Gaming laptop for gaming desktop trade questions

dragonwolf8504 · Apr 10, 2013

I no longer need my gaming laptop and would rather have the versatility of a gaming desktop. (upgrade, customizing, that sort of thing.) I planned on trading my laptop for a desktop, but since mobile parts and desktop parts can vary wanted to know at what point would a desktop be worst than my laptop?

(Updated) Note: I could sell possibly if the price is right and someone wishes to buy it. But mainly on craigslist as I've never shipped anything and just don't know how much it would cost to ship. If selling, The laptop, restore disc, the extra 750GB 7,200rpm HDD, an optical to HDD adapter, and a 2.5" SATA to USB 3.0 adapter (In case one didn't want to swap out the Blue-Ray drive) um, I'm not 100% certain. If selling what would one think all that is worth? It would be a package deal and I would sell to make enough to build the the system. (Wouldn't make a profit unless I cut down stuff.) If I ended up shipping any buyer would need to pay shipping costs, which I wouldn't know how to work that out, other than getting an estimate.

Laptop specs
(Updated) It's a Samsung Series 7 Gamer NP700G7C-S01US
I7 3610QM 2.3GHz Quad-Core (I've read for gaming that an I5 would be great for gaming, is it true? and what should I look for?)
16GB Ram (from what I read is overkill, but I should probably try to keep to as close to the ram as possible since Desktop components are usually a little cheaper compared to laptops components. But at minimum what should I look for? 8GB?)- The laptop cab go to 32GB Ram from what I've read.)
120GB OCZ Agility III SSD and 750GB 7,200RPM HDD
GTX 675M 2GB GDDR5 Graphics 256-bit bus- This is the greyest area of all. What desktop graphics cards would equal and/ or outbeat it? AMD and Nvidia. I know that mobile is always weaker, but with the naming that both AMD and Nvidia use, at what gen (AMD 5xxx,6xxx,7xxx or Nvidia 4xx,5xx,6xx) does it become worst? There are many possible options on trading on craigslist which is where I would be dealing as it seems no one wants to buy my laptop to fund a build. Even then my question stands at what desktop parts are equal or even better than my laptop.
Display is a 17.3" 1080p 120Hz Display. (I honestly can't tell the difference between 60 and 120.

I figure it would help to list the games I play specifically the harder core ones: Borderlands II and Bioshock Infinite are probably my most demanding games I play and figure if the computer can play at 1080p and "High" or Higher it would be good for the future. (My laptop can play these with everything maxed out and I don't see fps drops, or at least if they drop it's not enough to notice.)

Oh, if this is the wrong section, sorry. Just tell me and I will try and change it. I just figure since I am talking about components this would be fine. Hopefully someone/s can help as I also need to switch to a desktop for classes (taking online class and they want us to build/ rebuild a desktop, the more complex the better. It is for our finals. I just don't want to trade my laptop away for a lower end desktop.

Thanks for all the help

Update, may be trading for a desktop:
-i7 2600k @ 4.6ghz Sandy Bridge
-Coolermaster V8 cpu cooler "blue led fan"
-AsRocks Z68 Gen3 Extreme
-16gb Corsair XMS 1600mhz ddr3
-Samsung Blu-Ray burner/player
-ZOTAC Nvidia GeForce GTX 570 1280Mb DDR5
-120gb Crucail M4 SSD
- Dual 1tb Seagates 7,200rpm HDD's in Raid 0
-Antec Dark Force 30 case Air Filtered and has a 2.5in hot swap bay up top.
-Corsair HX850 psu
How would this be? I know it's less graphics memory, but seems to be more powerful.

Ideas on trade or sell value if I sold what was listed above.

jeppishh · Apr 10, 2013

an I5's are great for gaming and get one with the k-suffix at the end of the name and then it is unlocked so you can squeeze some extra performance if you require it.8GB is an exccelent amount of ram and you will probably rarely even use over half that when gaming.a 650ti boost would probably be around the same performance as your 675m.i'd suggest maybe going even slightly higher like 660/660ti they offer some more performance if you decide o pick up a more demanding title or just to future proof a little more.also i'd suggest you look into the AMD side of GPU's too probably 7870 or 7950 area. i prefer nvida personally because i like their exclusive technologies such as TXAA and Advanced Physx.if you can do wihtout nvidia exclusive technologies then AMD tend to be a better bang for your buck . hope that helps

Groomer · Apr 10, 2013

Comparing laptops to desktops is kind of useless.
You definitely want something far more powerful, why else would you swap to a desktop.

