Sometimes, It is confusing for gamers like us to understand why are gaming laptops more expensive than desktops. I decided to write an article on this since there was no clear answer available. In this article, I will explain to you why gaming laptops are expensive as compared to gaming desktops.
So, why are gaming laptops more expensive than desktops? Gaming laptops are more expensive than desktops because they are lightweight and can be portable anywhere, they consume less power, come as pre-assembled with equivalent performance as desktop and you don’t have to buy a gaming monitor and a mechanical keyboard separately.
As we know that every great solution for the user comes at a cost and gaming laptops are no different than a great solution for gamers. These gaming laptops are equipped with great performance, customization, high-end graphics, sleek design, up-gradation options, warranty, and support. I will explain such factors below to understand why gaming laptops are an expensive option for great gaming solutions for some gamers.
Why are gaming laptops are expensive than gaming desktops?
Every gamer has their needs based on their gaming preference such as many gamers want to play games with high frame rates, on a bigger display, and high resolutions, but there are options available for some of them to carry the gaming station wherever they want to go and resume the games.
Here is the general difference for gamers who want to know how gaming laptops are more expensive than gaming desktops:
| Gaming Laptops | Gaming Desktops |
| Portable Anywhere | Non-Portable |
| Assigned Place Not required | Assigned Place Needed |
| In-build battery | Consistent Power Supply Required |
| Low Power Consumption | Medium Power Consumption |
| Gaming Monitor Not required | Need to Buy Gaming Monitor |
| Mechanical Keyboard Not required | Need to Buy Mechanical Keyboard |
| Computer Assembly Not required | Computer Assembly Required |
In the above table, you can see the difference between gaming laptops and gaming desktops in terms of portability, power consumption, and other computer activity and parts requirements. This table shows that the gaming laptop fits the best for the gamer who enjoys playing games with the freedom of space limitation and wants to save power consumption.
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Portability is a Gaming Freedom
Many gamers like me want to take my games with me but why it is only restricted to phones? Gaming laptops will give us the best portability option to carry our favorite games to any room that we want to play. Gaming laptops are relatively light in weight and easy to carry. Though some of the gaming laptops with bigger screens get heavier than you think.
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You don’t need Assigned Place in your House
There will not be any restriction on gaming laptops for an assigned place as you can keep them anywhere in your house. Gaming desktops need an assigned place as it will take one corner or section of your home. You also need to make sure your gaming desktop is placed well for the cooling exhaust and enough space to keep the monitor and keyboard.
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You don’t need a Consistent Power Supply for your Gaming Supply
A consistent power supply is needed for both gaming laptops and desktops but gaming laptops have an in-built battery that lasts for a few hours before you put your laptop for recharging. For a gaming desktop, you will need a consistent power supply to keep enjoying your favorite games. You can use UPS for your desktop to keep the power supply and it will again cost you additionally.
Also read: How to Choose A Gaming Laptop? 12 Best Factors To Consider
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Low Power Consumption and small Electricity bills
Gaming laptops are incorporated with computing devices that use less power. Where gaming desktops have high-end CPUs, GPUs, graphic cards, memory, and dedicated liquid cooling systems which require a high level of power consumption. Gaming laptops are a good investment in the long term for saving power supply costs.
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You don’t need Gaming Monitor
Gaming desktops required a gaming monitor which comes with an additional cost. These gaming monitors will display your games very nicely and smoothly if you get the one with a higher refresh rate and good response time. A gaming monitor will be your good investment if you are more into an online multiplayer where you need high frames per second to bet on the game.
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You don’t need a Mechanical Keyboard
There are so many gaming keyboards that are great and fancy-looking and give your gaming station a perfect mix. Gaming desktops are mandatorily needed keyboards that come with additional costs whereas gaming laptops have them in-build for you.
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No need to call that Computer Assembly guy
I used to call a computer engineer every time to install my new gear for my computer assembly. But, a few years later I have started doing it myself as I tried and succeed many times just to save a few bucks which I had to give to the computer assembly guy. Many times I had to wait for days for a computer assembly guy to visit my home, I was completely dependent at that time. Gaming laptops are already configured for you and do not need assembly required further.
