In this article, we are going to discuss the never-ending and interesting debate, about whether to own a gaming laptop or set up a gaming pc, the gaming community has experienced a big leap in the last few years.
It’s 2022 and we are in the period of a technical globe, a few years ago who would have thought the tiny-looking gadgets will come so far that users will have complications picking between laptops and desktops for gaming.
This is because gaming laptops now come with robust hardware and for good reason, we have more options while developing gaming sets up.
The laptops used to be underpowered and had pretty sluggish looks making them less popular for games however this is not the circumstance now.
Whereas the desktop is nevertheless having the upper hand when corresponded to laptops, as it still performs better, gaming rigs are quite portable and easier to carry outdoors.
Especially if you have to go out anywhere at your friend’s house or you play tournaments outside, the laptop becomes more convenient.
Now let us scrutinize more characteristics of a Gaming laptop vs gaming PC comparison so you hold a clear overview of the pros and cons of a laptop and desktop PC, as in both cases you are going to spend money so let’s begin.
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Gaming laptop vs gaming PC which is better in 2022
Performance:
Since the innovation of gaming laptops in the last few years, Manufacturers have carried a tremendous step towards making gaming laptops as beast as possible.
Especially since the RTX, 30 series GPUs have entered the market, and demand for laptops has emerged a lot as numerous gamers presume that it can give similar performance to its desktop opponent.
For instance, it’s true that modern implemented technics on laptops make your gaming smooth on most graphics-intensive games such as cyberpunk, Forza Horizon 5, and Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla.
Anyhow to enjoy these games you need to spend on an expensive gaming laptop, you must have RTX 3070 to 3080ti to enjoy these games at high settings for all this you need to have a budget of 1500-2000 dollars or even above.
Moreover, Nvidia RTX 3060 minimum graphics card you can consider for the latest games that have been released after 2018, this can cost you above 1200-1500 dollars easily.
Now when resembling all these video cards with desktop set-ups, you will get better and faster performance with a similar graphics card, this can indeed make you curious why the same component outperforms on the desktop.
Basically, manufacturers underclock the power in laptops for various reasons but the biggest reason is they want to make laptops more efficient and also need to maintain their cooling factor with battery life.
Another reason is brands have to add all the hardware in the smallest place whereas desktops are having more space to build in your machine with different components.
Overall desktops have the upper hand for performance when it comes to gaming laptops VS desktops.
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Upgradability and Customization:
This is the most prominent & deciding factor while making your decision on a gaming desktop vs laptop, in fact, it’s a more important factor than performance.
As I discussed gaming laptops are capable of delivering a smooth experience on the heaviest task but the biggest point that makes PC a winner is the flexibility of upgrading hardware for the future.
Nonetheless, laptops do come with an upgradability feature for ram memory and storage space you can add an extra stick to increase the efficiency of the machine yet you can not upgrade the CPU or GPU as it is attached to the inbuilt motherboard.
This especially counts the most when you are setting up a gaming studio and playing any particular game, let’s take the example of gamers’ favorite video game GTA5.
At present, this is the most outstanding game from this franchise but recently they have announced that they are coming with a new game, though they have not leaked any details high chances are it is going to be GTA6.
For instance, while purchasing a gaming laptop you will consider system requirements for GTA5 but once the GTA6 will release if your components do not support the latest version.
Either you have to play games at lower settings or you will get a new gaming laptop to play games smoothly.
So basically, here again, the desktop is better for upgrading as you can change the entire hardware from the processor, GPU, and ram to the hard drive.
Even the screen monitor is also replaceable, which saves you a lot of bugs in the long term as you do not have to pay for a new gaming desktop you can just upgrade the hardware you want, so the Pc upgradeability is easier.
Moreover, with a desktop, you can also set up hardware according to your needs and budget but with the gaming laptop, you have no such exciting option you get fixed components.
This works really well for those who do not have high spending power they can set up their own PC and later can enhance the PC specs.
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Screen size:
This is something we often overlook in laptop vs desktop for gaming but a very crucial factor, as we all know gaming is something once commence playing it can go for hours, and a large chunk of time we have to spend in front of the display.
For instance, with a desktop, we have the largest screen available in the market with different types of panels on a very limited budget, you can get big screens above 30” as well.
The gaming is enjoyable on a big screen as you see each detailing easily and objects are larger making gameplay smoother.
With laptops we have very limited choices in screens right now, though we have quite a few 17” gaming laptops available, still, then portability becomes an issue for students and professionals, as 17” devices are very bulky which makes them difficult to carry.
The refresh rate and screen response time are not a big concern in both desktop and gaming laptops.
As we have quite a few amazing gaming panels available that have up to 120hz-360hz frame rates keeping your gaming session pleasing.
However, the higher refresh rates in laptops mean you have to spend a lot of money whereas gaming monitors are budget-friendly.
