Gaming laptop vs Macbook is another debate that a lot of users get pulled into when trying to figure out which of the two is the better performing computer device. The right laptop for every individual is made of different specifications and features, a lot of which users are unaware of because of the crappy information they sell through ads and pay reviews.
If you are unsure which is the best option for you or lack the technical knowledge required to make a decision, we will provide all the necessary information for you in this guide.
Read on to find every bit of technical information and laptop charm that you need to pick the right laptop for you that can suit all your needs as one device.
Contents
Comparison Table
| Features | Gaming Laptop | Macbook |
| Battery Life | Mild quality backup | Excellent backup |
| USB Ports | 10 USB Ports | 4 USB Ports |
| Hardware Options | Better support, better deals | Average support |
| Pricing | Higher, more perks | Lower, no perks |
What Are the Differences Between Gaming Laptop vs MacBook
The main difference between a gaming laptop vs MacBook is that it can function highly in terms of design and heavy performance because of its high-end processors. However, Macbooks are more design-focused and have a spectrum of professional performance only, which makes them ideal for business people.
– Gaming Experience
When we consider comparing the two laptop devices in gaming, this is precisely the activity they are manufactured for. The reason that that name is called gaming is that these devices have been developed to meet and enhance the experience of the actual gaming experience.
When we evaluate the Macbook’s refresh rate, it is not as high as expected. However, this is not the only thing that hinders a Macbook from providing the most optimal gaming experience. This is true for all Mac devices, regardless of the fact that they have very dedicated graphics cards in them.
The MacBook’s cooling system is also not perfect for gaming experiences. It is intended for gaming since the more users games, the more heat their laptop generates. In fact, a Macbook usually has no cooling system, and it relies on external devices for this much-needed function.
The heat generated inside a laptop goes through the thermal throttle to escape the laptop case, which can drastically hinder the performance and reduce the speed of a system. It is imperative that a good gaming device be optimized by its cooling system, as this enables the computer to provide an excellent gaming experience and generally perform well.
The winner in this comparison, therefore, is the gaming device itself. This does not make the Macbook Pro a lesser laptop in any way as its performance for most activities is excellent, but gaming is not in its lane since it is just not designed for that specific activity.
– Comparing The Display
If we get into comparing designs and display in any argument, any device that Apple has manufactured will emerge as the clear winner. This is because Apple has established its strengths in the Display field as better than all of its competitors. This is what makes them charge more for their devices, and a user with a good eye for design is always happy to pay extra for perfection.
When we consider the Macbook Pro’s Display, it is excellent for many Display related activities, including video design, Adobe Photoshop, and other tools like Vegas Pr and After Effects.
Design-related activities aside, every single detail about the screen of a Macbook is fantastic, and it can offer its users an immersive and wide viewing experience. This is accompanied by a wide range of natural colors that is sure to up the ante for many other brands in the industry.
Now, this is not to say that gaming computers have no display qualities whatsoever. In fact, a few laptops are close to the Macbook’s level of display features, and this list includes devices like Alienware Area m15, Gigabyte Aero, MSI Optix, Asus ROG Strix, Lenovo Legion, and the Dell XPS 15. These laptops are stocked with a decent range of display qualities.
Even though these laptops are not too bad for many activities and can give a decent performance for content creation, graphic designing, and video editing, ultimately, we pick the Macbook as the winner when it comes to evaluating display features in a gaming device vs Apple MacBook Pro.
– Battery Life
This section will consider the battery life performances of the two types of laptops. It is essential to consider the battery life, average battery backup, and other power qualities when we decide to pick our next notebook. This is important because whether you pick out your laptop for simple performances or heavier activities like gaming, you need to know how long and how efficiently you can use it as a portable device.
Now, if we consider a gaming device, it is clear that we cannot expect the ideal battery experience from a device like that since it runs on very power-consuming hardware. This is important because the activities associated with this device are far above average. If you decide to consider baseline timing for your laptop, you could expect to get around 3 to 4 hours of performance from a standard gaming device if you have it under consistent use.
However, suppose you bring the newer and more upgraded devices into consideration. In that case, you can expect a lot more battery capacity in them, even if you put under 5-7 hours of constant use with no recharging. On the other hand, the Apple MacBook’s battery performance is another story altogether.
A MacBook Air can supposedly have a backup of nearly 24 hours if it is used right, and this is primarily because of the longer-lasting battery that the device is equipped with. While the macOS has a potent graphic card and other performance-enhancing hardware, the battery life is far up and beyond that of the average gaming device. For this reason, the Macbook Air is once the winner for this comparison round.
