Workstation VS Gaming Laptop Difference –

Wondering what hardware is important. And, what exactly is a workstation? And what is the true difference between a  workstation vs. gaming laptop? Thus all those questions will be answered in the following article.

As a “workstation” computer, it refers to a computer that is created for one specific purpose for professions such as scientists, engineers, architects, graphic designers, or others. These computers can be sold pre-sold from companies, although anyone can put together these workstations similar to a gaming pc.

Now that you are aware that a workstation computer can be used for some different applications. One thing that this computer has in common is a powerful CPU and even a larger amount of RAM. The reasoning is because these are intended for a more demanding task that is created with specialized components being engineered for these higher performances.

What CPUs Do Workstations Use –

As previously, stated workstation devices have also been equipped with a very power CPUs being able to perform and handle even the most complex computational task that one would face. Here are some numbers of CPU that you would find in a workstation.

The Intel Core and AMD Ryzen 7 are the most basic and standard CPU found in the lineup, being found in a majority of budget and mid-range workstation.

With the most popular workstation CPU is the Intel Core i9 and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper, the reasoning is because it serves, such as a sweet spot of price and performance with the majority of workstation users favoring toward these specs.

Finally, we reach the level of ultimate power workstation. This CPU is created by the manufacturer with only one primary use and that it to excel with multitasking and processing high volumes of data. CPUs that fit in this range are the Intel Xeon and AMD EPYC.

Additionally, what is know is that Intel Core i7 and Ryzen 7 processors are the most powerful used in gaming PCs. And if anything goes over the specification, it’s a bit overkill and useless. But what is obvious is workstation goes far beyond these specifications.

The GPUs Do Workstation Use –

Without a doubt, another critical piece in creating a gaming PC is the GPU. Additionally, this specification can also be added to a workstation. We would suggest this integration if you are planning to use your computer for a task that are very graphics-heavy such as photo editing, video editing, 3D modeling, etc.

Thus if you are in the case where you will need to use a GPU for your workstation, we suggest the following GPU brands.

Nvidia GeForce & AMD Radeon RX –If you are involved with the gaming or in the gaming community, these are for sure names that you have heard before.  With High-end GeForce and Radeon Card being commonly used in a few workstations and even with some being equipped with Multi-GPU Configurations.

Nvidia Quadro  & AMD RadeonPro – As for this type of GPU, they are created for simple workstation devices. With the main difference between this and a gaming GPU being that amount of video memory, higher memory bandwidth, and overall higher processing power and being far much more optimized from heavy GPU software.

Workstation RAM –

A common misconception that gamer alike have is, how much RAM is required by a gaming PC. While this may be surprising, we would say a gaming pc only really need a RAM a little bit over 8GB, with anything over 16GB just being unnecessary for average users.

However, this is a different case for workstation these need a huge amount of RAM when compared to its counter gaming PCs. With a lot of them being equipped with either a 32 GB or 64Gb of RAM alone. Though, this isn’t all the very high-end models have some with even 128GB to 256GB!

Additionally, workstation commonly has an extra feature being ECC RAM, which helps to improve system program and stability to prevent things such as data corruption.

Workstation’s Storage  & Motherboards –

Newer workstation tends to favor large SSD due to the speed that it can outperform HDD. Although, since some workstation need to be able to store a large volume of data, sometimes HDD with a significant number of terabytes are used in their configuration.

But with that said, its no secret that both workstation and gaming PC will not differ much within this aspect, due to workstation almost always having high capacity storage drives.

Additionally, not much is that different from a workstation motherboard apart, from things such as that it may use a utilize special chipset and socket being built for holding a powerful CPU. Although, in recent trends, we have seen users are favoring a motherboard to having additionally RAM or PCle slots.

What To Look For In A Gaming Laptop –

While desktops and especially workstation will continue to be supreme among PC Gamers, though some have favored something more portable. And that why some go with a gaming laptop, these will give power and portable in a size that you can transport with you.

