Why are gaming laptops heavy?

i own a g53sx... and witout battery, it weights around 3.4 kg... i was really curious why it is so heavy of compared to other laptops... yea, it has dual HDD but i don think it will contribute so much to such a weight... is it bcoz of the gtx560m? or what? hehe just really curious

 

Larger heatsink/fan might also contribute.

 

1-2 large discreet graphics cards, large CPU and GPU heatsinks and fans, multiple hard drives, more complicated power circuitry, and a larger/sturdier case to fit it all in there.

 

^This. When you buy a good gaming laptop, you can toss good portability out of the way as well.

 

Not true at all. I have a powerful M17xR3 that I tote around with me at college and get 5 hours of battery life, thanks to switchable graphics

 

you think that is as portable as a macbook air?

 

it's because when you get angry form loosing, and slap the table that your laptop sits on, it should not bounce 3 times before falling off from the side

 

It isn't, but I don't think the gaming laptops are hard to carry. My XPS 17 can go where ever I go, as long as Im not going to work. Sadly, I have to leave it behind.

 

But it weighs 9.39 lbs(4.25kg).

 

Mine m17x-r2 weighs 5.3kg* (11.68 pounds)....

 

so? after 10min with a good backpack you don't notice the wight.


I went from a 10lb laptop to a m11x and constantly thought I was forgetting something

 

They don't have to be, but it's probably more expensive to design a lighter gaming notebook.

 

No, but can you game on a macbook air?

I personally have no problem carrying two M17xs in a backpack. They are heavy due to their great cooling system, metal (in this case thick aluminium) bodies and not only.

 

They're heavy because of the heatsinks in them and the sturdy chassis, also a lot of times the batteries are bigger as well to compensate for the heavier power drain. Honestly carrying around my x7200 wasn't a problem to me, little bit of extra weight to help burn calories after a long gaming session Going from my M17x 17" aluminum body to my dv6 I always feel like the dv6 is missing until I check it. When I had an m11x that thing truly went off the radar

 

Same here, i carry my G73 to university daily and i barely notice the weight. also note that i weight 130 pounds for 5'8" so pretty much anyone can carry a gaming notebook in a backpack. The only problem i can foresee is them being bulky, taking a m17x or G73 to a university lecture wouldn't be easy i guess. Never tried it, i'm a post grad student now and the G73 sits in my office all day .

 

i prefer heavy and sturdy vs. light and flimsy.

 

Do you guys actually game during class/lecture or in between classes?

 

When i was doing my degree in engineering, i played the hell out of diablo II and Guild Wars (back in 2006-2007) during thermodynamics. I strongly advise against doing it, i mostly gamed at home on my laptop.

 

I think it is a small minority of people who consider a 17 inch, 10+ pound gaming laptop to be day to day portable.

 

I'm still wondering how people even buy laptops as big as 17" ...

 

If i had to carry it between classes, i'd never get a 17", however mine basically acts as a desktop and university paid for over half of it, but they wouldn't pay for a desktop. When your uni gives you 1 grand for a laptop, you don't say no.

 

the hard part is never GETTING the laptop to the room, its trying to find a table of some sort in the room that will support the laptop

 

Not a problem when you have a desk waiting for you at both locations I wouldn't carry it on me all day that is for certain, but it's great for lans and i'm totally enjoying the 17.3" lcd when it's not hooked to a monitor. Well i'm also enjoying it hooked to a monitor, not as much. Yes, i am a resolution junky, but 1080p on 15" was a but tiny for my liking.

 

I just took apart my p7801u, and the heaviest components on the MB is probably the heatsink. That thing is monstrous and very thick, and I got two of them on my motherboard. The two hinges for the LCD are also very heavy for some reason. I think they weigh more than the heatsinks. Calculate in the hard drives, DVD drive, and the huge 9 cell battery and you got a whopping 11 pounds to be lugging around.

Honestly, gaming laptops are not meant to be portable. They are noisy (and I mean REALLY loud), low battery life, and of course heavy. Disappointing because this meant I had to buy another laptop for the battery life alone (I go out a lot). I'm thinking about getting a N73 or something to see if they're a bit more portable.

 

Dont really matter to me if its heavy or not.
I carry it anyways. :3

But the reason for the added weight is better designed cooling solution and more hardware / bigger hardware.

 

Or go middle ground with an HP DV6. 9-cell battery can last a good 6-8 hours depending on useage and configuration. But the 6750m / 6770m can push decent graphics performance too. I was very skeptical about the HP at first but so glad I bought it.