– The Number Of Ports
Considering the number of ports in an ASUS gaming laptop vs MacBook Pro is not entirely the fairest comparison since the MacBook’s minimalistic design does not allow for a lot of ports in it. Considering the futuristic and modern Macbook’s plan, the device only contains one port as a headphone jack and around four Thunderbolt 3 ports.
Suppose you are not satisfied with this range of ports and would like to connect external devices like a wired mouse or an external hard drive. In that case, you will need to get yourself some other portable devices that can get you more connections, as most Macbooks still only have a minimal number of USB ports.
On the other hand, gaming devices have the upper hand in this comparison since they need to pack a range of different ports for all of the various purposes they serve. This is to make the experience of connecting other external devices much easier for the users without having to invest more money into getting dongles for that purpose.
With a standard gaming device, you can expect to have around one Thunderbolt 3 port, several USB 3.0 ports, one HDMI 2.0, a place mini DisplayPort, one graphics port, and an essential headphone jack port. If you are a gamer or a user whose daily work is dependent on using multiple ports, we recommend getting a gaming device, and we also declare it as the winner in the comparison for ports.
– SSD Storage
In this section, we will be taking a glimpse into the SSD storage power and the resulting performance of the two different types of laptops. It is essential to have high SSD power as it is directly related to the number of powerful activities your device can endure.
Now, when we bring this concept into consideration, it is impossible for any other device to beat a Macbook’s storage capacity and device performance. Generally, these devices seem to have more SSD storage than most other laptop devices, including gaming devices.
Now, this is not a cause of worry for any users who are fond of gaming devices or already possess one since most gaming devices allow you to add extra SSD storage based on your needs. This works if the SSD storage you are adding is compatible with the gaming device that you are using, and it can help to enhance your gaming experience quite a bit. However, since our comparisons are based on what the actual devices contain after manufacturing, Macbooks win again for this section.
– CPU Power
Comparing the CPU power of any laptop depends upon the kind of device you are using; since we are considering a modern laptop with a lot of CPU power, we have to consider a seemingly high-end device from the Macbook series for a fair comparison. For the purpose of comparing the CPU power of gaming laptops vs Macbooks, we have chosen the 13-inch Macbook Pro to represent their series since it is very high-end in terms of upgrades and hardware.
Both laptops have excellent storage capacity and DDR4 RAM, which they use on the powerful Intel Core i9 processor. This makes the performance of both laptops overly spectacular, making it difficult to pick a winner in this category. There are many other factors that come into play when we try to evaluate the CPU power of any device, including their cooling systems and their clocking speed since they are factors that affect performance.
However, based on their separate hardware and standard performances, we place both laptops at a strong tie when it comes to the measure and comparison of their CPU power.
– GPU Power
For our last comparison, we will consider the GPU powers of a MacBook and compare it to the GPU power of standard gaming devices.
There is no significant need for analysis in this comparison since gaming laptops are the apparent winner of this comparison, considering how they are entirely focused on their GPU functions from the base up. If you are considering a high-end gaming laptop, you can expect to find the excellent Intel UHD Graphics 630 and the latest NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q GPU.
Apart from the GPU processor in them, you can expect the minimum graphic card memory of a gaming device to be around 6 GB, which helps these devices deliver unmatched gaming performance for any gamer. However, performance laptops like Macbooks are less focused on their GPU capacity since they serve other functions besides gaming.
Compared to a high-end gaming laptop, you can expect to find the power of the Radeon Pro 560X GPU in a 13-inch Macbook Pro for comparison. This is also good for gaming but nowhere near a gaming laptop’s specs, making it the clear winner.
What is Gaming Laptop Best For
Gaming laptops are best for gaming activities, as is clear from their name. They are designed to provide more RAM, CPU, and GPU capacity along with high-end processors and cooling systems. Because of their size, gamers cannot expect to use these laptops in more professional environments.
What is Macbook Best For?
MacBook devices are best used for performance-related activities, making them excellent tools for programmers, software engineers, web developers, and graphic designers. Since they are designed for the professional spectrum, these sleek devices focus more on their CPU power and often lack GPU capacity.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is clear that it is straightforward to decide whether you need to buy a windows laptop or a Macbook Pro once you clear your expected laptop requirements. Once you remove your dream specs or know precisely what you plan to use your computer for, you can easily pick one of these two. If you plan to spend a lot of time in the office with your laptop device, it is not the ideal plan to get a gaming device since it can be very heavy to handle in such environments.
On the other hand, the application scope in a Macbook Pro is quite limited as it cannot support a lot of applications. This shows that while the Macbook is complete in many areas, it is still not the most ideal laptop for every user. So, before you decide to go and get either a mac or a gaming laptop, consider your personal needs. Once you have those sorted, you will be ready for your next laptop purchase!
