Should I get a laptop or build my own Computer?

[Schefk]

Hey guys,

I just want your opinions here. I can't decide if I should buy a gaming laptop or just build my own desktop. I know by building a desktop I can get more power out of it for a way cheaper price. However, I am on the go a lot. I commute to school and I spend a lot of time there. I'm a computer science major so I do a lot of programming and it's a pain in the ass to keep switching between two systems. Therefore i'm looking to only have one computer for gaming and school work. If I decide to get a laptop I'd probably go with sager because I've heard great things about them and they offer a reasonable price for what you get. On another note a desktop is more ergonomic and comfortable. I could also have a nice multiple monitor setup as well. My budget is about 2k to 2500. anyway I just want to get some opinions on this.

 

[AMD Radeon]

if you are a hardcore gamer, probably gaming PC will suit your need

 

[pheroh]

I was in the same position as you, recently. I've always used laptops exclusively. The thing with gaming laptops is that they aren't very portable and are usually 2.5kg+ in weight. Plus they are expensive for the performance. Gaming on a laptop is not very comfortable as well unless you hook up a controller or an external mouse (extra weight and less portability).

In the end, I chose to build a gaming PC and soon I will get an ultrabook (for portability) which both will probably cost me the same as if I just bought a gaming laptop. My PC (in the signature) cost me around $800 (tax & shipping included) and I can get a decent 14" ultrabook for around the same. As for files, I use the cloud (SugarSync & DropBox) to have my files across all devices so it's no big deal.

Ultimately, in my opinion, if you are ok with the weight of a gaming laptop, go for it. This was the major reason for me to not go that route.

 

[manofchalk]

Possible hybrid solution, get the benefits of the desktop (except for its raw grunt) while still retaining on-the-move functionality.

Buy a gaming laptop for about $1500, spend the rest on monitors and a decent mouse/keyboard.
When your at home, plug in the mouse/keyboard and enjoy not having to use a cramped laptop keyboard and trackpad (or horrible mobile oriented mouses *shudder*).
Use the monitors you bought and connect them to the laptop so you can have a decent amount of screen space.

When you go to Uni/College, just disconnect the laptop and take it with you.

Mad idea time here.
If the laptop has Thunderbolt capability, there is the possibility of external GPU's down the line. External enclosures that can house desktop GPU's already exist, but driver support for such solutions is fairly hit and miss right now. If you plan ahead, you might be able to get desktop level gaming capability on your laptop when the driver issues are eventually cleared up.
Could also use this kind of setup for storage purposes as well. Get an external 2TB drive and have a 256GB SSD in the laptop. Laptop will boot quickly and still have enough internal storage to be flexible, with your mass storage covered by the external drive.

You'l have your own docking station for the laptop in no time .

 

[Jakevalerio]

New desktop,

With that money you can buy a computer that absolutely crushes any laptop out there really, plus I think building your own PC is fun.