How gaming desktops have an edge over expensive gaming laptops:
Gaming desktops are non-portable but are equipped with better computing power as they have better spacing and cooling systems. The gaming laptops are significantly in the high-performance range but not better than gaming desktops. Since gaming desktops are there for ages and gaming laptops need to be leveled up to get up to the point where they serve the same purpose as gaming desktops. Here are the following features where gaming desktops outperform gaming laptops.
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High Performance (Smooth Gaming Experience)
The best thing you can find in the above features is better computing power with low pricing. Since the up-gradation option gives the gaming desktops above edge over gaming laptops. Your gaming computer will be highly customizable with CPU and GPU. The performance of your computer will directly affect your gaming.
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Customization (Level-up your PC as you Level-up in Gaming)
Gaming desktop comes with highly customization options. You can customize your computer components such as graphics card, processor, storage, and memory. The customization is easy on a gaming desktop than on gaming laptops as they are very compact and with limited space depending on the skillset, you have.
Also read: How to Choose a Gaming PC? 9 Best Factors To Consider
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Better Cooling and avoid Overheating
The cooling space in the gaming desktops plays a very important role as it boosts the performance of the computer for a long time. In gaming laptops, all the components are engineered to be fit in a small space and the cooling becomes its disadvantage. The overheating of the system can cause failure multiple times while you are playing games.
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Bigger Display Size for 4K Gaming Experience
The display size in gaming plays a very important role as many games come with 4k resolutions and to enjoy these advanced high resolutions you need a bigger display screen. Gaming laptops are limited to display screens of 15, 17, and 18-inches. Since gaming monitors can be more than what gaming laptops offer. You can also use 4k TVs as gaming monitors for your gaming experience.
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Better Sound Quality with External Speakers
If you want to play games with speakers turn on the computer system then gaming laptops have a very limited quality of the sound wherein gaming desktop you can use external speakers to enhance your sound experience.
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Low Pricing Availability
Gaming desktops do have an above edge over gaming laptops in the above features as gaming laptops have their limitations but provide portability to the gamers. The pricing for the gaming desktops is much lower than gaming laptops and a definite winner in the pricing section.
Should you buy a gaming laptop or desktop pc?
Now you know that gaming laptops and gaming desktops have their own advantages and disadvantages but how you can figure out to finalize your solution to stick to one of these gaming computers?
Following is the list of questions to ask yourself to clear your selection which will be based on your preferences and will guide you to the selection of your gaming computer.
1 Do I want to play games in any room in my house and also outside?
If your answer is Yes, then the gaming laptop is your best choice. Make sure you also comply with other questions below as high performance and requirements can affect your decision.
2 Can I make an assigned place for my PC?
If you can make an assigned place for a PC then you can go ahead with a gaming desktop. This is very easy to understand but it will help you decide if most of the other answers favor gaming desktops.
3 What level of high performance do I need in my gaming needs?
If you are highly competitive in online multiplayer and need high performance in gaming then you should go with a desktop. (You have to take a call here as the level of gaming will help you decide whether you should go with a gaming laptop or desktop.)
4 Do I want to have a 4K gaming experience?
Most of the latest games come with 4K resolutions and the experience can be far better as compared to only HD gaming. You will need a bigger display to actually enjoy the beauty of the 4K experience. You have to go with a gaming desktop for this one as you can have a bigger display with a gaming monitor.
5 What is my budget and what can I afford?
This question immediately ruled out many above conclusions such as high performance and portability. If you have a limited budget and want the best experience then I would recommend a gaming PC. The good budget left you to decide whether I should go with high performance or portability, make your choice based on your preference and you are good to go.
Conclusion
We have learned that gaming laptops are more expensive than gaming desktops most of the time and you can decide whether to go for a gaming laptop or desktop based on your gaming preferences and choices. I hope this helped you to clarify and answer the question of why are gaming laptops more expensive than desktops. Please feel free to share your feedback, suggestions in below comment box.
