laptop or desktop

well i thought id see how many people on here prefer to game on a laptop or a desktop ive always preferred to game on a laptop rather than a desktop even though a gaming desktop is alot cheaper than a gaming laptop but who else on on here prefers to game on a laptop rather than a desktop

 

In terms of raw gaming power, you cannot outdo a good custom-built desktop. However, at this point in time I would probably buy a gaming laptop over a desktop simply because I need the portability. Living in a university dorm, I have to move in and out several times per year, and doing that with a full blown desktop setup (full tower case with heavy components, display, keyboard, mouse) is way too much hassle. With a gaming notebook, I'd still get all the power I need, in a much more convenient package; the only things I'd have to haul around are the laptop itself, a mouse, and maybe a headset. Of course, the tradeoff with that is price.

 

I have an Xbox360 and a Desktop but I found that I always prefer gaming on my laptop. Even though a laptop will never ever directly compete with the raw power of a desktop the fact is, when you can max out almost all of the latest games on your laptop at native resolution, you don't have a lot to complain about. Ever since I received my laptop, my Xbox360 became unused and if I hadn't been so lazy about it, I would have sold it already.

You can spend less and get a shiny new gaming capable Desktop but never have the option of taking it anywhere else. When one day you do decide you want to take your gaming collection with you and you are able to game in another location you really start to appreciate that you have that option.

 

Hardly anybody actually needs portable gaming power. Most people never game outside of their dorm room, most people never game outside of their room, etc. Build a cheap, powerful desktop with 24" monitor for $800 and buy a $400 notebook like the AS1410 and you get everything you need for $1200 instead of spending money on a gaming notebook that does everything decent and nothing well.

 

Laptop =

1- CPU (im mean the computer it self!)
2- Screen
3- Keyboard
4- Mouse
5- Optical Drive
6- Speakers
7- Web Cam
8- Others (card reader, bluetooth...etc)

AND GUESS WHAT....ITS PORTABLE!!!

For me, i will choose a laptop over a desktop any second/minute/hour/day/week/month/year/decade/millennium/aeon

 

i'd pick desktop anytime since i like gaming with min 50-60fps on higher resolutions with high settings and AA and AF on. laptops that can pull that off are way too expensive for my taste and are both heavy and have poor battery life.

 

True, but a gaming laptop is always going to be more portable than a mid or full tower isn't it?

 

I prefer a gaming laptop because I game in the comfort of bed or on a huge sofa. I guess I work a lot of hours and prefer gaming on my console or on my laptop as a convenience. HOWEVER....

Laptops just aren't that cost effective for gaming. My Alienware m15x with the 8800GTX is is getting a bit old. MW2 can't be maxed. That game really isn't that demanding and to play with high settings at 1024 by 768...that kinda sucks. At the time, the 8800GTX was a great buy. It was a bleeding edge card much better than anything else out and I knew I would get about 2 years of good gaming on the system. But that is pretty much it. People are spending 2-5k (depending on options) for a system that ultimately will not be upgradable.

A desktop is upgradable and you will get much more return on investment. I figure I am going to wait one more year to get the most of my alienware and then upgrade to one more laptop before I probably retire to "just" console gaming. I have a feeling when I have a family, a console is about the only thing I will have the time to play.

So ya..I prefer a laptop but it really is only a cost effective solution if you buy smart (get the best GPU when it comes out and not at the end of the lifecycle) and know when you buy that you are paying to play today's games at HIGH and the next two years games "pretty well." Then you have to buy another.

 

My friend, this is 2010!!

Where laptops comes with Core i7 + ATI 5870 1GB-GDDR5
(Yes i mean the Asus G73 )

And all that starting with 1600$

Unless you want 16GB ram instead of the pre-installed 8GB

Whaaaaaaaaaaat

Come again....8800mGTX cant play MW2 at more than 1024x768

I cant believe it, My 9800mGS can play MW2 at highest @native (no AA vsync)

And i believe its inferior to 8800mGTX

 

What? If I can play max without AA at 1280 x 800 with a 3650, then there must be something wrong with your card.

 

You were doing well up until that point. Today's laptops are marvels of performance and technology and can blow away all but the most high level desktops of just a few years ago. That said, dollar for dollar the desktop is still your best investment. Equaling the performance of a laptop for half the price.

Still, there are a lot more pros and cons for each. However, if portability is your preference (and it is for most) you can't say too many bad things about a good laptop.

 

What's a desktop?

 

only if you don't pay for electricity or don't use it often

 

Nope nothing wrong. You are telling me you run 1280 no AA but "extra" details for all three, soft edges, secular map, and everything on but vsync? And you must be running fraps as well to see the fps? When running fraps in the opening scene and during the airport attack...I drop to the 20s. I have gotten back to 50-70 when disabling secular world, turning off the smoke edges and dropping to no AA and 1024 by 768. I think some people run this game thinking it is "Maxed" but don't realize there performance drops to the 20's in intense situations. My 3dmark and other game performance is on par (L4d2, COD 4, CS:S, etc). I think when they reviewed the performance "average" a desktop 8800 GT (stronger than mine) averaged 50fps. That would definitely have dips into the 20s.

