Gaming: Laptop Vs Desktop

by Han
published by Rinie 9th September 2009



Whether you're shooting down enemies in Half Life 2,beating the stars out of your opponent's hero, or dribbling your way towards goal, computer gaming has been a popular hobby for more than a decade. Some even play games professionally. Gamers have a choice when it comes to what they play with. They can sit at a desk with their tricked out desktop PC, or travel from cyber cafe to their granny's house playing games on their laptop. If you're trying to decide whether to invest the portability of a laptop or the affordability of a desktop, there are some issues to consider.



Portability

Laptops, of course, are more portable. It's easy to unplug this thin computer from the wall, put it in a bag, and carry it to a party or friend's house. With desktop PCs, this is a lot harder. Desktop towers are heavy and bulky. Not only that, there are many components to a desktop that would be needed as well, including a large monitor and the keyboard and mouse. Since all of these things come in one tiny package, the laptop wins the portability debate hands down.


Upgrading

Since gaming technologies get more advanced every year, the components of your computer will become obsolete before you know it. New computer games are always demanding the best possible equipment. Because of this, you'll need to be able to upgrade the components of your computer pretty easily. This can be done cheaply with a desktop computer, but is almost impossible with a laptop. Most laptops don't allow upgrading for parts like hard drives and graphics cards. Even when they do it would cost half a bomb. This means that if you do get a laptop, you'll probably have to replace it after a year or two.


Size

In line with portability, there are some vast size differences between desktop and laptop PCs. Since laptops have all of their peripherals built into the unit, the size can be pretty small. Desktops, on the other hand, have big and bulky parts that come separately. Size matters. If you like it small, go with the laptop.


LAN Parties

One of the geekiest of all gamer activities is LAN parties. Bring your computer to a friend's house and network all the computers to play games together. Although a lot of the LAN party participants bring along their desktop computers, it's easier to bring a laptop. Still, a large part of LAN parties is showing off your hardware. Desktop PCs often seem way more impressive than laptops because the cases can be customized and they can hold better equipment. If you want the prestige of a nice setup, choose a snazzy desktop. If instead you just want an easy computer to bring with you, choose a laptop.


Value for Money

Since money is an issue and selling point for people, this is the most important category when choosing a computer. The unfortunate fact is that laptops are a lot more expensive than desktop computers. Their portability and small frame being their main selling point. If your wallet is tight, the practical idea would be to purchase a desktop, as you can save money and still get a powerful enough computer to run Crysis. However if you have a wallet like Abramovich, and do not mind paying over the odds (just like him), then go ahead and grab a powerful gaming laptop.

The choice between laptop and desktop gaming is largely a personal one. The knowledgeable consumer will have to decide whether price or portability is more important to them. Research each computer well before making the purchase. Either way, be happy with what you get. Whichever you choose, you'll still be able to kill those zombies with ease. If you are good enough.