Gaming laptops always come with highly efficient, heavy-duty, and power-intensive components. But the downside of this mind-blowing performance lies in high battery consumption on daily use. And this begs the question, “are gaming laptops good for everyday use?”
Gaming laptops are suitable for everyday use. If you’re using it to do your regular day-to-day tasks, your gaming laptop is good enough for the job. However, to conserve battery life, you may need to make some customization to your computer.
In this article, we’d talk about the various things you need to know about gaming laptops and the differences between gaming and regular laptops. Also, we’d look into the pros and cons of using gaming laptops for everyday work. Keep reading.
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What Are The Difference Between Gaming Laptop And Normal Laptop?
There are notable differences between gaming laptops and normal laptops in their usage and specifications. However, for people who don’t have that much knowledge of laptops, the distinction between the two may seem minimal.
That said, in this section, we are going to consider the differences between the two kinds of laptops below:
1. Processor
While regular laptops may have a normal chipset with moderate clock speed, gaming laptops have more enhanced and heavy-duty processors. Whether AMD or Intel is better for gaming is an entirely different debate. However, most gaming laptops feature the latest processor for better performance.
2. Cooling fan
The cooling fan is crucial to ensure the laptop doesn’t overheat, as overheating can cause the components within a laptop to get damaged. Regular laptops come with normal-sized cooling fans, whereas gaming laptops have larger and more enhanced cooling fans.
3. Dedicated Graphics
Gaming laptops also come with higher quality dedicated graphics cards which provide higher display resolution. While normal laptops come with low-end graphics cards to economize power consumption, gaming laptops are more focused on delivering high-efficient resolutions.
4. Other Hardware
Gaming laptops are heavy-duty and always feature high-performing motherboard components than normal laptops. This is because they are used for running processor-intensive apps and games. Regular laptops don’t have these high-end components like gaming laptops.
Additionally, regular laptops are ideal for facilitating processor-conservative (or low demanding) software programs, like office applications and similar apps.
To use processor-intensive apps and games on your regular laptop without encountering problems, consider using 8-16GB RAM rather than the normal 2-4GB RAM. Furthermore, in a gaming laptop, you can upgrade the RAM up to 32GB.
In addition, gaming laptops and regular laptops also have different designs, screen sizes, responsiveness, storage capabilities, and battery life, among others.
5. Price
Another major difference between regular laptops and gaming laptops is their prices. Gaming laptops are generally more expensive than regular laptops. This is because of the high-end components integrated into gaming laptops.
6. Battery Life
The battery life of gaming laptops is relatively weaker than that of regular laptops. Notably, gaming laptop batteries last for circa 4-5 hours, while regular laptops can last up to 12 hours.
7. Upgradeability
While using your laptop, you might want to modify its parts and upgrade some hardware components. Gaming laptops provide a wide array of upgradeable components, whereas standard laptops don’t offer that much accessibility for their components.
Are Gaming Laptops Good For Everyday Use?
The short answer is Yes. But in reality, whether or not gaming laptops are good for everyday use depends on the amount of work you need them for. If you need a portable, high-end, and heavy-duty computer, then gaming laptops are perfect for you.
For instance, if you’re someone who travels much, you will be considering portability. Also, if you have some high-demand tasks to run on your computer, then the gaming laptop is good to go.
While non-gamers consider gaming laptops a waste of time and money, gamers consider them one of the biggest treasures!
Needless to say, you can as well gain to play any of your favorite video games right there on your journey. So, it basically replaces the need for a gaming console. Notably, gaming laptops have tons of advantages and limitations, and together, we will look at them in the following sections. Let’s proceed.
Advantages of Gaming Laptops for Everyday Use
Gaming laptops are, by far, a more powerful laptop type than their counterpart, the regular laptop. Notably, they offer a more efficient computational choice for high-speed handling activities. But that doesn’t turn them away from being highly efficient in performing tasks that are specific to regular computers, like browsing the internet, running low-demand software programs, and even watching movies.
That said, let’s consider the following advantages of using your gaming laptop for everyday use.
High-end Components
One amazing feature of gaming laptops is having more enhanced components- better processors, higher graphics cards, and more efficient build-up. Gaming laptops are designed for maximum and heavy-duty performance. So, if you’re a very proactive individual who desires to use a high-efficient laptop, you can consider a gaming laptop.
Better Computational Capacity
As I’ve stated earlier, gaming laptops are high-efficient laptops that allow you to do the most tasking work without breaking down. While we all agree that better RAM implies better computation, gaming laptops come with multiple RAM capacities— 8GB and even more. Thus, providing faster computations and seamless usage.
Disadvantages of Gaming Laptops for Everyday Use
When shopping for a gaming laptop, there are some limitations about it that you should be aware of. These limitations make gaming laptops inefficient for everyday use, and we will look into them shortly.
Shorter Battery Life
Gaming laptops generally have shorter battery lifespans than regular laptops. This is because of the high quality of components integrated into the computer. More specifically, gaming laptops use high-end processors that require higher clock speeds. Asides from the processor capacities, gaming laptops comprise other components that ensure higher performance, but it comes at a cost, battery life.
Typically, gaming laptop batteries last an average of 4 to 5 hours. Although it differs between models, it usually doesn’t carry you more than 5 hours, which can be a challenge. In contrast to regular laptops that can last an average of 12 hours, a gaming laptop will be a challenge for you if you’re prioritizing battery life.
