4 reasons why gaming laptops are actually great

We’re at an exciting threshold in PC gaming. It used to be that if you wanted power, you had to buy or build a desktop PC. That’s still the best option for raw speed, but portable options have been narrowing the gap. On modern handhelds, like the Steam Deck or ASUS ROG Ally X, you can run many triple-A games without batting an eye.

Many people interested in PC gaming should be opting for a laptop, however. It’s not the ideal choice for everyone — there’s usually a higher cost involved — but there’s no need to break the bank, and laptops offer some distinct advantages, even if gaming is just a minor hobby of yours.

1 Wider gaming options than consoles or handhelds

Find the games that are most authentically you

Firaxis Games / Pocket-lint

As much as I enjoy my Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch, some games are best played elsewhere, or simply won’t work on those devices. A prime example is the original battle royale, PUBG — Steam Decks are notoriously bad at handling anti-cheating tools, and the Switch doesn’t have enough horsepower. First-person shooters are also best played with a mouse and keyboard — once you’ve had a taste, you’ll never want to go back to a gamepad.

In fact, there are a number of genres that are best played on a laptop or desktop PC, ranging from turn-based tactics games to flight sims and point-and-click adventures. If you want to sample all of what gaming has to offer, a laptop can help while retaining some portability.

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2 Saving money with a do-it-all machine

If you play your cards right, that is

While it’s true that a good gaming laptop will cost you more than an equivalent desktop, it has the potential to satisfy all of your entertainment needs. If you want to relax on the couch, you can bring your laptop into the living room, maybe even hook it up to your TV. If you want to play Tactical Breach Wizards on a flight to Texas, you can do that too. And of course, when it’s time to get down to work, a gaming laptop should have no problem running apps like Office or Photoshop.

You will have to make some strategic shopping decisions. Stay at 16 inches or below if you plan to game on the road, since anything larger tends to be cumbersome, especially when you’re unpacking during a TSA screening. For work purposes, you may want to buy some additional accessories, like a Thunderbolt/USB 4 dock and an external monitor — but that’ll depend on what you do for a living. I usually don’t need anything more than a mouse and a full-sized keyboard, myself.

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3 Snappier performance for everything you do

Watch those Chrome tabs fly

While you’ll only experience the full potential of a gaming laptop by playing 3D games, the added performance can translate into an overall smoother experience versus non-gaming PCs. A laptop equipped with a high-end CPU, 32GB of RAM, and a fast M.2 SSD will load Windows 11 in a matter of seconds. You can say goodbye to worrying about how many browser tabs you have opened, or closing non-essential apps to prevent things from chugging.

Even if you only get 16GB of RAM, some non-gaming apps support GPU acceleration, which can improve responsiveness and reduce the burden on your CPU. Without the dedicated (i.e. non-integrated) graphics chips found in gaming systems, you may not see much benefit from that acceleration.

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4 Aesthetic flair in your office (or gaming den)

Just don’t go overboard

Razer

Although I personally prefer subtlety, there’s no denying the flash a lot of gaming laptops bring to the table. Some of them have elaborate logos or other artwork, and many models have multicolored LED lighting. It can add a sense of personality that’s often missing in tech — even if some designs are a bit gaudy, and might as well be flying a giant “steal me” banner at a coffee shop.

There is some practical value to LED lighting. It makes typing and trackpad scrolling easier in dim rooms, and in some cases, you can sync lighting with games and other apps. A red burst might let you know when your character is hit, for instance, while a music app might make lights pulse in time to the beat.

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