Gaming laptops have become quite popular in recent years, but passionate gamers have often complained about their higher price tag.
Compared to a gaming desktop with similar specs, a gaming laptop comes with a higher price point.
That begs the question, are gaming laptops truly worth the price? Well, the answer to this question is not so simple.
Let’s take a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of gaming laptops, compared to desktops, to understand the answer in a better manner.
Also Read: What Is The Best Gaming Laptop?
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Advantages of Gaming Laptops – Their True Value
While gaming laptops certainly seem like an appealing choice, it is important to understand their pros and cons before you decide to purchase one. Understanding the pros and cons will also help you better assess the value of gaming laptops.
Let’s start with some of the most prominent advantages of gaming laptops:
All-in-One Solution
Gaming laptops offer an all-in-one solution to your gaming needs. When purchasing a gaming laptop, you are not just getting a processing unit but also a display, keyboard, trackpad, and speakers combined into one.
Modern gaming laptops come with high-quality microphone arrays and speakers that remove the need for even a headset when playing games and communicating with friends.
Hence, when comparing a gaming laptop with a desktop, you should not just compare the price of your gaming tower but also the monitor and other accessories should be included in the price comparison.
Undeniable Portability
There is one irrefutable fact about gaming laptops: they are portable. If you have a gaming desktop, you are fixed to a single spot. Moving can be a hassle, so most desktop gamers prefer to stay in their rooms all the time.
With a gaming laptop, your movements are not restricted. You can carry on with your everyday life, go on tours, and take your laptop with you.
Even if a powerful gaming laptop is a bit bulky, it will still be easier to carry around compared to a desktop system, which you just cannot take with you.
Hence, gaming laptops offer undeniable portability which is the most premium factor when assessing their value. It is because of this factor they are priced at a higher level.
Ready for Play
Gaming laptops do not require any setting up. They are ready for use right out of the box. On the other hand, when you are purchasing gaming desktops, you need to put in some hard work dealing with all the setting up and adjusting.
So, that’s another significant benefit you get with gaming laptops. You can just take them out of the box and start playing your favorite games instantly.
This proves quite beneficial if you do not stick to one place and constantly move from one place to the next.
Packing and unpacking a gaming desktop setup will be a hassle but with a gaming desktop, you have got nothing to worry about.
No Wire Clutter
Unlike gaming desktop setups, you don’t have to worry about managing the wire clutter that much. With gaming laptops, all you will have at most is a gaming mouse and a charging cable.
So, there is almost no wire clutter to deal with. On the other hand, you either have to deal with major wire clutter with gaming desktops or you have to spend extra money to purchase an organizer box that will help reduce the wire clutter.
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Futureproofing/Upgradability
Modern gaming laptops come with future-proofing to some extent. Certain parts, especially the RAM and storage are upgradable and come with additional slots.
This provides some peace of mind to gamers that they will be able to boost the performance of their system in the future for upcoming games and don’t have to worry about their laptop becoming outdated anytime soon.
Built-In Streaming & Communication Gear
With a built-in webcam, microphone array, and speakers, you can start streaming right away on a gaming laptop.
When working with a gaming desktop, you will have to purchase these additional accessories.
Hence, gaming laptops are considered more adept for multi-functioning and prove to be the best companion for gamers.
Disadvantages of Gaming Laptops – Some Things To Consider
Despite their amazing benefits, there are still some drawbacks to gaming laptops that every gamer should know about.
Performance Benchmarks
The most powerful gaming laptop cannot come close to the most powerful gaming desktop in terms of performance.
While gaming laptops do offer performance that challenges the powerful desktops, when comparing the peak of performance in both, the difference is significant.
It is obviously because of the power factor. Powerful gaming desktops consume a lot of power and have supplies for multiple processing units, especially for high-powered GPUs.
Compared to that, gaming laptops come with mobile GPUs which are not as powerful and won’t support the same level of performance.
Also Read: What To Look For In A Gaming Laptop?
Limits to Upgradability
While gaming laptops do offer upgradability to a certain extent, it is still considered limited because of a lot of factors.
First and foremost, you cannot upgrade the GPU of a gaming laptop, while upgrading it in a gaming desktop is not that much of a problem.
Similarly, on gaming desktops, you have multiple options for RAM and storage, while on laptops you only have a limited number of options.
There are also various other factors in upgradability that make a gaming desktop a more favorable choice for high-end gamers who are looking for peak performance and maximum upgradability.
Power Usage & Battery Life
Despite the amazing technological advancements, gaming laptops will provide a long-lasting battery life when playing high-end intense games.
The battery will last for a long time normally but when you are pushing the CPU and GPU to its maximum limits, the battery will not last much and you will run out of battery soon. Hence, you will have to come near to a power socket.
Cooling Technology
You can install and upgrade multiple cooling systems in your gaming desktops to keep the temperatures in check but in gaming laptops you have limited options.
At most, you can add a cooling pad. Hence, gaming laptops, especially during demanding gameplay, tend to heat up which is often troublesome for the gamers. However, there is a rare chance of burnout.
Still, overheating and high temperatures with loud fan noise can be scary for laptop users.
Also Read: Best 15-inch Laptops
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it worth it to buy a gaming laptop?
It can be worth it to buy a gaming laptop based on your personal preferences. If portability is your primary concern and you are looking for an all-in-one solution for your gaming needs, then a gaming laptop is a good option.
Is it better to get a gaming laptop or a regular laptop?
A gaming laptop is certainly better for gamers compared to a regular laptop. It provides incredible performance potential along with excellent graphical capabilities, which allows you to play even the most advanced games.
What are the disadvantages of buying a gaming laptop?
Gaming laptops are limited in terms of performance and upgradability as compared to a gaming desktop. The battery life also becomes an issue during demanding gameplay and they have higher prices compared to a desktop with the same specs.
Do gaming laptops last long?
Because of their upgradability feature, gaming laptops do last to some extent. You can upgrade the performance components to increase the lifespan of gaming laptops and make them last longer.
Wrapping Up!
Summing it all up, gaming laptops are worth the price because of their numerous advantages. They are priced at a higher level because of their portability and also because they include the display, keyboard, trackpad and so much more.
It is important to understand the pros and cons of gaming laptops in order to understand their true value and assess their worth in terms of cost.
After reading the above guide, you are now able to better understand the benefits and drawbacks of gaming laptops. Hence, now you are better capable of answering the question yourself as to whether or not the gaming laptops are worth it.