Would you choose a gaming notebook over a desktop?

Hello guys!

So I always had an desktop for gaming, but now I'd need a notebook for web development. Because I need a desktop for gaming as well, I wanted to combine these two, so I looked for a gaming notebook.
Well, I have no experience with them and don't know if i should get one. Can you really, seriously, play with a gaming notebook? Isn't it just a workaround if you are not at home?

 

Yes of course, depending on what specs you get. Def make sure you get a 970 or 980m for serious gaming. My 980m gives me close to desktop performance in a very small portable package. I can take it to work, home, toilet, anywhere. Less maintenance...oh and cause I already have a beast of a gaming desktop. But even without my desktop, I would still have bought my 17. Gaming laptops have come a long way, they have never been this close to the desktop relatives.

 

It depends on what your needs are and what you're willing to tolerate. They're more expensive for sure, but nothing beats real power you can drop in your backpack.

 

Welcome to the boards!

I've gamed exclusively on gaming laptops since 2004, and have not regretted it one bit. I've played every new launch I've wanted without issue. Nothing wrong with desktops, I built plenty all through the mid 80's (first was an early i386 system)-2004, but haven't looked back yet. As mentioned above, nothing beats the portability and simply closing the lid and taking the complete machine with you. It simply fits what I'm after much more than being tethered to a single location.

Having said that, even the best won't be as fast as the best desktops... but that's a difference the benchmark'ers will argue. Any good gaming laptop will play any new game with great settings and be totally enjoyable. Not a workaround at all.

We are currently in a time of frustration for some however, so depending where you fall you may or may not want a gaming laptop. CPU's and GPU's are quickly becoming non-replaceable items, and it's questionable how much longer overclocking will be viable. This is VERY disturbing for some users and a deal breaker.

I personally, while annoyed with the trend as one that likes to tinker and upgrade, also appreciate the great improvements we've seen lately in performance (Maxwell is fantastic for laptops), temperature, power efficiencies and am very happy overall. A 3/4" thick 4 lbs laptop will play absolutely anything you want currently out while running cool with great performance, meanwhile on the other end of the spectrum there is an 18" beast with built in mechanical keyboard and SLi 980m's that will run anything great for years to come... these are great times in my humble opinion.

 

A gaming notebook... though doesn't necessarily have to be 'branded' a 'gaming notebook' to have great specs.
You can find cheaper deals by knowing what you want.
Or you can get a strong cpu and gpu and then just add up the RAM and an SSD yourself for potentially lower the cost.

 

Sure, get a gaming notebook. Use your external display with it when at home, it's always more comfortable to run multi-monitor setup while working (and very useful in some games, e.g. MMOs). As an option, you may get something compact, but eGPU-capable, and use it with desktop GPU while gaming at home, enjoying better battery life and portability while on the go. Either way, there is no point in keeping a desktop.

 

My go to laptop for powerful specs and still suitable for business use are Clevo. They are not as flashy as others and I think look like beefy large Lenovo.
I have not needed or considered a desktop since DTR laptops have had enough power for a long time now. Current one I have has a desktop i7 4790K... and the 980M is nearly a GTX 970 stock. To me, this is a desktop with a LCD attached and can throw into a backpack.
I don't want multiple computers. I want one, a laptop and a desktop in one. This one has enough storage space as well. 512gb m.2 for W8.1. A 256 SSD for Linux. A 1tb spin drive. My plan sometime to get a 256 m.2 for Linus and replace the SSD with another 1tb spin drive.

 

Yes. I've never owned a desktop, and I've had several "gaming notebooks".

 

It's a PC in a compact package. You really can't ans shouldn't play heavy 3D games on battery. Visit my YouTube channel for some gaming with the latest Clevo with desktop CPU (Clevo P750ZM) as well as other laptops as little as the Transformer T100 with a 4W TDP CPU and AMD A6 15W APU. Anything is possible. It's Windows. It's x86/x64 hardware. You can game.

https://www.youtube.com/user/htwingnut

 

I've had tons of desktops that I built myself, OC'd, modded, etc..etc..

I just don't have the desire to have a desktop in my dwelling any further. I like that I can game sitting on the couch / recliner instead of running off to some other room. I like I can bring it with me anywhere easily. I like it doesn't take up any room in my apt and doesn't need a permanent home.

Yes, to answer the topic question, but that's for you to decide. Everyone wants and needs different things.

 

I have a choice between getting a desktop or laptop for gaming and i figure that laptops are way less powerful that desktops especially by price/performance wise. i am still a school student and usually go places for summer and winter breaks since desktops are not portable so i cant take it with me when i go places but it is powerful and laptops on the other hand are potable but have way less performance. The games i look forward to playing are battlefield 3 and skyrim for now.