4745454b · Apr 10, 2013

For your GPU question I suggest looking at the GPU hierarchy chart.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

Toms claims that its around the speed of the 560/650TI, or the 5850 from AMD. Take a look at that chart before choosing your trade. As for the trade itself if you should do it is up to you and the other guy. Only you will know if it meets your specs. I will say I wouldn't hold out for perfect as each of you might have reasons to discount the receiving part. Yes, you might have the more expensive machine as its a recent gaming laptop. But holding out for a $1500 desktop? Probably won't happen.

fkr · Apr 10, 2013

can you just outright sell your laptop (if so for how much, may be give make and model of laptop) and build a new desktop. nvidia 500 series tech is at its end of life I would not buy into it. also need to know more about the computer you are trading for (power supply, motherboard).

dragonwolf8504 · Apr 10, 2013

fkr :

Updated, added laptop model, desktop specs on everything I know.

ihog · Apr 10, 2013

How much can you sell your laptop for?

dragonwolf8504 · Apr 10, 2013

ihog :

Will I would have to look up how much it would cost for a new build. I would need a monitor and pretty much everything so looking into that. Since I would be building my deal would change some (I'd include more) If selling, The laptop, restore disc, the extra 750GB 7,200rpm HDD, an optical to HDD adapter, and a 2.5" SATA to USB 3.0 adapter (In case one didn't want to swap out the Blue-Ray drive) um, I'm not 100% certain. If selling what would one think all that is worth? It would be a package deal and I would sell to make enough to build the the system. (Wouldn't make a profit unless I cut down stuff.)

I added this to my original posting as well to get answers for a sale price idea.

fkr · Apr 10, 2013

So i looked through amazon ebay and my local craigslist here in phoenix. I also did a general search across other online retailers. The best deal i could find is $1,000. $1,200 seems to be a good middle ground and many are selling for $1,500. If you are a little patient I would think $1,100 is a reasonable expectation.

these are the cards i would look at for a new build
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006662&IsNodeId=1&Description=7970&bop=And&CompareItemList=%2D1%7C14%2D130%2D782%5E14%2D130%2D782%2DTS%2C14%2D130%2D768%5E14%2D130%2D768%2DTS%2C14%2D131%2D487%5E14%2D131%2D487%2DTS%2C14%2D150%2D632%5E14%2D150%2D632%2DTS&percm=14%2D150%2D632%3A%24%24%24%24%24%24%24

this is a combo deal at newegg that would fit right in your budget that has all quality parts and is right at 1,000 another $150 and you have a 1080p monitor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1279392

dragonwolf8504 · Apr 10, 2013

fkr :

Not bad, was hoping for more considering how much the laptop cost. I would need to take into consideration of everything else I am selling with it AND the fact that it has an SSD in as a primary HDD, not the 2 standard HDD's, wouldn't that make much of a difference?

fkr · Apr 10, 2013

I absolutely think you can get more, I would think 1,300 may be the best you can get. maybe keep the ssd for your new build if you go that way.

I also do want to add that the computer you are looking to trade for is graphically a good 10-20% better than your current laptop. the newegg bundle i linked to is another 10-20% better than the one you would trade for.

dragonwolf8504 · Apr 10, 2013

fkr :

So unless he wanted to do a straight up trade then it's probably just better to keep my portability and wait for a later time. (When I may actually have money) to build a new machine and sell the laptop to just help in the cost of the new machine? Side question: Isn't intel supposedly putting out new stuff soon? That might help drop the price of a build as well. (Heck sandy bridge was good enough for me.)

fkr · Apr 10, 2013

CPU prices are just slowly going down. every new chip and even the next generation are just small increases in efficiency and capability(some will argue that the i5 2500k and i7 2700k are still the best chips around when overclocking).

is that other computer a straight up deal, could you get a 24' 1080p monitor with that also. If so that seems like a pretty fair deal. the only thing is that you will want to sell and upgrade that gpu at your first chance just to get up to 2 gigs of ram not that it is really needed right now but in a year it will be.

dragonwolf8504 · Apr 10, 2013

fkr :

19" Dell Monitor is included with Dell speakers, dell keyboad and dell optical mouse.

fkr · Apr 10, 2013

that monitor is not enough for good gaming. fair market for his computer is $1,000 and for your laptop I would think $1,250. I wish a few others would jump in and add some input. can you get any cash consideration from him.
if you could you could sell the monitor and gpu for $250 add in another 250 from the trader and that would give you enough for a good $150 24' 1080p monitor and a gtx 670. If you can get only $150 from the trader then you can get a PowerColor Radeon HD 7870 GHz EZ Edition (Tahiti LE) AX7870. this is the equal of a 7950 and a very good gaming card.

dragonwolf8504 · Apr 10, 2013

fkr :

Figured I would be getting ripped. He wants to trade his system plus the dell stuff. For all my stuff and I mean everything I listed. He said the only other deal he would consider is me trade everything and add $300 cash for a HannsG 28" 1920x1200 Display, and Alienware Keyboard and Mouse (All backlit and uses multicolors.) Yeah... I don't have the cash, so I'm limited.