More Expensive
Another key limitation of gaming laptops is that they are generally more expensive than regular laptops. This, we agree, is because of the high-quality components that come with gaming laptops. So, if you are shopping for a laptop for everyday use and considering your pocket, gaming laptops are usually not the best choice to make.
While their prices can span from $500 to over $3,000, regular laptops cost lesser. Also, if they are more expensive—like up to $1,500 and above- you can expect their capabilities to reach up to the performances of gaming laptops. For instance, if you’re looking for an ideal laptop for math students, you’ll only need to spend around six to eight hundred bucks.
Increased Heat
The third disadvantage of gaming laptops is that, when using them, you’re sure to experience more heat from the laptop. Gaming laptops compress the high-demanding, high-performance technology into a much smaller form factor. Thus, creating more heat.
That’s part of why it’s not comfortable keeping a gaming laptop on your lap while using it—because of the heat. So said, when shopping for a gaming laptop, you may need to consider keeping it on your desk or spend some extra cash on going for a laptop cooling fan.
Portability
The final disadvantage of gaming laptops is that they are usually quite large. Thus, bulkier than regular laptops, with larger screens, bigger keyboards, and high-end components integrated within the computer. So, carrying a gaming laptop in your backpack will feel rather heavy, uncomfortable, and even strenuous.
Gaming laptops are not so big on portability, and when in contrast with regular laptops, they’re not as efficient.
Is A Gaming Laptop Better Than a Regular Laptop for Everyday Use?
Some criteria determine whether a gaming laptop is better than a normal laptop for everyday use.
Notably, it all depends on your specifications for a good laptop. If you’re looking for a laptop for high-end, processor-intensive tasks like game programming, video editing, and heavy apps, then a gaming laptop is good enough.
But, if you’re looking for a laptop with solid battery life and low power consumption, you might consider getting a regular laptop.
Let’s consider the following criteria: gaming laptops are better than regular ones.
High Speed
Gaming laptops are built for high-speed. Whatever computational capability you want, the PCs provide in abundance. Thus, working with a gaming laptop, you can deliver any task efficiently. For instance, when playing games on your gaming computer, there are tons of activities going on within your computer simultaneously. This can cause a normal laptop to lag or freeze, but that’s a totally different ball game when it comes to a gaming laptop.
RAM
The memory of the computer enables it to execute several tasks every day. These include opening software programs, opening the internet, and facilitating browser, video, and photo editing. The memory enables you to swap between tasks. Also, more memory boosts your laptop’s processing capacity. Gaming laptops usually come with bigger RAMs, thus enabling faster performance.
Sound
Another great thing about gaming laptops compared to regular laptops is that they provide a more enhanced sound. While normal laptops have natural audio quality, gaming laptops offer superior sound quality.
Better Resolution
Gaming laptops provide a high-quality video resolution when compared with standard laptops. Their resolutions reach up to 2k to 4k resolutions. Typically, gaming laptops come with more enhanced video graphics cards, which provide the best picture and video resolution at all times.
Upgradable Component
Gaming laptops also are more versatile and have more upgradeable components. Peripherals like memory, processors, and touchpads are replaceable. Thus, you do not need to replace your laptop over the years. Although, it’s also good to note that this doesn’t apply to all gaming laptops, as some gaming laptops do.
Is A Gaming Laptop Good for Long-Term Use?
Whether gaming laptops are suitable for long-term use depends on its purpose and how well they will be catered for. Usually, after three years of consecutive usage, your gaming laptop battery will need replacement. Moreover, asides from battery replacement, most other components can be upgraded as time goes on. This makes it easier for you to use your gaming laptops as much as possible.
How Can I Increase My Gaming Laptop’s Life-Span?
Noting that your gaming laptop is not the most battery-efficient, how can you prolong the lifespan of your gaming laptop? Let’s consider them below.
Choose A Laptop With The Best Components For Your Budget
The amount of money you have determines if you can buy luxurious, average-quality, or budget-friendly gaming laptops. Low-cost gaming laptops are invariably low quality, and they comprise older components that can easily get outdated.
Ensure to get a gaming laptop with a more efficient processor, RAM, graphics card, or storage. You can always modify your storage and RAM.
Clean Your Laptop Regularly
Always ensure to clean your gaming laptop regularly, preferably every six months. If you’re someone who travels often, you should clean the interior of your laptop as well. This is because of the limited space within your laptop’s interior, which can cause dust and grimes to stick and cause problems for your motherboard, fans, and other components.
Put Your Laptop In A Laptop Bag
While moving with your gaming laptop, you should place it in your laptop bag. A laptop bag can prevent your laptop from encountering damage when you’re moving around with it.
When Not Mobile, Use An External Mouse And Keyboard
When you’re not moving about, you should place your gaming laptop on a desk while using it. This is because your gaming laptop requires so much interaction with the mouse and keyboard—a lot of clicking here and there.
One of the things you wouldn’t want is to have a damaged mouse or keyboard on your gaming laptop. So, take out some cash to acquire an external mouse and keyboard to preserve the longevity of your gaming laptop’s keyboard and mouse.
Conclusion
Are gaming laptops good for everyday use? Whether gaming laptops are good enough for a laptop for daily use depends on what purpose you have for the laptop. A gaming laptop is good enough if you need a high-efficient laptop to execute heavy-duty tasks like programming, video editing, data mining, or sorts. But if you’re just looking for something to browse the internet, watch movies, etc., it’s better to use a regular laptop.