Computer Gaming: Laptop Versus Desktop

Which Will You Choose?

Whether you're shooting down enemies in Half Life 2 or unraveling a mystery in Dreamfall, computer gaming has been a popular hobby for more than a decade. 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 coffee shop to coffee shop 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.

Upgrading
Since gaming technologies get more advanced every year, the components of your computer will become obsolete pretty quick. 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. 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.