For gaming, laptop, and desktop PC both have become very popular nowadays. So much popular that it has left the popularity of console’s way behind. And the important reason behind this is the various advantages of PC’s which are not available on consoles. But which one to choose between a laptop and desktop PC for gaming, is a question every gamer has asked atleast once.
And the answer to this question varies with each one of us. Because both PC and laptops have their own advantages. Although if you just want a short answer then I will suggest getting a desktop PC for gaming. But each one of us is different, and so are our use cases. That’s why get a desktop PC suggestion is not for everyone.
Now to know which device is really best suited for you, you first need to know what are the main differences between the two, especially interms of Gaming. So first let’s see the differences between a desktop PC and a laptop.
Now, this is the most obvious difference between the two, Laptop is portable and you can easily carry it with you. While PCs are large in size and not that portable and easy to carry anywhere. Apart from being the most obvious difference, this is also the most important one.
As it affects how you can use your PC. If its a Laptop you can carry it with you without any worries wherever you might need it. Although it will be heavy then any regular Laptop , but you will still be able to carry it with you.
Laptops are very small in size in order to make them easily portable. That’s why manufacturers have to use small size components that can easily fit in the chassis of a Laptop. And even though the size is not everything, it does affects the performance. This size difference makes it difficult to pack the full-size components inside the chassis of a laptop.
Now size difference is not always about the size of the actual components. But its more like the size of components along with the size of the cooling setup. As the cooling setup affects a lot on the performance of components like CPU and GPU. The other major thing that affects is the battery size, now since laptops are portable they are expected to run on a battery(although only for a little while). But batteries in such small chassis will not be able to meet the huge power demands of high power components like GPUs.
All these factors affect the performance of the components that can be used in a Laptop. To make the components fit in the small chassis of a Laptop, small size, and low heat-generating components are preferred. And these aspects affect the performance which is lower as compared to the desktop PC components.
Now someone might argue that there are also laptops out there with full-size PC components. But really those laptops then don’t remain a laptop anymore. As those laptops are not easy to carry around, the main principle on which laptops are designed. That’s why when talking about Laptop vs desktop PC for gaming, even though a Laptop is easy to carry, it cannot performance like its desktop counterparts.
The most difficult challenge with high power consuming devices like GPUs is their heat dissipation. Since any electronic components can’t perform beyond certain thermal limits, its important to have proper heat dissipation to prevent thermal throttling.
But the main advantage of a laptop becomes their biggest disadvantage in this case. Since laptops are very small size, there is very little space for a proper heat sink. And no matter how powerful components we use, it will start thermal throttling if it can’t get heat properly dissipated.
This problem is faced with most gaming laptops as they are not able to dissipate heat properly. They start thermal throttling only after a short duration of gaming as well as they start to feel hot to touch. Thermal throttling affects the performance which causes frame drops, that affects the gaming experience.
This is also one thing that works in favor of desktop PCs. As laptops are built to run low on power, build to weightless, and are also build more rugged to withstand the stresses of being moved around frequently. All these things adds to cost along with fitting all the components in a small space.
This increases the total cost of the Laptop, which would have been less if it was a desktop PC. That’s why if the price-to-performance ratio is compared then you could get a much better-performing desktop PC at the cost of a gaming Laptop.
The gaming area is changing quite fast and every now and then something new and much powerful is releasing. Just like the release of a new graphics card. But the problem with Laptops is they can hardly be upgraded. The most you can upgrade on a laptop is storage or RAM. But with a gaming desktop PC, you can change and upgrade almost everything.
This saves your cost if a new GPU has released and you want to get it. Which would not have been the case as the GPU would have been soldered to the motherboard on a Laptop.
There is no doubt that a Laptop is a great device in its own way and makes everything very easier as you can literary carry your own office with you. But in terms of Laptop vs desktop PC for gaming, desktop PCs are way better than a Laptop.
As desktop PC offers better performance, value for money, and also better future upgradability. Which will save you money in the future while upgrading PC, by upgrading only what you want to. If you are building a gaming PC then here is the best gaming PC build under ₹ 50000 or $600.
But if you need a computer for your work, and you want to carry it with you, then no doubt a gaming Laptop is for you. You will also be able to play decent games on gaming Laptops. This also gives you the advantage of carrying your games with you wherever you go. That way you are not bound to a specific location and you can play your favorite games anywhere you want. And if your Laptop overheats while playing gaming then you can fix it with these tricks.
So if your use involves carrying your device around then Laptop is for you otherwise go with desktop PC for gaming.
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Great article, According to me it all depends on your gaming style and time you spend on gaming.
I will suggest going for desktop, invest once in hardware then only Keyboard and Gaming mouse are the only replacement part you need to purchase over years.