Buy a laptop or build a desktop?

[Melmione]

I've been going back and forth on whether I should buy a beefy 17" gaming laptop or build a desktop from scratch. The former has portability and a warranty if anything goes wrong; the latter is cheaper and easier to upgrade, but it's completely on me if I accidentally break a component or ruin it with static. My main focus is for gaming, but I also intend to use it for the more mundane, as it will likely make my current laptop pale in comparison.

For a better idea of what I'm looking for, I currently have a specific desktop build and laptop in mind. Either are subject to change - I'm still researching all the components, and the cost is higher than I anticipated.

This isn't a new question, especially to the folks here at Tom's Hardware, but here it goes:

Laptop or desktop?

 

[Archaic59]

• 
  ■Your build looks good but 1080P does not look so great at 27 inches. The 980 ti is very capable of 1440P.
  ■32GB memory is way overkill. 16GB is overkill for most users. Really, 16GB is plenty unless you do heavy editing or rendering on a regular basis. In order to get the memory up to the high speed your buying it at you'll have to overclock the system. If you don't it will run at 2133.
  ■The motherboard and power supply are both sufficient to add a second 980 ti at anytime.
  ■The case is huge. Have you looked at the 450D?
  ■Cryorig H7 is newer better cooler than the hyper 212 and the cost is about the same. It fits the CPU cooler 'keepout' zone on the motherboard exactly so it won't interfere with ram modules, guaranteed.

 

[RunLuke]

Dollar for dollar you get much better performance out of the desktop -you also get upgradability and you can switch out any broke parts - parts that you will be able to RMA. The laptop will lose warranty anyway too.
If you worry about static get an anti-static band.

If you look at the total cost of owmership I bet you that the desktop is better, especially if it's for gaming as games become more demanding. Crap performance? Get a new GPU or SLI something.

If portability is very important to you of course the laptop is the only way, but since you have one already I can't see there's any argument to be made for buying a gaming laptop - it's also more prone to break since you lug it around all the time.

 

[Hazle]

define "mundane". if you're not doing any rendering, or editing and such, then i'm gonna make that desktop look a lot more attractive by recommending you to just get an i5, 2x4gb of DDR4 ram, & really tone down on the PSU, as nice as it is if you're not going for SLI in the future. 600-650W for a single 980ti is plenty, 80+ Bronze if you're not all that concern with saving up on the electricity bills. maybe invest in some decent keyboards and/or mouse if don't have any for gaming.

but seeing as you were considering a laptop, i'm gonna guess CPU intensive tasks like rendering were not in your agenda?

 

[audie-tron25]

I'd go desktop. As long as you are somewhat careful building it, it should be fine. It's not all that hard building a PC and the build is really good. The laptop is still good but with the price difference, you could probably afford a relatively decent laptop to do work and the like on.

That build is seriously overkill so don't be afraid to shop for cheaper components if your a bit worried on the cost. I would suggest:

PCPartPicker part list: http/pcpartpicker.com/p/LX7X99
Price breakdown by merchant: http/pcpartpicker.com/p/LX7X99/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($233.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.44 @ OutletPC)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($5.93 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 4 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($283.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 750D Airflow Edition ATX Full Tower Case ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($141.70 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($45.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($85.49 @ OutletPC)
Software: Microsoft Office Home and Student 2016 ($113.99 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($29.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus MX279H 27.0" Monitor ($229.99 @ Micro Center)
Keyboard: Logitech K800 Wireless Slim Keyboard ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1776.23
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-20 03:23 EDT-0400

 

[jaguarskx]

Unless you actually have an important need for a laptop, I recommend you build the desktop.

Sure, a laptop is portable (even a 17.3"), but unless you plan on using it outside of your home most of the time, the convenience of portability is wasted.

 

[Melmione]

TL;DR
Skip to the next post for my new build. I'm pretty sure a desktop is a better option.

• 
  1) Your build looks good but 1080P does not look so great at 27 inches. The 980 ti is very capable of 1440P.
  2) 32GB memory is way overkill. 16GB is overkill for most users. Really, 16GB is plenty unless you do heavy editing or rendering on a regular basis. In order to get the memory up to the high speed your buying it at you'll have to overclock the system. If you don't it will run at 2133.
  3) The motherboard and power supply are both sufficient to add a second 980 ti at anytime.
  4) The case is huge. Have you looked at the 450D?
  5) Cryorig H7 is newer better cooler than the hyper 212 and the cost is about the same. It fits the CPU cooler 'keepout' zone on the motherboard exactly so it won't interfere with ram modules, guaranteed.

• 
  1) I'm working with a fairly small desk, so I can't have a monitor much bigger than 27". I think I'll downgrade to a 980 for now, and then I could upgrade to a 980 Ti later. It's cheaper anyway.
  2) I guess I'd assumed that having more RAM meant I'd have higher FPS and a better performance for gaming. I picked a motherboard that could support up to 64GB. I'll mark it down to 16GB. RAM seems like an easy thing to upgrade.
  3) Would a 750W power supply also be able to support the 980 Ti?
  4) You're right - the full tower is gigantic. The 450D looks good. I'll use that instead.
  5) The Cryorig is a little bit more expensive, but I did just look it up. It sounds like it's easier to install and cools better. Thanks for the tip!
  
