Tweet
Key Takeaways
- Gaming laptops still struggle with constant heating issues and noisy fans, making them uncomfortable to use for extended periods of time.
- Many gaming laptops have a bulky and heavy design, making them inconvenient to carry around for everyday use or travel.
- Gaming laptops come with eye-watering price tags, often exceeding $1,500, making it more cost-effective to build a desktop rig with similar or better specs. Additionally, it can be difficult to find gaming laptops with the right combination of specifications due to undisclosed power limits.
The last time I used a gaming laptop as my primary machine was in 2019. I ditched it in a couple of years to build a gaming PC, and never looked back. I occasionally use gaming laptops that show up on the test bench for review, like the Lenovo LOQ 15 and the Alienware m16 R1 that I reviewed recently, but I really don’t see myself buying a gaming laptop anytime soon. I say that because even the modern gaming laptops on the market these days haven’t solved some of the major gripes I had with my personal gaming notebook back in the day. If anything, they’ve introduced some new issues that push me further away from the idea of owning a gaming laptop again.
1 Constant heating issues
Seeing a laptop struggle under load is never a good sight
The laptops I had in the past were all plagued with overheating issues. I still have nightmares of days I spent back in the day, struggling to cool my Acer Predator Helio 300 gaming laptop with an 8th gen Intel CPU and a GeForce RTX 1050 Ti laptop GPU while playing games. I know a lot of laptops have improved thermals these days, but almost all powerful ones with decently specced internals generate a lot of heat and start throttling to leave performance on the table.
It’s either that or I have to put up with gaming laptops like the Alienware m16 R1 with massive fans that get unbearably loud while gaming. It’s true that the Alienware m16 R1 is an impeccable laptop that’s just as powerful — if not more — than my desktop rig, but I feel extremely uncomfortable with its loud fan noise. It’s not the only gaming laptop that uses massive exhaust fans to aggressively push hot air out of the system, though, so this is definitely a more widespread issue that stems from stuffing them with power-hungry components.
Bulky laptops with massive charging bricks
One of the reasons I ditched my gaming laptop was that it was too bulky for an everyday commute. It was so uncomfortable to the point that I started leaving it at my workplace to avoid having to carry it every day. My switch to a desktop rig prompted me to buy a MacBook Air instead for work and my occasional work trips, and it’s been great. I wish the MacBook was able to run the games I typically enjoy, but it’s nothing a handheld gaming console like Steam Deck can’t solve for me. I was hoping to see more thin and light gaming laptops on the market to eventually get one for myself, but not a lot has changed since then, unfortunately. Just look at some gaming laptops that I’ve highlighted in the gallery above.
Not all of them may have a massive footprint, but almost all of them are on the heavier side, making it hard to carry around. Yes, there are a few thin and light gaming laptops on the market right now, like the ASUS ROG Flow X13, but it comes with its fair share of caveats that makes it less ideal for my usage. Seriously, all the gaming laptops in 2023 — at least the powerful ones that can run all the modern AAA titles — are still on the bulkier and heavier side. As if the laptops weren’t bulky enough, they also make you carry a massive charger these days, which not only weighs a lot, but also takes up a lot of space in the backpack. And it’s not like you can travel without the brick, as most powerful gaming laptops out there have atrocious battery life by design.
Of course, there are exceptions out there, like the Legion 9i laptop that my colleague Joao reviewed not too long ago. It’s a fantastic gaming laptop that’s surprisingly thin and powerful for a gaming laptop, but you have to keep in mind that it’ll burn a huge hole in your wallet. And that brings me to my point, which is something that a lot of gaming laptops out there struggle to justify.
Build a much more powerful desktop rig for less
As somebody who is obsessed with keeping tabs on the prices of PC components, I can’t help but laugh at the prices of many gaming laptops on the market these days. It’s almost impossible to buy a good gaming laptop without dropping at least $1,500 today, which is a significant amount of money. In fact, you’ll easily hit the $2,000 mark if you’re looking for a powerful rig that can handle all the modern games with high FPS. Just look at the ones we’ve highlighted in our collection of the best gaming laptops if you don’t want to take my word for it. Of course, you can buy a budget gaming laptop with, say, an RTX 4050 or something with last-gen internals, but even those aren’t going for cheap unless you manage to snag a good discount.
If you are indeed planning to spend $2,000 on a gaming laptop, then why not use that to put together a solid desktop for yourself? It may not get you a rig with the best RTX 4090 graphics cards, but you’ll definitely be able to build one with an RTX 4070 or even an RTX 4080 GPU. It’s true that a laptop purchase will save you the additional cost of a monitor and things like a keyboard, but I am sure you can save enough to get one of the best gaming monitors out there with a $2,000 budget for a desktop if you pick your parts right.
4 Getting the specifications right
Hard to find the right combination of specs
I am sure you’ve seen laptops that carry identical specifications and an equally good cooling solution on paper return a huge difference in gaming performance. Have you ever wondered why that is the case? Well that is because of the difference in GPU power limits set by the manufacturer. That’s right, if you come across a gaming laptop powered by the RTX 4090 laptop GPU put out less performance than its 4080 counterpart, then it’s because of the TGP limit set by the manufacturer. The worst thing here is that most manufacturers don’t explicitly mention the total graphics power (TGP) of their laptops for us consumers to make an informed decision.
For those who are unaware of this issue, laptop GPUs have a specific range of power that they’re allowed to operate at. These power limits are set by GPU manufacturers like AMD and Nvidia, and are meant to be followed by laptop makers. The laptop manufacturers are also supposed to mention the TGP limits to their customers, who can then make an informed decision. Sadly, a lot of manufacturers are selling their laptops without including this particular specification in the specs sheet at the time of writing this article.
This is an important specification to highlight because the graphics power can change the way a particular laptop behaves under load. This is one of the main reasons why you may see an RTX 4080-powered laptop outperform an RTX 4090-powered machine with otherwise identical specs. This often leads to massive bottlenecks, which can easily be avoided by knowing exactly what you’re getting for your money. Not knowing exactly what you’re getting for the price is a huge issue, and it just makes the whole process of buying a laptop more difficult than it already is.
Closing thoughts
I am not writing off gaming laptops entirely as there are some superb options available that are perfectly capable of delivering an enjoyable experience for many. It essentially comes down to your personal preference and usage, and all the points mentioned above are specific to my experience and usage. I personally don’t see myself spending that much money on a gaming laptop, when I can have a perfectly fine experience with a MacBook Air for work and a Steam Deck for gaming temporarily when I am away from my main gaming rig. They’re both cheaper than most powerful gaming laptops out there, and it’s also less of a hassle to carry them on the go.
** (Disclaimer: This video content is intended for educational and informational purposes only) **
More...
