If you are reading this article, you are probably wondering right now whether or not a gaming laptop is worth it . In my case, I have had a 14-inch MSI gaming laptop since 2016, which has given me many joys, but also some unpleasant surprises. Before continuing, let’s see what its main characteristics are:
Watch out Best Laptop for Zoom Meetings of 2021.
Performance or yield
Even being a 2016 laptop, its performance in 2020 is still more than enough to move triple AAA games (last generation) . In most cases it moves them to more than 60 FPS in a resolution of 1080p with high and ultra graphics settings . Only on rare occasions is it necessary to lower the graphics to reach this rate of frames per second, as for example in Red Dead Redemption 2 .
In my case I play mainly Street Fighter V Arcade Edition , a game that I also have in a version for the PlayStation 4 console and whose graphic level is excellent. Two years ago I bought the PC version through the Steam gaming platform at a ridiculous price, after playing it on PS4 for more than a year.
After trying it for the first time on PC I have never played it on console again, and there is no color! He used a Mad Catz Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition 2 as his controller, and you can’t imagine the incredible experience it provides despite doing it on a 14-inch screen. On console I played on a 49-inch TV, but I don’t miss it at all. The definition and fluidity of the game made me fall in love from the first moment.
Advantages of a gaming laptop
Do it where and when you want
Having a gaming laptop has its advantages and not only when it comes to playing games. Being a relatively powerful computer you can use it for work, to edit videos, 3D graphic design … and the fact that it is compact allows you to do it wherever you want! Before the pandemic, I took the AVE to Madrid at least twice a month. The departure was to work, but the return … it was pure vice! More than three hours playing The legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with an original PlayStation 4 controller… At this point you are sure you are thinking that a gaming laptop is definitely worth it, right?
Read: Fulfill your gaming dreams with the best Asus gaming laptop.
Give yourself a vice in the vacation apartment
On vacation in 2019, of course, I also took the laptop to the beach apartment where we stayed for almost two weeks, and yes, I used it much more than I could imagine at first. The excuse was to watch movies, but honestly “I have a bad thing …”. I got more than one fight and I don’t know if this can be considered an advantage, you guys say .
Disadvantages of a gaming laptop
It is quite expensive
Realistically, for the price this laptop cost me, I could have bought a good desktop with better features. We are certainly paying for the versatility of being able to play next-gen games at the corner starbuks . If it is worth it? If you are going to have it perpetually on a desk table, I would tell you without fear of being wrong that no, go to a desktop without hesitation.
High temperatures during the game
There are some reviews out there that say otherwise, but I confirm that this particular model (MSI GS40 6QE-041ES) gets very hot, so you can easily extrapolate it to other gaming laptops. If the GPU starts to work hard (you start playing a demanding game), you will notice in a few minutes that the upper part between the screen and the keyboard becomes “red hot . ” Nobody forces you to touch there, that is not the problem, the bad thing is the evident drop in FPS and the risk of sudden death that our team is running. Therefore we have to take action on the matter.
A cooling base will be essential for long gaming sessions if we want to play at maximum performance and not get unpleasant surprises. I have the Mars Gaming model that you see in the image above. Its design is attractive and has a great value for money, so it is undoubtedly a good purchase option. The red LEDs are also perfectly in tune if you have an MSI. I leave the link below in case you are interested
The GPU needs a power adapter to perform at 100%
This is perhaps the biggest disappointment that I have had with this laptop. If you are playing demanding games and you do not have the power adapter connected, the graphics card (GPU) does not work to the maximum of its capacity and the performance drop is brutal (no more than 30 FPS) . This is not something exceptional in this MSI model, it happens in many other models and brands. The more powerful the graphics card, the more you will notice this problem.
Continuing with the issue of the power that the GPU needs to perform at 100%, this brings with it another added problem, which is the size of the power adapter . It’s huge and weighs almost more than the laptop itself. Without a doubt, little by little I am taking away the illusion, right?
Conclusions on whether a gaming laptop is worth it
As you have seen, despite how exclusive and powerful it is to have your own gaming laptop, there are a number of clear disadvantages that weigh heavily when making the decision to purchase it (and I’m not just referring to the charger). I do not regret the purchase, I have enjoyed it and continue to do so every day. In fact I am doing this entry from my beloved MSI.
If you do not have room for a desktop computer, you travel a lot or it is simply a whim that your body asks of you , buying a gaming laptop will be a good choice. On the contrary, if your play station is a stable place and you also have a tight budget, it is clear that a laptop is not going to offer you what you need.
By the way I have a great anecdote about how my MSI was about to explode, in fact I thought I was pregnant with twins. Subscribe in the comments part and I promise you that I will create an entry about this curious experience.
