All of the hype surrounding tablets shouldn't distract from the fact that gamers still need the fastest hardware possible from their computing devices. Sure, quite a few great games have come out for the iPad and iPhone, but those who want to play high-end titles like "Crysis" and "Battlefield 4" are going to want custom Sony Vaio and Toshiba laptops with top-of-the-line graphics cards and processors.

So as a buyer, what are you looking for if you're planning to purchase a family member a gaming laptop for the holidays? There's a couple key points to remember:

• Fast CPU: The computer's processor should have a clock speed of at least 2.5 gigahertz (GHz), though faster is better.

• Large screen: Games are more immersive when they're being played on a larger screen. Typical laptops will have 13-15 inch displays, but for a gamer, 17-18 is ideal.

• Powerful graphics processors: Using a high-end graphics card, such as an NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 770M with 3 gigabytes of VRAM, takes the graphics work load off of the computer's CPU, delivering faster frame rates and more detail in 3D games. The more VRAM the computer has in the graphics card, the better the gaming experience will be.

Many manufacturers make great gaming laptops, and one of the advantages of shopping at PortableOne is that we can provide you with a customized machine featuring a configuration that meets your needs. Give us a call today and we can walk you through all the various options that are available in terms of CPUs, graphics cards, hard drive capacities and more.