Soooo… you’ve discovered the amazing world of gaming! Congratulations, I’m proud of you and extremely excited for you, my fellow gaming nerd 😉
But with this newfound hobby you have a great responsibility to make sure your rig is cut out for you to be able to play to your heart’s content!
Or maybe you’re just in the market for a new PC and you want to make sure that if you buy a laptop that it will run your games as well.
Here is some handy info to help you with the process of deciding whether you want a laptop or a desktop for gaming.
Consider Your Budget
So this is an obvious one right, and you’re probably thinking “Nadia, duhhhh, why are you telling me something I already know?”.
Wait wait! Hear me out ….This is important because you will spend more money on a laptop that can run games than you will on the desktop equivalent. So if you don’t have a very high budget rather go on ahead and shop in the desktop section for gaming.
There are two different kinds of laptops and desktops in this world that matter when you’re a gamer shopping for a rig and here they are:
- Ones with an integrated graphics – good for mini games, non- resource intensive games
- Ones with dedicated graphics cards – depending on the model of the card and the rest of the components, they can run most of the latest games
Ok, so what the ***** does this mean? Well the graphics card is the part within a laptop and a desktop that is the number one factor to consider when buying one for games.
Noob Tip: All games have recommended system requirements, for a guideline on what is required to run a particular game, use Google to search for the recommended requirements and then make sure that when you shop for your gaming rig that these requirements are met or if possible, more than met.
When you are looking to buy a laptop for playing games then I highly recommend that you choose one with a dedicated graphics card with at least 8GB memory and if possible on your budget, one with a solid state hard drive. The same goes for desktop PCs.
Laptops with dedicated graphics cards are not budget-friendly. It’s not impossible to find a good deal, but you’ll definitely be able to get a better-performing desktop for the same price.
Expect to pay $700 and up for a laptop or $550 and up for a desktop with a dedicated graphics card.
Also, understand that unless you are willing to spend a $1000 or more you most likely won’t be able play the latest most graphic intensive games on their max settings smoothly, which isn’t a problem for most people who just want to be able to game in general.
The game settings can be lowered to an acceptable level so that gameplay is nice and smooth.
Mobility
Do you want to be able to play your games wherever you are? Well then having a laptop is the obvious choice!
Prefer a designated, comfortable space to sit and immerse yourself for hours in the wonderful magical world of gaming, and do it the old-school “nice big monitor” way? Then a desktop is your friend.
Upgradability
If you’re like me, and you want to keep up with the latest games and always have the fastest computer to run these games then
having a laptop might not be for you.
Desktops are awesome if you want to be able to upgrade the parts on the inside to keep up with the ever-increasing requirements of games. This is easier on your budget in the long run, because you won’t have to buy a complete new PC, you can simply buy a new
graphics card, for example, and replace the old one inside your PC.
This is not the case with laptops. Some brands and models make it very difficult to access the insides and replace or upgrade the parts. And in most cases, the only parts you can upgrade is memory and the hard drive. You cannot upgrade the graphics card or the processor which ultimately means the most in the gaming world.
Some extra thoughts
If you thought that laptops are not as powerful or good for gaming as a desktops then I will gladly bust that myth for you. Nowadays laptops can definitely run your games and I have enjoyed countless hours having fun with a laptop on my lap in bed doing this exact thing.
It’s always good practice though, when using a laptop for gaming, to set your laptop on a surface that doesn’t obstruct it’s vents. Because gaming is intensive on the components, a lot of heat is generated and it is important to make sure that your laptop can keep itself cool.
You might even want to consider getting a laptop cooling stand. These can also help you maintain good posture because they raise the laptop screen to eye level – no one likes to play games with a kink in their neck, which is likely to happen if you sit for many hours staring down at your screen.
Get Your Game on!
So there you have it, desktops versus laptops for gaming. Hopefully this helped you some without getting too technical. Now what are you waiting for??? Go get your game on!
And if you have any questions, as always please leave a comment below and I would love to help you out!