Introduction
If you’re trying to decide between getting a desktop or a laptop,Desktop vs Laptop: Making the Right Choice for Your Computing Needs in 2025 I’m going to quickly explain everything you need to know. So listen carefully. If you’re ready, let’s begin!
Table of Contents
Difference in Power
With a few exceptions, desktop graphics cards and processors are always more powerful than the models produced for laptops. The reason for this is that desktops, due to their design, can reach higher power limits. Since laptops are focused on portability, they cannot reach as high power limits as desktops.
For example, if we have a desktop and a laptop with an RTX 480 graphics card, the performance of the 480 in the desktop will always be higher. Therefore, if your priority is high performance, a desktop would be a better choice for you.
Choosing Based on Use Case
Which one should we choose based on the use case? First, you need to determine your use cases. For example, will you be working on tasks like 3D modeling or video editing? Or if you’re going to play games, will you be doing it professionally? Are you going to stream?
Let’s start by talking about 3D modeling and rendering. In these types of tasks, while the modeling phase might not be too demanding, during the rendering phase the computer has to run for long hours at high temperatures. Video editing is quite similar to this.
Although these tasks can be done with a laptop, a desktop is a better choice because its cooling system is much more capable. A desktop is more suitable for working at high temperatures for extended periods. If you’re involved in such tasks, try to opt for a desktop as much as possible.
However, for lighter tasks like music production and office work, a laptop would be a much better choice.
Because in tasks like music production, you’re not even using the device at full performance. These kinds of programs don’t require high performance, and you might even benefit having a portable setup, which makes a laptop a better choice for such areas.
Gaming Performance Comparison
Now let’s talk about gaming. Common statements like “games are not played on laptops, they should be played on desktops” are definitely wrong. Games can be played very well on a laptop as long as the cooling system is good.
However, I need to point this out. For example, if you compare the Nvidia RTX 4000 series laptop and desktop GPUs, you’ll see a significant performance difference in all models except the RTX 460. So understand that desktop GPUs are much more powerful than laptop GPUs.
Although this statement is incorrect, there is a bit of truth to it. I think you understand that.
Considerations for Professional Gamers
Now let’s look at this topic from a different perspective. Are you a professional gamer? For example, let’s say you play Valorant professionally. To compete with other professional players, you will need a 24″ 360 HZ monitor. So forget about using the laptop screen.
The only thing you can do is to use the laptop just like a desktop by connecting an external monitor. In this case, there’s no point in getting a laptop. It’s more sensible to use a desktop rather than using a laptop like a desktop, right?
Additionally, if you want to get 360 HZ refresh rate from your monitor, your laptop needs to have a USBC display port connection. You can check this in the laptop’s technical specifications.
If your laptop doesn’t have a display port, you’ll have to use HDMI, which will only allow you to get a maximum of 240 HZ refresh rate. As most monitors don’t support 360 HZ over HDMI, you’ll need to use display port. So if you’re considering professional…
Professional vs Casual Gaming
However if you’re considering professional gaming, you should definitely avoid laptops. However if you’re a Casual Gamer, you can still play games quite well on laptops with good cooling system.
Pricing Advantage
Pricing: another advantage of desktops compared to laptops is that they offer Better Price performance. No matter what your budget is, the desktop you build will be more powerful than the laptop you buy. One of the reasons for this is the design difference I mentioned earlier: desktop Hardware can be designed to be more powerful.
Additionally, there’s another downside to this design difference for laptops: since laptops are redesigned every generation, R&D costs are reflected in the price tag. So when you buy a laptop, you’re not only paying for the components but also for the R&D work.
Cooling System Limitations
Difference in cooling system: as you might expect, it’s much more difficult for a laptop running at 300 WTS to dissipate the heat from its chassis compared to a desktop operating within the same power range. The lack of sufficient cooling space prevents laptops from staying cool, which in turn limits their top performance. Additionally, the fact that laptop fans are much smaller and run at higher speeds makes laptops much noisier.
As a result, when you try to play games on a laptop, the fan noise can become really annoying. There are laptop models that use effective cooling solutions to lower the noise level. I could test and show you the fan noise levels of laptops and desktops, but unfortunately I don’t have any samples for comparison.
Upgrade Limitations
Upgrade limitations on laptops: another area where laptops fall behind desktops is that upgrades are much more limited. Since laptop components are designed to be more portable, the designed components can only be used within that specific generation. However, desktop components can use similar connections or operate within similar Power Ranges across multiple Generations.
This allows components like the motherboard, case, and PSU to be used across multiple Generations. In laptops on the other hand, a motherboard design is used for only one product line, so upgrades are not possible. In other words, when you buy a laptop, it’s very difficult to change or upgrade components other than RAM and storage. Keep this in mind.
Screen Quality Differences
The insufficiency of laptop screens: this topic isn’t one where desktops are vastly superior, but they do hold an advantage. Desktop monitors usually offer much higher image quality compared to laptop screens.
Only high-end laptops feature screens with high color accuracy; in mid-range and entry-level models, the screen quality is insufficient for tasks like photo and video editing. Therefore, if you’re working in areas that require High color accuracy, you’ll either need to opt for expensive laptops with high-end displays or use a desktop monitor during these tasks. This will affect your workflow.
