Why Do Gaming Laptops Look So Bad?

When looking for a new laptop, you first look at the processing power, RAM, storage, and other essential specs of your options. However, appearance is also important and should be taken into account when choosing a laptop because you will carry your device around everywhere. When it comes to gaming laptops, the specs are superior, but they always look bulky and flashy.

Gaming laptops look so bad because they are bulky, heavy, and sometimes too flashy. The first two issues are unintentional because gaming laptops need extra space and weight to support high-end CPU, GPU, and storage. The lights and bold logos are marketing choices targeting teens and students.

In the rest of this article, I will explain all the reasons why gaming laptops generally look unappealing or too flashy.

Additionally, I will answer any other questions you may have about gaming laptops and how they compare to regular ones.

8 Reasons Gaming Laptops Are Sometimes Ugly

Gaming laptops have certain advanced features that could benefit many people professionally, especially those who need high-performing laptops to work with complex programs.

However, the appearance of a gaming laptop can be unsuitable for a work environment and might make you look unprofessional. Why do gaming laptops look so flashy and ugly?

1. Gaming Laptops Target Gamers

Before we get to the technical reasons, we need to consider the marketing point of view.

Although gaming laptops can indeed be useful to plenty of people outside of gaming, the primary target audience of gaming laptop manufacturers is gamers.

Consequently, manufacturers create these devices keeping their main customers in mind.

The segment of gamers is pretty broad itself. Gamers can be of different ages, genders, and professions and have various tastes and preferences.

However, once again, the marketing suggests that designers focus on the group that is more likely to buy a gaming laptop: teenagers or young adults who are not concerned about looking professional.

As a result, gaming laptops are created to look as appealing as possible to the above groups, which entails something much more different than what an adult would like.

Teenagers are more likely to buy something that stands out rather than blend in with other people’s devices.

2. The Logos Are Larger To Stand Out

If you’ve seen a gaming laptop, you probably remember its bold and big logo on the back.

Generally, gaming laptop manufacturers choose flashy logos that stand out in order to attract the attention of potential buyers and make them feel like they are buying something advanced and futuristic.

Keeping in mind the reasoning above, it makes perfect sense that large bold logos would be more appealing to teenagers and students.

Just like some adults like flashy cars, teenagers prefer flashy logos to show off their gaming laptops.

3. The Keyboards Can Be Unusual

Gaming laptop keyboards are different from regular laptop ones in several different ways. Let’s see some main differences:

• Gaming laptop keyboards can have different shapes optimized for gaming positions. 
• Additionally, the keys can be further apart in gaming laptop keyboards to make playing easier. 
• Another important distinction is that in gaming laptops, the keyboard is much bulkier and stronger to endure hours of gaming.
• Gaming laptop keyboards are typically backlit with colorful LED lights, not only to stand out more but also to make gaming easier in the dark.

All of these differences make gaming keyboards look bulky and flashy, which may not be your first choice when you’re looking for a laptop to use professionally.

3. They Use RGB Light Stripes To Enhance the Gaming Experience

Speaking of LED lights, many gaming laptops incorporate these colorful lights in several ways. RGB lighting is pretty common and used in many different ways in devices and around the house.

These lights are simple LED modules that combine red, green, and blue lights to create millions of colors.

While they are generally used to create relaxing views in your interior, they are also used by laptop manufacturers to create a fun, colorful look for their laptops.

You can find RGB lighting stripes anywhere on your device, like on the back, on the bottom, or under the keyboard keys. The big, bold logo may also light up with colorful tones.

While these colors and lights can be fun, they can also be tiring after a while, especially if you’re trying to concentrate on your work.

Moreover, they can make your laptop look tacky and unprofessional. Taking such a flashy laptop for a presentation in your office could make you look like you have the wrong priorities.

4. Gaming Laptops Need Extra Space for Their High-End CPU and GPU

Now that I covered the external, intentional reasons, it’s time to explore the internal and unintentional reasons that make the manufacturers have no choice but to create heavy and thick laptops.

A common complaint about gaming laptops is the fact that they are too big and bulky, which makes them look ugly and old.

You may have the latest gaming laptop, but the appearance makes you look like you’re stuck with a version from years ago. Another problem is that this size makes them inconvenient and not portable.

However, there aren’t many manufacturers that can do this in this case because they need the extra space for several reasons.

Gaming laptops are advanced in many ways; for instance, they have additional processing power and a dedicated graphics card.

Both of these features require more space because the CPU and GPU are bigger than on a standard laptop.

The CPU on a regular laptop has fewer cores than the one on a gaming laptop.

Moreover, in a standard laptop, the graphics card is typically integrated into the CPU, which saves even more space.

As a result, other laptops can be thinner and lighter. For gaming laptops, this is not an option.

5. There Is Extra Room To Allow Upgrading

Another reason why gaming laptops are bigger than regular laptops is the fact that some of their parts are not soldered.

