Why Do Gaming Laptops Have Bad Battery Life? Explained

A Gaming Laptop’s battery life is always a big concern for gamers who like to play on the go and need the flexibility of enjoying games without worrying about plugging it in. It is massive trouble for students and travelers.  

Gaming Laptops have less battery time due to high-performing components such as the GPU, CPU, and rapid power-hungry fans. Hence, unlike regular Laptops, their battery life is relatively low.

Battery Life When Gaming

Gaming Laptops when used for less demanding tasks such as web browsing, word processing, and watching videos. Gaming Laptops can last around 6 hours. But while performing demanding tasks like gaming or video editing, they require a lot of power. 

Why Regular laptops Have Better Battery Life?

Gaming Laptops and typical notebooks are quite different due to their components. Gaming Laptops are built using high-quality hardware that needs plenty of power because modern video games demand high specs. These Laptops can also be called portable gaming computers. They have extra features that can’t be seen on regular laptops. 

Now let’s discuss the reasons why Gaming Laptops are very power intensive:

Dedicated Graphics Card

Standard laptops have their GPU built into the processors, serving the same purpose as a graphic card. It can easily handle simple graphics such as photos and videos. Built-in graphics cards are cheap and consume less power than dedicated graphics cards, improving the overall battery life of regular laptops. The only issue is that these graphic cards can’t handle demanding tasks such as gaming, video editing, and 3D graphics. At the same time, dedicated graphic cards are powerful and can handle tasks smoothly.

Gaming laptops have a dedicated graphics card along with an integrated GPU. The Graphic Card is used to run challenging tasks such as modern video games or video editing software like Adobe Premier Pro. A dedicated graphics card gives you smoother gameplay without lags, delay, or frame rate issues. These GPUs have made VR and 4K gaming possible. While they are beneficial, they have their drawbacks. Dedicated Graphic Cards are costly compared to built-in GPUs and are also power-hungry, producing more heat and resulting in less battery life.

Also Read: How Long Does A 90WH Battery Last? Explained

High-Speed Processors

Typical laptops have moderate processors, such as Intel U and Y series. For Example, the Intel i5. These processors are built for efficiency rather than power. Because these processors consume less power, they have a long battery life but at the same time make them weaker at handling CPU-intensive tasks like multitasking. They are only suitable for everyday tasks and executing light programs. Processors on Gaming Laptops are High-performance processors with rapid processing speed that leads to a smoother gaming experience. It increases power consumption, producing more heat and decreasing battery life. Furthermore, these processors have multiple cores, perfect for multitasking and gaming. For Example, it makes game streaming smooth without any delays or lags.

Multiple High-Speed Fans

Laptops have a tiny chassis with all the interior components such as the motherboard, RAM, and HDD. Components are jammed in a small space with little airflow, that makes heat removal difficult. Therefore, high-speed cooling fans have to be installed for air circulation and cooling the interior. Regular Laptops consume less power and produce less heat, so moderate fans do the work. Gaming Laptops are different because they have to execute challenging tasks. Cooling fans must continuously remove heat produced by the CPU and GPU to prevent overheating. An overheating laptop provides low performance, which can result in a bad overall gaming experience. 

Gaming laptop manufacturers install multiple fast-moving fans to improve internal airflow and prevent overheating. Gaming Laptops perform CPU and GPU-intensive tasks, which constantly produce heat, so the fans have to spin faster to remove the heat.  Therefore, the battery is significantly reduced because the Laptop’s battery powers the fans.  

Backlit RGB Lighting

Gamers love RGB lights. Gaming Laptops have backlit RGB keyboards, which are not seen in regular laptops. They make gaming smoother because it causes you to hit keys correctly. These keyboards also consume a bit of power and cause the battery to drain quicker. 

Louder Speakers

Quality speakers provide a better gaming experience. They capture every sound effect accurately and output the audio without delays and helping you play better. Typical laptops have average speakers that aren’t loud. They are suitable for everyday use but not ideal for gaming. Gamers require speakers that can produce crisp and loud sounds. Louder speakers also get rid of fan noise and consume more power. 

Size Of The Display And Screen Resolution

Gaming Laptops have an FHD 1080p and a 15.6 inches screen. In Contrast, high-ending devices have a greater screen size and around 1440p or 4K resolution. Higher resolution displays provide crisp and sharp images offering a great gaming experience and reducing eye strain.  The greater the screen size and resolution, the more power it will consume, reducing battery life.

Number Of External Peripherals Attached

Gaming laptops have multiple ports to plug in external devices such as hard drives, keyboards, VR, gaming mouse, etc. These devices improve your productivity but reduce battery life and strain the battery.

Conclusion

High-Quality components like processors, Graphic Cards, RGB keyboards, FHD displays, and oversized speakers consume a lot of power and due to which Gaming Laptops have low battery life. While gaming or doing challenging tasks, you will have a smoother experience while plugged in as your Laptop will not be running solely on its battery.