Port Limitations
The limitation of ports on laptops: while this isn’t the case for every model, the number of ports and connections on most laptops might be insufficient for some users.
The absence of a display port, a full-size SD card slot, or having only a few USB ports on laptops might require you to carry a hub or dock with you. So if you’ve already added a laptop to your cart, you might want to add a hub as well. Of course, as I’ll mention shortly, when portability is the priority, desktops can’t even be compared to laptops.
Portability Factor
Portability: we’ve arrived at the most cliche, most boring topic. Don’t worry, I’ll explain it quickly. Portability is the biggest advantage of laptops: a laptop is always ready to move and doesn’t require you to stay in one place. Additionally, with each new generation, battery performance improves, further increasing laptops advantage in this area.
The most portable and performance focused desktop build is an ITX build, and even those don’t include peripherals like a keyboard or monitor. On a laptop however, everything is contained in a single device. So in conclusion, if portability is important to you, a laptop is the best choice now in this content.
Laptop Model Selection Warning
Be very careful while choosing a laptop model. I’ve already made a video where you can learn everything about this topic from start to finish, but I want you to know this: you need to be very careful when deciding on a laptop model.
Upgradability: Laptop vs Desktop
With a desktop, if you’re not happy with any component, you have the option to upgrade it later, so you don’t have to worry too much. But when choosing a laptop, you need to find the model that best suits your needs during its active use.
Upgrading or replacing components in laptops is much more difficult. For example, in the latest MacBooks, you can’t change any components. If the MacBook you bought has 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage and you’re not happy with that, you can’t upgrade these components, and we’ll have to use it with configuration.
In Windows laptops, we’re not as restricted: we can upgrade the RAM and the storage, but still, upgrading components like CPU or GPU is impossible because of the design limitations that I’ve mentioned before.
Avoid Unrealistic Expectations
So don’t rush when deciding on a laptop model. Don’t have unrealistic expectations. If you think you’ll be able to sit with your laptop on your lap and play games after buying it, you’re greatly mistaken. If you’re going to play games, I don’t think you’ll choose a Macbook, however, except for arm laptops like the new MacBooks.
Performance Requirements
If you want to get full performance from a laptop, you need to keep it plugged in. If you try to use it on battery, the processor and GPU will reduce their performance to save power, which will lead to stuttering and freezes in mid to high Lev games. The same applies to rendering: if you try to render on battery, expect long render times. However, you probably won’t need to worry because your battery will likely die before the render finishes.
Battery Health Concerns
Additionally, there’s an issue with battery health that no one talks about. If you don’t keep your laptop plugged in, the battery health will decrease rapidly over time. You’ll notice that you’re not getting the same battery performance. When you see the battery health percentage dropping quickly, you’ll probably feel disappointed. To slow down the decrease in battery health, you’ll try to keep your laptop plugged in, but then the main advantage of having a laptop diminishes. It becomes a weird cycle.
Final Recommendations
In short, I recommend being as realistic as possible when deciding between a laptop and a desktop. It’s best not to have wild expectations, but to have a decision based on your needs, priorities, and budget.
FAQs: Desktop vs Laptop (2025)
Q1: Why are desktops more powerful than laptops?
“With a few exceptions, desktop graphics cards and processors are always more powerful… desktops, due to their design, can reach higher power limits. Since laptops are focused on portability, they cannot reach as high power limits.”
Q2: Can I upgrade a laptop like a desktop?
“Upgrading or replacing components in laptops is much more difficult… in the latest MacBooks, you can’t change any components. In Windows laptops, we can upgrade the RAM and the storage, but upgrading components like CPU or GPU is impossible because of design limitations.”
Q3: Are laptops bad for gaming?
“Games can be played very well on a laptop as long as the cooling system is good. However… desktop GPUs are much more powerful. For professional gaming, avoid laptops. Casual gamers can play well on laptops with good cooling.”
Q4: Why do desktops offer better price-to-performance?
“No matter what your budget is, the desktop you build will be more powerful than the laptop you buy… When you buy a laptop, you’re not only paying for components but also for R&D work.”
Q5: Do laptops overheat during heavy tasks?
“Laptops running at 300 WTS struggle to dissipate heat… The lack of cooling space limits their top performance. Fan noise becomes annoying during gaming.”
Q6: Can I use a laptop on battery for gaming/rendering?
“If you try to use it on battery, the processor and GPU reduce performance to save power, leading to stuttering in games. For rendering on battery, expect long render times (or a dead battery).”
Q7: How does portability affect battery health?
“If you don’t keep your laptop plugged in, battery health decreases rapidly. To slow this, you plug it in—but then the main advantage of portability diminishes. It’s a weird cycle.”
Conclusion
*”In short, I recommend being as realistic as possible when deciding between a laptop and a desktop. It’s best not to have wild expectations but to base your decision on your needs, priorities, and budget. If portability is important, a laptop is the best choice. For high-performance tasks like 3D rendering, professional gaming, or upgradability, a desktop is superior. Always verify laptop specs (ports, cooling, screen) carefully—you can’t fix buyer’s remorse later.
