# Is there really a difference between a Gaming Laptop and a regular laptop?



## OBM-man (Jun 8, 2009)

Please read, it's not just a rant as you might think:

I looked around the internet for an answer, they all say that "Gaming Laptops have much higher specs than regular laptops"; well if you think that's true, read on:

I was looking at this "regular laptop", the Toshiba Satellite, here are its specs:
*An 8-core i7 CPU with a clock speed of 2.2Ghz and turboboost of 3.1GHz(more than enough for any game)
*NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 525M with CUDA with a whopping 2GB of DEDICATED ram (enough to smoothly run any game at extreme max settings)
*6GB of ram
*750GB HDD
And here's the best part: It costs only $1100!!!

Now here's the so called "Gaming Laptop" that I was looking at, the Toshiba Qosmio:
*A 4-core i7 CPU with a clock speed of 2.0Ghz and turboboost of 2.8Ghz (both clock speed and turboboost less than the regular laptop)
*Geforce Graphics Card of 1.5GB Dedicated Graphics memory(less than regular laptop, respectable but still less)
*6GB of ram
*1 Terrabyte HDD
Now of course with these inferior specs, it should cost less than the Satellite, well guess what, it costs a ridiculous $2800! Yes, not $800, not $1800, but $2800! Almost 3 times as much as the regular laptop!

Other than the gaming laptop's inferior specs, the only difference that I could make out between the "Gaming Laptop" and the regular laptop is that the "Gaming Laptop" is oversized and overpriced(plus the qosmio has that stupid 3D vision that I'll probably never use anyway).

So there it is, other than the fact that the Gaming Laptop has a big screen and weighs a ton, what's the difference?


----------



## Learn2day (Feb 16, 2012)

Computer parts aren't only based on speed and memory size. It helps if check benchmarks of CPU and GPU's, and also you might want to check manufacturers site for temperatures tolerances and others.

Other "big" difference in gaming laptops it's they're cooling system, and high capability batteries to hold longer autonomy, sometimes 3x more that a normal laptop. There's also screen higher and 3D definitions, better sound cards and speakers, etc..

You need to look beyond mere front specs to really find the difference, and if they're worth it or not.


----------



## OBM-man (Jun 8, 2009)

Learn2day said:


> Computer parts aren't only based on speed and memory size. It helps if check benchmarks of CPU and GPU's, and also you might want to check manufacturers site for temperatures tolerances and others.
> 
> Other "big" difference in gaming laptops it's they're cooling system, and high capability batteries to hold longer autonomy, sometimes 3x more that a normal laptop. There's also screen higher and 3D definitions, better sound cards and speakers, etc..
> 
> You need to look beyond mere front specs to really find the difference, and if they're worth it or not.


Hey it's you again! Sorry we didn't get along too well on my previous thread.:smile:

As I said I would do before, I went out to buy a gaming laptop and these two laptops were the best ones I found.
Now as far as I can tell, these components are identical, the CPU, the GPU, they are the same designs and same models, there doesn't seem to be anything that would differentiate the Gaming Laptop's hardware from the regular Laptop, you can look them up yourself if you don't believe me, they're exactly the same, there are no special mobile CPU and GPU designs by Intel and Nvidia made specifically for Gaming Laptops.

And as for cooling, they all cool the same, using small fans, and they all build up dust very quickly, and they can all be easily fixed with a little cleaning and thermal paste. Plus I've had a Toshiba Satellite for 3 years and I can run the most intensive game on it for 6 hours straight and the temperature would stay low and stable the whole time.

And I know about the HD, 3D vision, huge screen, etc..., they don't matter for gaming, what matters is the frames per second and the ability to set graphics settings at the max. And neither does battery life matter.

I'm starting to think that they just add the word "Gaming" to the laptop to attract ignorant customers who are willing to pay more.


----------



## wkw427 (Nov 9, 2008)

You're spot on. They add "gaming" to laptop to sell them for a lot more. If you compare them, down to the specific part numbers, there isn't really going to be a whole lot difference between the two. 
The major thing that would be different would be the fooling system and battery. Instead of a copper contact and aluminum heat sink, the gaming one might be all copper. Batteries are indeed much more powerful, though one should _never_ use a battery when gaming while also plugged in. Excessive heat = bad for battery.

Also, same reason why companies like HP and Dell sell desktops for 800-1200, because it is their name, because you get a bunch if licenses to bloatware you'll never use, and because you don't know any better, as you're buying a pre-built PC


----------

