New Laptop or Older Desktop?

[paecificjr]

So my laptop is almost 4 years old. It was a dell studio xps 1647. It has a 1.6 Ghz quad core, 8 gigs of ram, 300 gig hard drive, ATI Moblity Radeon HD 5730M, and a 17 inch screen. It is a nice computer but it's lacking the power I need.
I use my computer for a lot. I'm in high school so I have office files. But I also use it to edit videos, code, cad, and game. The computer I am hoping to replace this with needs to be able to handle it. I'm usually using around 7 of my 8 gigs of ram. My hard drive has been filled twice. My processor runs full tilt.
In my search for a new computer I said that I would spend around $1500 on a new system. I figured I would just look at a new, custom built laptop. But my dad works at a university. And one of his coworkers has a dell precision T5700 that hasn't been used in a long time. Would you guys recommend buying a laptop ready to go or buying that desktop and putting some money into it.
I think if I get a desktop I could just remote access it from my current laptop and not have to worry about mobility issues.
Thanks for your time.

 

[realchaos]

Have you considered just building your own desktop? I wouldn't consider the Dell T5700 because it's hard to upgrade in those cases. At this point, I would only be thinking about a custom laptop or building your own desktop. Of course, desktops are much more powerful. For $1,500, you'll get a lot more out of your desktop than your laptop. You would be able to easily edit videos, game, and use CAD on your desktop, but it will be slower on your laptop. Which comes more of a priority: raw power or mobility? That should tell you which route to go.

 

[paecificjr]

But, if I can get that computer for about four to five hundred I could save a lot of time and money by buying something that already works. And then upgrade it later

 

[realchaos]

Ask for the specs of the Dell Precision T5700.