Are gaming laptops worth it? A gaming laptop, like any other gadget, is only worthwhile if it is exactly what you need.
If you’re someone who has yet to buy a gaming laptop, the price of a high-quality gaming laptop can be quite overwhelming. Although taking the plunge and buying that gaming laptop you’ve been eyeing can be exhilarating, it’s not for everyone.
Buying a gaming laptop can be a justifiable purchase for individuals who need a powerful gaming laptop. But for casual users, buying normal laptops is the best way to go (unless you have a shitload of money to spend).
Having said that, expensive gaming laptops aren’t for everyone. So, to help you in making your decision, we’ll discuss why you should and should not get a new gaming laptop.
Let’s get into it!
Are Gaming Laptops Worth It?
For certain individuals, gaming laptops are certainly worth investing in. But for others, it can be a hit or miss, depending on their situation and needs.
If you’re the latter and don’t know if you should buy a gaming laptop or not, we’ll discuss the top 6 reasons why you should buy a gaming laptop and 5 reasons why you should not.
Reasons Why You Should Buy a Gaming Laptop
Playing games on a gaming laptop definitely provides a lot of benefits over gaming desktops or gaming consoles. A gaming laptop is a powerful portable gaming machine.
They can offer you a top-notch gaming experience compared to your standard laptop. This is because gaming laptops are equipped with great graphical power, gaming visuals, a powerful operating system, and many more.
With these, you’re able to get excellent gaming performance with a device that is ready to go with you wherever you plan to take it.
But, these features do come at a price, which we’ll talk about later. First, we’ll go into more detail about why you should invest in a gaming laptop.
Portable
One of the top reasons why most individuals purchase a gaming laptop is because of its portability. When compared to a gaming console like a PlayStation or Xbox or a gaming PC desktop, gaming laptops are definitely on the lighter side.
Portability is especially important for the fast-paced lifestyles that the majority of us live in today’s generation. So, if you’re the type of person who plays games on the go, then having a gaming laptop can benefit you.
Aside from the fact that most gaming laptops are powerful enough to run most modern games, gaming laptops also offer the efficiency to do other tasks such as work. With their built-in batteries, gaming laptops have good battery life. This allows you to have the freedom of playing games and working even without a power outlet (just make sure that it’s fully charged) for a few hours.
Having a gaming laptop makes more sense than a big desktop computer if you’re always on the go.
Versatile
Even if you’re not a gamer, a gaming laptop can be quite beneficial, especially for those who work or study animation, engineering, or architecture.
Gaming laptops are built to handle even the most demanding applications, which makes a gaming laptop worth a lot more. They can handle a heavy workload without having to worry about too much lagging or slow performance.
With a single device, you can study, work, and play games. And with most gaming laptops being equipped with the latest Intel Core processors and graphics cards, PC gaming has become so much easier.
You also get a decent amount of ports where you can hook up external displays or other gaming peripherals like gaming headsets, a mouse, and gaming keyboards. With this, you won’t have to miss out on the full desktop experience.
It doesn’t end there. You also get hundreds of fan-made mods at your fingertips, which aren’t available on consoles. Modding can extend the lifespan of a game.
Lastly, gaming laptops are also a great way to connect with online communities like Discord. You’re able to communicate with other gamers and talk about current games or anything gaming-related.
Your gaming laptop’s use is limited only by your imagination.
Endless Gaming Laptop Options
Before, there were only a few gaming brands that sold gaming laptops at affordable prices. But with the current technological advancements, many gaming brands have developed and released gaming laptops at varying prices with different features to choose from.
You have an endless list of many different gaming laptops. If you can’t afford high-end gaming laptops but still want to have a high-quality gaming laptop to play your favorite games, then you can purchase a budget laptop. If you have a specific gaming setup in mind, there are hundreds of gaming laptops with different designs and colors to choose from.
With gaming laptops, you also have the choice of whether they’ll come with an SSD or HDD. But, more often than not, portable gaming machines come with your standard SSD, which means that you’ll have a virtually silent operation and a quicker loading time than with an HDD on a desktop rig.
You don’t have to worry about not finding the perfect gaming laptop because, with the number of laptops available on the market, you’ll have a harder time choosing the best gaming laptop.
Hundreds of PC Games
There are hundreds of PC games available, both free and paid, that you can choose from. Just like how you’ll have endless options with how many gaming laptops there are, you’ll also be overwhelmed with the amount of games you can play.