4745454b · Apr 10, 2013

I did include my "warning" about your $1500 laptop... It would be nice if you could get an equal trade out of it. But $1000+ PCs are hard to find. You are probably better off to keep looking. At least try to get a good 1080 monitor in the deal. I'm sure your laptop has one, you should get one to.

Edit: I just saw your edit in the OP. Getting a machine like that isn't that bad of a trade. I broke the parts down in my head and rough guess would think that desktop is around $1100. So not to far off. It's build wrong for a gaming machine seeing as you have a strong CPU and not much in the GPU department. Biggest thing that turns me off (other then the GPU) is the lack of PCIe 3 support which isn't a big deal. (The PSU is also way overkill.) If you can find a way to get a 1080 monitor you'd be in business with that PC.

dragonwolf8504 · Apr 10, 2013

4745454b :

Yeah, I'm gonna hold off. My laptop does have a 1080p display it even is 120Hz, (though personally it's hard to tell the difference for me.) I could always just save up enough money to buy a good monitor, keyboard and create a "desktop" out of it by having a "docking station" of sorts. Thanks for the help. I was starting to think it would be harder than I thought. Going to try alternative (such as the "desktop" setup. My laptop is still plenty powerful enough for me. My biggest thing was finding something that would be a proper replacement and of equal trade value. Looks like it may not happen. Thanks for the help.

4745454b · Apr 10, 2013

As I said, rough guess using "normal" used values he's desktop is around $1100. I'm not sure about laptops. Yours is probably worth more, though I'm not sure how much more. If he through in a 1080 monitor I'd say deal. $300 for a 1080 monitor and light up keyboard/mouse is a joke. 1080 monitors are around $125? Keyboard and mouse maybe another $50 each if you getting light up models? No way worth $300.

dragonwolf8504 · Apr 11, 2013

4745454b :

True, the only issues is $125 for a 28" 1080p Monitor? That's a little harder. The keyboard and mouse, heck I could buy a Logitech G700 Gaming mouse (I had 1 until I dropped it down 2 flights of stairs) for about $70 and A Razor Blackwidow for about $150 that would do the same as those Alienwares when it comes to functionality. May end up spending more than $300 after buying the monitor, but at least it's all NEW and has FULL warranty in tact. Just because it has a name such as Alienware doesn't really mean jack to me honestly. I mean, my laptop is a Samsung, but truth be told it cost $1899, an Alienware of the same specs would cost at min $1000 more. (I know because I just thought I would try Alienware when I bought the Samsung I priced out Alienware.) I know for $1900 I could have built an awesome desktop, but my needs where different then I absolutely NEEDED mobility. Now I don't, I am just going to wait on the right trade or sale. I don't want to regret something down the road. Maybe also if I wait long enough I may just have the cash to build an awesome desktop and keep my Samsung for on the road, regardless. Thanks for all the help. I really don't know who to vote on as an answer as we went all over the place. lol

4745454b · Apr 11, 2013

A 28" no, but a 22-24" should be easy around $125ish. And a $50 ($100 total) keyboard/mouse should be more then enough for gaming. And as you said, it would all be new.

I'm not even sure I would get a 28" 1080 monitor. At that size you should be getting one of the 2650x1440 monitors. My 25" 1080 monitors look ok, but I wouldn't want them much bigger without getting the bump in res as well.

fkr · Apr 11, 2013

I agree about the monitor and keyboard/ mouse. as far as your laptop goes i would hold out for the best price. keep it on craigslist (or other e-tailer) with a good description of everything included and try and get 1500 OBO. keep us posted if you sell it I am curious to see the price and time frame to sell.

fkr · Apr 11, 2013

and make sure to come back and ask for some builds when you are going to build your PC (send me a PM and I will chime in). I cannot help myself with constantly watching prices and finding deals so I know our community will help in deciding on a great build.

dragonwolf8504 · Apr 11, 2013

4745454b :

Felt I had to pick an Answer and this gave me the best in the idea of value for both machines.

dragonwolf8504 · Apr 11, 2013

See here for an update though:

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1649873/good-gaming-computer-build-200.html

Things changed a little so I thought I would share the new one with this one.

Will remove if I need to but figured since it had to do with this and was kind of a follow-up yet different question it should be on it's own as well.

Gaming laptop for gaming desktop trade questions

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