Gaming Laptop or Gaming Desktop?

[Arlon_Nabarlly]

No. Others have already gone over why the GPU line is wrong, but the adage does not apply at all either. You don't pay extra in a laptop for making it "good" or "fast". You pay extra because of the size constraints. A desktop will get you better quality and speed than an equivalently priced laptop. It's amazing what proper space and ventilation will do for driving cost down.

 

a QFT!

[Gyronamics]

Remember the reason why you can game at high settings on a gaming laptop.

 

It tends to have a vastly smaller screen.

 

 

Laptops are compromise computers for when you "need" a small portable computer, a desktop gets you far more for the money.

[Andryah]

It's amazing what proper space and ventilation will do for driving cost down.

 

It's more complicated then this, but it comes down to two things power supply and compact integration, NOT space and ventilation.

 

1) Good gaming laptops are fine on ventilation these days, for what you are able to install in them (due more to power constraints then anything else). The limiting factor in laptops these days is weight, and while it is possible to put desktop level processors and GPUs into a laptop form factor (and cool it), it's power prohibitive. A power brick to power a desktop chipset in a laptop form factor would be the size of a shoe box and weight 15 lbs. In other words, it defeats the purpose of the form factor that laptops represent. Gaming laptops are already pushing the limits of weight and power form factors. Costs rise exponentially past a certain point for providing portable power in a truly portable form factor.

 

2) The premium prices of laptops are slowly converging with desktops, but will likely never actually converge. Why? because the manufacturing costs for form factors are always going to be higher for laptops, and restricted to a handful of large manufacturing houses in Asia. Every laptop on the market today is made by one of about half a dozen companies in Asia (mostly in Taiwan). This includes all the brand name laptops... which carry labels like Dell, Hp, etc.. but are made by a 3rd parties in Asia. Whereas desktops can be made by mixing and matching inefficient form factor components that any small manufacturing house can reproduce directly off of reference designs provided by the GPU and CPU providers.

[Arlon_Nabarlly]

He said space and ventilation. While ventilation has improved a lot space is still a major issue. You listed that weight is the main concern, but space and weight are essentially two sides of the same coin. If you make a lighter weight component that will enable them to make it smaller, components are made smaller by converting them to lighter weight materials/technologies. You guys were essentially saying the same thing, the problem is that desktops will always be better because they have the space to put the top of the line components without having to be nearly as concerned with space/weight, and ventilation (which is still a concern because if you put too many large components in a laptop without growing the case you've created a major ventilation issue). Edited July 30, 2013 by Arlon_Nabarlly

[AlaricSevGirl]

Which is why laptops like the M18X are on the market. They are desktop replacements and can travel. I don't know how many people are going to pack up a desktop and monitor for a trip but they will an M18X.

 

OP, if you travel get a good gaming laptop. If not, go with a desktop. It's as simple as that. Like I said before, I have three gaming laptops and can run every game I've played on high settings.

[Andryah]

He said space and ventilation. While ventilation has improved a lot space is still a major issue. You listed that weight is the main concern, but space and weight are essentially two sides of the same coin. If you make a lighter weight component that will enable them to make it smaller, components are made smaller by converting them to lighter weight materials/technologies. You guys were essentially saying the same thing, the problem is that desktops will always be better because they have the space to put the top of the line components without having to be nearly as concerned with space/weight, and ventilation (which is still a concern because if you put too many large components in a laptop without growing the case you've created a major ventilation issue).

 

Space is only relevant in the context of wanting to have the ability to add more cards. This used to be a big differentiator, but not any longer. The ability to easily upgrade components, to extend or adjust the feature set and performance of a desktop remains it's top user advantage. Thing is.. the majority of consumers never use the feature on desktops anymore. People who are professional PC experts do, and younger audiences tend to like to tinker, but most consumers don't really want to tinker.. they want something that works out of the box, works well, and in more and more cases offers moderate portability.

 

The reason laptops are able to proliferate the market so extensively is precisely because they are able to offer portability and performance that meets the consumers needs. The vast majority of consumers simply do not need a maximum gaming system, and those that do can get pretty close with gaming laptops for a price premium that is no longer prohibitive.

 

There is a reason that the laptop segment known as "desktop replacement" is one of the fastest growing segments of the consumer market.

[Andryah]

Which is why laptops like the M18X are on the market. They are desktop replacements and can travel. I don't know how many people are going to pack up a desktop and monitor for a trip but they will an M18X.

 

Exactly. There is a lot of demand in the market as the consumer base becomes more and more mobile in every way. Most laptops that are gaming capable are actually desktop replacements, designed not to be hauled to school/work and back every day, but rather to be portable enough to easily move around the house or to a friends house when needed. They lack the flexibility to upgrade, and or build_your_own, but the majority of consumers do not require nor care for either capability.

 

Personally, I am going in a new direction for gaming inside my home. I just completed upgrading all the flatscreens in my home and since these are located in the areas of my home where I typically spend game time anyway, I am going this time around with a central desktop chassis networked to the flatscreens, with streaming on demand to whichever flatscreen I select, and with a mobile keyboard/mouse/G13 integrated together in a lightweight portable wireless work surface. I'm just waiting on the completion of the work surface from my engineering friend.