Not to mention, gaming laptops offer better gaming performance compared to consoles. This is because it’s much easier to play games with a gaming mouse and mechanical keyboard than just a controller.
Aesthetic
With hundreds of gaming laptops to choose from, we can all agree that gaming laptops in general feature style and better build quality.
Gaming laptops typically come in different colors and designs, but we can’t deny that the majority of them are flashy. With features like RGB backlit keyboards, bordered WASD and arrow keys, awesome logos, and many more. But don’t worry if you’re not into flashy designs, because there are also hundreds of laptops that sport simple and inconspicuous designs.
Your gaming laptop is the perfect way to show off your aesthetic.
All-In-One
Gaming laptops are “all-in-one” devices. Gaming laptops offer more than your standard laptop and gaming console. They’re portable, reliable, have high computing power, and, overall, offer better gaming performance. You can never go wrong with a gaming laptop that has high-end features and specs.
Although a desktop PC is a tad bit more powerful, having the ability to play your favorite games from anywhere you want can’t be overstated.
Reasons Why You Should Not Buy a Gaming Laptop
Now that we’ve discussed the reasons why buying a gaming laptop is worth it, let’s talk about why it’s not worth buying.
Expensive
The very first reason why you might think twice about buying a gaming laptop is its hefty price tag. A gaming laptop tends to have a higher price tag compared to desktop computers with similar specs.
Building your gaming rigs can be quite expensive since most of them are equipped with high-quality materials. Graphics cards like the NVIDIA GeForce GTX, a larger screen, bigger storage, and other components are expensive. So, it’s a no-brainer that a gaming laptop is worth a lot more than your standard laptops.
Most gaming laptops that can run new games on high settings typically range from $1500 to $2500. Given that you can purchase a gaming console for less, a laptop may not be the best option unless you want to play a game that’s only available on a PC and wants the efficiency of portability.
Weight and Size
Although a gaming laptop is a lot more portable than a desktop PC, it does not take away the fact that a gaming laptop is still quite a bit heavier and, sometimes, large. A gaming laptop isn’t exactly a lightweight laptop.
Your standard gaming laptop comes in the standard 15-inch size display. And since they’re equipped with fans, and other components, a gaming laptop generally weighs about 5lbs.
On the other hand, gaming notebooks are available, which are lighter and smaller. But you do have to take note that there might be reduced graphical power and high prices.
Upgradeability
Unlike a desktop computer where you can customize and upgrade almost every aspect, a gaming pc may lack many options when it comes to its upgradeability. Although a lot of gaming laptops have an upgradeable RAM and SSD, most of the internals like the CPU and GPU are already integrated into the pc, making it non-upgradable.
With that being said, it’s important to think ahead and see if your gaming laptop is future-proof, seeing as it lacks the ability to be upgraded.
Less Power/Battery Life
Another important factor to consider is its power and battery life. Between a normal laptop and a gaming PC, gaming laptops have a bigger battery, which, in hindsight, means they have longer battery life. However, it doesn’t take away the fact that they’re built with power-hungry internals that eats off the power.
A gaming laptop typically has an average battery life of 6–8 hours, but that’s only if you use it for light gaming or work. When you use it for high-resolution games, the battery life cuts down to only about 2-3 hours. Then portability is of no use since you’d have to plug your laptop into a power outlet.
However, if you’re only using your gaming laptop inside the comfort of your home, where you can leave it to charge, then it’s fine.
Overheating
Gaming laptops tend to overheat when used for long periods since they’re packed with a ton of internals with so little space for air to circulate.
Most gaming laptops have larger heat sinks and advanced cooling systems to help dissipate the heat. But even with all that, after a while of playing games at the highest resolution for long hours, the heat starts to build up and the fans begin to kick in.
Heat build-up can be especially damaging to your laptop since it can cause thermal throttling. It can also cause your laptop to perform a lot slower and much lag-ier. Heat damage can do permanent damage to your gaming machine.
However, there are a lot of gaming laptops that are known for their top-tier cooling systems. And even if that’s not enough to dissipate the heat, you can also buy cooling pads for your gaming laptop.
But don’t worry, overheating is normal for a laptop, especially if it’s been put to hard work. Although overheating is normal, note that once it reaches a certain temperature, it can cause irreversible damage.
If you want to know how to keep your laptop cool, check out this article here.
Gaming Laptop Buying Guide: What to Look for in a Gaming Laptop?
