Is a gaming laptop just as good as a gaming desktop?

[dave33]

Hey everyone!

Is a gaming laptop just as good as a desktop for gaming? I ask this because they seem to be around the same price range (although sometimes you do have to pay a bit more for gaming laptops) and boast the same kind of specs.

Do gaming laptops use the same graphics cards as desktops, or do they use some sort of compact mobile version that isn't as powerful? Even though both the desktop and laptop versions are marketed under the name like "NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060", how much of a difference does it make in terms of performance?

I know the general advice would be "it depends upon the make, model, price, and so on." But honestly, the descriptions when you look to buy a gaming laptop don't really delve into these things or compare them to desktops.. they just say that they are good for gaming.

There's also the question of whether I should buy a gaming laptop outright. Or should I get a regular laptop and some sort of expansion dock? You know, those devices that you can simply plug into your desktop or laptop to add a graphics card without having to install it to the motherboard, and upgrade when needed. I'm not sure what these devices are called, but I've heard they exist.

Considering all these things, what would your advice be? My ideal setup is one that isn't too bulky or has too many wires everywhere. At the same time, I don't want to be paying the same price for something that doesn't work as well as a desktop.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Thanks in advance!

[Guru]

Hey there, great question! So, laptops have come a long way in terms of performance over the years, and many of them can run games just as well as desktops. However, the trade-off is often in the form of heat management and upgradeability. Gaming laptops get hotter than desktops because all the components are in a tight space, this can sometimes throttle performance.

In terms of graphics, gaming laptops generally use a version of desktop graphics cards scaled down to fit a laptop chassis. So, while a laptop and a desktop may use a card with the same name (like the RTX 4060 you mentioned), there's often a performance gap due to size, heat, and energy constraints.

About docks, they're called eGPUs (external Graphics Processing Unit). While they're a great idea in theory, they're often expensive and can present compatibility issues sometimes... so I would stay away from them.

If you ask me if you value portability more then a gaming laptop is the way to go. Otherwise, a desktop would give you better performance and upgradeability.

[Ian]

I agree with Guru. The difference between a desktop's and a laptop's can be quite significant. Despite having similar names, the laptop versions are often not as powerful due to the constraints of having a compact design.