Gaming laptops in 2021 have some amazing features that make them a better choice then they’re given credit for.
If you’re present on any online computing or gaming forums then I’ll bet you’ve seen messages from newcomers to the hobby asking for advice on their first PC build. Historically this would result in a slew of advice from all sides on the best components for every budget, where to look for some great deals and general installation tips, and being a part of that felt usually felt like being a part of a welcome community (excluding the weird elitists). Over the past six months those usually helpful responses will have likely changed to something more along the lines of « good luck ». For anyone unaware, we’re currently experiencing a stock shortage of graphics cards and high-end processors that have made it almost impossible for everyday folk to get their hands on the hardware needed to build or upgrade their computers. For whatever reason though, in these forums and social media threads full of frustration surrounding unavailable inventory I never see people discussing gaming laptops as an alternative option. Yes, it isn’t the best choice for everyone but as someone who frequently gets to put both laptops and desktops through their paces, anyone dismissing gaming laptops in 2021 is missing a beat. Given AMD hasn’t yet released its Radeon 6000 series as mobile GPU s yet, I’ll focus on the tech I’ve actually used and tested out. I look forward to getting my hands on some of Team Red’s offerings in the future, but the recent releases by Nvidia with the latest RTX 3000 Ampere hardware have, frankly, blown me away and washed away some previous stigma I had about purchasing a gaming laptop. I’m not trying to erase that the desktop vs laptop argument will have a clear winner depending on your circumstances, but a lot of this is made with the assumption that you can simply head out to the store and buy what you need with little difficulty, and at the manufacturer’s recommended price at that. We live in a weird world right now, and the argument to « wait for the next generation of hardware before you upgrade » has been going for years. Due to a combination of the global silicon shortage reducing production, scalpers using bots to buy up available stock to resell and massively inflated prices and the ongoing cryptocurrency boom motivating cryptominers to buy up gaming cards to build huge mining farms, people have been unsuccessfully trying to buy hardware for months and this doesn’t look like it’s going to get easier any time soon. Meanwhile, I’ve found the mobile versions of this highly sought-after tech readily available in various branded gaming laptops across sites like Amazon, Best Buy and other regional stores for the UK and Australia. There is the argument that a desktop is a better choice given how easy it is to upgrade the components at a later date, which is presumably fine when stock appears on the shelves again. This is completely valid, and given how difficult it can be to make upgrades to a gaming laptop this is potentially a better ‘future-proofing’ choice.
