They can be nice if you want to play assassin style (hit hard and quick, then run away for some time). Since they are very power hungry you will need full energy to weapons all the time. Even then, they drain fast, so they are bad for longer fights or if you just want to fight all the time. Beam lasers demand rest phases. Pulses do more damage per energy invested and don't heat as much. Granted, to kill that sidewinder you will need perhaps 1 second longer, but for that conda you will actually be faster with pulses, since you can just keep firing.