Edited July 30, 2013 by Andryah

[Gammawaves]

SWToR is not laptop friendly. You will need very high quality gaming laptop if you want to play this game.

My laptop plays every single MMO out there smoothly and flawlessly, I cant even tell the difference between desktop and my laptop.

Until I installed SWTOR.

This is the only game ive encountered that makes playing on a laptop a bad experience. It takes 2-3 minutes for each planet loading screen to load. When I queue for pvp sometimes it takes so long to load the battlefield that as soon as I log into the warzone, im booted and sent back to fleet for being AFK. Then if im lucky and can enter the warzone, the lag is bad with teleporting players. Going to the fleet is also a problem, lag, banks and mailboxes take awhile to load.

I can play all the other MMO out there with no problems. Its only SWToR with the problem.

Edited July 30, 2013 by Gammawaves

[Andryah]

I play on an Asus g75 and it's amazing.

 

Asus gaming laptops are very good. IMO, if you require the portability of a laptop... the Asus line of gaming laptops is the best in the market atm, in terms of performance and value.

Edited July 30, 2013 by Andryah

[MillionsKNives]

Space is only relevant in the context of wanting to have the ability to add more cards. This used to be a big differentiator, but not any longer. The ability to easily upgrade components, to extend or adjust the feature set and performance of a desktop remains it's top user advantage. Thing is.. the majority of consumers never use the feature on desktops anymore. People who are professional PC experts do, and younger audiences tend to like to tinker, but most consumers don't really want to tinker.. they want something that works out of the box, works well, and in more and more cases offers moderate portability.

 

The reason laptops are able to proliferate the market so extensively is precisely because they are able to offer portability and performance that meets the consumers needs. The vast majority of consumers simply do not need a maximum gaming system, and those that do can get pretty close with gaming laptops for a price premium that is no longer prohibitive.

 

There is a reason that the laptop segment known as "desktop replacement" is one of the fastest growing segments of the consumer market.

 

You're taking two words of my last sentence without context and far too literally. You pay more because you're trying to fit more in less, while trying to keep it cool and powered. Making a powerful computer that fits in the space of a car is easy, making it fit into your pocket is harder. We're both making the same argument, you're just limiting yourself on the words I chose too much.

[Kilora]

For the same specs and quality, desktops are significantly cheaper.

 

Personally, I won't game on a laptop because many gaming laptops, in my experience, do not last anywhere near as long because of the added stress. I'd rather spend $800 on a desktop that I can upgrade piecemeal and tweak as I see fit, especially because desktop hardware is more consumer-friendly.

 

You cannot upgrade most parts of a laptop, unless of course you pay someone to do it or are skilled with soldering. Not something I really want to play around with, personally ^.^

[Andryah]

You're taking two words of my last sentence without context and far too literally. You pay more because you're trying to fit more in less, while trying to keep it cool and powered. Making a powerful computer that fits in the space of a car is easy, making it fit into your pocket is harder. We're both making the same argument, you're just limiting yourself on the words I chose too much.

 

We are largely agreeing on the broad strokes, but not on the nuance that is driving consumer demand.

 

You are paying more for form factor and for power management. Cooling is largely a non-issue in laptops these days.

 

Power management is the single largest factor in today's laptops. Form factor is completely secondary. People just want portable, and the limiting factor today on portable is power management NOT form factor.

 

IF there were some magic breakthrough on power management (ie: lighter power bricks that deliver more power in a smaller form factor), then cooling would become the next issue to rise to the top. But physics argues against a magic breakthrough in power management.

 

You lose flexibility of configuration/modification/updating in a laptop, but most consumers don't actually care any more.

Edited July 30, 2013 by Andryah

[Pernicia]

You're taking two words of my last sentence without context and far too literally. You pay more because you're trying to fit more in less, while trying to keep it cool and powered. Making a powerful computer that fits in the space of a car is easy, making it fit into your pocket is harder. We're both making the same argument, you're just limiting yourself on the words I chose too much.

 

And the whole argument boils down to this: if you need portability get a laptop, otherwise get a desktop.

[Andryah]

And the whole argument boils down to this: if you need portability get a laptop, otherwise get a desktop.

 

Hehe... Indeed.... AND spoken like an actual consumer.

 

Inb4 someone posts a photo of their desktop_in_a_backpack.

[MillionsKNives]

Hehe... Indeed.... AND spoken like an actual consumer.

 

Inb4 someone posts a photo of their desktop_in_a_backpack.

 

It needed to be done. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BT104-HnEIk/Re0YFaCU3GI/AAAAAAAAATc/jrb5_NX5k2c/s1600/portable%2Bcomputer.jpg

[Arlon_Nabarlly]

Space is only relevant in the context of wanting to have the ability to add more cards. This used to be a big differentiator, but not any longer. The ability to easily upgrade components, to extend or adjust the feature set and performance of a desktop remains it's top user advantage. Thing is.. the majority of consumers never use the feature on desktops anymore. People who are professional PC experts do, and younger audiences tend to like to tinker, but most consumers don't really want to tinker.. they want something that works out of the box, works well, and in more and more cases offers moderate portability.

