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As a gamer, you may not take too much issue with your laptop’s aesthetics (or lack thereof). If you do, you may wonder why gaming laptops can be such an eyesore.
Gaming laptops are so ugly now because they have to fit more processing power in a thin, compact design. The bulky components are layered with vibrant colors and company designs to try to make their laptops stand out from the competition. High-priced laptops often remove the bulk, though.
In this post, we’ll explain why gaming laptops are ugly, whether or not they look decent, and how you can get one that looks normal.
Table of Contents
Why Are Most Gaming Laptops Ugly?
Most gaming laptops are ugly due to the widespread desire for companies to change their products’ appearance. They often add colors and strange lines to make them look more enticing, but these designs aren’t for everyone. The bulkiness often comes from large internal components.
Here’s a more thorough explanation of why some people believe gaming laptops look ugly.
- Countless bright lights illuminate gaming laptops. Somewhere along the way, tech companies thought gamers wanted bright LED lights throughout their laptops. While many people enjoy illuminated keyboards, some of these LED lights are too much for gamers. Note that some laptops can turn off their lights — though, honestly, you shouldn’t have to do that in the first place.
- Some laptops are made with heavier metals or thin, cheap plastics. Cheap plastics are used to cut production costs, but it scratches and cracks down the road. On the other hand, clunky metals make gaming laptops much heavier. They can also rust if exposed to too much humidity or spills.
- The Verge explains that too many companies went after futuristic designs without a modern touch. This explanation has nothing to do with the internal components and everything to do with industry-wide alterations that not everyone likes. Consider the bright lights and angled designs on Alienware laptops, for example.
- The increasing demand for better graphics and improved processing speed requires bigger, bulkier parts. Gamers want to take their high-quality desktop computers wherever they go, which means their laptops have to match the processing power. Bigger parts make laptops bulky, which is abnormal for their original purpose.
- Wider, taller screens make the laptop much bigger than most backpacks can accommodate. For example, a 17-inch (43 cm) gaming laptop needs a 17-inch (43 cm) keyboard assembly. Laptops are supposed to be sleek and portable, not clunky and heavy. Many tech companies are constantly increasing their screen sizes.
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find gaming laptops by Lenovo, Dell, and other well-known companies without dealing with ugly designs. The good news is that there are several good-looking gaming laptops you can get your hands on.
Are There Any Gaming Laptops That Look Normal?
Plenty of gaming laptops look normal, including the ASUS TUF Dash Laptop and the HP Omen Gaming Laptop. Both of these laptops are thin, with 15.6″ (39.6 cm) displays. They are not covered in countless LED lights and bulky angles or lines.
The ASUS TUF Dash Laptop (available on Amazon.com) has an Intel i7 for insanely fast processing speeds. With 8GB DDR4 for increased RAM performance and a 512GB solid-state drive, you’ll have everything you want in a budget gaming laptop.
It proves you don’t need to break the bank for impressive gaming capabilities.
On the other hand, the HP Omen Gaming Laptop (available on Amazon.com) has a comparable AMD Ryzen 7 with double the RAM at 16GB. It also has a 144Hz display with 144 FPS at 1080p resolution, allowing you to game without missing a single frame.
As League Feed puts it, gaming laptops should have the best components in the laptop industry. They require more from a computer than almost anything else, aside from 3D rendering and software engineering requirements.
You shouldn’t be forced to choose between low-level laptops with a good appearance or high-quality laptops with poor looks.
Why Are Some Gaming Laptops So Thin Now?
Some gaming laptops are so thin now because people look for portability. Unfortunately, thin gaming laptops are typically expensive and do not have enough processing power to handle graphic-intensive games. Your budget heavily determines the thickness and design of your laptop.
On one hand, several companies are making thin, portable, lightweight gaming laptops for gamers on the go. On the other hand, multiple companies are trying to make their laptops look like spaceships rather than computers. Very few gaming laptops are a perfect blend of these designs.
If you’re worried about thin gaming laptops being more fragile, that’s not always the case. In fact, some thin gaming laptops have durable aluminum shells, while others use thin, brittle plastic.
Check the materials before worrying about the laptop’s thickness (unless you don’t like the thin appearance).
How Can You Get a Gaming Laptop That Isn’t Ugly?
There are enough people who enjoy the new-age laptop appearance that many companies don’t consider their products to be ugly.
To get a gaming laptop that isn’t ugly:
- Increase your budget or decrease your demands. Laptop companies make thin, sightly gaming laptops, which are usually cheap or extremely expensive. If you can get above the $1,500 range, you can get a high-quality gaming laptop without unwanted, unsightly lines, logos, and lights.
- If you don’t need a lot of power for your gaming laptop, you don’t have to worry about thick, bulky designs. You can choose a regular laptop and use it as a gaming laptop. Many modern laptops have enough RAM to handle most games at the highest settings (though it can be difficult if you introduce ray tracing).
- Building your own laptop will let you avoid ugly lights, wide displays, and other parts you might think are ugly. While it takes a lot of time, skill, and effort, you could save money and steer clear of unwanted design flaws. Nothing beats customized computers, whether with a laptop or a desktop.
- Find out which display size is best for your gaming needs. Most laptops don’t look too ugly until they reach above 15 or 16 inches (38 or 41 cm). Once the screen reaches the 20-inch (51 cm) range, it looks ridiculous. Laptops are made for portability, but extra-large displays add bulk, which ruins the ability to pack a laptop into any backpack.
- Consider logo covers and other inlaid designs that let you cover lights and other unwanted aesthetic features. While it’s not always the most exciting solution, you can put a sticker over the logo on top of the laptop or cover it with a sleeve. You can also use keyboard sleeves to cover the ugly designs.
Check out this helpful YouTube video regarding why so many modern gaming laptops are ugly:
Will Gaming Laptops Ever Look Good Again?
Gaming laptops will look good again because external designs and internal components are always changing. A laptop’s appearance is based on personal preferences, but there’s a good chance that tech companies will change how they build their laptops as part sizes and requirements change.
So, will you ever be able to get a gaming laptop that doesn’t look like it came from outer space? Here’s what you need to keep in mind.
- Ultimately, tech companies want to increase their sales, so they’ll listen to customer demands. If more people think gaming laptops are ugly, you’ll notice these laptops return to their original looks. Supply and demand is the most important part of any business. Keep an eye on tech trends to know when laptops will look better.
- Once slow gaming laptops can use faster, thinner components, they’ll be much more compact. Computer parts have been designed for desktops for much longer than laptops. If tech companies can design these high-quality parts (SSD, HDD, graphics cards, etc.) to suit thin laptops, you’ll notice a massive shift in laptop appearances.
- Companies like Alienware will likely stick with outlandishly unique designs because that’s what they’re known for. If a tech company is known for standing apart from the crowd, you better believe they’ll stay that way. The good news is that Dell owns Alienware, so you can choose a normal-looking Dell laptop if you want one.
It’s impossible to predict laptop trends, but the more people complain, the more laptops will change. If everyone keeps asking for ugly laptops, you might consider some of the aforementioned makes and models.
Remember, just because a laptop isn’t labeled as a ‘gaming laptop’ doesn’t mean it’s incapable of impressive gaming features.
Final Thoughts
While many gaming laptops look bulky and ugly, you can find high-quality, normal-looking gaming laptops if you have the budget. Some regular laptops can work as gaming laptops, but you’ll have to check the graphics card, processor, RAM, and storage space to know if the computer suits your gaming needs.
