Gaming on a Desktop Computer VERSUS Gaming on a laptop

[JordanJP]

In your opinion, what do you think are the pros and cons of gaming on a desktop computer and a laptop computer ?

I'm hoping in the next several months to own a fairly decent gaming system, whether it be laptop or desktop. However I'm still undecided as to what I really want.

Money won't be an issue for me, I guess my main desire out of this would be to acquire a system that will last me a long time and that I can get my moneys worth from it for a while to come.

 

[Thorsen]

Well, for me, I wanted a laptop for the portability factor. I also had a desktop, but it was ancient so i couldn't game on it. I currently have my laptop hooked up to a 22" screen and 5.1 speakers, etc. As I just got this, I can list some pro's and con's:

Pro:
Portability can be used as laptop and play games anywhere
very nice build system built for gaming and all specs work together well
low maintenance
can hook up as regular desktop setup

Cons:
Low battery life: as it is resource hog with graphics card and fast hard drive
non-upgradable: motherboard/cpu/gpu one unit (AFAIK)
Hard to find right fit: as there are not alot of choices for gaming laptops
Many wannabe gaming systems: these have regular specs, but have an integrated graphics chip
Expensive: lowest price for acceptable stats on machine I found was at $899

So that was pros and cons of getting a gaming laptop. All and all, I am very happy with my machine and want to throw more games at it when I get the money to buy new games.

There are many Pro's to building your own Desktop Gaming machine too. i will list in a while if no one else with exp does.

 

[JordanJP]

Well, for me, I wanted a laptop for the portability factor. I also had a desktop, but it was ancient so i couldn't game on it. I currently have my laptop hooked up to a 22" screen and 5.1 speakers, etc. As I just got this, I can list some pro's and con's:

Pro:
Portability can be used as laptop and play games anywhere
very nice build system built for gaming and all specs work together well
low maintenance
can hook up as regular desktop setup

Cons:
Low battery life: as it is resource hog with graphics card and fast hard drive
non-upgradable: motherboard/cpu/gpu one unit (AFAIK)
Hard to find right fit: as there are not alot of choices for gaming laptops
Many wannabe gaming systems: these have regular specs, but have an integrated graphics chip
Expensive: lowest price for acceptable stats on machine I found was at $899

So that was pros and cons of getting a gaming laptop. All and all, I am very happy with my machine and want to throw more games at it when I get the money to buy new games.

There are many Pro's to building your own Desktop Gaming machine too. i will list in a while if no one else with exp does.

What kind of Gaming laptop did you get ? What are your specs ?

 

[Thorsen]

My specs are listed under My System Specs, but I can post them in the thread too.

 

[Stevy22]

Mu suggestion is alwas go for a Desktop....
Reason why i am telling this is because LAPTOP's battery gets screwed up once you have a gaming environment created
On the other Hand if you play on the Desktop, the fear will just be of the SMPS, and that just costs you $15-$20, so whats up....

 

[smarteyeball]

Desktop Pros:

Can be considerably more powerful
Configurable / upgradeable
Battery usage is not an issue
Prices can be considerably cheaper to laptop counterparts

Cons:

Not portable.
Can become very expensive because you can upgrade etc
Power Bill usage

 

[Thorsen]

ASUS G60-RBBX05 Gaming Laptop
Win 7 Home x64
C2Duo 2.13 Ghz
4GB PC640 Ram at 800 Mhz
Geforce GTX260M 1GB DDR3 VRAM
16" Monitor
native screen rez: 1366x 768 max rez: 1600x1050
320 GB Hard Drive at 7200 rpm

Con: 1.5 hour battery life (6 Cell) (about 25-30 minutes with intense gaming) I keep it plugged

 

[Stevy22]

Thats right Smarey!!!!

 

[Stevy22]

Sorry SMARTY

 

[JordanJP]

hmm decisions, too many of them lol

 

[Thorsen]

ok so whatever you pick:

Make sure it does not have an integrated graphics chip (this is the major fail of low end gaming laptops as it doesn't have its own dedicated RAM(among other reasons)).

