There is a lot of advice floating around the internet about what’s the best option for gamers; laptops or personal computers for gaming.
This discussion comes up every year, and desktop rigs always come on top. However, this year there is a disturbance in the force, and it is not rare to see many outlets now vouching for gaming laptops offering seemingly strong arguments.
But let’s find out if there are any merits for this sudden shift in the conversation.
The Main Argument: Portability
Portability has always been the main weapon laptop white knights wield when defending their favorite machine. Yes, it is certainly convenient to be able to relocate from your completely customized and sound-proofed gaming room to the balcony on a sunny day.
There is also the argument around taking your rig with you for tournaments or LAN parties. Again, there are slim and light gaming laptops that will easily fit in your backpack.
However, high-performance gaming laptops are usually on the bulky side of things, and they are as light as a pile of bricks. Moreover, you still have to carry other things around if you want to break free of the 17-inches display limitation. But we´ll go over that point in a minute.
What They Try To Overlook: Performance
When you compare a laptop’s GPU to its exact desktop counterpart, you can see that you are never getting the same processing power. They can have the same model numbers, but desktop GPUs have laptop cards for breakfast. The same happens with CPUs as regular gaming laptops are capped at eight cores, while personal computers for gaming are not limited in the number of cores.
Moreover, desktop rigs manage heat way more efficiently, opening the door for overclocking and pushing the hardware to the max for extended periods without frying anything.
The Final Nail In The Coffin: Customization
You have a gaming laptop and you would like to bump it up a notch? Tough luck. CPUs, graphic cards, and other components are built-in so you´re stuck with what you have. Desktops do not have that problem as you can upgrade them anytime and keep improving your rig to your heart´s content.
Personal computers for gaming make more sense than laptops in terms of investment. If you only measure performance, a matching laptop will typically cost you $200-$300 more than a desktop rig. Yes, you will have to invest in display and other peripherals when you put a desktop together. But, who said you won’t want a bigger display for your laptop? I thought we were talking about GAMING. Moreover, you will probably want to replace those membrane keys with a mechanical keyboard, and I don’t think you´re going to go far playing with a touchpad. In short, the cost of a gaming laptop can easily go up in terms of peripherals if you´re really into gaming.
But there is something that is getting a lot of video game journos excited about laptops. They are all talking about part availability and how some computer components, especially GPUs, are now hard to get. Well, they might not have heard of custom system integrators like CLX. They can help you easily find the best components for you.
If you´re building a personal computer for gaming, visit www.clxgaming.com and find the components you need or let them build a powerful gaming rig with the parts you need.