One of the main advantages of gaming laptops is that certain elements can be upgraded when they are no longer performing at their best.

Upgrading means switching out parts to create a better device.

Understandably, gaming laptop manufacturers need to make it easier for users to upgrade different device parts.

As a result, some components like the hard drive, solid-state drive, or RAM are not soldered on the laptop body.

This allows you to upgrade your storage or RAM when you want to, but it also means that your laptop is bulkier and heavier than a regular one.

6. They Need To Have Extra Ports

Regular laptops are removing more and more ports as time goes by.

Because the main feature of a normal laptop is portability, manufacturers seek to keep these devices as thin and light as possible, which means removing unnecessary or replaceable ports.

However, a gaming laptop has other purposes, and portability is not high on the priorities of gaming laptop designers.

Instead, they want a laptop that can be connected to all types of devices for the optimal gaming experience.

Consequently, gaming laptops have many ports, including:

• Charging port.
• Ethernet.
• USB-C.
• Different types of HDMI.
• USB-A.
• Audio jack.
• Thunderbolt.
• Micro-SD.

Every port requires a certain amount of space and thickness, so gaming laptops have no choice but to be thicker and heavier than normal ones.

A few gaming laptops even have optical disc drives, which take up even more space.

7. The Display Needs To Be Larger for Gaming

In addition to being thick and heavy, many gaming laptops are also bigger in size, with a larger display.

Bigger displays are reminiscent of older laptops, so even though your gaming laptop is new, it may look outdated.

However, there is a reason behind this decision of gaming laptop designers.

Nowadays, video games have become increasingly complex and detailed, and they require a suitable display in order to be able to have the ultimate gaming experience. 

A smaller display is not as pleasant for the game, but most importantly, it may not allow you to see crucial details, which can affect how you play.

This big display is necessary, but it makes your laptop less portable and creates the idea that your device is older than it actually is.

8. The Cooling System Requires More Space

On top of everything I have mentioned already, gaming laptops also require more space for cooling compared to regular laptops.

The high-end CPU allows your computer to perform at higher levels but also generates more heat as it’s working. 

As a result, your computer needs a better and more effective cooling system to keep the laptop cool while you’re playing complex and CPU-heavy games.

An advanced cooling system requires bigger and better fans, as well as more heat sinks. Naturally, all of these need more space on your laptop.

As you can see, gaming laptops are advanced in several ways compared to regular laptops, but all the extra features require more room.

Understandably, more space translates to a bulkier and heavier laptop that looks old and ugly compared to the thin, sleek devices people use today.

What Can I Do To Make My Gaming Laptop Look Better?

If you want to use a gaming laptop for professional reasons, or you’re just not a fan of the flashy looks, you may find a few ways to get something simpler and more subtle.

Of course, you need to remember that you may not be able to find something thin or sleek, similar to a regular laptop because gaming laptops still require extra space for the extra power.

However, you can do something about the intentional choices designers make based on their target market.

For instance, you can look for subtle and not flashy versions of gaming laptops.

Yes, they do exist; certain manufacturers have realized that some gamers or other people may like something without bold logos and LED lights.

If you don’t like the flashy gaming laptop you’ve got, you may find specialists who can paint the chassis of your laptop to look sleek and subtle.

However, this can be costly since removing flashy lights and logos in a professional way can be difficult.

If you can’t pay to change the appearance or buy a new subtle-looking laptop, you can simply turn off the RGB lights to make your device less flashy.

Generally, this is pretty easy to do from your keyboard; you only need to press a combination of buttons.

Should I Opt for a Regular Laptop Instead of a Gaming One?

Considering everything I have mentioned so far, you may wonder if it’s worth getting an expensive gaming laptop that looks tacky and old when you can just get a regular laptop.

Before you make a decision, you need to consider many factors.

If appearance and portability are crucial for you, and you don’t plan on using many complex programs, a regular laptop will be better in the long run.

It will cost less and allow you to carry it around wherever you are with no problem.

However, if you like gaming or need to use a laptop for more advanced programs, like video editing, programming, or streaming, you may need to stick with a gaming laptop, no matter how ugly it is.

The extra processing power and storage will be crucial to your work.

Make a list of everything you need to do on your laptop, and then decide on your priorities.

Most people use regular laptops because they focus on portability, and they mostly use their laptops for pretty simple tasks, like writing or browsing.

There’s no point in spending extra money for a level of power you will not be able to take advantage of.

Final Thoughts

Gaming laptops are great and advanced devices designed for gaming but also for other complex programs that would be impossible to use on a regular laptop without overheating and slowing down the device.

However, gaming laptops look ugly and old because they are bigger, thicker, and heavier than standard laptops.

Moreover, they can look tacky because they have big logos and RGB lighting all over them. 

Unfortunately, the size and weight are necessary because they allow the device to have more processing power.

However, the flashy appearance comes as a way of marketing the laptops to young people.