  
  Dollar for dollar you get much better performance out of the desktop -you also get upgradability and you can switch out any broke parts - parts that you will be able to RMA. The laptop will lose warranty anyway too.
  If you worry about static get an anti-static band.
  
  If you look at the total cost of owmership I bet you that the desktop is better, especially if it's for gaming as games become more demanding. Crap performance? Get a new GPU or SLI something.
  
  If portability is very important to you of course the laptop is the only way, but since you have one already I can't see there's any argument to be made for buying a gaming laptop - it's also more prone to break since you lug it around all the time.
  
  That's partly why I was looking into a desktop in the first place. I figured it's a lot easier to upgrade - since most laptops only let you upgrade RAM and hard drives - and can last longer and overall be more powerful. I do plan on getting an anti-static band if I build.
  
  I can get a decent gaming laptop for about $1500 with 16GB DDR3 RAM, an SSD and HDD, and a GTX 970M GPU. That said, you're right. As games become more demanding, this laptop will start to fizzle out and be unable to handle new stuff. A desktop could do that, too, but it seems more cost-efficient with a desktop to just switch out parts.
  
  Portability is very convenient, but it's not the highest priority.
  
  
  define "mundane". if you're not doing any rendering, or editing and such, then i'm gonna make that desktop look a lot more attractive by recommending you to just get an i5, 2x4gb of DDR4 ram, & really tone down on the PSU, as nice as it is if you're not going for SLI in the future. 600-650W for a single 980ti is plenty, 80+ Bronze if you're not all that concern with saving up on the electricity bills. maybe invest in some decent keyboards and/or mouse if don't have any for gaming.
  
  but seeing as you were considering a laptop, i'm gonna guess CPU intensive tasks like rendering were not in your agenda?
  
  My vision of "mundane" is browsing the Internet with multiple tabs open, using graphics editing software, watching movies, etc. I'd like to start working on game development with programs like CryEngine and Unity, which would require some better specs. I will downgrade the power supply, though. 850W is a lot.
  
  
  I'd go desktop. As long as you are somewhat careful building it, it should be fine. It's not all that hard building a PC and the build is really good. The laptop is still good but with the price difference, you could probably afford a relatively decent laptop to do work and the like on.
  
  That build is seriously overkill so don't be afraid to shop for cheaper components if your a bit worried on the cost. I would suggest:
  
  PCPartPicker part list: http/pcpartpicker.com/p/LX7X99
  Price breakdown by merchant: http/pcpartpicker.com/p/LX7X99/by_merchant/
  
  CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($233.99 @ SuperBiiz)
  CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.44 @ OutletPC)
  Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($5.93 @ Amazon)
  Motherboard: Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Amazon)
  Memory: Patriot Viper 4 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
  Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
  Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.99 @ SuperBiiz)
  Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($283.98 @ Newegg)
  Case: Corsair 750D Airflow Edition ATX Full Tower Case ($139.99 @ Newegg)
  Power Supply: Corsair RMx 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($141.70 @ Amazon)
  Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($45.89 @ OutletPC)
  Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($85.49 @ OutletPC)
  Software: Microsoft Office Home and Student 2016 ($113.99 @ Amazon)
  Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($29.89 @ OutletPC)
  Monitor: Asus MX279H 27.0" Monitor ($229.99 @ Micro Center)
  Keyboard: Logitech K800 Wireless Slim Keyboard ($69.99 @ Amazon)
  Total: $1776.23
  Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
  Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-20 03:23 EDT-0400
  
  I spent a few hours watching video tutorials of the entire process for building a desktop. It actually doesn't seem too difficult. I'm more worried about troubleshooting everything afterward.
  
  It's good to know I was going overboard with the components! I'm glad because it means I can lower my standards and save money without sacrificing a good build.
  
  It looks like the main difference with yours is downgrading the CPU, RAM, and GPU. It does save a few hundred bucks. I'll have to keep that in mind.
  
  
  Unless you actually have an important need for a laptop, I recommend you build the desktop.
  
  Sure, a laptop is portable (even a 17.3"), but unless you plan on using it outside of your home most of the time, the convenience of portability is wasted.
  
  I do plan on using my computer from home at a desk most of the time. I just liked the option of it being travel-friendly.

 

[Melmione]

Based on what you've mentioned, I'm heavily leaning toward the desktop. I made a few tweaks to the build and came up with this one:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste
Motherboard: Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 4GB Twin Frozr Video Card
Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)
Software: Microsoft Office Home and Student 2016
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter
Monitor: Asus MX279H 27.0" Monitor
Keyboard: Logitech K800 Wireless Slim Keyboard
Speakers: Logitech S120 2.3W 2ch Speakers
Total: $2052.47
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

It shaves a few hundred dollars off from my original build and is less overkill while solid enough to last for a while.

Thanks for all of your input, guys! I really appreciate it.