Gaming Rig question.

[McCordRm]

So I'm trying to decide between going with a new Desktop, or a gaming Laptop.

The big question, I think, comes down to video power.

What is the effective performance difference between the Desktop 680 GTX

and Laptop 680M?

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

Desktop, hands down. With a Laptop, what you buy is what you get. You can't change the CPU or GPU at your leisure with a laptop. (Yes, you can in some cases, but the upgrade is poor in performance gain)

With a desktop, you get more RAM headroom, change your GPU and CPU as you like, and better cooling overall.

[MikroMan]

Yep' definitely go with desktop PC. To get a decent gaming laptop you'd have to buy some ridiculously priced models that aren't exactly easy to carry around. As Mindovermaster siad: Desktop PCs have more upgradable GPUs, CPUs, RAMs, HDD expansion, cooling... And the same/way higher specs for the price of a laptop as well.

[RedFlow]

Do what I did and build a gaming desktop and buy a cheaper, lighter laptop that's good for doing tasks you'd normally want to do on a laptop, using word, computer coding, mild gaming, etc. I couldn't be happier.

[McCordRm]

Well, looks like I'll be staying in the Desktop world. Still, I'm going to

need something small form factor. Portability is a huge need.

[Astra.Xtreme]

Well, looks like I'll be staying in the Desktop world. Still, I'm going to

need something small form factor. Portability is a huge need.

Depending on your usage needs, you could get a nice laptop for cheap. You can find a nice quality Lenovo for around $500. Or if you just need something portable to access the internet/media, then a tablet would work. Obviously there's the iPad, or you could wait a month and see how the MS Surface pans out.

[McCordRm]

Nope, this is a Gaming rig.

[mycoolkim]

I just built a desktop gaming PC for a really considerable price range. If you need it for portability and have an extra 2 grand to throw away for the same specs, go laptop, if it will be dedicated gaming machine at home with a few lan party attendances, go desktop.

Check out the gaming pc I just built last week, its alot of fun too :)

Specs of build in my signature, cost was roughly $1200 for build

[Astra.Xtreme]

Nope, this is a Gaming rig.

Ah ok, I thought you meant something portable to go along with your gaming rig.

I wouldn't necessarily go small form factor if you want a lot of power. You aren't going to be able to build something powerful and give it sufficient cooling if you want it in a small case. Cable management will be your worst enemy, even if you get a modular PSU. I'd suggest nothing smaller than a mid-size.

[RiverCampher]

So I'm trying to decide between going with a new Desktop, or a gaming Laptop.

The big question, I think, comes down to video power.

What is the effective performance difference between the Desktop 680 GTX

and Laptop 680M?

I say about 20%, it's effectively a lower clocked 670.

It really does depend here... If you've got the money you can put together an awesome laptop but it will be heavier because of the GPU. But to me heavier isn't very bad on a backpack. So it's up to you. :) I know people who have alienware kit and are very happy with it.

Keep in mind that these days, that GPU would last a lot longer in the current climate than it would have done 5 years ago. Tech on that and CPU front isn't moving ahead as swiftly as it was before (mainly because games don't utilize their power).

[McCordRm]

Yea, I looked at Dell's gaming laptops. Also looked at Falcon NW.

The biggest setback for me on a laptop is screen size. I've really gotten

used to having a 24 or 27 inch display. And I gave laptops a LOT of

thought... just couldn't get past the screen.

As for mobility, I don't just do LAN parties, I also move around my

house quite a bit. Sometimes I'll stay in the living room for a week,

then the bedroom for another week, etc. A big ass tower is just a pain

to move all the time.

[mycoolkim]

Well thats once a week, haha, if you need to move it for your own comfort, it would be worth it, and a light work out :p win win is it not? :p

haha nah, not telling you what to do, just my 2 cents :D

[McCordRm]

I've never bought anything from Falcon NW, and I realize they're on the expensive end,

but this setup looks pretty sweet. It's small, so easily portable, and seems to have the

bases covered for gaming on a single display.

Chassis

Tiki - Standard Black

Chassis Logo Insert

Gold Metal

Chassis Base

Granite - Absolute Black

Power Supply

450 Watt SFX

Motherboard

P8Z77-I Deluxe

Processor

Intel? Core? i7 3770K 3.5GHz

Processor Overclock

Processor Overlock - Tiki

Processor Cooler

Liquid Cooling - Tiki

Memory

Elite 1866MHz 16GB (2x8GB)

Video Card

GeForce GTX 680 (4GB)

Monitor

27" 1920x1080

Sound Card

On-Board Audio

Networking

On-Board Ethernet

Hard Drive

m4 SSD - 256GB

Optical Drive

Slot-Load DVD Writer

64-Bit Operating System

Windows 7 Ultimate (w/ upgrade)

Warranty

3 Year Warranty - Tiki