Before buying a gaming laptop, there are a few factors to consider, including:
CPU, GPU, and RAM
A strong CPU is necessary since it boosts your gaming experience. Your CPU is the component that provides your laptop with instructions as well as the processing power it needs to run swiftly and efficiently. It processes everything and sends signals to your gaming laptop’s other components, such as the GPU. The CPU is your laptop’s mind.
In a laptop, the GPU is just as crucial as the CPU, especially for gaming. When it comes to gaming, the graphical interface has a big influence on how you play. A higher resolution and frame rate will make your game look significantly better. As a result, the more advanced the GPU, the sharper the visuals on your PC.
RAM is one of the components that impacts how well your laptop operates. RAM is essential because it allows your system to access information from your main storage device faster.
Display
Your viewing experience is one of the things that determines your game experience. Even if you have a powerful GPU, it will be useless without a good display because you won’t be able to completely enjoy the spectacular graphics.
Build
When looking for the best gaming PC, you should consider build quality. You’re spending a lot of money, so you should make sure the laptop lasts a long time. This is especially crucial for those who travel with their laptops.
Alternatives for Gaming Laptops
If you’re still undecided or choose to not buy a gaming PC, we’ve listed for you a few alternatives that you can choose from:
Budget Laptops
If you’re hesitant to buy a gaming laptop due to its expensive price tag, then there are a lot of great gaming laptops under $1500 that you can try out. Although they might not be as powerful as those high-end gaming laptops, they’re still able to run most games.
If you’re a casual gamer that just plays games for fun and works on the same laptop, then an affordable or mid-range gaming laptop is definitely the best choice for you.
Gaming Desktop
If you have a bigger budget and want something more powerful, then a gaming desktop is the better choice, especially if you don’t play games on the go. Gaming desktops are much more powerful and can handle even more demanding games and applications. They’re also a lot cheaper if you’re the one who’s building your gaming rig.
Gaming desktops are also more customizable since you can literally choose which internals you want, unlike most laptops where you can only upgrade the RAM and SSD.
Consoles
Another alternative is gaming consoles. A gaming console like the Xbox One or PlayStation 5 can cost up to $500, which is a lot less than a gaming laptop. Although there are some laptops that cost less than that, they’re not guaranteed to run most modern and high-resolution games.
So, if you’re wanting to play a specific console game and you don’t plan on taking your gaming sessions anywhere outside your home, then a gaming console will be your best bet.
Mobile Gaming
Lastly, the most accessible alternative is using your mobile device to play your games. There are a lot of great games you can play on your mobile device if you’re not interested in paying a huge amount of money for a gaming laptop or a gaming console.
If you’re not interested in playing big game titles that require a laptop, then you don’t have to worry about it because hundreds of other great games are available for free on the apps store or play store. But if you want to try out some big game titles, then you could try PUBG or Call of Duty which are available on the app store and play store.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Are Gaming Laptops Expensive?
Gaming laptops are expensive because of their size and their internals. A gaming laptop brand creates their laptops with the latest and best components like the CPU and GPU.
These internals are what makes for a better gaming experience. Without them, your gameplay might not be as smooth.
Another factor as to why a gaming laptop is worth more than a standard laptop is because of its built-in fans. Their built-in fans are more advanced to ensure that your gaming laptop won’t overheat too much to the point of permanent damage.
Why Do Gaming Laptops Overheat?
It’s normal for a laptop to overheat once in a while, especially when it’s being used for long periods of time. But once it reaches a certain temperature, it could cause damage and would inevitably destroy the internal components.
A couple of reasons why they overheat include: using it for too long, overworking it, too many background applications are open, a hot gaming room, and many more.
Are Gaming Laptops Heavy?
The majority of gaming laptops are heavy due to their heavy-duty internals, such as the fan. But you don’t have to worry because there are a lot of gaming ultrabooks available on the market. A gaming ultrabook is a lightweight laptop that is a great alternative to bulky gaming desktops or laptops.
So, if you prefer a lighter laptop that features the latest technology, then you should check out gaming ultrabooks.
Conclusion – Are Gaming Laptops Worth It?
Overall, determining if a gaming laptop is worth buying will ultimately depend on personal preference.
If you value portability and versatility, then buying a gaming PC is definitely worth it. But if you’re not really interested in gaming on the go, then you’re better off buying a gaming desktop or console and then buying a less expensive laptop for work and browsing.
We hope this article helped you decide whether a gaming machine is worth buying or not!
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