Gaming laptops with Nvidia's latest GTX10 series graphics cards can now be just as powerful as full-size gaming desktops.
Asus
The Asus ROG GX700 was very powerful, but not as powerful as a full-size desktop with similar specs.
In the past, gaming laptops with mobile versions of graphics cards could never match the power of full-size desktops, with corresponding full-size graphics cards.
For example, the mobile GTX 980M you'd find on a laptop (defined by the "M") wouldn't keep up with the full-size GTX 980 that you'd find in desktops, despite having the same model number. On top of that, gaming laptops would also come with a higher price tag than their desktop counterparts.
What do I mean by "keeping up?" A gaming laptop couldn't play video games quite as smoothly, nor could you set the game's graphics settings quite as high as you could on a gaming desktop before facing choppy gameplay.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider
A gaming PC I built earlier this year.
As a result, the value of gaming laptops wasn't quite there. It only made sense to buy a gaming laptop if you absolutely needed the portability.
But Nvidia's new GTX10 series graphics cards, which can be installed in laptops, changes all that.
Video game website Kotaku ran a few benchmark tests that pitted a powerful desktop against the powerful Asus ROG GX800 laptop with similar specs while running some graphics-heavy game like "Battlefield 4" and "Crysis 3." The Asus laptop ran those games at nearly identical frame rates with the resolution quality set to the maximum setting.
Asus
The Asus ROG GX800 has TWO Nvidia GTX1080 graphics chips.
Gaming laptops with the latest GTX10 series graphics cards still cost more than a gaming desktop with similar specs, but they're a portable all-in-one package with the same power as a desktop. They also include a screen, whereas a screen would be an extra cost on top of the gaming desktop itself.
The value gap between a gaming laptop and a gaming desktop has certainly narrowed quite a bit since the advent of Nvidia's latest graphics cards, but it's still only worth going with a laptop if you need the portability, as you can buy or build your own gaming desktop for less money than a laptop.