Gadgets

I regret buying a gaming laptop instead of a desktop for these 6 reasons

Published

16 hours ago

May 11, 2025

Empowerment

I regret buying a gaming laptop instead of a desktop for these 6 reasons

Summary

Gaming desktops have a better price-to-performance ratio than laptops.

They also offer superior customization compared to laptops.

You can upgrade components on desktops much more easily than laptops.

I’ve been a PC gamer most of my life and love the challenge of selecting the parts I like and putting them together to make a custom machine. I feel a sense of accomplishment, and I can tweak the hardware whenever I want to upgrade its performance. I also have the freedom to choose the perfect monitor, a mechanical keyboard, and other accessories to make my build stand out.

That said, I switched to a gaming laptop because I’m mobile and needed a do-all Windows computer I could take on the road with me. As much as it gets the job done, the experience isn’t the same, and I regret buying a gaming laptop instead of a desktop for these six reasons.

Gaming laptops sound great – until you realize these 4 things

I like gaming laptops, but there are certainly some drawbacks.

1
Price

High specs, higher price

An Acer Predator Helios 500 laptop on a table.

Gaming desktops have a better price-to-performance ratio than laptops with similar specs. You can argue that a gaming laptop has a built-in display and doesn’t require a separate monitor, but it’s still not enough to tip the scales in its favor. However, the price gap between gaming laptops and desktops isn’t as wide in the entry-level segment, but grows considerably as you get to mid and high-tier models.

Gaming desktops have a better price-to-performance ratio than laptops with similar specs.

The best 16- and 17-inch gaming laptops, like the Razer Blade 16 or MSI Stealth, cost between $3,500 and $4,000. For that price, you can get a similarly specced desktop with a more powerful full-size GPU and still get a large 24-or 27-inch monitor — plus have some change leftover.