 

Less powerful, sure, but only less than a top end desktop. As much as I hate recommending them now, because of the whole nVidia clockblock fiasco, the 980m is nearly equivalent to a desktop 970 and 970m is only about 20-25% less performance, which if you get one that's not overclock blocked you can run near 980m performance as well.

Sure there's some compromise, but I also have a desktop, and rarely use it for gaming. Unless you're an absolute videophile that needs to game on 3 screens at 1080p+ with maximum detail, 970m and 980m can handle any game out there at 1080p with ease. BF3 and Skyrim are older titles and BF3 should run at 100FPS+ easily at ultra or near ultra details, and Skyrim needs to be locked at 60FPS anyhow which even the 860m or 960m could handle with ease.

 

These days I would buy a desktop, but back in the day laptop was a necessity for me, so that's why I bought a lappy. Looking at how I use my laptop, I don't need the rig to be portable, and it actually takes up a lot of space on the table.

 

It's funny, everyone else thinks notebook gaming sucks, but I quite like the idea of having a notebook for gaming.
Maybe you know one, which suits my criterias? http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/looking-for-a-gamer-dev-notebook.772045/

 

I actually prefer a notebook for gaming.
I find the compactness and transportability to trump a desktop.
And besides, there is a limited number of components one can upgrade anyway during a lifecycle of even a desktop computer (especially in the CPU department).
But if you are buying a top of the line laptop which was maxed out... chances are, you won't need a new one until about 4 years down the line.. at which point, you'd probably have to do an overhaul of the entire desktop system as well (mobo and cpu for the most part and possibly RAM if there's a new standard - though the desktops do offer better flexibility in terms of RAM and GPU upgrades... not to mention those being cheaper than on a laptop - that is if new hardware for laptops was designed to be modular in the first place... but even desktops are going the integrated route).

So yeah... for a marginal loss in performance that probably won't even be felt, I'd opt for a top of the line laptop that was maxed out for the next 4 years.

 

You are on Notebookreview.com, not Desktopreview.com, so I think you're going to get some biased answers here.

Personally, I have always played my PC games on a desktop which currently has a GTX 780, i7-4770K and 32gb of RAM. Only recently have I bought a gaming laptop for the first time right here on these very forums to complement it. I think my MSI GT60 with an i7-4700 and GTX 780m and 16gb RAM for $900 wasn't too bad. :3

If I had unlimited money, sure I'd love to go all out on a 980M SLI laptop. There's no denying the more raw power and also more bang for the buck you get with a desktop and then the convenience and portability with a laptop.

I just wish I wouldn't be seeing desktop and laptop PC gamers fighting with each other. We already have PC gamers against console gamers, but now even PC gamers fighting among themselves? Tsk tsk.

I love PC gaming period, no matter what it is on.

 

I agree. Some people want to use desktops.. some want to use notebooks.. They both have their places.

In the end, they are the same platform, just different form factors. Who cares really in the end.

I mean I care PERSONALLY since I prefer as thin and light as I can get.. but I really don't give two craps outside of my own needs if someone wants a desktop in their office or den.. why would I?

 

I faced a similar decision about a year ago and opted for a gaming notebook after a little 10 years of building desktops for myself. If you really do want to play games, make sure you shell out for a nice one (gtx 970m or 980m), which is the first compromise: it is more expensive and you do get less relative power than a desktop. The other major compromise is noise. I read a lot of posts saying gaming laptops weren't loud, but I found the difference to be fairly significant. It's mostly only loud when you're gaming though, so you'll be listening to the game anyway. A modern desktop that's well built you generally won't hear at all, but there's definitely an audible hum to a gaming notebook. That being said, I haven't found either compromise to be a huge issue and I suspect my next computer will also be a gaming notebook as well.

I still hookup my laptop to an external display (and use it's screen as the 2nd one) along with a keyboard and mouse. It's nice that I can pickup and detach it though if I ever want to go anywhere.

Deks has made a very good point above in terms of hardware. Before you used to have a lot of external add-in cards on a desktop, but more and more now is built right into the motherboard. Intel also tends to update their socket fairly often, so on a semi-regular upgrade cycle, you end up having to buy a new motherboard anyway. The number of components one can replace isn't so different anymore, although many notebooks now are soldering the cpu & gpu unfortunately.

 

Fan noise not an issue for me since I game with headphones. Movies and music are speakers, but gaming always headphones.

 

Story of my life.

 

This makes very little sense in my head. I kinda get it, but at the same time, I dont support OEMs that make a crappy cooling system. Neither should anyone put up with that

 

I'd prefer a desktop if only for the screen size. I like working with a large monitor. But I'd need 2 or 3 desktops and located in precarious locations to do what I need to do and where I need to locate my desktop.

