Do you love to play lots of the latest gaming titles? That’s pretty cool. But you’re going to need a machine to do
it. Desktops are great if you want to play games at home all of the time.
But if you want something more flexible that takes up less room or you need portability, then a gaming
laptop is an obvious solution. If you’re a fanatic gamer, you might’ve heard a saying that goes like
‘House, car and a gaming laptop are considered the prime purchases of a gamer.’
One of the most common arguments from desktop users is that gaming laptops aren’t worth it, primarily
because they have an extra cost attached to them. Although you can buy the best gaming laptop with the best cooling, if you check for the extra nuts and bolts the price may touch up to $3k.
What makes them so expensive, you ask? Well, for the same reason that laptops are more costly than
desktops.
You have to get more into a smaller package. You have to shrink everything down to fit inside your
backpack. That means compromises and time spent on engineering something despite different
conditions.
GPU is one of the main reasons why you need a gaming laptop in the first place. Gaming laptops are
expensive because it’s hard to fit GPUs in a small or thin laptop. It is where research and development
(R&D) costs come into play.
Fitting giant bulky fans to cool down a centimeter-thick laptop is another hard task that the
manufacturers and the engineers have to deal with.
However, other elements play a key role in the elevated prices of gaming laptops. Let’s try to clarify why
they’re so expensive compared to desktops with almost the same specs.
Reasons Why Gaming Laptops are Expensive Compared to
Desktops?
Top 5 Reasons for Gaming Laptops Expensive
1. Manufacturing process
One of the main reasons why gaming laptops are overpriced lies in their manufacturing process. It is
an extremely time-consuming procedure that requires manual efforts as well.
Assembly and testing are the focal elements of the manufacturing process. Even though laptops are
made via programmed machines, they still need human efforts while assemble and ensure quality.
Each part of the laptop is strictly diagnosed to ensure perfect working conditions. This whole process
requires more time than any other computer, which results in higher costs.
2. Cooling
Gaming laptops work at a higher speed than any other computer, which inevitably results in
overheating.
While engineering, designers have to design each part of the laptop considering the cooling system. The
compactness of this device results in restricted airflow. One of the primary concerns of any gamer is the
cooling system of the device.
Companies are offering unique solutions to avoid thermal throttling or performance breakdown. For
instance, automatic throttling occurs when a laptop reaches the maximum temperature to cool down
the system.
Some are even designing two versions of the same laptop. One gaming laptop with the best cooling system
and one without a cooling system with a $100 difference. All these solutions elevate the costs of
manufacturing and engineering, which are then attached to the actual cost.
3. Batteries
Just like any other desktop or PC, gaming PCs require high-power batteries to last long. You wouldn’t
want to shut your laptop during a game and put it on charge. Do you want to play high-ended video
games all day in your bed? Well, that comes with a price. As stated earlier, gaming PCs work at high
speed.
To play games for hours without putting your laptop on charge, again and again, you need a large
capacity battery. These high-capacity batteries will support your gaming career like no other.
Manufacturers, therefore, have to spend extra on these high-performing batteries, which then adds up
to the real cost.
4. Graphic Cards
If you’re a tech geek, you might be aware of the fact that there’s a huge chip shortage going on.
Essentially, processors, graphic cards, and anything with silicon in it is going way up in price.
It’s extremely difficult for gamers to find high-end graphic cards with good FPS rates and visual
processing. Graphic cards are deal makers and deal breakers in any laptop because of the experience
they provide. Gaming laptops provide that, but of course, with quite a bit of price.
5. Customization
Unlike desktops, the components of laptops are not compatible with one another. Therefore, design and
assembly differ from brand to brand. Each manufacturer designs laptop components differently. Thus,
making all the components incompatible. With sweeping advancements in technology, it is important to
buy a laptop that allows for customization. Buying a customizable high-end base laptop can be
expensive but worth the price in the long run.
Final Thoughts
Categorically, the reason why these laptops are so expensive is that you’re shrinking everything from the
size to the layout.
Luckily, there is hope. If you want to buy a laptop to play Esports games, a laptop with an MX350 in it,
and a Ryzen 4500U, it generally costs from seven-eight hundred dollars.
Surprisingly, laptops with RTX 3060s and i7s are going for twelve hundred dollars. When you consider
the ongoing GPU shortage, it’s a no-brainer; you’re buying an entire machine for the price of a GPU.
Provided you’re getting less upgradability which of course is a drawback. Generally speaking, gaming
laptops are becoming more and more cost-effective as time goes on.
As GPUs and CPUs become more power-efficient and cheaper to manufacture, so will laptops. It wasn’t
that long ago before a razor blade; a giant Alienware was the only brand on the market. And eight gigs of
RAM was a commodity.
Also, Read Best DDR4 3600 Mhz rams.
So, if you’re looking to get a gaming laptop, now is the best time to do so, especially if you’re someone
who’s always on the go. Don’t worry about the price tag, as getting $1200 with RTX 3060 is about the
same cost as setting up a gaming desktop with a little less performance in terms of portability.