When you are buying a gaming laptop, instead of looking at specific specifications, it’s essential to look at the whole computer. Including even the little things such as the built-in keyboard and display. Here are some things to look at when making your decisions on which gaming laptop will fit your needs and budget.

What GPU Do You Need –

Entry Level Gaming –  If you know you won’t be playing on the highest setting, then we would suggest something such as a GTX 1050. Which will allow you to play the majority of middle settings.  If you feel that you require a bit more power, then the GTX 1050TI will give you that option, and we would say it is worth the investment. 

Mainstream Gaming –The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 is an excellent middle choice card. This will let you play most games on the higher setting. With many saying that it is the most minimum standard for virtual reality. Thus being the lowest, you should go if you would like to place something such as an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive.

VR & Highest Setting – GTX 1070 A will let you play through any game or application on the highest setting, of course, there are more powerful cards, such as the GTX 1080 being the most powerful 10-series card out and will allow for smoother VR and special effects.

But a card like this will allow you to use effects such as Nvidia Gameworks. That others cannot compete with, but be warned these cards are a huge investment, so be sure you know the use before buying.

What Other Spec To Look For –

CPU –Varying on your budget, you can purchase a super-powerful CPU such as a Core i7 or even one that can overclock such as the Intel Core i9-8950HK. Though for most can benefit for a higher spec GPU rather than a CPU, we would suggest something such as a Core i5 Processor.

RAM – Gaming can be heavily RAM intensive; as stated previously, we would saw an 8GB would be fine for most things and common productivity tasks. Laptops that come with GTX 1050 or 1050 TI typically have 8GB of RAM. Although, once you get in the GTX 1060 range or higher, you will get more of a 16GB of RAM.

Storage – Weather, you were wondering choosing between a Hard Drive or an SSD. We will explain the benefits and cons of both. Some budget gaming laptop are usually equipped with only a hard drive being the only 1TB.

However, in some gaming notebooks, even though will small design frame, it’s possible to see 128GB SSD and 1TB HDD working in tandem. But if you can get a larger SSD, some benefits that you may see is a decrease in load times, though they do come at a cost. We would say to look for a faster 7,200-rpm HDD as opposed to a 5,400-rpm HDD.

Gaming Laptop Display –

Size – Most gaming laptops display range from the 15 to 17-inch screens, of course. There are some outstanding with 18-inch panels and even some small 14-inch systems. Deciding what size to get is a personal preference, but it’s important to note the large the device is, the less portable it is generally.

Resolutions –  For this, we would say never go for anything under 1920 x 1080 display.  And additionally, you have equipped a GTX 1070 or GTX 1080 you may want to consider a 2560 x 1440 display. And for those who have a bigger budget, 4K, 3840 x 2160 is available with some gaming laptop. However, you will need an RTX 2070 or RTX 2080.

Refresh Rate – While most laptops will have a 1080p resolution and a 60Hz display. Although, some higher resolution displays will have display listed at (2560 x 1440, 3840 x 2160). Some vendors do offer an FHD display that has faster 144Hz for smoother gaming.

Gaming Laptop Keyboards –

Key Travel – This will be how much you can press down in the key. We tend to favor keys that go over 1.5 millimeters of key travel, but if you can hit 2mm, it will give you a far better press satisfaction.

Actuation – This would be the force that you can apply to the key when you press down. We usually like it to be between 65 and 70 grams. You are giving good resistance without a mushy feeling.

Macro Keys – While being more common in a gaming laptop then gaming desktop, these keys are good to be able to programmable macro key, and the benefits are that they allow for an easily completed task in games.

Conclusion –

Now wrapping everything up on a “Workstation VS Gaming Laptop” It that workstation outclass gaming laptops, in almost all aspects. Thus they would prove that a decent workstation would perform just as well as something such as a high-end gaming laptop.

But that depends mainly on the GPU. If it has a high-end Quadro or RadeonPro graphics card, then it will keep up with a high-end gaming PC with ease. However, if it is a more affordable model with limited VRAM, it may not perform quite as well.