 

Besides the issue of portability, there are other reasons I prefer laptops.

1: Power Use. I rent where the electricity is included in the rent (...internet too ) and at home my laptop is on for long periods of time. If I had a desktop, I would probably be choosing a configuration burning through 350w at least and maybe 400w or 450w. My last laptop was 150w max and my new one is 230w max

2: Reliability. I may of just had bad luck, but every desktop I've owned has had serious problems. If the desktop lasted long enough to upgrade, then more problems arose with that. Between the binning of chips and whatever engineering was done in the design phase, laptops just seem to last longer without serious problems.

 

Where did I say my machine's cooling was crappy? I simply stated its never an issue for me because I use headphones while gaming.

 

If it is noisy it is usually crappy
Yes I know you need to make sacrifices sometimes. ie thin SLI notebooks are bound to be noisy anyway because there is little that can be done about that

Im guessing its because incompability/drivers crashing/etc by being able to mix literally any desktop parts you can find and build a machine. While notebooks have been designed by carefully picking parts that have tested to work 100% together

I remember that from my desktop days.

Ive been drooling all over this display lately. Should release sometime in March. A top buy from me if I had a desktop
http://www.pcgamer.com/acer-unveil-super-quick-144hz-g-sync-ips-monitor/

 

I was considering mentioning that compatability, but as for the desktops, it was bad hardware.

 

That looks awesome. I'm planning on moving sometime this year if all goes as planned, and hopefully I can get my home set up so I can have an open walled office that overlooks the family room and kitchen so I can set up a nice desktop. Will likely still need a laptop, but if I can use desktop 90% of the time in one spot, I'll be happy to have a nice LCD and desktop power.

I think 2560 x 1440 is the perfect resolution too. Well maybe 2880 x 1800, good ol' 16:10.

 

While I've mentioned that noise is a compromise, I tend to solve it the same way. Throw on a headset and you won't hear it anymore.

 

Desktops run circles around laptops for a portion of the cost (if you assemble it yourself) but they are clunky and difficult to transport. Here are the reasons I prefer a notebook:

1) I work abroad, so year to year I might end up in a different country. Having a laptop for my off-duty leisure time is far more viable than a desktop.

2) I set my 17+ in beast on my bed and do whatever the hell I want. Watch movies, watch TV shows, play games. All in hi-def. Would have to leave the comfort of my bed and sit in a spine-destroying chair at a desk if I owned a desktop. Besides, I work with computers. I sit at a desk 12 hours a day. I rather enjoy lounging in bed for a change.

3) Can bring it on vacations (even though I don't because when I go the thought of touching a computer doesn't cross my mind. My ipad/iphone more than suffice my occasional browsing needs whilst vacationing).

 

This is my second gaming laptop. (first one was AW M11X R3)
Befor that only Desktop for 25 years. Couldn't even think of purchasing a Laptop.
Now days gaming laptop are so strong i can't give up mobility. (especially after an upgrade to Maxwell based Quadro's

 

No point in choosing a gaming laptop, if it's just going to sit on a desk all day anyway.

 

I am traveling at least once per week.
With all the power in my backpack.

 

I started gaming on a Pentium 4 desktop with Intel iGPU... After I got my 1st laptop, seen no point of going back to desktops.. Power bill is less and best of all, it's perfectly sized for the limited space I have... I would love to get an external monitor though!

 

I watch all my shows/movies on the laptop, or connected to a TV. Me, I find it convenient to watch a flick in bed with a 17" screen.

Plus I like studying/work in bed with a 17" screen over some ultra-light 13" laptop.

 

+1

 

Portability doesn't just apply to outside the house. Gaming laptops aren't just desktop replacements, they're gaming console replacements as well.

 

I will go for desktop is more easy in pvp for me

 

Not sure I follow. How is desktop easier for pvp?

 

Personally I'd go for a desktop. Generally cheaper for the performance and any gaming I do won't require moving around (either a single-player game or online gaming, no LAN gaming for me personally).

 

I can't seem to balance a desktop, monitor, and keyboard on my lapdesk so I think I will stick with a notebook

 

Yup. Who needs Steam Link or NVIDIA Shield console when there's a laptop that plays games natively without the added latency? Not me

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

A toilet laptop, there must be at least a 40% extra depreciation rate for that

 

Eww.. Poo particles

 

Ive been laptop gaming for as long as I can remember and was looking to upgrade to the new Alienware 17....until I noticed that it had a soldered CPU and GPU. Then I heard that the industry was moving over to BGA.

