Is a laptop with Core Ultra 9 288V good enough for gaming, and does the CPU or GPU matter more?

  The Core Ultra 9 288V is a Lunar Lake thin-and-light chip, commonly paired with an iGPU or entry dGPU. V-series uses on-package LPDDR5X, so memory bandwidth and cooling matter more than core count for gaming. 1080p low for esports and light titles is realistic; 1440p/4K high settings are out of scope.

  Plug in, use performance mode, and log 15 minutes with HWiNFO: GPU ~95% with power near TGP means GPU-limited; GPU under ~90% with saturated CPU threads points to CPU sustained power. Most buyers use this for office plus light gaming, so don't hold it to gaming-laptop standards.