 

The reason laptops are able to proliferate the market so extensively is precisely because they are able to offer portability and performance that meets the consumers needs. The vast majority of consumers simply do not need a maximum gaming system, and those that do can get pretty close with gaming laptops for a price premium that is no longer prohibitive.

 

There is a reason that the laptop segment known as "desktop replacement" is one of the fastest growing segments of the consumer market.

 

I don't see how any of this applies to what you quoted. We were talking about technical limitations not consumer preference. I know most PC consumers are dumb, I've made a living off of it.

[Pernicia]

Inb4 someone posts a photo of their desktop_in_a_backpack.

 

LOL, funny you should mention that... I've seen pics of someone who built and entire desktop, monitor, keyboard, and everything, inside a small carry-on sized suitcase.

 

EDIT - Found it!

Edited July 30, 2013 by Pernicia

[Andryah]

LOL, funny you should mention that... I've seen pics of someone who built and entire desktop, monitor, keyboard, and everything, inside a small carry-on sized suitcase.

 

EDIT - Found it!

 

LOL... so my jocular inb4 was indeed prudent on my part.

[Pernicia]

LOL... so my jocular inb4 was indeed prudent on my part.

 

More like self fulfilling prophecy... I'd have never though to post that without your inb4

Edited July 30, 2013 by Pernicia

[Andryah]

More like self fulfilling prophecy... I'd have never though to post that without your inb4

 

Point taken.

[Pernicia]

Aaaaaaaaaanyway, since the OP seems to have gotten lost in the static, here's the best response I can give to the original question.

 

If you need portability for business trips, gaming at a friends house, ect. Grab a laptop. As to which one, well, there's people here who are better qualified than I to give you advice.

 

If do not need a laptop, build your own desktop. You'll get more performance for your money and better quality parts. You can also upgrade piecemeal as you see fit. There's a wealth of information on YouTube about part selection and putting it together; the reddit build a pc forum is another good resource. Or if you'd rather, I'd be happy to assist via PM.

[ThiborF]

Hey guys,

 

I'm trying to get some feedback about my next big computer purchase.

 

My needs are fairly basic: word processing, e-mail, Internet, etc., but I do enjoy MMOs. I don't play any other games on PC, except for the Sims series. Any "new" high-end games are played on a console. I know that most MMOs are designed to be able to run on lower-spec machines, which is awesome, but I want something a bit better than the mediocre machine I have now. In fact, I wouldn't call it mediocre. It's getting to be considered "low-end" by this point.

 

Basically, I'm stuck. I don't want to spend too much ($500-$600), but I want to get something decent. Should I invest a decent gaming laptop or desktop? What are the advantages/disadvantages of each?

 

TL;DR - I want a new computer to use for basic stuff and MMOs, but don't know if I should get a laptop or desktop. Also don't want to spend more than $600.

 

While you can absolutely game well on a laptop, you're not going to be able to do it on a $600 budget as this time sadly. In most cases, the lower end of gaming laptops is going to start around $800 and go up from there. Something like the following Toshiba and Sager models is around the entry level end of gaming laptop systems.

Toshiba - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834216541

Sager - http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_customed&model_name=NP4650

 

A company/site like Sager is going to give you a lot more options obviously than going through a place like NewEgg or brick-n-mortar like a Best Buy and buying an off the shelf laptop.

 

Pros of a gaming laptop? Portability. If you are in need of frequently traveling and still wanting to get your game on, then investing in a good gaming laptop can be a worthwhile purchase.

 

Cons of a gaming laptop? Short batter life, tend to run MUCH warmer and cost. Also, depending on HDD options, less storage. Any laptop you plan on doing any serious type of gaming with will require it to have a dedicated graphics card. As a result price goes up, as does heat output and conversely, battery life tanks due to the extra drain on it. I'm lucky if I can get an hour to an hour and a half with my Sager unplugged as opposed to others enjoying several hours of use on their non-gaming laptops before needing to plug it in.

 

Also, unless you go with a larger 17" or 19" laptop (which further ups the cost but can support dual drives) you're going to have to choose between the performance and lesser space of a SSD or more space of a traditional HDD but, not as peppy. With a desktop, you can go the route of having a small SSD OS drive (like say 60gb) and then a nice fat 2TB drive for plenty of storage.

 

I'm currently happy with my Sager (15.6", full HD, core i7 1.87ghz, 8gb ram, 1.5gb nVidia 460m, 160gb ssd) that is now a few years old. It played TOR okay during beta and early release. I've since got a new desktop at home and since I'm traveling less these days, probably won't feel a need to upgrade my laptop aside from upgrading the SSD in it to a 500 or 750 sized one down the road.

 

Which brings up one last point. Your gaming laptop? You can upgrade/add more memory (providing the motherboard supports more than it initially came with) and you can upgrade the HDD/SSD and if need be, likely replace the media drive. Other than that, you're not going to be upgrading it to "freshen it up" in 2-3 yrs when that new MMO comes out you're dying to play and your laptop chokes on the reqs.

 

TLDR - for $600, go with a desktop. You'll be MUCH happier with the results.