Should I buy a gaming desktop or laptop?

Topic: Should I buy a gaming desktop or laptop?

It’s 2022 mid-now,
and we are still asking the same question which one is the better choice gaming desktop or laptop? You may have already read many articles on this topic. Then what’s gonna be the difference this time?

Well for starters we will start from the basics. We will discuss here what an average consumer wants and the points he kept in his mind at the time of buying, like-

1. Top Priorities
2. The Budget $
3. Your Usage
4. Portability
5. Value for money
6. Upgradability
7. Availability

Based on the above points, we have a clear map of how we will discuss. Which one is truly the best laptop or desktop machine?

1. Priorities-

When it comes to priority, everyone has their own approach in buying or selling whatever it may be. We can explore our priorities and make a list of all the required things we need. It helps narrow down our list of expectations and then finally focus on the things that are top on the list. So to buy a pc or a laptop.

First, we must know that both are different devices that can almost do the same work. But when it comes to raw electricity-powered devices- the desktop is the one I would prefer in my choice. Now obviously for the battery-powered one, a laptop is the clear winner.

Prioritizing which one is your demand is necessary. From a gaming perspective, both are good but if you require a raw power output machine then desktop machines outperform laptops in gaming.

Basic attributes are also distinguishable in desktop machines there is a big CPU and monitor and all the other necessary components required. desktops can be pre-built or you can customize them on your own. so desktop provides lots of freedom from specs to size and performance you required.

Whereas on the other hand, Laptops always come with pre-built ready-to-go systems and there is very little space for customizations. from the motherboard to processor the things are already been decided by the manufacturing brand.

So on the customization part, all you can do is upgrade the ram or you can put extra SSD if there is an extra port inside already provided.

2. Budget $$$-

Budget is the most important aspect when you are planning to buy a gaming computer. It will help in finding the best in the provided budget and helps in narrowing down the alternatives. For a clear understanding of the budget in this scenario. we will take an example for clearing the confusion. let’s take Asus Zephyrus G14 as our preferred gaming laptop at the price of around 1150$ something.

Now in the above table, we can see that both laptops and desktops have good specs in the price range of around 1100-1200$. The laptop is from a reputed brand Asus model name ROG Strix G15 having 8 core processor 6800H Ryzen 7 and on the other hand, we have a pre-built desktop having core i7-12700F. both the products have their own pros & cons. Overall, we are getting a good deal, so there is very little comparison depending on the situational cause.

3. Usage-

Now without wasting any time let’s discuss the usage. For a gaming machine, the most important feature needs to be its capability to run games. Gaming desktops and gaming laptops both are capable to run games but to what extent?

Now here you need to see your usage. like the resolution of the game you are playing, or do you want to stream the game on a certain platform that utilizes more power. Check the performance of the machine at the time of gameplay and is it good enough for the near future.

On the laptop check the thermals, the heat at the time of gaming coming from the laptop can gradually decrease the performance on your laptop. so you better check how to keep your device cool for longer sessions of online gameplay.

Online & offline games consume power differently, In an online game, the game needs to be continually in sync with the network resulting in more power usage whereas in an offline game the game stays calm and uses the device’s power in a constant manner.

In easy language, we can say the offline games are more dependent on the device’s specifications. Whereas online there are many different factors that make the gameplay flawless, like Fast lag-free internet, Low ping, good thermals, and optimum framerates, and of course your device’s GPU performance.

In desktop machines, we can use many things to improve the airflow or the thermals like liquid coolers, and more fans in the cabinet for increased airflow. Whereas in laptops s the fans are internal and you need to keep the air vent clean and use laptop stands if possible. there are many types of laptop stands available in the market some are just simple ones and others come with lights USB powered extra fans for more airflow and provide better ventilation.

4. Portability

Usually, portability doesn’t provide performance but now in 2021, it is not as it’s used to be. The technology of the computer is so advanced now that it can provide you the juice you need. The desktop vs laptop is real now. Laptops can go neck to neck now with desktop machines.

• For laptops don’t forget to read my laptop buying guide.

The Laptop is the ultimate beast now in the gaming department you can have the best of both world gaming plus portability. Laptops these days have octa-core processors and the newest and latest GPUs installed in them. with massive battery for long hours of gaming sessions.

Whereas desktop computers are bulky and heavy and the power consumption is also more. The portability option is missing, I mean you can try it here as well but the laptop is well suited in the portability department as of now. The desktops needed a little extra to become portable, for instance, I know you can use mini pcs or use itx builds.

But the problem is in mini pcs or itx builds the space is low and the gaming is not that good. Yeah, you can play games on it but it won’t be as good as the Atx build desktop pc. For me, the laptop is the winner in the portability department because it has its own power source when required.

5. Value for money

Gaming is an expensive hobby as we already know gaming is not a cheap sport. From time to time our machinery requires upgrades and the parts we wanted are always on the expensive side.

for instance, the prices of GPU right now are whoppingly expensive worldwide and our most loved 3080ti is so expensive that many of us can’t afford it right now. even if we can afford it somehow the scalpers won’t let you get your hands on it.

So right now what is value for money, well it again depends on your usage and preferences like what genre of gaming you are into. maybe you want to just enjoy the gaming or wanna play some e-sports titles only or a mix of all genres. After deciding what genre you are from or what kinda games you wanna play.

My straight-up answer would be to build a pc based on what you want and then keep on upgrading it as the situation demands. Gaming laptops on the other hand are more expensive and also the price depends on the fact of availability and the demand of that particular product.

right now in the covid period laptops are pretty much gone extinct from the markets. because of the work-from-home culture. Not only gaming even the normal laptops are getting expensive at this time. Building your own customizable pc will be a great choice and a good viable option that can be value for money if you choose the components wisely.

6. Upgradability

When comes to gaming nothing is future-proof. that’s why experts always recommend going with something which can last long by using some upgrades.

Options to upgrade will be always available in desktop machines but upgrading a laptop is a hectic task. sometimes upgrading a laptop is not even possible because the device you have is incapable to be upgrade.

Now you ask why incapable, well there can be many reasons for its incapability. for instance, maybe the processor is outdated, the brand doesn’t provide any assistance anymore or there are no extra slots in the motherboard for any future up-gradation. many times in laptops there is only one upgrade available which is upgrading the DIMM (RAM) that’s it.

On the other hand, desktop up-gradation is quick and easy. Desktops can be upgraded with new graphics cards, new processors more ram, SSDs, RGB’s. you just name it and it can be done until the part is available. there are many sorts of extra accessories that are also available in the market especially for desktops. for example, if your motherboard is old and doesn’t come with the M2 slot then you can buy PCIe adapters to get a new M2 slot on your old pc. And easily enjoy ultra-fast M2 SSD on the go.

7. Availability

Availability depends on luck most of the time and stock in the market. For gaming laptops, the availability is a bigger issue cause all the models manufactured by the brands are not getting released worldwide.

On the other hand, desktop components are also getting price hicked because of the limited number of stocks. Availability is not in our control. we can only hope for the product to be in stock at the time of buying. Or look for the other alternative option that may come in your preferred budget. So whatever it may be a desktop machine or gaming laptop. The buying decision will depend on the situation.

Conclusion-

For the conclusion part, I would say for gaming, the desktop would be my first choice every time. But when comes the portability, nothing can beat a powerful battery-powered laptop.

Now the decision is yours which one you prefer ultra gaming or portability. (this concludes the topic of should I buy a gaming desktop or laptop?)