Asus G75 VW vs Building my own computer

[HubbaBubba56]

Budget range: $1300 or under
I've been thinking about buying an ASUS G75 for a while now but my friend told me that laptops aren't great for gaming and that i should get a desktop. the problem with a desktop though is that i would need to buy a monitor and a keyboard and im not even sure if my desk has enough space to fit the entire rig. I only game at home but every summer i spend 3 months in a different country where my dad lives and i dont think i can go that long without a pc, which is why im leaning towards the laptop. I'm going to be playing games like Far cry 3, BF 3, skyrim, but mainly, Arma 2 and i would like to play them at high-max settings
Here are the specs for the ASUS g75VW:
http/www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+17.3%22+Laptop+-+8GB+Memory+-+1TB+Hard+Drive+-+Black/5176239.p?id=1218621250769&skuId=5176239
BESTBUY PRICE: $1249
3rd Gen Intel® Core™ i7-3610QM processor

Features a 6MB L3 cache and 2.3GHz processor speed with Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz.
Intel® Core™ i7 processor

1TB hard drive (5400 rpm)

NVIDIA GTX 660M graphics

Built-in 1.0MP webcam

8-in-1 media reader

4 USB 3.0 ports

if i were to build my own desktop, i would probably try to make it as good as possible with the $1300 i have
thanks!

 

[estra]

Well if it's every summer, do you think you'll be able to play games when you're on vacation? If you're really into gaming, you should get a desktop then just get an ultrabook or a tablet when you're in the other country. I know you'll miss your games, but you'll get more from a desktop than from a gaming laptop. You said it yourself that you only game at home. With the Asus' specs, I'm pretty sure you can get the desktop equivalent for -$300 or more. You can just buy a tablet or spare laptop. Or if you think you don't need the two portables for now, you can just save your money and decide if you want them when you get on your trip.

 

[HubbaBubba56]

Thanks for your quick response.
Actually, while im on my trip i do game lot with my friends over there, we usually just play WoW so i could just continue using my current laptop. now the only problem left would be the monitor and keyboard, a good monitor would be nice but i dont need a super fancy gaming keyboard. im only 15 so how hard would it be to build my own computer from scratch?

 

[HubbaBubba56]

i calculated how much it would cost me to build my own rig, it would cost about $1400 including the monitor and keyboard:
MONITOR: ASUS VS228H-P 21.5-Inch Full-HD LED Monitor (Black)
VIDEO CARD: :GeForce GTX 680 2048MB
CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K Quad-Core Processor 3.4 Ghz 8 MB Cache LGA 1155 - BX80623I72600K
MOTHERBOARD: AS Rock LGA1155 DDR3 SATA3 USB3.0 Quad CrossFireX and Quad SLI A GbE ATX Motherboard Z77 EXTREME4
2 of these memory sticks: 4GB Team High Performance Memory RAM Upgrade Single Stick For Dell Inspiron 560 560s 570. The Memory Kit comes with Life Time Warranty.
HARDRIVE: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 ST1000DM005/HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
CASE: Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm Fan, 1x Rear 120mm Fan, option Fans-2x Side 120mm Fan
OPTICAL DRIVE: ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM
POWER SUPPLY: OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W Modular High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandybridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom


so, is this setup fine to play games smoothly?

 

[Hazle]

http/pcpartpicker.com/p/xGNp

for around the price of that laptop, you can do better. based on the fact that you were planning to go with a laptop in the first place, i'd reckon you won't be doing any OCing. if you're interested in OCing, bump up to an i5-3570K + Asrock Z77 Extreme4 motherboard at most.

little to no point going for an i7 for a gaming build (in a desktop anyway), and while a 660ti performs less admirably compared to a 680, on the bright side, it'll perform better than the laptops GPU. if you got money to burn on the GPU, consider the 670 at most; performs close to the 680 for a lot less.

500W is plenty for a single video card PC, but if you have plans to add another card in the future, consider grabbing 700-750W. for your assumed budget of around $1250, you should be able to fit in an SSD in there.

if you're looking for something a bit more mobile, though not as mobile as a laptop, consider using an mATX or ITX board with a smaller mATX/ITX case. on the downside, you're likely limited to one graphics card, cable management is going to be a bitch and hence poor airflow, and you may have to pay a tad bit more.

 

[HubbaBubba56]

thx for your response,

i think im going get the 670, do you know any good cpu coolers u can recommend or does the one that comes with the processor work fine for that specific model?

 

[Hazle]

Cooler Master's Hyper 212 EVO is the current customer's favourite; well priced for it's performance.

 

[HubbaBubba56]

Cooler Master's Hyper 212 EVO is the current customer's favourite; well priced for it's performance.

does that cooler work well if i overclock?

 

[Hazle]

depends on how high an OC you're doing and how high your 3570K can reach without raising the voltage and in turn, the amount of heat produced. for the common OC of 4.0-4.2ghz, it'll do the job just well.

 

[HubbaBubba56]

depends on how high an OC you're doing and how high your 3570K can reach without raising the voltage and in turn, the amount of heat produced. for the common OC of 4.0-4.2ghz, it'll do the job just well.

im getting a 520w power supply so i dont think ill run into any problems, thx for all your help hazle

 

[Hazle]

im getting a 520w power supply so i dont think ill run into any problems, thx for all your help hazle

just for clarification; how high and well your CPU OCs has little to do with your power supply choice in your case. IB CPUs tend to rapidly rise in temps when you raise the voltage as you OC. normally this is in the 4.2-4.3ghz range. each chip, despite being in the same model do not OC equally. so if you're very lucky, you'll get a chip that you can OC to 4.5ghz without needing to raise the voltage. if you're very unlucky, you'll get chip you can't OC beyond 3.8ghz without a voltage increase. it's all about luck from there.

 

[HubbaBubba56]

thx for the clarification,
btw, do all cases come with stand offs? the one i wanna buy doesnt say
and also, is the case im buying good for first time builders? i dont wanna deal with lots of screws and would like cut outs and stuff to make my life as easy as possible, something $100 or below

heres an update on what im going to buy for my computer: http/pcpartpicker.com/p/y9q7

 

[Hazle]

they normally do, though i reckon some of the more extremely budget cases either don't, or are non-removable. look around for a review of your case. they usually include pictures of included accessories.