Coupled with the fact that I can rarely upgrade my existing laptop GPU due to (often artificial) Bios restrictions (even my GTX 680M never got any official support) and the expense of mobile GPU's in general (cost as much as a new mid range laptop), I decided against a gaming laptop this time. I still have my old P170HM but I won't be buying any more gaming laptops because Ive simply had enough. I never thought a day would come where I gave up on laptop gaming though!

I don't move my laptop around enough to justify hardware with a locked out Bios and BGA so I went for a mini Itx this time around. The Obsidian 250D with a GTX 980, 16GB Ram and a 4Ghz i7. It runs silent and cool (CPU and GPU idles at 30C). If I need to transport it in my car to a new location it is more convenient than a big Desktop and it doesn't take up much space in my room. I think the gaming laptop industry could have had a seriously great future but in my opinion, they have killed it with greed, short sightedness and lack of understanding of its sheer potential.

 

Rarely laptop GPU upgrades are/were 'officially' supported though. But at least it was possible. Not anymore. Screw em all. If desktops go the same way it's time for me to find a new hobby, perhaps get back into cars and music production.
I sure do share your sentiments.
I've got a Corsair Air 240 and EVGA x99 Micro on their way to me now. I'll have fun experimenting with some hexcore love and temperature limitations too no doubt but I'll take my time enjoying the building process and freedom a desktop has to offer.

 

There goes LaptopNut, whose quote of "I will never give up on laptop gaming!" got invalidated by Intel, nVidia, the rabid fans of thin/light and all-around anti-consumer-everything.

 

The whole issue I see here is that if sales drop on gaming laptops significantly they will just attribute it to a "dwindling market" and not because of the product changes that were made (i.e. BGA). It will give them an excuse to exit the laptop market. Margins are very small as it is.

But let's be honest, the user base for laptops with upgradable hardware was small to begin with. Those that actually bought it as a feature was a small percentage of that already small percentage. Most people won't even know or care. If they can game on it they're happy. Gaming laptops are becoming nothing but glorified consoles it seems.

This is where monopoly hurts the worse. Intel and Nvidia own the market. They do what seems to work best for their quarterly bottom line, not for the betterment of the technology or the users. But where Intel, Nvidia, etc don't see where it will bite them is that enthusiasts are free advertising. Heck we pay to advertise for them by shelling out for top end hardware and preaching to everyone who will listen. The problem is now, what do we recommend to users? We can't say use AMD CPU's and GPU's because there is nothing of substance.

This, young children, is why monopolies suck.

 

And the users who rant and rave about "build quality" because "if it's thin and has an aluminum body with a sexy finish, that's perfect!" not caring if RAM is soldered in like in rMBP or if all you have for storage is a single 512GB SSD AT MOST with a Razer Blade.

Everyone who wants something now demands something thin and light, and the users who would promote/talk about the machines already have overly beefy desktops and don't need a laptop for gaming. So they don't can't see the point of enthusiasts who rather laptops just be a portable, all-in-one desktop.

AMD has made it clear that they're not going anywhere but forward with GCN and their CPU designs are nonexistent. Intel has no competition, so when it forces broadwell which has worse battery life than haswell in the ULV market, is hotter and probably somehow drains more power under load, nobody can reply, because anything from AMD's APU line is beaten by 5 year old ULV chip tech.

I seriously just want to get the parts to make this machine optimal (980M SLI and 4910MQ or 4930MX and 16GB 2133MHz RAM) and then just... use this until it's no longer practical (which will likely take ages) and then go desktop side. Hell, who knows. I might even give up gaming in the future. I have no idea what I'd do anymore, since tech and gaming has been close to my heart for over 10 years, but games are going terribly for the most part, enthusiast laptops are dead, windows is hiding functionality or making it a pain in the ass to deal with like disabling driver signature enforcement or rebooting into safe mode or pretty much anything that's actually USEFUL that a user could "accidentally" do and "potentially screw up a PC", and to top it all off, tech is for the most part actually getting worse and not better. Haswell was a step down from ivy bridge on the whole. Broadwell first impressions are worse than haswell. Skylake is releasing alongside broadwell because it was so delayed. AMD is nowhere to be found. And worst of all? The majority of users who class themselves as enthusiasts (aka "the desktop gaming PC crowd") are absolutely ignorant and obstinate of anything resembling correct information most of the time. "Eww, AMD sucks, so hot, draws so much power, eww." followed by "why does haswell suck? I get my chip to run cool and power draw isn't a problem. I don't see how Ivy Bridge is better." (double standards much?).

I'd love if enthusiast stuff made a return by the time I need a new computer. But the way things are going? It's in a terrible direction.

 

Not anymore.

 

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