences, but the key factors to consider are display size, battery life, and CPU.

4. How important is RAM for chess gaming?

The bare minimum RAM required for running a chess game is 1 gigabyte. Having more RAM would mean faster response from the computer, which will allow you to have a better experience when playing against AI players.

5. What kind of laptop size is perfect for chess gaming?

This actually depends on the display size that you need. Generally, a 14-inch laptop offers the perfect balance between large and compact displays. But keep in mind that the smaller a laptop is, the lower its battery life.

Final Thoughts about the Best Laptop for Chess

With all of that being said, you should now realize that the best laptop for chess doesn’t have to be the most powerful and expensive laptop on the market. You can get the job done as long as it has a decent CPU, sufficient RAM, and a suitable display size. I hope to have helped you in making a choice.

Eric Jaxson

My name Is Eric Jaxson, and I am the creator of Laptops Wise, your one-stop blog for all your laptop’s guide, reviews, laptop accessories and user experiences, and a place to help you get the right laptop and the better experience possible read more….