如果您想进入PC 游戏(PC gaming)，您必须选择是购买游戏笔记本电脑还是游戏台式电脑。由于这是一项长期的财务承诺，您可能需要考虑拥有游戏笔记本电脑与游戏台式机的优缺点。
注意：(Note:)本文是在定价和可用性方面考虑正常时间而编写的。台式计算机组件的价格可能会受到硅短缺的影响，使其比同类笔记本电脑更贵或更难买到。在这种情况下，你应该调整你的推理以考虑到这一点。
游戏笔记本电脑(Gaming Laptop)和游戏台式机(Gaming Desktop)之间的差异
游戏笔记本电脑和游戏台式机之间最显着的区别在于，游戏笔记本电脑是一个包含所有外围设备的完整系统。制造商决定您在他们的产品中获得哪些屏幕、键盘、GPU、CPU和其他组件。除了RAM和SSD(SSDs)之外，您还受制于游戏笔记本电脑的给定规格，无法像使用台式计算机那样根据您的确切需求对其进行自定义。
然而，你得到的回报是一台便携式游戏机，你可以在床上玩，像控制台一样连接到电视，并随身携带。
价格与性能
从历史上看，游戏笔记本电脑的性价比很差，因为它们：
- CPU(Had CPUs)和GPU(GPUs one)比台式机落后一代
- 提供较差的游戏性能
- 比游戏台式电脑贵
今天情况大不相同。自Nvidia RTX 20系列和 30 系列显卡发布以来，游戏笔记本电脑已经缩小了性能差距。
在价格方面，从价格到性能的角度来看，游戏笔记本电脑仍然更贵，但总的来说，你支付的溢价并不奇怪。
平衡的系统
一个显着的优势是游戏笔记本电脑的制造商会仔细考虑给定设备适合哪种游戏玩家和哪种游戏。大多数游戏笔记本电脑：
- 拥有一个相互平衡的 CPU 或 GPU(CPU or GPU that is well-balanced for one another)
- 拥有专门设计用于与系统中的其他硬件配合使用的主板
- 比台式(Are)机更接近游戏机的固定硬件设计
构建自己的完美平衡的桌面系统很棒，但实际上，预构建的桌面和大多数手工构建的系统往往在某个地方存在性能瓶颈。根据我们的经验，这是游戏笔记本电脑制造商不太可能做的事情。
即插即用笔记本电脑体验
除了精心搭配匹配的组件外，游戏笔记本电脑制造商还：
- 有一个独特的机会来控制他们系统的软件环境。
- 创建(Create)和发布软件映像（通常是Windows）。
- 提供(Provide)自定义版本的系统驱动程序。
如果您的游戏笔记本电脑的软件出现问题，这通常不是什么大问题，因为您可以简单地重置为出厂映像。
有限的可升级性
游戏笔记本电脑的一个缺点是可升级(upgradability)性。通常，您可以在笔记本电脑中升级的唯一组件是硬盘驱动器和RAM。
- 一些笔记本电脑将所谓的“MXM”模块用于其图形芯片。笔记本电脑制造商以后可以向您出售带有升级GPU的新(GPU)MXM 模块(MXM module)。虽然MXM模块与同类型标准桌面(MXM)GPU的成本相比并不便宜，但它仍然比全新的笔记本电脑便宜很多。
- 然而， MXM(MXM)系统很少见，但更常见的功能是支持外部 GPU(external GPUs)。配备Thunderbolt 3.0的(Thunderbolt 3.0)笔记本电脑(Laptops)也可能支持 e GPU。您可以购买外部机箱并使用该机箱支持的任何桌面GPU 。尽管这将限制您使用插入式桌面游戏，但它是一个出色的解决方案，可以通过内部硬件在旅途中进行游戏，并在家中对接以获得高端体验。
注意：(Note:) 大多数台式 PC 游戏玩家不会经常升级其系统的主要组件，现代游戏 PC 的寿命应该与当前控制台周期的寿命相比，至少在跨平台游戏方面是这样。
桌面梦想
虽然游戏笔记本电脑是当今 PC 游戏玩家的可行选择，但台式机系统仍然是黄金标准。PC 游戏爱好者以选择进入其系统及其外观的每个组件而感到自豪。他们还希望他们的系统能够完全按照他们的意愿运行。
游戏台式机允许更灵活的预算。虽然您需要预先为游戏笔记本电脑支付几乎全部费用，但您可以随着时间的推移分摊游戏台式机的升级成本。
这种级别的定制设计和灵活性可能非常吸引人。尽管如此，面对Razer Blade 15和Asus ROG Zephyrus G15等设备，笨重的桌面系统的受欢迎程度正在减弱。这些设备的游戏性能超出了大多数用户的需求，包装紧凑，价格也并非完全不合理。
Gaming Laptop vs. Gaming Desktop: Pros and Cons
If you want to get into PC gaming, you’ll have to choose whether you want to buy a gaming laptop or a gaming desktop PC. Since it’s a long-term financial commitment, you may want to consider the pros and cons of owning a gaming laptop versus a gaming desktop.
