Introduction

I am gamer. That’s how I got into IT and coding as a kid. I sometimes use gaming servers or use-cases to explore the limits of computing performance. Unfortunately, I don’t have the budget or the space for a gaming PC or laptop.. Let alone time to really spend on gaming.. Thankfully the recent rise of game streaming – with GeForce NOW being one of the industry leaders – has met my needs to game with limited resources on any device, basically wherever I am able to game.

Cost Breakdown

But how much does GeForce NOW cost, and how does it compare to buying a gaming PC or laptop? I’m going to do some math.. stand back.

Keepig it extremely simple, the price for hardware for a “decent” gaming PC or laptop today can cost anywhere from $800 to $2000 or more today, depending on the specifications and features. On the other hand, GeForce NOW has two subscription plans: a free plan that gives you one-hour sessions and standard access, and a priority plan that gives you six-hour sessions and priority access for $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year.

In both cases, I argue that you need a good reliable internet connection of at least 12-25 Mbps. Wired ethernet connection definitely helps reduce packet loss and increase throughput, but I have been able to go completely wireless and get a seamless gaming experience on 5GHz so far. WiFi 6 in theory should further improve the wireless experience compared to wired, but I have not tested this yet.

Considering a gaming PC or laptop for $1000 (cheap imo) with a (very long imo) lifecycle of 5 years – that $1000 upfront cost amortizes out to about $16.67 per month on average for the lifetime of the device, but it’s a 100% upfront cost. If you subscribe to GeForce NOW for five years, you are spending $14.99 per month on average if you choose the monthly plan. That’s a significant difference in cost, especially if you factor in the possibility of upgrading your PC or laptop during that time.

So even on paper, GeForce NOW is $100 cheaper than a $1000 gaming computer – given you are able to use the device for at least 5 years… but again any replacement/upgrades to the device will increase the cost of ownership of the gaming PC or laptop (and further increase the potential savings of using GeForce NOW initially).

Other Factors

I think the above assumptions are fair, but let’s look at some other factors that also affect the cost of ownership.. which I have not considered in the comparison above (and further weigh in favor of GeForce NOW)

Electricity

Depending if you get a laptop (65-80W power supply), or a PC (800W power supply), you can expect to pay anywhere from $1 - $5 per month in electricity costs for that device over the 5 year period.

Repair/Replacement

Any upgrades or repairs to the device during the 5 years will increase the cost of ownership, which will again further increase the savings of using GeForce NOW.

Portability

A 2023 Surface Pro 15" weighs 2.5 lbs, and a 2023 Surface Book 15" weighs 4.5 lbs. A gaming laptop can weigh anywhere from 5-10 lbs. If you are a student or a professional that travels a lot, the portability of non-gaming devices can be a huge advantage over a gaming laptop. If you are a gamer that travels a lot, you can still game on the go with GeForce NOW as long as you have a reliable internet connection.

Battery Usage

Similar to Portability, a gaming laptop with a dedicated graphics card will use more power and drain the battery faster than a non-gaming laptop.

Game Install / Updates

The time to play is a factor, and I think game streaming has an advantage here. With GeForce NOW, you can start playing a game within seconds of launching the game. With a gaming PC or laptop, you sometimes (often?) have to wait for the game to update before you can play. This can take anywhere from a few minutes to hours depending on the game and your internet connection.

If you are interested in “getting into the game” as quickly as possible – whether it’s a newly purchased game or a game you already own but may have an update, GeForce NOW is the clear winner here.

Gaming Library

But what about the gaming library? That is why GeForce NOW won the go-to-market for game streaming. GeForce NOW supports various/existing 3rd party stores including Steam, Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Connect, GOG, and Origin. This ability to play titles that you already own eliminates any sort of vendor lock-in concerns that we saw with other game-streaming services (I’m looking at you Google Stadia..)

You can also stream games from your XBOX library, thanks to the recent integration with XBOX Cloud Gaming. This means you can access hundreds of games from XBOX Game Pass, XBOX Live Gold, and EA Play that you may already own. This is a huge win for GeForce NOW, and a huge win for gamers in general that may have an existing library on XBOX.

Conclusion

In my opinion, GeForce NOW is not only a cheaper alternative to buying a gaming PC or laptop, but also is more convenient and better gaming experience for me personally. I can play my favorite games on any of my devices (Surface Pro, Macbook, Macbook Pro, ), anywhere, anytime, without worrying about hardware requirements, storage space, or installation time / updates since you last played. If you are interested in trying out GeForce NOW for yourself, you can Play Now on GeForce NOW.