Should You Buy A Gaming Laptop If You’re Not A Gamer?

Do you need a new laptop? If so, you may be considering getting a gaming laptop. The rationale is understandable. There are affordable gaming laptops that provide all the processing power you could personally need. By splashing on one of these laptops, you can become a casual gamer as well.

But is it really worth it or will it just lead you to spend significantly more money on things you don’t need? A laptop is already an investment, even if you are paying monthly instalments.

Furthermore, there are additional costs such as insurance to consider. Laptop insurance is included with any renters insurance policy. However, if you go with a particularly pricey laptop, along with extra accessories for gaming, your current renters policy may not cover the full amount and you may have to expand your coverage.

So, is it worth it? Here are some factors to take into consideration.

Gaming laptops are powerful…

Your day-to-day needs probably won’t require you to get a powerful laptop. However, if you do get a gaming laptop, you will likely reap the benefits of having a device that functions far beyond what you need. Processing will be quick and efficient. You will almost never run into problems, no matter how much software you are running. You will have an excellent user experience.

However…

…but gaming requires more

Great processing power is not enough of a reason for most people to get a gaming computer. Rather, you are considering it because you know you might enjoy getting into gaming. The problem is that gaming requires a lot of processing power. If you end up getting a cheap gaming laptop, you may struggle to enjoy gaming at all. You may also find the programs you actually need running slowly when you’re also trying to get into gaming.

There’s more. If you want your gaming laptop to function at its best, you will also need a graphics card. You can get a gaming laptop with a built-in graphics card, but that is always going to be an entry-level device. Good graphics cards are extremely expensive, costing hundreds of dollars (or even thousands).

You’ll also need to pay for controllers, headsets, and games. All of this just to get the bare minimum from your gaming laptop. If you’re going to end up paying all this money to do some casual gaming, you would probably prefer using a gaming console which provides you with everything you need. Getting a console also means your laptop is dedicated to what you actually need it for.

You have possibilities

Of course, getting a gaming laptop does not necessarily mean you have to get into gaming to make it worth your while. If you’re just going to use it to create Excel sheets and Word documents, you’re wasting your money. However, there are many more ways to use a powerful laptop.

A powerful laptop gives you a range of possibilities when it comes to new hobbies. You can get started with graphic design, video editing, and music creation. You can learn to code in multiple programming languages. You can run complex processes in order to create the best website possible or an app for your business.

Gaming laptops therefore open up many possibilities for you, even if you don’t end up enjoying gaming. With that said, you should consider other options if you want to pursue some of these hobbies. A gaming laptop is not the only powerful laptop out there. There are excellent options that may be cheaper or simply more suited to these other purposes.

Stick to the basics

If you have no intention of spending hundreds or thousands of extra dollars to become a gamer and no intention of pursuing hobbies on your new laptop, stick to the basics. There are excellent laptops that work fast and efficiently, giving you an incredible user experience. Consider a Macbook if you want a no-fuss experience with everything you could possibly need.

Then, if you do want to start gaming, consider getting an Xbox, PlayStation, or even a Nintendo Switch.