Which is better, Desktop PC or Laptop PC?

Thursday 11th August 2022 by Mark Byrne

When it comes to purchasing a gaming PC, is it better to go for the portability of a laptop, or the more affordable desktop? We compare all aspects of a PC Desktop and PC Laptop and see which is better.

Which is better, Gaming Desktop or Gaming Laptop?

Which is better Desktop PC Vs Laptop PC

When PC gaming began there was only one nation, one tribe and they all prayed to the same god, The Desktop PC.

The desktops were chunky and bulky and weren’t very portable, but they provided gamers across the world with the opportunity to indulge in their treasured pastime.

However, in 2011, a new contender entered the ring, that Contender was Razer’s Razer Blade. Featuring a 17-inch HD screen, fast Intel® Core™ i7 processor and a high-performance NVIDIA GeForce® graphics processor designed in a lightweight aluminium chassis, it was an impressive first attempt at portable gaming PCs.

Sleeker, compact and portable, this plucky newcomer burst on to the scene allowing gamers across the world to finally leave their gaming dens and finally answer the question, can you play League of Legends outside? Yes, yes you can, though many choose not to.

However, even with these impressive stats there was one huge drawback, overheating. Yes, Razer was prone to overheating, and Alienware's answers to this problem were not much better. Laptops for gaming had to overcome serious technology issues – which the world was not ready for just yet, as Desktops still maintained performance and efficiency without the worry of cooking your legs.

Since then, though, thanks to technology advancements Gaming Laptops can now perform at high-end levels without the threat of toasting its user.

Now both juggernauts of PC gaming duke it out for which is better, which platform deserves the right to be crowned gaming royalty and ascend the throne as rightful ruler of PC gaming.

To determine which has better we have broken both contestants down into categories that we feel are essential to buying a gaming PC. They are:

Price
Specs
Accessories & Peripherals
Upgrading
Portability

Price

Depending on your current financial status, where you invest your money is a key factor on what system you should purchase.

Do you invest in a really expensive PC now and hope that the parts keep up with game demand over the next few years, or do you buy a less powerful PC now and start to upgrade when the price of living is less.

Price will always equal bigger, better specs, but if you want to save money on hardware and invest more into games, there are always deals and offers that can help you keep costs down while still being able to play the latest games.

Desktop

When it comes to desktop, you will 90% of the time find that your money will go further in terms of Specs. This is because when you’re building a desktop you don’t have to worry about also adding in battery, keyboard, trackpad, and monitor into one small package.

An example of a great entry level gaming Desktop is the Chillblast x Fnatic Contender Gaming PC which is priced at £799.99 and offers:

Or if you’re looking for a desktop more budget friendly, our Horizon range offers a great introduction into gaming PC’s. Our Horizon 3M Vega Gaming PC offers:

Laptop

While the price of desktops may seem initially more budget friendly, there are a few price considerations to consider.

First off when purchasing a laptop, unlike a desktop, it comes pre-installed with a screen and keyboard (with a touchscreen mouse) so straight away you have saved money on that aspect.

Additionally, thanks to the introduction of Cloud Gaming, which our affordable GEO laptops specialise in, allowing the cloud to do all the heavy lifting hardware wise, while you stream games seamlessly from services like Xbox Game Pass. Essentially this means that provided you have a good stable internet connection you can stream plenty of games bypassing the hardware requirements.

GEO has a great starting bundle which includes an 14.1’ GeoBook 140X, Xbox compatible controller, along with an awesome RGB lit headset with built-in microphone, and finally 3 months of Xbox Game Pass which can be streamed directly to their laptop (with a high-speed internet connection & a fast, reliable Wi-Fi signal).

Specs

Specs are one of the main factors when deciding on what system is perfect for you. Whether you’re looking to play the odd casual game of CoD at 1080p getting a steady 60 fps, or render God of War at 8k, hitting 120fps.

Specs are always determined on price, the more you pay for parts, the higher specs you can attain. That however does not mean you have to fork over a fortune to play the latest games, you just need to make sure you get the best specs for the games you want to play. A great way to do this is by using our recommended PC by game choice guide, which can be found here.

