Should I buy a gaming laptop?

IvanOst

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Pros of a gaming laptop
Perhaps the most significant advantage here is the mobility of the device. Regardless of the time or place, you can just sit down and run the game. Whether it's a long trip or a long wait, the main thing is not to forget charging and find a power source.
Ease with frequent moving. It happens that people repeatedly change their place of residence. The desktop computer in this case will complicate the process of transferring things. Therefore, sooner or later a person finally comes to the conclusion to buy a gaming laptop.
Takes up little space. A folded laptop takes up a minimum of space, while a desktop computer requires a special table on which a monitor, keyboard, speakers and system unit will stand. Agree, this is not always appropriate in a cramped apartment or small room.

Cons of a gaming laptop

In fact, the minuses of the laptop will be the advantages of a desktop computer. We will now consider them:

Laptops get very hot during the game. To avoid this unpleasant phenomenon, owners have to buy additional fans to cool the device. With severe overheating, the processor can simply burn out.
A power outlet is required. It’s clear that a socket is also needed for stationary computers, but it will always be at hand. In the case of a laptop, you will have to stay in search of a place to recharge outside the home, which can be a significant problem, because charging the battery, even with the best scenario, will last a maximum of four hours.
Small screen laptops. The maximum number of inches on the diagonal is 17. Manufacturers cannot increase this figure, because otherwise the laptop will turn into a huge colossus, which will be inconvenient to carry. As for desktop computers, here you can buy a screen that your finances allow. It will be more pleasant to enjoy the game on a large display larger than 20 inches.
The sound quality on laptops is poor. Under the columns in such devices there is very little space, basically everything takes up the processor. The presence of peripheral speakers in desktop computers allows you to enjoy high-quality sounds of the gameplay. Nobody argues, you can connect speakers to the laptop, but the meaning of portability, again, is lost.
A stationary computer can be tuned. The fact is that games do not stand still. Performance requirements are increasing every year. A home computer allows you to replace some of the components, while not changing the entire system unit. You can buy, for example, a more powerful video card, or put an additional amount of RAM. A laptop does not allow such a field for activity. It is very difficult to replace parts of it. Therefore, over time, you will have to sell the device and buy a new one, and this requires significant costs compared to the first option.
The price of laptops is much higher than for desktop computers. On average, it has a ratio of 1: 2. For someone it is worth it, but in essence, the most convenient option for spending time at the games is a permanent place of residence, where no one bothers, you will comfortably sit on a chair and enjoy the process.

Output
Based on the foregoing, the choice between a home computer and a laptop is no longer so easy. In fact, it all depends on the price. The fact is that if you have enough finances, then you can buy a really good laptop that will not be inferior in terms of its characteristics to a PC.

So, for example, it is important to know whether it is possible to replace components on a laptop. When buying, you must carefully read this information. Since not on all modern laptops the video card is soldered, and if this is the case, then you can easily replace it.

In favor of a stationary computer, we can say that not all of them take up a lot of space. Nowadays, there are quite compact system units that will not take up a lot of space, will not make problems when carrying, and their weight will not exceed more than five kilograms. Such devices are made incredibly powerful, despite their size. But the price for them will be appropriate.

If you are afraid of a lot that spoils the picture of wires on desktop computers, then do not forget about wireless devices. Mouse, keyboard and speakers can be connected via Blutooth. Such devices will greatly simplify life. The only thing you have to do is connect this monitor.
 
As someone that games on a laptop, I'd like to comment on a few things with my own experiences.

I have my computer desk setup to where I place my laptop on the cooling fans, plug everything in, and boot up. I have a secondary 27 inch so I can sit back in my chair and grind my life away without having to be 4 inches from my laptop screen. I also have an additional keyboard and mouse since it's so much easier to game on than on a laptop keyboard and trackpad. As for sound, I use a headset with a built in mic so sound quality from the tiny laptop speakers is moot. I also have bluetooth earbuds that I use if I'm traveling or at the office since I reasonably assume others don't want to hear what I have going on anyways.

The biggest limitation that I have come across is the ability to upgrade hardware. The only things I've been able to upgrade are additional RAM (from 8 to 32GB) and an additional SSD (added a TB for gaming and media). The most important things for me to be able to upgrade are the GPU and processor and I can not upgrade either. I am stuck with embedded Nvidia GTX 950M and 2.3GHz i5 processor. While I can game at 60fps and high graphics settings, I can not do that and game record at the same time at 1080p60fps (which is why I don't stream yet).

If you don't care for streaming or are on a budget, a laptop will work just fine for gaming at good resolutions as long as you have the right hardware under the hood. The additional considerations are more cooling (an absolute must for gaming on a laptop), a bigger monitor, a headset, and a separate keyboard/mouse if you aren't fond of gaming on a laptop keyboard.

Though I have gotten several years of gaming out of my laptop, I will be upgrading to a desktop after the new year.

Cheers! :beerchug:
 
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