 

I must be very weak or something because I carried my last asus notebook to work and I felt like it was too heavy. It weighed about 3.6 kg.

 

It is, but that's try gaming period. It's a niche market.

I never understood the issues anyway. If it's something I need for class, work, etc. I just have it.

Half the corporate types go to work everyday with their file cabinets in tow--albeit on wheels--and no one give it a second glance. A laptop can carry the contents of a hundred of those.

 

M17x is really not that bad to carry around campus. Just have to have the right backpack. I don't game during class, but it does get me a lot of compliments and "oohs" and "ahhs"

 

I would go 15.6", but 17" just seems excessive to me. Besides, less screen = more graphics power per square inch and if you do want a larger screen, just hook it up to a regular TV. If a few months I am going to get a Force 16F2. I am so excited now.

 

That's why we got SLi and CF, baby

 

Yeah but you have less screen space. Since performance is related to screen resolution, not size it really just depends what size you like.

 

Less screen space, but it's same useable real estate. 1920x1080 is 1920x1080 whether on 15" or 60".

 

There is no such thing as a light true gaming laptop. Sure there are laptops with a GT555M and a 2670QM that claim to be a gaming laptop, but cannot perform past medium/low resolution.

If you want a full blown gaming laptop, prepare to pack on the weight. My G71GX weighed about 9 pounds and 2.5 for the AC adapter. My new R2 weighs about 12.8 pounds and 2.5 for the adapter. This is the price you pay for portability, but I can guarantee you a true gaming laptop weighs less than a fully built desktop (16 pounds vs 70 pounds, plus not including keyboard, LCD, speakers).

 

Well LG P330 is going in the right direction in my opinion. Nearly M14x performance with almost half the weight and slim frame. If only we could stick in GTX 560M into one of those...

 

None of you guys are doing it hardcore/right.

Full ATX case on the back duct taped to your waist and chest. Overhanging 26" monitor with speakers attached. Keyboard and mouse attached to fanny pack shelf.

All in all when you're a university student, a lot of times you're carrying other things. People either see it as "12 pounds? That's just another textbooks worth of weight to carry" - or they try to make their machine as light as possible/unnoticeable when carrying.

And some people only have one machine in college, and don't have space for docks/external monitors. In that case I too would get the biggest most powerful hulk I could get.

 

Regarding the weight, i'd take a 10 pound gaming laptop in a good backpack over a smaller laptop in a shoulder bag (ultra portables excluded) any time. A good backpack really makes a difference when carrying a laptop.

 

Grow some muscle, people. I take my G73sw to uni just fine. 17" is just so nice and comfortable to work and game and watch stuff on.

 

I used to haul around a Shuttle SFF PC with keyboard, mouse, and monitor in a duffle bag. Then I started using laptops for gaming.

 

And your back appreciated that a lot ever since =)

 

In college I used to have a full ATX desktop with a steel case and a 19" CRT I would haul across campus to LAN parties.

Of course anyone who isn't a child or crippled will have no problem walking around with a big heavy gaming laptop on their back in a well designed backback. But that isn't the point. Nobody other than a small minority wants that burden, especially when there are other things to carry. I got a netbook because I thought lugging around my 15.6" laptop everywhere was a real PITA. Now I feel like I could never go back to a full size laptop, and there would really be no way I would be able to travel with a 17" gaming monstrosity. It takes up a lot of space, and I don't want to kill my back.

 

Why are gaming laptops heavy?
Because they have so much heatsink inside so its plenty copper copper and more copper

 

Because they pack so much awesomeness.

 

Don't tell mee I know I know

 

-Powerful (particularly GPU)
-Lightweight
-Reasonably Priced

If they build it right, you can pick two of the above.

Otherwise, all bets are off (there are tons overpriced lightweight computers that suck)

 

Well said!

 

while i get your point, that deals with COSTS for producing an item. Not with PRICES for selling an item

 

Yes but the cost to make an item and the price of an item are directly linked

 

Well it's a good thing you were born in the 20th Century. Once I add in my lunch and books, my backpack has twice the weight of a gaming laptop. And I've been the same way as far back as elementary school.

In fact, when I was in high school, I'd carry my books, and two band instruments to school every day. I knew I needed my stuff with me, and I just brought it along. It never occurred to me that it was too heavy.

For the record, the 15" is the most popular size with nearly 50% of the laptops industry.

 

If you want to cool a top of the range laptop then the chasis simply has to be big and heavy. The chasis has to be big and roomy because you need that extra space for the giant fans and heatsinks required. You simply wouldn't be able to cool a system like that if it wasn't that way.