Desktop

For desktop you will usually have the advantage in terms of specs. Huge chunky parts and components can comfortably fit in a massive pc box case and not have to worry about overheating or being too heavy, so they will always have the option to use the biggest and most powerful assets. If you want something sleeker on your desktop, you can opt for an mATX case or an ITX form factor case, which both have much smaller footprints, and can accept powerful gaming hardware like their larger cousin, the ATX.

For example, the Kitguru PC powered by MSI has the below specs:

Additionally, if a certain component is no longer providing the performance you need, you can trade it out and instead of buying a whole new system.

This allows for you to constantly upgrade your PC to have the best specs possible.

Laptop

Laptops are essentially more limited in terms of what specs that they can achieve, versus thermal management and heat dissipation. Gaming requires a lot of components to work hard, and this creates heat. Thanks to technology pioneered by MSI, razer and ASUS, a lot of these drawbacks have become plus points for mobile gaming. However, in quite a few cases, you will end up paying more on Laptops for lower specs, than you would if you purchased a Desktop.

However, that doesn’t mean that gaming laptops aren’t packing power. The MSI Stealth GS66 15.6" RTX 3080 Ti Gaming Laptop has the following specs:

These specs will comfortably run most games that are currently available on the market. Games like Ready or Not, Control Ultimate Edition, Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077 etc.

Accessories & Peripherals

There are many things that just work in this world when they’re together, cheese on toast, rum and coke, Fridays and the boys. So that’s why when you see a gaming PC without a RGB keyboard, it feels unnatural and wrong. Yes, gaming PC’s with its various accessories and peripherals enhances an already superb experience, allowing new avenues of play previously not attainable with a simple keyboard and mouse.

Desktop

Desktops have a wide variety of accessories that they can attach, whether it’s a HTC VIVE Pro 2 VR Kit or Thrustmaster (Hands On Throttle And Stick) HOTAS Warthog Joystick or even a Thrustmaster MFD Multi Function Display Flight USB Cockpit Panel they will all work on PC and allow you to immerse yourself fully into the virtual world of your choosing.

Laptop

Like desktops, PC laptops have plenty of accessories however due to the nature of the laptops there are less ports and less power, meaning that a lot of the time you will be having to check whether these accessories are compatible with laptops or if they need a dedicated desktop to work.

Upgrading

Never content with just the base version, PC gamers have been upgrading their PC’s since PC’s were invented. Like Tony Stark on his 200th Iron Man Suit, PC gamers have to constantly upgrade and improve to ensure they have best possible rig possible.

Desktop

Upgrading on desktop is as natural as breathing. Desktops are designed to be interchangeable with new parts and almost beg to be updated every few years or so. Whether it’s a new graphics card, a new CPU or maybe you just want a new case to mix up the look, desktops offer all that more.

Like the family dog, a gaming desktop isn’t just for Christmas, it’s for life.

Laptop

This is the major drawback with laptops is that upgrading is quite restricted on most Laptops. As the parts are essentially fixed into the laptop once the CPU is getting slower or the GPU can no longer support the games you’re running, you will have to sell or recycle your laptop and buy a brand-new set.

Portability

Finally, portability. In recent years there has been a massive push to gaming on the go. Whether this is mobile gaming, the massive success of the Nintendo Switch or the most recently introduced Steam Deck. People love to take their gaming on the go, whether they’re on the train, going to a mate’s house or simply want a change of scenery from your usual gaming domain, portability has become a key selling point in recent years.

Desktop

In short, unless you attach a skateboard to the bottom of your desktop, the portability is significantly lacking. Desktops are clunky, bulky and heavy, like a stubborn cat, once the desktop has found it’s location, there is usually no easy way of moving it.

Laptop

This is ultimately the main reason why you would get a gaming laptop. The portability the allows you to get a couple of rocket league games in before you get to the office or maybe you’re off to a mates house to help you with a boss in Elden Ring, simply place your laptop in your bag and be on your way.

Conclusion

In summary when deciding on your gaming PC the main factor you have to consider is how much do you move around. Portability is essentially the key reason for a laptop, if you’re a student constantly going to different lectures a laptop is probably for you. Maybe you don’t have enough space in your house to dedicate a gaming station and still want to game in your bed and downstairs in your lounge, a gaming laptop is for you.

However, in most other cases we would recommend that you have a desktop as it usually beats laptops in terms of price, specs, longevity, upgrading and accessories/peripherals.

Finally, though there is something that both desktop and laptop PC gamers can agree on…

They’re superior to console gamers.