Remote Desktop Hardware Question

Hey, I've been thinking about getting Windows 7 Professional x64 for my desktop, mainly so I can use remote desktop. I need to run Maya away from home at times, and I'm pretty sure my laptop can't handle it well. I'm wondering if I activate and use remote desktop, would whatever hardware in my desktop be used as well? Or can I just access files on it? I'm planning on using an Alienware M11x (trust me, it can't run Maya that well) to control my (normally used for destroying BF3 with high frame rates) desktop at home, which should run Maya by itself with no problem. I think I've seen this been done before, I know a guy who accessed his computer from one somewhere else, ran Maya and rendered it like it was his computer at home (accessed from public-school issued computer, seemed like it rendered with the speed of his GTX680 at home...), but I wasn't entirely sure if it was remote desktop or some other program. Thanks for any help!

Remote Desktop is exactly like controlling your Desktop with an Ipad. You can do all the things in it just like when you are at home, even gaming (not really usable, but it's possible) and the only thing that slows it down is your Internet connection. If you have poor connection, you will see horrible input and output latency.

In addtion, you can even copy small files from your desktop at home to your client device. Just make sure when setting up remote desktop, you have to have your Router add port "3389" in its Port Range Forwarding page, as well as adding an exception in your Windows Firewall for both client and host pc.

Remote Desktop can be very handy but I would never ever recommend it for gaming on a standard Internet connection.

Rendering drawings over the connection will probably also be slow but should be usable. Again depending on the Internet connection.

A static IP address will be required on the PC so that you can do the port forwarding as said by theveterans.