Laptop Or PC?

Spy_Hawk

Estimable
Sep 29, 2015
1
0
4,510
I've been trying to get a new computer for the last couple months and I can't decide between a laptop or pc. I need the portability of a laptop but I also don't need it all the time. I need something that can do gaming. Gaming is a must. I want a system that's light if I get a laptop. Although a desktop PC is faster I have nowhere to put it in my room. I have a price range of $800-$1100. Please help.
 

naturesninja

Honorable
Dec 15, 2013
392
0
11,210
A $1k laptop is going to be on par with about a $600 desktop build. Like this:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2PCNbv
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2PCNbv/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($165.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Xion XON-560 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($35.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($26.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHDS118-04 DVD/CD Drive ($13.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($94.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $582.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-29 12:16 EDT-0400

No laptop that exists as of now can touch this in gaming performance (edit: unless you want to spend north of $3k):

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2JLMWZ
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2JLMWZ/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i 57.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($42.66 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($93.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card ($283.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHDS118-04 DVD/CD Drive ($13.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($94.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1028.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-29 12:17 EDT-0400

There are lots of options in between, but if you must get a laptop I recommend the Acer V15 Nitro as most for your money in your price range that are lighter and thinner than most, as well as reliable. Newegg has them in 15.6" and 17.3" versions for both under $1k which will be about on par with the $600 build I posted in terms of performance.
 

Based on the underlined parts, it sounds like you want a laptop, but don't want to pay for a big, heavy, capable gaming laptop.

I'm guessing you don't need portable gaming, otherwise you wouldn't even be considering a desktop. Here's an idea then. Get a desktop with a nice GPU, and a cheap laptop. It can even be old/used. Run the desktop headless (no monitor, keyboard, mouse, though you'll need to borrow these for the initial setup). Use the laptop to connect to the desktop via remote desktop and use the desktop that way. When you want to game, plug an ethernet cable into the laptop and use Steam In Home Streaming to play the game on your desktop but have it display on your laptop.
http://store.steampowered.com/streaming/

As a bonus, the laptop will stay cool while you play games, since all it's doing is decoding a video stream. In fact between that and remote desktop, your laptop will be doing almost no actual work so should get close to maximum battery life. So the laptop's processor won't really matter. It just needs a decent screen and a gigabit ethernet port.