Using a monitor with a gaming laptop

[AntaresX]

I need to get a new computer for college. I have this awesome monitor I bought for a gaming desktop I never got around to making. I'd like to get that gaming desktop for college, but everyone is telling me I need a laptop for class. I've heard talk that it's possible to plug a monitor into a laptop and use its higher display settings. I'm fine with getting a laptop, but I don't want this monitor to go to waste. Not to mention I'll really miss its display size. If I set up a laptop for gaming and plug it into the monitor, is there going to be significant lag from the process? Will I need to run on much lower specs? Is it better to just get a gaming desktop to take to school and buy a cheap netbook to take to classes?

 

[slomo4sho]

What is your budget?

 

[rex4235]

You can definitely get a lot more for your money (gaming wise) getting a desktop than a laptop. If you are humoring the idea of getting a cheap laptop for class only, Id suggest a gaming desktop all day. Laptops are pricey (especially for a "good" one) are very limited when upgrading components, and net less performance when compared to a desktop of the same price

 

[lostgamer_03]

I bought a gaming laptop with the same exact purpose.

However you will soon discover that a gaming laptop is a bad idea. Heavy weight, low battery life and low performance compared to equally price desktops. I hate my laptop right now, it's a big bulk that isn't practical and look childish.

I would bring my desktop to my college room if I was you. You won't really be gaming anywhere else on the monitor. Then you could get your self a light stylish ultrabook with decent battery life, which is meant for people like you that will have to bring your laptop everywhere.

 

[ronintexas]

For the price of a good gaming laptop, you can build a gaming PC AND get a light-weight notebook that will meet all of your needs for classwork. You can get an inexpensive network switch ($20-30), and network the two of them together to move the data.

 

[AntaresX]

What is your budget?

Haven't even really decided yet. Maybe $1000?

You can definitely get a lot more for your money (gaming wise) getting a desktop than a laptop. If you are humoring the idea of getting a cheap laptop for class only, Id suggest a gaming desktop all day. Laptops are pricey (especially for a "good" one) are very limited when upgrading components, and net less performance when compared to a desktop of the same price

Yeah, especially if I decide to put it together myself I'm thinking I'll probably get much better performance for my money with a gaming desktop.

I bought a gaming laptop with the same exact purpose.

However you will soon discover that a gaming laptop is a bad idea. Heavy weight, low battery life and low performance compared to equally price desktops. I hate my laptop right now, it's a big bulk that isn't practical and look childish.

I would bring my desktop to my college room if I was you. You won't really be gaming anywhere else on the monitor. Then you could get your self a light stylish ultrabook with decent battery life, which is meant for people like you that will have to bring your laptop everywhere.

I can definitely connect to the idea of it looking childish. I do think gaming laptops can look sort of tool-ish. Not sure that's something I'd want to be carrying around all day.

For the price of a good gaming laptop, you can build a gaming PC AND get a light-weight notebook that will meet all of your needs for classwork. You can get an inexpensive network switch ($20-30), and network the two of them together to move the data.

What exactly is the purpose of the network switch and how does it work? I'm intrigued by the idea.

 

[ronintexas]

A network switch is like a "splitter" for your internet signal and allows computers to connect to each other. You plug ethernet cables from the laptop to the switch and the desktop to the switch, and then connect the switch to your internet source via ethernet cable. You can then create shared folders to share with the computers.