The faster hd at 7200 rpm, faster DDR3 ram, and faster processors also draws more power.
all gaming laptops you find will have low battery life if the specs are good enough.

Advice from others as well is to check out Dell Alienware as those are high-end gaming laptops.

 

[Stevy22]

Thats rigt dude... Welcome to the conversation !!!!!!!!

 

[valtonray]

personally i do most of my gaming on a desktop. it's easier to swallow the initial price knowing that i can upgrade the computer as needed for a fraction of buying a new system. your top of the line gaming laptop is going to start struggling with newer games usually within 2 years of purchase and upgrading a laptop works better in theory than in practice. not to mention regardless of your budget your going to get a better system for the money from a desktop.

 

[Thorsen]

personally i do most of my gaming on a desktop. it's easier to swallow the initial price knowing that i can upgrade the computer as needed for a fraction of buying a new system. your top of the line gaming laptop is going to start struggling with newer games usually within 2 years of purchase and upgrading a laptop works better in theory than in practice. not to mention regardless of your budget your going to get a better system for the money from a desktop.

Agreed. While I wanted a top of the line gaming desktop, I also wanted a laptop for the past year and found a happy medium. my laptop is way faster than my previous desktop and serves both functions of being a dual monitor desktop setup and a portable laptop. so it worked for me. I know i will have to upgrade in a few years, but otherwise, I would not have an excuse to tell my wife.....so in a few years I will get that setup as well, but for now, this works and I get to play with Win7 64x and all. So my cake and icing and eating it too.

(by that time also the 8core 5ghz processors and 64gb of ram will be commonplace....hopefully)

 

[sygnus21]

for gamers...

In your opinion, what do you think are the pros and cons of gaming on a desktop computer and a laptop computer ?

The biggest issue with laptops and gaming has to do with video cards. Unless you get an expensive laptop that allows you to replace/upgrade the video card on the fly, you'll be stuck with whatever card it has. And as we all know, video cards are the biggest show stoppers in gaming.

For gamers, every ounce of performance counts, and besides the CPU, video cards have a huge impact on games. The fact that desktops more accommodating at allowing you to replace a video card on the fly, or any other upgrade, clearly make the desktop the better choice for gamers.

Yes, you could have a gaming laptop built to your liking, but upgrading it down to road could prove to be problematic, limited, and expensive. You don’t have this problem with desktops.

My two cents.

 

[valtonray]

if you really want a laptop you could get a full size budget model for around 400-450 USD which can often be covered in the price difference between gaming desktops and gaming laptops.

 

[sygnus21]

if you really want a laptop you could get a full size budget model for around 400-450 USD which can often be covered in the price difference between gaming desktops and gaming laptops.

And how is a 400-450 USD laptop going to fair in today's gaming environment may I ask?

The OP asked about a "gaming" laptop or desktop and stated money wasn't an issue.

I'm hoping in the next several months to own a fairly decent gaming system, whether it be laptop or desktop. However I'm still undecided as to what I really want.

Money won't be an issue for me, I guess my main desire out of this would be to acquire a system that will last me a long time and that I can get my moneys worth from it for a while to come.

 

[blackroseMD1]

I have to agree with the folks that say a desktop is a better choice. Sure, it's not portable, but being able to switch out components whenever you want makes it a no brainer for me.

Even if you buy a top of the line laptop with an awesome graphics card today, a year or two from now it won't be able to handle newer games, and you will be stuck with the graphics card that came with it.

My advice: go to newegg, or wherever you buy your parts, and just build yourself a desktop to your specifications. That way, you can always upgrade the GPU, CPU etc. later.

 

[AstaLaVista]

To me this is like comparing apples to oranges and expect a good answer either towards the apples or towards the oranges... It'll never happen.

Laptop advantage = movility.

Desktop advantage = Gaming Galore + everything else not needing movility.

 

[sygnus21]

Laptop advantage = movility.

Desktop advantage = Gaming Galore + everything else not needing movility.

movility? or Mobility

Mobility: the ability to move about.