The great debate for video game users, should I buy a gaming laptop or a desktop? As we already saw in the tips for buying the first PC Gaming, it is clear that the possibilities of the second one far exceed the first, but both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Next, we expose them and we hope to help all those players who are considering the acquisition of a new device.
Main features
The use of both devices is very similar and the main differences are very obvious, but we are going to mention them. First, we will talk about laptops and then desktops.
Laptops
These devices, of course, are portable, and transportable, we can take them wherever we want and use them whenever we want, as long as the battery respects us or we have a plug nearby.
On the other hand, they have the peripherals integrated into themselves, that is, gaming laptops already include a mouse (touchpad), keyboard, and screen, as well as all kinds of connectivity.
The biggest disadvantage of these is their almost impossible possibility of improvement. It is true that some laptops allow you to modify the RAM or storage, but in no case can we change the processor or graphics card.
Desktop
When we configure a desktop PC, it is we, the users, who choose the peripherals. We will debate between different options with cable or wireless, with a higher or lower resolution, with a higher or lower refresh rate…
In addition to the above, another of the great advantages is the enormous range of possibilities that the user will have when it comes to modifying the hardware. Among them are some such as modifying the entire motherboard, the fan, and the power supply…
To finish with this section, we remind you that a desktop PC does not have any battery like a laptop, so its transport is almost nil. It is optimal to go from one workstation to another, but in no case will it be possible to work without a power source.
Performance
A priori it may seem that gaming laptops and desktop computers offer similar performance, especially if they mount the same processor and the same graphics card. Unfortunately, this is not the case, a desktop will always get better performance than a laptop even if they have the same material.
This is because the components manufactured for one platform and another are different, despite being the same. For example, the same i7 processor has a better and more complex construction for a PC than for a laptop.
Therefore, when playing games, if we want to get the most out of our PC with one of the most demanding games on the market and use features such as Ray Tracing, the best thing to do is a desktop PC. But if, on the contrary, we want to make use of simpler or more complex games, but without playing ultra, a laptop is enough.
Demand and Cost
Let’s start this section by talking about the noise generated by each device. In the case of gaming laptops, they are all noisy. The main reason is its size. Being small, their fans must be small too and, therefore, rotate at a higher speed to perform their function correctly.
On the contrary, a desktop PC allows you to install a powerful fan in its tower, so it will be possible to solve almost any problem by managing the components that are there.
If we talk about temperature, we are at the same. A gaming laptop will reach more degrees Celsius than a desktop, solely and exclusively for a matter of size, of course.
In short, users who want a quiet, cool, and, as a whole, efficient computer, will opt for a desktop without any doubt.
Durability
The durability of the devices in terms of our care will depend on the use we give them and the cleaning and substitution routines that we carry out (in the case of desktop devices).
As is obvious, a gaming laptop will lose value in the long term due to the impossibility of updating its components. However, in the case of desktops, a new graphics card or a new processor can extend the useful life of the device in question by a few years.
On the other hand, there are repairs that, in general, are always more expensive in laptops than in desktops, due to the difficulty of access and the care of its components.
Ultimately, desktop computers beat gaming laptops in terms of usability and durability.
Conclusions
Speaking purely of gaming devices, we must emphasize that, in most cases, desktops are a better option than laptops. They last longer, perform better, and are considerably easier to upgrade.
What is left of gaming laptops? Well, portability, is its main asset. They are perfect devices for those users who want to take their computers everywhere to enjoy their games regardless of the maximum performance.
