{"id":579016,"date":"2023-06-17T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-17T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/gaming-laptop-vs-desktop-which-should-you-buy\/"},"modified":"2023-06-17T18:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-06-17T15:00:00","slug":"gaming-laptop-vs-desktop-which-should-you-buy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/gaming-laptop-vs-desktop-which-should-you-buy\/","title":{"rendered":"#Gaming Laptop vs. Desktop: Which Should You Buy?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a436f7ac0319\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a436f7ac0319\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/gaming-laptop-vs-desktop-which-should-you-buy\/#Performance\" >Performance<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/gaming-laptop-vs-desktop-which-should-you-buy\/#Price_and_Value\" >Price and Value<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/gaming-laptop-vs-desktop-which-should-you-buy\/#Flexibility_and_Upgradability\" >Flexibility and Upgradability<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/gaming-laptop-vs-desktop-which-should-you-buy\/#Portability\" >Portability<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/gaming-laptop-vs-desktop-which-should-you-buy\/#Should_I_Buy_a_Gaming_Desktop_or_Laptop\" >Should I Buy a Gaming Desktop or Laptop?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage size-full wp-image-865970\" data-pagespeed-no-defer=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/52607528414_5decf98488_o.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"HP Omen 17 gaming laptop at CES 2023\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\">Justin Duino \/ How-To Geek<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you value portability, you should buy a gaming laptop considering how much they&#8217;ve improved in recent years. If you don&#8217;t mind being stuck at a desk, though, buying a gaming desktop is still a better investment in terms of upgradability and performance per dollar.<\/p>\n<p>In PC gaming, you have a choice between a gaming desktop or a\u00a0laptop. However, it\u2019s not always clear which one of these options is the right one for you. Before you buy, get to know the key differentiators.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Performance\"><\/span>Performance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When it comes to gaming, performance is critical. You want a system that can handle even the most demanding <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>s and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>lications without lag or slowdowns. So, when deciding between a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/772558\/best-gaming-laptop\/\">gaming laptop and desktop, it\u2019s essential to consider the performance differences.<\/p>\n<p>Gaming laptops are designed to be portable and energy-efficient, so they usually use mobile versions of CPUs and GPUs. While these components are still powerful, they may not match their desktop counterparts\u2019 processing power and graphics capabilities. As a result, gaming laptops can\u2019t run some games at the highest settings or achieve the same frame rates as the best desktop systems.<\/p>\n<p>That being said, modern gaming laptops have come a long way in recent years and can still deliver a great gaming experience. In practice, the actual sacrifices in games are relatively minor, and most mid-range gaming laptops today are as fast as the typical desktops PC gamers actually use, rather than the niche high-end rigs so few people actually have.<\/p>\n<p>Apart from offering the highest performance components in absolute terms, desktop gaming PCs\u2019 main advantage is performance per dollar. The desktop equivalent of a given gaming laptop will usually cost significantly less. So although you\u2019ll get the same gaming experience with both performance-matched systems, you\u2019ll be paying a premium for the laptop form factor and mobility.<\/p>\n<p>However that price gap has been shrinking steadily, and you may find that the space-saving, portability, and power consumption perks of a gaming laptop may actually make the few hundred dollar premium versus an equivalent desktop more attractive than you might think.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Price_and_Value\"><\/span>Price and Value<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>That leads us neatly into the discussion of the price and value of gaming laptops and PCs. Price is simple enough to discuss, but value is highly subjective. What\u2019s valuable to one person isn\u2019t worth much to the next. So a PC gamer who only ever games at their desk, doesn\u2019t care about how large their PC is, has no concern for power bills, or isn\u2019t interested in the unique advantages of gaming laptops will find little of value.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s look at a practical example, with the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/ASUS-Display-GeForce-Keyboard-G513RM-IS74\/dp\/B0BS4B83KH\/?tag=lsmedia-13229-20&amp;asc_refurl=https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/864316\/gaming-laptop-vs-desktop\/\">2022 ASUS ROG Strix G15 equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 6800H and a RTX 3060 laptop GPU. Apart from the somewhat limiting 6GB of VRAM, this is a computer that\u2019s roughly in the same performance bracket as current-generation consoles if you look at raw GPU compute, before taking its additional ray tracing performance and access to DLSS technology into account. It\u2019s not a perfect comparison, but you\u2019re playing in the same league here.<\/p>\n<p>A current-generation console costs $500, which means the price difference is around $700 to get a similar gaming experience, but with the various perks of PC gaming. A decent non-gaming laptop is going to come in at around $500 to $700 as well, and you don\u2019t have to buy a monitor or TV if you don\u2019t want to. This is just one example of how the value of a gaming laptop can be good, depending on your needs and how you look at it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"product-box  \">\n<div class=\"product-img product-img-noaward\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/41Ao5PevfNL._SL160_.jpg\" height=\"147px\" width=\"147px\" alt=\"\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"product-add\">\n<div class=\"product-add-button\">\n<div class=\"product-share-links\">\nAmazon<\/p>\n<p class=\"product-price\">$1199.99 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"12\" width=\"42\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/themes\/htg-responsive\/img\/amazon-prime.png\" alt=\"\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><br \/><small><del>$1289.00<\/del> Save 7%<\/small><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>While the price-to-performance advantage of a desktop gaming PC can\u2019t be disputed, what about its value? While a laptop offers you freedom of movement, desktop PCs offer other types of freedom. The freedom to build according to your budget, to incrementally upgrade, to buy used components, to choose the exact design and style of your system, to customize it for different tasks and game types\u2014the list goes on and on!