Note: This article is written considering normal times in terms of pricing and availability. The prices of desktop computer components can be affected by silicon shortages, making them more expensive or less available than comparable laptops. In that case, you should adjust your reasoning to take that into account.
Differences Between a Gaming Laptop and Gaming Desktop
The most significant difference between a gaming laptop and a gaming desktop is that a gaming laptop is a complete system that includes all peripherals. The manufacturer decides what screen, keyboard, GPU, CPU, and other components you get in their product. Apart from perhaps the RAM and SSDs, you’re stuck with the given specifications of a gaming laptop and can’t customize it to your exact needs as you can with a desktop computer.
However, what you get in return is a portable gaming machine that you can play in bed, hook up to your TV like a console, and take with you wherever you travel.
Price vs. Performance
Historically, gaming laptops were poor value for money as they:
- Had CPUs and GPUs one generation behind their desktop counterparts
- Offered poor gaming performance
- Were more expensive than gaming desktop computers
Today things are very different. Since the release of the Nvidia RTX 20 series and 30 series of graphics cards, gaming laptops have closed the performance gap.
In terms of price, gaming laptops are still more expensive from a price to performance perspective, but in general, the premium you’ll pay isn’t outlandish.
A Balanced System
One notable advantage is that makers of gaming laptops carefully think about which sort of gamer and what types of games a given device caters to. Most gaming laptops:
Building your own perfectly balanced desktop system is great, but practically speaking, pre-built desktops and most hand-built systems tend to have performance bottlenecks somewhere. In our experience, this is something gaming laptop makers are less likely to do.
The Plug & Play Laptop Experience
Apart from carefully pairing well-matched components, gaming laptop makers:
- Have a unique opportunity to control the software environment of their systems.
- Create and issue the software image (usually Windows).
- Provide custom versions of system drivers.
If something goes wrong with your gaming laptop’s software, it’s usually not a big issue since you can simply reset to the factory image.
Limited Upgradability
One area where gaming laptops have a disadvantage is upgradability. In general, the only components you can upgrade in a laptop are the hard drive and RAM.
- Some laptops use what’s known as an “MXM” module for their graphics chips. The laptop maker can later sell you a new MXM module with an upgraded GPU. While MXM modules aren’t cheap compared to the cost of a standard desktop GPU of the same type, it’s still a lot cheaper than a whole new laptop.
- MXM systems are rare however, but a more common feature is support for external GPUs. Laptops equipped with Thunderbolt 3.0 may also support eGPUs. You can buy an external enclosure and use any desktop GPU supported by that enclosure. Although this will limit you to plugged-in desktop play, it’s an excellent solution for gaming on the go with the internal hardware and docking at home for high-end experiences.
Note: Most desktop PC gamers don’t upgrade major components of their systems often, and the life of a modern gaming PC should compare to that of a current console cycle, at least when it comes to cross-platform titles.
The Desktop Dream
While gaming laptops are a viable choice for PC gamers these days, desktop systems are still the gold standard. PC gaming enthusiasts take pride in choosing every component that goes into their system and its appearance. They also like their system to perform exactly as they want.
Gaming desktops allow for much more flexible budgeting. While you need to pay almost the entire amount for a gaming laptop up front, you can spread the cost of upgrading a gaming desktop out over time.
This level of custom design and flexibility can be very appealing. Still, the popularity of bulky desktop systems is waning in the face of devices like the Razer Blade 15 and Asus ROG Zephyrus G15. These are devices with more gaming performance than most users need, a compact package, and a price that’s not entirely unreasonable.