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Cooling technology and battery:
The good thing about the latest gaming laptops they are equipped with good cooling technology, especially in high-end gaming laptops, manufacturers use multiple fans to keep laptops under control during intense gaming sessions.
With the latest vapor chamber technology, laptops pretty much stay cool however 80 degrees to 90 degrees is ok, but if it is harming your performance then it’s a big concern and you need to find ways to keep the gaming laptop cool.
Moreover, we know that a laptop is meant for portability and as said before, on very limited space manufacturers fit all the hardware.
So the laptop does intend to heat more than the desktop as the PC has more room to throw warm air away, overall PC does have better cooling which is understandable.
Lastly battery life is quite evident that laptops run on battery and you constantly need battery support, though you should never play games on battery.
This is concerning if you constantly travel outdoors as a battery backup in gaming laptops is pretty average when compared to normal laptops.
As gaming laptops are more powerful components that drain the battery faster than usual, still if we compare this in regards to desktop vs laptop gaming.
It’s pretty much personal preference, if you go outdoors the laptop definitely wins the competition with PC on the portability as the desktop works on an electricity connection.
Portability:
This is one thing where the laptop beats the desktop comprehensively as the desktop needs continuous electricity with a lot of wires and connectivity you can not carry with you anywhere and laptops are more travel friendly.
Though gaming laptops are quite heavier than other regular laptops still provide better flexibility.
Moreover, there are light gaming laptops available in the market, but they are more suitable for creators and professional who has to work on any designing software or heavy applications.
On light gaming laptops, you can play games only if you are a casual gamer and just wants to play in your free time but for heavy gamers, you must consider a proper dedicated gaming machine.
Budget:
This is depending on your spending capability, for a good gaming laptop you need to spend possibly above 1200 dollars as in this range you will get an RTX 3060, 6GB graphics card with 8 cores of CPU, 16GB ram, and a minimum 512GB storage capacity.
This can take your gaming experience to another level, anything below 1200 bugs you have options of either RTX 3050, 3050ti, or 20 series models such as 2060, and 2070 from Nvidia.
Though the GTX 1650 has become an entry-level graphics card, especially after a lot of new games are released, GTX models are slowly going out of trend, but in a lower range around 650 to 800 it’s a pretty good option.
Moreover, you also need to spend on extra accessories such as a keyboard, mouse, and probably the external monitor, that you can add to your budget, and when it comes to desktops around 1000 to 1500 dollars you can expect to build more potent components.
In a budget of around 1200 to 1500 dollars, you will get an RTX 3070 8GB graphics card which is an incredibly faster GPU for the latest games.
With high storage space between 500GB to 1TB SSD and for ram memory in this range you should settle with 16GB, a powerful processor option from AMD and intel.
However, this is for prebuilt gaming laptops, if you decide to set up your own gaming PC then pricing can vary depending on hardware and availability, additionally, you have to also add the cost of a monitor and other important gaming accessories.
Overall looking at the situation honestly you will build a high-end gaming PC when compared to a gaming laptop.
PC is not underclocked hardware it gives maximum processing power for heavy tasks, but if you closely look at both scenarios you end up spending around 1500 to 2000 dollars to set up your gaming studio.
Note: The above discussion is just based on a particular budget, this is just to give you an overview, to set up modern gaming studios you must have a budget of around 1000 to 2000 dollars, the rest depends on which game you play and of course budget.
Availability:
All seems fine with gaming desktop vs gaming laptop, with the high-powered performance it easily beats the gaming laptop, however, there is no way you can keep gaming laptops out of the equation for playing demanding games.
The availability of hardware is of little concern in desktops, if you are looking for building your own pc or upgrading your hardware there are chances you will have limited options to choose from.
This is depending a lot on the situation and time but this is difficult for desktop gamers especially since components like CPU and GPU are always limited in stock.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Are computers or laptops better for gaming?
This we have discussed above you can read in detail to understand each point, for instance, if you are a serious gamer and do not want to compromise on your performance you should set up a gaming PC.
The gaming laptops do have high-end machines that you can play the latest games smoothly still PC is a better option, if portability is a concern for you then gaming laptops are always alternative.
Do gaming laptops last long?
This is a lot depends on your budget as lower budget gaming rigs mostly made with plastic if you maintain them properly these types of laptops can easily last up to 5-6 years.
Whereas if you spend on a higher budget above 1000-1500 you will get better quality gaming gigs that can last above 7-8 years easily depending on your usage.
Final words on gaming Laptop vs gaming PC
So here it is we have discussed everything about Gaming laptop vs Gaming PC in this article, final conclusion is that gaming laptops are becoming better choices but have not replaced desktops in terms of performance.
I suggest gaming laptops only if you have to constantly travel outdoors and have to carry a backpack on your shoulders.
Moreover, if you have concerns about whether gaming laptops are worth it, then let me tell you the way gaming laptops were invented and arrived with the latest technology it’s actually the best time to spend on the gaming machine, if you have any queries regarding this topic then post your comments we will be happy to guide you.
