WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.480 $3,000, $4,000, $5,000? 00:00:03.480 --> 00:00:06.480 Gaming laptops have generally speaking been more expensive 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:11.440 than their non-game encounter parts for a long time, but why does the upper end of the market 00:00:11.440 --> 00:00:16.680 feature models that cost this much? You could easily build a higher spec gaming desktop 00:00:16.680 --> 00:00:21.440 for less money, and based on what we've seen over the past few years, there isn't much to make us think 00:00:21.440 --> 00:00:25.160 that gaming laptops will get significantly cheaper anytime soon. 00:00:25.160 --> 00:00:28.320 So what gives? You might already know that part of the reason 00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:32.600 these laptops tend to be so expensive is that it takes a significant amount of engineering 00:00:32.600 --> 00:00:39.000 to take high-performance GPUs and CPUs and fit them into the power and thermal envelope of a laptop. 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:44.320 Unlike with a desktop, you see, laptops only have so much room for cooling and power delivery, 00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:48.360 and developing solutions to make it all fit costs money. 00:00:48.360 --> 00:00:51.800 But can we dive a little deeper than just, it's hard to make things small? 00:00:51.800 --> 00:00:57.600 Of course we can. Otherwise, we wouldn't have made this video. As time has gone on and we demand ever faster speeds 00:00:57.600 --> 00:01:02.880 and ever higher performance, it's become more and more difficult to guarantee signal integrity 00:01:02.880 --> 00:01:05.960 over the tiny traces that move data between different parts 00:01:05.960 --> 00:01:10.200 of your computer. Instead of, say, a circuit board or PCB built from four 00:01:10.200 --> 00:01:16.800 or six layers and one ounce of copper, you might have an eight-layer PCB with two ounces of copper 00:01:16.800 --> 00:01:22.560 in order to prevent too much signal loss. And not only is this more difficult to design and manufacture, 00:01:22.560 --> 00:01:26.040 some of the raw materials have also gotten more expensive. 00:01:26.080 --> 00:01:30.800 The price of copper, for example, spiked during the pandemic and hasn't gotten close 00:01:30.800 --> 00:01:36.200 to returning to pre-pandemic levels. And there was also a well-publicized chip shortage, 00:01:36.200 --> 00:01:39.200 and it's not like the GPU companies just lowered prices 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:42.560 out of the goodness of their hearts after the supply situation improved. 00:01:42.560 --> 00:01:46.940 This also applies to power delivery. Newer hardware demands more power phases 00:01:46.940 --> 00:01:52.880 and different, more expensive controllers. The per-unit cost difference might only be around a dollar, 00:01:52.880 --> 00:01:58.560 but when you think about how many components inside of a laptop need upgraded infrastructure, 00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:02.960 that adds up quickly. And guess who gets to pay for all those extra innards? 00:02:02.960 --> 00:02:06.880 But these general concepts could also apply equally to desktops. 00:02:06.880 --> 00:02:10.320 Obviously, we've needed more powerful CPUs and GPUs 00:02:10.320 --> 00:02:14.680 as games have gotten more demanding, but it isn't just higher-end chips 00:02:14.680 --> 00:02:19.200 and the necessary supporting hardware that have driven up gaming laptop price increases. 00:02:19.200 --> 00:02:23.600 Over the past decade or so, as more and more users and tech media have given feedback 00:02:23.600 --> 00:02:29.120 to laptop manufacturers about what they want, the general consensus has been nicer stuff. 00:02:29.120 --> 00:02:32.320 And what we mean by that is enhancements like metal 00:02:32.320 --> 00:02:37.960 instead of cheap plastic for the various parts of the chassis. USB power delivery ports instead of barrel connectors 00:02:37.960 --> 00:02:41.160 and nicer displays with higher refresh rates and resolutions, 00:02:41.160 --> 00:02:44.720 better viewing angles and contrast, and HDR support. 00:02:44.720 --> 00:02:47.920 Simply put, expectations not just for raw performance, 00:02:47.920 --> 00:02:51.000 but also integrated peripherals and fit and finish 00:02:51.000 --> 00:02:56.880 have gone up, not down. And these expectations touch many parts of the laptop, 00:02:56.880 --> 00:03:00.160 which result in a significantly higher final price. 00:03:00.160 --> 00:03:04.960 One good way to think of this is that even cheap commodity items like Ethernet switches 00:03:04.960 --> 00:03:09.560 have large price differences between models that support gigabit speeds, 00:03:09.560 --> 00:03:13.880 which have been around a long time, and the newer 2.5 gigabit standard. 00:03:13.880 --> 00:03:17.360 So if this is the case, think about how the price differences 00:03:17.360 --> 00:03:21.000 between something like a standard LCD and an OLED display 00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:24.440 would translate to the price you end up paying for a gaming laptop. 00:03:24.440 --> 00:03:27.600 And of course, because a laptop is a highly integrated product, 00:03:27.600 --> 00:03:32.600 if you put in one piece of higher-end hardware, there's a good chance you'll need another piece 00:03:32.600 --> 00:03:37.520 of higher-end hardware to support it, which means higher costs, again. 00:03:37.520 --> 00:03:41.200 Which isn't necessarily the case with desktop PCs 00:03:41.200 --> 00:03:46.120 where you can pick and choose which parts you're okay with skimping on to save money. 00:03:46.120 --> 00:03:49.480 Obviously, mid-range gaming laptops are still plentiful, 00:03:49.480 --> 00:03:52.680 but you might end up compromising on something you may not want to. 00:03:52.680 --> 00:03:56.520 And given the way the market is, it doesn't look like we'll be in for much price relief 00:03:56.520 --> 00:04:00.680 at the higher end in the coming years. And if we've completely put you off splurging 00:04:00.680 --> 00:04:06.040 on a top-tier gaming laptop, remember that any home gaming rig can be portable 00:04:06.040 --> 00:04:09.120 if you've got a large enough hand truck. Thanks for watching, guys. 00:04:09.120 --> 00:04:12.520 If you liked this video, you might like our recent video about netbooks. 00:04:12.520 --> 00:04:16.260 Remember those small laptops? Why are they gone? We know why. 00:04:16.260 --> 00:04:19.760 Check out our other video. It's over there. Bye.