How Jarrod’s Tech Tests Gaming Laptops
Our Gaming Laptop Testing Methodology
At Jarrod’s Tech, gaming laptops are tested with a consistent test methodology so results can be compared as fairly as possible across different models, hardware configurations, and generations.
This page is the central hub documenting how we test gaming laptops, including performance, thermals, fan noise, battery life, Wi-Fi speed, screen quality, latency, and game benchmarks.
Why our testing methodology matters
Gaming laptop performance depends on more than just the CPU and GPU listed on the spec sheet. Power limits, cooling design, fan behavior, screen quality, battery size, memory configuration, and manufacturer tuning can all change the real-world experience.
That is why our reviews focus on repeatable testing, real measurements, and practical comparisons instead of relying on manufacturer claims. It also means that unless another reviewer happens to test the same as us, results will not be comparable. Our data should only be compared within our own laptop review content for fairness.
Battery life testing
Battery life is one of the most important aspects when choosing a gaming laptop. We currently test battery life with two different tests:
- YouTube video playback on a loop
- With a game running
This mixture aims to represent show how long a laptop can last away from the charger in lighter workloads, and under a heavier workload with the GPU active.
See our full battery life testing methodology and test results.
Battery drain while asleep
Some laptops lose more battery than expected while asleep. This can be frustrating if you close the lid with plenty of charge remaining and come back later to find the laptop dead.
This testing looks at how much battery power a laptop loses while asleep over a 24 hour period.
I don’t think this one needs a dedicated testing methodology page – basically we disable features like swapping from sleep to hibernate and put the laptop to sleep for 24 hours. After 24 hours we run the built in Windows command ‘powercfg /sleepstudy’ which reports the battery drain. The reason we disable hibernate is because not all laptops correctly swap out of sleep mode, and we want to measure the worst case drain rate in a comparable manner.
Thermal testing
Thermal performance is one of the most important parts of a gaming laptop review. A laptop with powerful hardware can still perform poorly if the cooling system can’t sustain that performance over time.
Our thermal testing looks at how hot the CPU and GPU get under load, whether performance is limited by temperature or power limits, and how the cooling system behaves in different performance modes. Perhaps most importantly, we also measure how hot the keyboard deck gets – you know, that thing you’ll actually have your hands on.
All testing is conducted at 21°C for results that can be compared fairly in our lab all year round. The reason for this choice is explained more here.
Fan noise testing
It’s no secret that gaming laptops can run loud. A laptop that performs well but gets too loud gets annoying fast, and that’s why we test fan noise in all available performance modes while under heavy load.
CPU performance
CPU performance is tested to show how laptops compare in multi-core and single-core heavy workloads. This helps reveal differences in CPU power limits, cooling capability, and sustained performance.
We use repeatable benchmark testing with Cinebench here, so results can be compared across different laptops and processor generations easily.
Screen testing
Laptop screens tend to be one of the first places a manufacturer cuts corners to save money, which is extremely unfortunate as it’s literally what you’ll be staring at for hours while using the laptop.
Screen specs alone rarely tell the full story, and even results between displays that are the same model can still vary (I call this the panel lottery). This is why we test all screens for color gamut, color accuracy, brightness in 10% increments, backlight bleed, PWM flicker, contrast and response time.
Color gamut, brightness, and contrast
Color gamut, brightness, and contrast are entirely responsible for how good a laptop display looks in real-world use. These measurements are especially important if you care about content creation, or using the laptop in brighter environments like outside.
We don’t have a dedicated page for the test methodology, but essentially we just run the industry standard DisplayCal software with an X-Rite i1 Display Pro sitting on the screen – a device that is able to measure these variables accurately.
Screen response time testing
Screen response time affects motion clarity in games. A display with a high refresh rate can still look blurry if the pixels don’t transition from one color to another quickly enough.
Our response time testing helps show whether a gaming laptop screen can keep up with its advertised refresh rate.
See our screen response time testing methodology and results.
System latency testing
System latency measures how quickly a laptop responds from input to visible action on screen. Lower latency means games feel more responsive, especially in competitive esports titles.
Total system latency factors in the full chain of events between the time a mouse button is pressed, the signal getting processed by the machine, the game that’s running triggering an action, and movement on the screen finally occurs.
See our total system latency testing methodology and results.
Game testing
Game testing shows how a laptop performs in real games, not just synthetic benchmarks. This is important because gaming performance can vary depending on the game engine, graphics settings, CPU, CPU, memory, thermal/power limits and more.
We currently test the following three games on all gaming laptops we review:
- Cyberpunk 2077 – Ultra Settings – Built in benchmark
- Alan Wake 2 – High Settings – Custom test run
- Black Myth: Wukong – High Settings – Built in benchmark
Tests are performed with and without ray tracing, and with and without DLSS/FSR upscaling. Two of the three games are tested with the built in benchmark provided by the game, which means in these cases you can somewhat fairly compare your own results with ours. Just make sure you run the tests for at least 10 minutes to heat-soak the machine, as running a one-off test with cold hardware will perform better.
We only show game FPS and 1% low data in our reviews with graphs rather than game play footage, for all the reasons documented here.
Wi-Fi speed testing
No one likes slow download speeds. Wi-Fi performance can vary significantly between laptops depending on the wireless card, antenna design, drivers, and chassis layout.
How to use our test results
No single benchmark tells the full story, and unfortunately there is no perfect gaming laptop. A good gaming laptop should be judged by a combination of performance, thermals, fan noise, display quality, battery life, upgradeability, build quality, and price. Ultimately, it’s all about finding what works best for you with the least amount of compromise.
This is why I created the LaptopPicker.com website, simply answer 3 questions in less than 30 seconds and we’ll suggest the right laptop for you.
Testing updates
Laptop hardware, software, drivers, and test tools change over time. When testing methods are updated, we will provide a clear note on this website, as we aim to keep comparisons as clear and useful as possible.
Older results may not always be directly comparable with newer results if the test method, benchmark version, operating system, driver, or hardware generation has changed.