I regret buying a gaming laptop instead of a desktop for these 6 reasons

I’ve been a PC gamer most of my life and love the challenge of selecting the parts I like and putting them together to make a custom machine. I feel a sense of accomplishment, and I can tweak the hardware whenever I want to upgrade its performance. I also have the freedom to choose the perfect monitor, a mechanical keyboard, and other accessories to make my build stand out.

That said, I switched to a gaming laptop because I’m mobile and needed a do-all Windows computer I could take on the road with me. As much as it gets the job done, the experience isn’t the same, and I regret buying a gaming laptop instead of a desktop for these six reasons.

1

Price

High specs, higher price

Gaming desktops have a better price-to-performance ratio than laptops with similar specs. You can argue that a gaming laptop has a built-in display and doesn’t require a separate monitor, but it’s still not enough to tip the scales in its favor. However, the price gap between gaming laptops and desktops isn’t as wide in the entry-level segment, but grows considerably as you get to mid and high-tier models.

The best 16- and 17-inch gaming laptops, like the Razer Blade 16 or MSI Stealth, cost between $3,500 and $4,000. For that price, you can get a similarly specced desktop with a more powerful full-size GPU and still get a large 24-or 27-inch monitor — plus have some change leftover.

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2

Customization

There’s only one choice

My gaming laptop is standard and exactly like the thousands of others of the same model out there. On the other hand, my gaming PC is a unique build made to my specifications. It has the perfect case for my requirements, and every part was individually chosen for what it brings to the table.

There’s no competition between the two when it comes to customization, and the gaming desktop wins by a mile. Certain gaming laptop brands let you choose the keycaps, RAM, and other components when ordering. The limited options are better than nothing, but don’t match the freedom of the countless available desktop components.

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3

Upgradability

A longer lifespan

Another benefit of a gaming desktop is that I can easily replace any faulty components, like motherboards or CPUs, when they break, or upgrade them if I want more power. This increases the overall lifespan of my machine, and I also like it because I can pay for gradual upgrades instead of a considerable amount upfront.

On the other hand, my gaming laptop isn’t repairable, and I’ll need to replace the whole unit if the motherboard becomes faulty. It’s the same as upgrading, and I’m locked to the current specs because most components are soldered on the board and can’t be swapped out for something more powerful.

4

Noise

The fan factor

The noise factor is one of my peeves with gaming desktops, and there’s no getting around it. It’s easy to see why when comparing a gaming laptop’s slimline fans and discrete cooling system to the AIO, improved airflow, and numerous larger fans on a desktop.

The reality is that the smaller fans on a gaming desktop need to work harder than their desktop equivalents to provide the same level of cooling because of the limited space. This translates to a louder experience, which can be insanely irritating if you aren’t used to it.

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5

Less power

Less space for performance

We all want the most power possible when buying a new computer, and the best gaming laptops still lag behind similarly specced laptops when it comes to power. Gaming laptops have smaller power supply units, less airflow, and fewer cooling features. Because of this, they run on scaled-down CPUs and GPUs optimized for the smaller form factor.

However, there are no limitations to the hardware of a gaming desktop. You can use the most powerful components available and be assured that they will work well, provided you have a solid build with efficient cooling. This is another factor that contributes to an increased lifespan, because the desktop components will last longer before becoming obsolete.

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6

Poor gaming performance on battery

Plugged-in play only

Modern laptops have excellent battery life, so users can work from anywhere without needing a power source. While gaming laptops can be used for browsing, emails, and other daily tasks, you won’t run the latest game without it being plugged in because you’ll experience a serious drop in performance. There’s significant stuttering, and games become unplayable when I try running them on the battery.

This is because the GPU and CPU require more power than the battery can provide. The system then throttles performance to prevent the battery from overheating or other damage. It’s possible to squeeze more performance out of certain gaming laptops by turning off power-saving and other features, but you still won’t get the same frame rate as you would when connected to a power adapter.

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