Can a Gaming Laptop Offer Better Value than a Gaming Desktop PC?

[Scorpus]

With insane GPU prices out there, are you better off buying a gaming laptop? Laptops are more widely available and are not ridiculously priced in some instances, and performance has improved a lot in recent years.

Read the full article here.

https://www.techspot.com/review/2273-radeon-gaming-laptop-vs-gaming-desktop/

 

[redhat]

I appreciate your work as I was waiting for comparison between desktops and laptops. However \\Thermal\\ are critical parts in Laptops and they are one of the main reason for reducing their life, so adding some info about thermal will be really nice

 

[QuantumPhysics]

What is a laptop? It’s basically a pre-built system, usually more expensive than a desktop, that can’t be modified very much.

Considering that right now many of the components that you would want to get if you were new to PC gaming cannot easily be found or purchased without paying a ridiculously high scalper price…laptop Gaming may be your only option.

I love having a powerful desktop PC but I also enjoy having a Gaming quality laptop which conserve as a desktop replacement on the road or on vacation in foreign countries.

 

[VitalyT]

I am contemplating to pick up a laptop with RTX3080, for deep learning. Unfortunately, those that come with the card also have a measly 16GB of RAM, which is just pathetic.

 

[Shadowboxer]

For me a desktop needs to be cheaper than a laptop it performs similarly to to deliver the same value. Laptops can move. I’d love to be able to pick up my gaming pc and take it to my mates house. This extra functionality now is worth more than potential upgrade-ability.

 

[Toju Mikie]

Unfortunately, this laptop is currently sold out at Best Buy.

I'm waiting for this one to release and waiting on reviews as well. I hope the performance is good for this one too when it releases. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-ome...deon-rx-6600m-1tb-ssd/6464193.p?skuId=6464193

Unfortunately, this is the case for now. It sucks, but the price difference seems to be even worse for cheaper laptops and GPUs. The 1650 Ti laptop seems to be way better value than a DIY 1650 build ( with the same gaming performance), same with a 3060, with slightly slower performance in the laptop, though I understand that the desktop 3060 has more VRAM which I also like.

If you want a "cheap" entry in the PC gaming world, for now, a laptop with 1650-1660ti seems to be a good bet. Prebuilt desktop with GPU also seems to be less affected by these crazy prices today.

 

[MaxSmarties]

Great article but one point was left uncovered: thermals. Any gaming notebook is running at insanely high temperatures : CPU in the high 80s (if not 90s) and GPU in the high 70s (if not 80s).
I'm not entirely sure it is ok for continuous gaming use.

 

[Geralt]

The problem is the size of the screen.

 

[MaxSmarties]

I appreciate your work as I was waiting for comparison between desktops and laptops. However \\Thermal\\ are critical parts in Laptops and they are one of the main reason for reducing their life, so adding some info about thermal will be really nice

This.
I wrote my post before reading your...

I own a "gaming laptop" (it is not for gaming in my case, but it has a 5800HS and an RTX 3060) and I'm playing BF V from time to time (I have a gaming desktop for that).
CPU temperature stays above 80° all the time, with spikes at 90°, while the 3060 reaches 75/76° quite easily. Even the integrated Vega could reach 80° (thank you Nvidia Optimus...).
I wouldn't use this notebook for gaming on a regular basis.

 

[Dimitriid]

It's not a terrible idea tbh: I like the idea of having some additional benefits: you'd trade performance but you'd gain a decent screen and a battery which if you need to move or have a fuse go out or something it's nice to have.

 

[gigantor21]

Staying in the same ballpark with such low power usage is remarkable--especially when the prices are so similar.

It's a heaven-and-earth difference from the kind of performance gaps you used to see between gaming laptops and desktops.

 

[Nobina]

I was against gaming laptops because of terrible thermals that reduce performance regardless of how beefy the hardware is. The price/performance ratio could be horrid. Laptop gaming today seems much more viable.

 

[passwordistaco]

From Tom's Hardware, on their Metro Exodus stress test:

"During that stress test, the CPU ran at an average speed of 2.8 GHz and an average temperature of 83.05 degrees Celsius (181.49 degrees Fahrenheit). The GPU measured an average 1,940.42 MHz and 80.65 degrees Celsius (177.17 degrees Fahrenheit)."

 

[nnguy2]

As a silent gamer I can never get a laptop. Too hot and too loud.

 

[Lounds]

Does Ryzen tuner work on gaming laptops? On my Ryzen 5 3600 I was able to get full load temps down nearly 20c when the voltage was tuned to be lower.

 

[passwordistaco]

Does Ryzen tuner work on gaming laptops? On my Ryzen 5 3600 I was able to get full load temps down nearly 20c when the voltage was tuned to be lower.

Unfortunately Clocktuner Ryzen does not work on the 5900HX.

 

[Watzupken]

A gaming laptop is not for everyone. I owned a gaming laptop many years back that was running an Intel 3000 series mobile processor and a Nvidia GTX 680M. While it was one of the faster configuration back then, it ran hot and very loud. At full tilt, the 2 fans are very loud and you will need to put on a headset in games to block out the noise. Over the years, gaming laptop chassis have gotten slimmer, so I think the problem with heat may have gotten worst for most laptops out there. The upsides of course are the size and mobility. So if you are space constrained and/or, need to move this around, then a gaming laptop may be a good alternative.

 

[Fulljack]

The downside of gaming laptops are it's weight. with the charger, you're looking to at least 2,5 kg, not to mention if you have peripheral like keyboard, mouse, and headset.

but even that, it's still are portable device unlike a PC which is pretty much stuck on where you install it.

I still prefer the likes of laptop, and maybe I'll start building my own PC, after I already settled and buy a house.

 

[Daniele 00]

Just "no". Being forced to play on a tiny keyboard, attached to a frontal monitor that you cannot move, with limited Audio... not a good gaming experience. Keep portable pc as a "portable" pc for whoever really need them.

 

[kenny loris]

As a silent gamer I can never get a laptop. Too hot and too loud.

I second you on that. There nothing more satisfying than gaming on a desktop. Laptops were never designed for gaming and will never stand on equal footings with a Gaming Desktop PC.