There was a time when gaming laptops used to be bulky and heavy. So they weren’t ideal for college students or professionals. But as the demand for portable gaming rigs rises, more and more companies are starting to design smaller yet capable gaming laptops.
Related: Best Thin and Light Gaming Laptops: 7 Picks.
And most recently, we’re seeing many 14″ gaming laptops from prominent brands. But are they worth it? Let’s find out.
Sleeker and lighter
Gaming laptops are infamous for their huge size. And because of their heavyweight, they aren’t quite ideal for college or work. Of course, the performance they offer is ideal for many professional works, but carrying them can be a pain.
Related: Best Gaming Laptops for College in 2023.
This is where 14″ gaming laptops are more advantageous. Thanks to the smaller form factor, they’re easy to fit in smaller backpacks, making room for other materials like Notebooks and gadgets.
In terms of weight though, there isn’t much difference between 14-inch and 15-inch rigs. Typically, most 15-inch gaming laptops weigh around 4 to 6 pounds. And on average, 14″ rigs weigh around 4 to 5 pounds.
New cooling tech
Most 14″ gaming use the relatively-new vapor chamber technology for cooling. First popularized by Razer, A Vapor-chamber is a smaller and more efficient system than heat pipes. It is lighter and takes less space inside of a laptop. So laptops with vapor chambers tend to be slimmer and lighter.
Better Backup
A smaller screen typically uses less energy, so most 14″ gaming laptops tend to last longer on battery under moderate use. Besides, portability is a key design factor for these laptops, so the hardware is optimized for better battery backup.
Related: 9 Gaming Laptops with Incredible Battery Life.
GPU performance is limited
Due to their smaller form-factor, 14″ gaming rigs host a smaller cooling unit. So usually these systems cap the GPU performance. In other words, these laptops have a lower TDP than larger rigs, so the gaming performance is relatively lower.
Blade 14
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x14
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Vivobook 14 OLED