 

Try updating your drivers for sure. Are you running 186.81 or 186.82?

 

An extremely old box like structure that contained oversized parts and didn't have a monitor built in (Although my XPS 420 has, useless as it is).

 

i would gladly game on a laptop again, but since i stopped moving my laptop as much since i got my netbook, i opted for more power than more portability.

 

If you are a high end gamer and storage addict, you need a desktop. If you are a moderate gamer, you need a very expensive laptop. If you are sensible, need mobility, and entertainment, you need 3 things: desktop you built yourself for peanuts with a great monitor, a nice midgrade laptop that will play fun games and movies for about 2 years with a steep curve in what you are able to play, and a sorry little congo-based netbook that will likely play a bunch of things on the cheap.

Your desktop is a good investment, as is an Ion or Congo based netbook. The rest are pretty much money drains that won't last you more that a year. Think cheap and NVidia and ATI on laptops/netbooks, and all out on a desktop. You will be pleased that way.

 

I was running 186.81 and just did the 186.82 and notice a MARKED improvement in COD MW2. It still drops to 30s in the airport but no more 20s. Plus I upped to 720P. CS:S jumped on the stress test maxed 1440 by 900 and max everything AA/AF to like 230 from 170FPS. 50FPS increase...amazing. overall COD is running around 50 to 120 in the main environments. I just notice some environments get a bit low 30ish.....according to FRAPS.

 

Good job. Now it's starting to sound like an 8800M GTX.

 

used to be desktop, but haven't had a desktop in about 3 years. Went Xbox 360 for awhile and now been rocking laptop gaming. Love it. Laptops now adays are very capable and powerful although the costs are still a bit up there.

 

I can play Cod MW2 Multi max out in NV controlplanel and in game 1920x1200 and stil get around 35 fps in Wasteland!

In game you need the Texture Quality setting set to automatic or set it high. Ive i set the 3 setting to extra the game gets laggy and the game crash after 1 minute! I can set texture resolution to extra but the other 2 only on high.

I think its a bug in the game!?

Try it out !

 

I've read of that texture problem too so def check it

 

I agree with this - it's a better use of money IMO. Obviously it comes down to your circumstances (do you need mobility, are you home a lot, etc), but price-wise building a desktop and buying a (relatively) cheap laptop is the way to go.

$1600 is a lot of money. For that price I can build a great desktop and buy a decent laptop for portable work. I wouldn't want to spend that much money on just one computer (unless I really had to for some reason).

 

What you are getting is a bug. I am getting the same problem with my laptop, although only with the very last level. It gets REAL laggy, and then some textures don't show up, right? I think that's a RAM problem.

 

hmmmm cant understand your logic here??!!

Why not just buy ONE computer and do what ^ two computers can do???

Efficiency comes to my mind....

 

Maybe he is referring to efficient use of resources. Even after years of use, the most that would need replaced is mobo/cpu/ram. But the case, PSU, HD's etc will be usable. Just throw in a new GPU. A desktop is very upgradable to the latest and greatest. Plus a laptop GPU is usually a few years behind what is on the desktop. The 5800 series mobile are not yet out and they are not as powerful as the flagship desktop (which can run crossfire). So his logic is predicated on that and getting a regular laptop for other measures.

I just like gaming on my laptop. It is very convenient and I pay for that alone. Outside of convenience/comfort....it doesn't make much logical sense...to me at least.

 

Maybe instead of getting so caught up in logic, expense, the future, efficiency and power, we should instead spend more time simply enjoying what ever we have or can afford. If you work and can afford an over priced gaming laptop then enjoy it. Sometimes I think we over analyse way too much in life.

 

Hmmm still not satisfied by the answer

If your a new comer to Core i7 --> Motherboard replacement
And might also need to upgrade the ram..
If you want to upgrade to a powerful GPU --> PSU usually should be upgraded too

In other words compatibility, In other word you MIGHT need to replace the most important parts in your desktop = EXPENSIVE

And about the mobile GPU are behind the desktop counterparts....Believe me you dont need THE most powerful card out there
The 9800mGS is still very very capable, most games are playable at highest (no AA,Vsync)....and its more than 1 year old!

If you mean Alienware laptops, im with you

But if you consider the likes of Asus G73 and consider it over priced, then i dont agree...

Other than that, I agree with what you said!

 

I used to be all about the best, most powerful - and that meant a desktop system. I'd just settle for taking the desktop with me wherever I meant - lugging a huge tower, 22" CRT display, etc - it was a huge pain, but it's what I felt I had to do.

On this most recent computer purchase (about a year ago) I finally took the plunge into laptop gaming setups. For me, the gain of portability was amazing - I could have my powerful gaming setup, and still take it with me easily wherever I went!

I guess for my level of gaming requirements, the 'desktop replacement' laptop systems really are just as powerful as the desktops I'm familiar with - so I'm not giving anything up in terms of gaming performance, but gaining a huge boost in ease of use and travel.

Of course, what I give up for this (power+portability) is cost... But, for the enjoyment I get out of it, it's worth it for me. It may not be for everyone, though - you have to decide what factors (cost, portability, gaming power, etc) are most important to you, and tailor your fit appropriately.

