Laptop vs desktop gaming computer

Desktops offer virtually unlimited customization, especially if you decide to build your own. They also offer a wide range of upgradeability which makes for a great future-proof machine a feature gaming laptops sometimes lack. In terms of performance, desktops will always beat out laptops. As mentioned above, there is loads more room in a desktop tower to fit the beefiest hardware available. You will always have more storage, more memory, and more processing power in a desktop because they are just able to handle it better than a laptop can.

Because the performance is so much more powerful, you will have a more seamless gaming experience on a desktop. Desktops can be expensive though. The option to build your own, while enormously fun and freeing, can get very expensive, very quick. But just like laptops, you get what you pay for and you may be compromising quite a lot for a low end model.

There are definitely better priced models with great amounts of power. The biggest con against gaming desktops is their immobility. Moving is going to be a bit of a workout but not entirely impossible. Taking all of this into consideration, it appears that the desktop has won out in this battle.

I have the added bonus of being able to game anywhere I want so long as I have access to an outlet nearby and that is incredibly freeing. So just remember that this choice ultimately comes down to you and your needs as a gamer.

If you want amazing power and want to build a killer gaming setup, a desktop may be a good choice for you. Jordan Noland Updated on December 28, Table Of Contents shows. Source: iquotexpress. Source: gadgetreview. Source: Forbes. Article by: Jordan Noland. To skip to what matters to you most, click one of the links below or to the left :. Gaming laptops are typically the heaviest of all laptops, with weight generally running from four to eight pounds. Laptops at the upper end of that scale are about as much fun to carry as an engine block, but even the heaviest is easier to tote than a desktop.

And then there are disruptors like the upcoming Asus ROG Flow X13 Remove non-product link , which is a scant three flabbergasting pounds of Ryzen powered gaming chops. Start by looking at where and how you use your gaming PC. Maybe you want to game or edit video in the peace and quiet of the den, or use your powerful gaming laptop to record your one-nerd band in the garage?

Basically if you like the sound of being unshackled, you may really want a gaming laptop instead of a desktop. Just as portability is a no-brainer for a gaming laptop, value is typically a gimme for desktops. Desktop parts almost always cost less than building an entire laptop. To make it fair, we also bundled a Hz, inch p panel, mechanical RGB keyboard, mouse, and speakers—to match the accessories a laptop includes. The short story is that yes, if you skip all the accessories, the desktop can be the better value.

While the graphics card performance margin between a gaming laptop vs desktop computers has become quite slim, there is still a fairly large performance difference between mobile and desktop CPUs. Due to the same power and heat limitations of laptop GPUs, mobile CPUs must also be slightly under powered in order to maintain a safe operating temperature.

This performance difference is a result of a lower core and thread count and a power consumption of 45 watts as opposed to the 65 watt desktop CPU.

One limitation of storage on laptops as opposed to desktop gaming PCs are the number of drives that they can support. Typically laptops can only support two internal drives which can only be SSDs before you are forced to use external drives for expansion.

Desktops on the other hand can have a large number of storage drives than can be a high capacity hard drive or a highspeed SATA or M. As SSD capacities have continued to grow and become more affordable over time, storage is less of an issue in laptops as it used to be. The vast majority of gaming laptops on the market support NVME SSDs which offer plenty of space and speed for games, but could be inadequate when handling large video files.

Laptops also allow for an additional SSD to be installed after the bottom panel of the laptop is removed, revealing the storage and memory slots of the motherboard. When it comes to productivity tasks like video and 3D modeling, the hardware of modern laptops can handle the workload but storage may become a limitation.

A common solution to this complication is the creation of a NAS or network attached storage which allows users to offload files to a large storage PC located on their network.

This can often be complicated to set up especially if you intend to work on your laptop in a wide variety of locations and networks but can be most beneficial once properly configured. Memory, or RAM, is not particularly an issue with high-end laptops, but can be an issue with lower end gaming laptops that lack in memory quantity and speed. In order to get a desired amount of RAM on a low end gaming laptop, you may have to purchase an entire two DIMM kit to replace the low quantity DIMM as opposed to adding a single stick to the existing stick.

Accessing the RAM and storage drives on laptops can be difficult to access if the laptop uses uncommon screw types like torx or hex screws for the bottom body panel. Making sure your laptop has a minimum of 8GB is vital getting the most out of your gaming system; we recommend a minimum of 16GB to ensure your laptop performs optimally over time.

A major advantage for gaming desktops is their flexibility with cooling solutions. A gaming PC can come in a vast number of shapes and sizes which all impact the cooling of the components within them. Most commonly mid tower ATX cases are used for gaming desktops, which can support large aluminum air heatsinks or liquid cooling radiators.

This much larger volume allows desktops to support more powerful components and if the cooling solution is large enough, they can support hardware overclocking to further increase performance.

The small form factor of gaming laptops forces cooling limitations which is the major driving factor in downclocked mobile chips. The form factor of a gaming PC also plays a large role in the sound of the PC at load. A gaming laptop has a large amount of heat generation in a small space and has quite small fans that have to spin at incredibly fast speeds to adequately cool high end CPUs and GPUs. The combination of small fan blades and high RPMs can make a high pitched fan noise that can be particularly loud, however it is also entirely necessary to ensure thermal management.

The Allied Tomcat laptops feature 5-copper pipe cooling and twin high-speed fans that can be controlled via pre-installed ControlCenter software in a number of profiles, providing for a balance between thermals and dB levels. The only limitation of displays on gaming laptops is the size, which can range from 13 to A gaming desktop can support any size or resolution of monitor, or even a television.

The quality and resolution choices for laptops are the same for a gaming desktop. Many laptop displays even come in high refresh rates which are ideal for competitive first person shooter games, these refresh rates can vary from Hz all the way to Hz.