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Gaming laptops are different from regular laptops because of the power they pack.
After all, why would we call them “gaming laptops” if they couldn’t do that?
But that is only part of the answer to why these are expensive.
The other half deals with other features such as:
- Manufacturer’s repute
- Latest components used
- Battery life
- Cooling system
- Design gimmicks
- Longevity
- The display prowess
7 Reasons Why Are Gaming Laptops So Expensive
1. The Market Share of the Manufacturer
Before I begin talking about the other things, I’d like to mention that the reputation of the manufacturer makes a great difference in the final price. Why does that matter? Well, it’s not rocket science to understand that a brand earns its name because of the quality of products it sells and the robustness of customer service it offers.
So, the more it becomes famous, the more it seizes the market share, which in turn takes its products’ value to a new height. To help you understand this well, consider a well-known brand versus a new one launched just a few months ago. The price difference will be obvious.
2. The Race to Use New Components
A company releases newer versions of its gaming laptops frequently. That frequency could be yearly or even after a few years, but it’s always dependent on the frequency with which the laptop components are released. That should give you the idea that any manufacturer’s laptop is a conundrum of components bought from other companies. For example, Dell laptops have Intel CPUs or ASUS’s ROG comes with NVIDIA’s GPU.
Then there’s the story of many of these manufacturers vying for market share. For Intel, there’s AMD Ryzen standing with blades and swords, and for NVIDIA, there’s MSI and AMD, both plotting to overthrow it.
These brands release newer components because new games with renewed requirements come to the market. The prices of these components are higher than the previous one, which in turn, increases the price of a gaming laptop.
3. Battery-Powered Behemoths
Gaming laptops are portable, which is kind of the whole deal of buying them. Desktops have their own place but you, like many gamers, want to take your games with you. That’s where the battery power comes in. A desktop replacement gaming laptop has a decent battery, even if it doesn’t run enough to give you more than 5 to 6 hours of life.
Even that many hours could give you the much-needed continuity when the power goes out because of some reason. Gamers like yourself cannot bear being dropped out of online games just because your PC shuts down all of a sudden. The battery power in a gaming laptop saves you from that.
4. Futuristic Cooling Systems
Gaming laptops generate a lot of heat, which again, is because of their powerful components. All that graphics rendering is powered by minute parts that start generating some serious heat. In some cases, the heat generated can reach up to 100 degrees Celsius or even more. But thanks to the new and improved cooling systems, that is taken care of.
As compared to regular laptops, therefore, the liquid cooling systems combined with the bigger vents ask for more resources. The price of the laptop, obviously, goes higher as a result.
5. Design Gimmicks
I shouldn’t call them gimmicks but I want to because of the companies’ in-the-face struggle to make their products stand out. For example, the Acer Predator Triton has brushed aluminum with a four-zone RGB keyboard; the HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop’s LCD is attached only at the center, giving it a bizarre look; and the ASUS ROG Strix’s peripheral RGB strips, not to mention its slanted lower bezel.
All of these make the laptops stand out from the rest and give them the edgy “gamer” look some avid gamers are after. I don’t understand why there is a need to do that but again, it’s a human compulsion to go after glittery things. We also have to consider the fact that games are after all a product of imagination. Bringing the machines that play them closer to fiction does a lot in selling them to those who want to live in that fantasy.
6. Longevity
If the laptops are pricey, then that’s a good case they should last longer as well. The materials used in these laptops are sourced from premium grades. One example of that is brushed aluminum. Now you might be thinking that some regular models, too, come with that. Absolutely true but again, their prices are more than those made from plastic. Using good premium materials to make the chassis, lid, and even the screen add up to the price of a gaming laptop.
7. The Display Prowess
As compared to regular laptops and monitors, the displays of gaming laptops pack some punch. They have more refresh rates, brighter colors, and narrow bezels. I’d again like to quote the example of ASUS ROG Strix. It has a 15.6” FHD LCD with a 3 ms response time but the main deal is its 300 Hz refresh rate. Gamers want that kind of refresh rate because they want to excel in online gaming. Each frame matters when your opponent is a few paces away.
The thin bezels allow greater and wider LCD real estate for you to enjoy each and every frame of the game. Building that kind of display takes more resources and thus, it adds up to the price of the whole unit.
Why Are Gaming Laptops So Expensive – Conclusion
Gaming laptops are expensive because of the price of their new and updated components, world-class LCDs, cooling, and sound systems. The story doesn’t stop there. The price also goes high because of the repute of the company and the material it has used to make the models.
But all that is worth it if you’re an avid gamer. You can even look for a cheaper gaming laptop by compromising on one or two of the things that take the price to heights.