 

Laptop = portability
Desktop = power, generally better/cheaper upgradability paths & generally cheaper for the price/performance ratio

Just pick your priorities basically.

 

You are being redundant to my post. I said at most mobo/cpu/ram. If you build a decent rig to begin with your PSU will be sufficient. 1000 watt is plenty. A mobo/cpu/ram is hundreds of dollars. That isn't bad if you upgrade to the "latest and greatest" 2 years down the road.

I was one of the very first on the forum with a m15x with a 2.5ghz penryn, 8800MGTX and 4 gig ram almost 2 years ago in a few weeks. That is a lot of bang for the buck. The reason it is still kicking butt is because consoles are dominating PC gaming. So, for the time being, we are stuck getting gimped/crappy ports built around the console in mind. Even the RAGE is being built with a console in mind and Doom 3 was SUPPOSED to be build with console in mind.

But trust me....in 2 years when the new consoles are out....whoever is buying 2000-4000k gaming laptops will be very disappointed because there will be a new "lowest common denominator" for gaming. PC games, even if console ports, will be based on whatever technology is in the new consoles. So if I have a desktop today with i7, a 5970 and 6 gig ram etc...the most I will probably need to do is switch MOBO/CPU/RAM/GPU. A mid-level mobo/cpu/ram/gpu is usually around 600-800 dollars (200 cpu, 120 mobo, 3/400 gpu). That is WAY cheaper and more cost effective than spending 1600 today and 1600 2 years from now. If you only game on laptops (and 1600 is NOT the price everyone ends up paying as people tend to opt for more options). So 2000 every 2 years is 10000. 600 bucks every 2 years equals 3000. So you are saving 7,000 dollars and having a much better system. Sorry but a 5970 running on a 32 inch 2560 by 1200 monitor with an overclocked i7 delivers a vastly different experience than running a 5870 (desktop equivalent 5770) on a 17 inch monitor at 1080p. I consider monitors/cases/PSU/hard drives/etc to be sunk costs...once bought they LAST. I was also being "nice" with saying a midrange GPU is 3-400 bucks. Honestly they are about 150. If you wait a bit you get a CPU/mobo/RAM/GPU for about 500 dollars realistically if you wait a bit and get mid-range/refresh. That is a luxury you can't do with laptop gaming.

The point is valid about the vast majority of people NOT leaving their place of residence to game. So the cost that the person was mentioning is very real and I hope that breaks it down better for you.

I am not here to put down laptop gaming. I ONLY game on laptops now. The reason being, comfort/convenience/laziness. I am done upgrading computers, I don't need the best of the best, and I like to game on a sofa/bed for about 30 minutes at a time for CS:S, COD, L4D and be done. I know you can hook up a desktop to a TV but I just like the feeling and comfort of having a laptop in front of me whereever I decide to game (sofa, bed, dining room, etc). So that is why I justify the increased cost. But it is much much more cost effective to game on a desktop and have a laptop for other multi-purposes. The person suggesting that is spot on. Go to H forum or others and people scoff at gamers that only game on laptops because "typically" they are just rich kids that don't know what the heck they are buying and think that it will be upgradable or last a really long time. 2000 and greater on a gaming laptop is a LOT of money to game on high details for a few years. To close....it is only RECENTLY in which you could game HIGH details for a few years and that is because of the stagnation currently in the PC market. For ONCE...hardware is superceding software.

When new up and coming IP's push the technological envelop in hopes of getting recognized, you will need the latest and greatest to play that "must have Far Cry, Crysis, Half life 2, FEAR" type game that we were getting in 04-06. Peace.

 

I've had my time with a high-end Sager, decided it was too costly, not enough performance. Sold my NP5797 for $1600, my DM3 was $550. I'm waiting till spring to build a desktop, but I'm leaning towards an AMD/ATI build, just because it's cheap and does the trick

Thankfully for laptops, games haven't become anymore demanding than they were 2 years ago, because the mobile GPUs advance far too slowly. I mean, a single GTX 280M was enough, but I'm a stickler for performance, can't have anything less than Vsync 60 FPS, 4xAA, native res, you know... I can spend less than $1000 on a desktop and enjoy that, no questioning about it. You won't get the same experience out of a $2000 gaming laptop!

 

As I said before, it's all personal preference. For my usage, I do all of my gaming (and most of my work) from my desk. I have never had a need to move my gaming rig around to game elsewhere. I use my laptop for doing work, watching videos, browsing the internet, etc elsewhere around the house. For me the set-up works best; It's more efficient for me.

1. Upgrading a desktop doesn't have to be nearly as expensive as you make it to be. Realistically, for my desktop, the only thing I'd need/want to upgrade in the next few years would be RAM and GPU.

2. Mobile cards are not on par with desktop cards with respect to performance. There isn't really anything to debate here.

3. There are definitely some gaming laptops that are cheaper than Alienware, however they are still more expensive and less powerful than a desktop. Again, it's all just personal preference.

 

Id go with a Desktop if I could, but I dont have access to a desk, or have the room for one, so I am forced to go with a laptop.