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Thinking of buying a new portable computer? You’ll want to know the differences between a gaming laptop vs normal laptop before you do.
Gaming laptops have been around for years now, and have proved enduring popular. As a result, there is now a huge variety on the market. What’s more, with traditional laptops also often packing significant power the line between gaming and non-gaming laptops can get pretty blurred.
If you are in the market for a new laptop, it’s a good idea to get a sense of the differences between the two, so you can make an informed purchase for a device that is right for you. To keep things simple, we’ll be focusing exclusively on Windows laptops in this article. If you want to know how a Macbook vs gaming laptop comparison looks, we’ve got a dedicated guide for that.
Let’s get into it.
Gaming laptop vs normal laptop – specs
Ultimately, it is the specs of a laptop that determine its ability to perform well in gaming. Modern games require a huge amount of dedicated computing power to run smoothly, and some components are especially important.
A gaming laptop should always have a decent amount of RAM, 8GB at an absolute minimum, a 1080p resolution is also fairly standard. However, you can also expect to get both of those things with a normal laptop at a similar price point.
The more noticeable differences come with specs such as refresh rate, CPU, and GPU. Having a powerful, dedicated GPU, or graphics processing unit, is essential for a gaming laptop. While normal laptops do often have GPUs, they are not ones designed for gaming. You really want to have either one of the best Nvidia GPUs, or the best AMD GPUs inside a gaming laptop.
The same is true for CPUs. Although there is more overlap here, especially for Intel CPUs, there are still many dedicated gaming CPUs that you wouldn’t expect to find in a normal laptop. This is because the exact computing needs for gaming differ from other demanding activities. With a gaming CPU, you should expect to see a larger cache and some overclocking potential.
Another spec that is important for gaming is the refresh rate. This tells you how often the images on your screen are updated. Higher refresh rates make for smoother feeling gameplay, and can even offer a competitive advantage in online play. Most normal laptops will be capped at 60Hz, while the best gaming laptops can have refresh rates as high as 360Hz.
Gaming laptop vs normal laptop – design
Even someone who knows very little about gaming can often recognize a gaming laptop from its design. You can expect RGB colouring, striking lines and angles, as well as a bulkier overall look. Normal laptops meanwhile look, well, normal. It’s unusual to have RGB backlit keys, and as they often need less computing power they often have a sleeker and thiner visual look.
That said, there has been a move aware of such visually imposing gaming laptops in recent years. With more and more devices packing the gaming power, but opting for an understated look, meaning they can also be suited for office work, or gaming inconspicuously. If this sounds more like your style you should check out our guide for the best thin and light gaming laptops.
Gaming laptop vs normal laptop – price
Because of the sheer computing power of a gaming laptop, you will often find yourself paying a higher price for it. That’s not to say it is unreasonable though, remember you do get a return for that investment. In fact, gaming laptops offer one of the most affordable ways to get into gaming, especially PC gaming.
For gaming PCs, you often need to buy each component separately. Even if you do go for one of the best prebuilt gaming PCs, you’ll then want to get your hands on the best gaming monitor, as well as the best gaming keyboard. A gaming laptop meanwhile, is all self-contained. Meaning you can get playing from the get-go.
If you fancy getting a gaming laptop but are concerned about how much they cost you should check out our guides for the best gaming laptops under $1000, and the best gaming laptops under $1500.
Razer Blade 16 RTX 4060 Gaming Laptop
Display size
16in
Resolution
2560 x 1600p
RAM
16GB
Refresh rate
240Hz
GPU
RTX 4060
CPU
i9-13950HX
ThinkBook 15 Gen 4
Screen Size
15.6-inch
GPU
Integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Processor
12th Gen Intel i5
Storage
512GB
Gaming laptop vs normal laptop – final world
As you can see, there are several key differences between a gaming laptop and a normal laptop. The different categorisation affects both performance and aesthetics. A normal laptop will be able to handle some basic games, for example, the ThinkBook 15 Gen 4, shown above, features on our list of the best laptops for Sims 4.
However, if you have any intention of playing any Triple-A title, or any recently released game with realistic graphics, it makes far more sense to go for a gaming laptop. These are devices designed with gaming performance in mind, and it is now possible to get them in a wide range of aesthetics.
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