<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Flexibility_and_Upgradability\"><\/span>Flexibility and Upgradability<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>It seems that desktop PCs win hands-down regarding flexibility and upgradability. If we\u2019re talking about the flexibility to build a computer that matches your needs and tastes exactly, that\u2019s true.<\/p>\n<p>However, gaming laptops offer a different kind of flexibility. The flexibility to take PC gaming everywhere while still maintaining the other uses of non-gaming laptops. You have the flexibility to play anywhere in your own home, not just your desk. You can dock to your gaming monitor one moment and hook up your laptop to the TV next.<\/p>\n<p>In terms of upgradability desktops really are in another league, however. Laptops are <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>ly limited to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/348562\/can-you-upgrade-the-ram-in-your-mac\/\">upgrading RAM and storage. Even external GPUs are generally not worth connecting to gaming laptops in particular, since the internal dedicated GPUs tend to offer much better performance per dollar.<\/p>\n<p>That being said, desktop PCs can sometimes create an upgrade paradox, where upgrading one component, such as the GPU, causes an imbalance in the system leading to a need to a new CPU, which leads to a new motherboard, which might need new RAM, and so on.<\/p>\n<p>Add to this that the short upgrade cycle so many people think goes with PC gaming is neither necessary nor typical, and the upgradability of desktop PCs doesn\u2019t quite add up to the trump card it sounds like. Buy a decent gaming laptop and then replacing it every 3-5 years might not be more expensive than essentially rebuilding your entire PC in pieces over the same time period.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Portability\"><\/span>Portability<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This is another category you may think is easy to hand over to laptops, but don\u2019t underestimate how portable desktop computers can be. These days there are many options for building <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/300957\/the-pros-and-cons-of-building-a-mini-itx-gaming-pc\/\">Small Form Factor desktop PCs that are highly portable. They aren\u2019t\u00a0<em>mobile<\/em> in the sense that they\u2019re all-in-one systems that can run from battery power anywhere, but you can definitely put something together that\u2019s easy to take with you and set up in a hotel room or at your parent\u2019s house when you visit.<\/p>\n<p>These SFF computers can have truly high-end parts, can be cooled with the latest methods such as water cooling or vapor chamber coolers, and will give you more performance for your buck compared to a gaming laptop.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>The Pros and Cons of Building a Mini-ITX Gaming PC<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gaming laptops win in the mobility category easily, however, and there are some jaw-dropping thin and light gaming laptops that easily keep up with upper mid-range desktop PCs. Think in terms of desktop core i5 or i7 systems equipped with something between a desktop RTX 3060 Ti and a 3070 and you\u2019ll have a fair idea of how capable those machines are. All packed into something that weighs less than five pounds and can fit in a typical <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lifesavvy.com\/reviews\/the-top-messenger-bags-for-men\/\">messenger bag<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Should_I_Buy_a_Gaming_Desktop_or_Laptop\"><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" name=\"autotoc_anchor_4\">Should I Buy a Gaming Desktop or Laptop?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As you can tell, it\u2019s no longer a straightforward decision when it comes to gaming desktops vs. laptops. Thanks to technological improvements, various market factors affecting desktop component prices, and changes to how many gamers like to engage with the hobby, much of the accepted wisdom around gaming laptops no longer apply.<\/p>\n<p>That being said, if you do not need the specific and unique advantages gaming laptops have in terms of mobility, versatility, power consumption, and space-saving, you shouldn\u2019t buy one. If you only ever play PC games at your desk or any other permanent spot, a gaming laptop makes no sense.<\/p>\n<p>In that case, it\u2019s safer to stick to desktop PC gaming. Especially (and somewhat paradoxically) if you\u2019re on a tight budget or you care about having the absolute best gaming performance that money can buy. PCs serve both ends of that spectrum incredibly well.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s in that mid-range $1000 to $2000 segment where things really get fuzzy. Gaming laptops in this price bracket have the performance of powerful mid-range modern gaming PCs, but all the perks of a work laptop or to an extent professional workstation laptops for content creators and other power users. If you fall into that sweet spot, you should seriously consider a gaming laptop as one device that does it all for you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/864316\/gaming-laptop-vs-desktop\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Justin Duino \/ How-To Geek If you value portability, you should buy a gaming laptop considering how much they&#8217;ve improved in recent years. If you don&#8217;t mind being stuck at a desk, though, buying a gaming desktop is still a better investment in terms of upgradability and performance per dollar. In PC gaming, you have&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":579017,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/52607528414_5decf98488_o.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-579016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/579016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=579016"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/579016\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/579017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=579016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=579016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=579016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}