NotebookForums.com › Forums › General Notebook Discussions › Notebook Forums - General › Ultimate gaming laptop or normal-laptop and gaming desktop?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Ultimate gaming laptop or normal-laptop and gaming desktop?

Poll Results: Best Choice for College?

 
  • 45% (28)
    ultimate gaming laptop
  • 54% (34)
    normal laptop and ultimate gaming desktop
62 Total Votes  
post #1 of 19
1/9/05 at 6:24pm
Thread Starter 
hey,
So I am going to college soon and I have to figure out if I'd rather get a fully loaded top-of-the-line notebooko (such as one of the new PCIE ones) and use it as both a haul-around and a desktop replacement OR get a simple small light laptop to carry around to class to use Word and internet, and then put the bulk of my momey into decking out a fully loaded desktop.
I want to be able to game well, and so I'd lean towards the ultimate laptop purly because it is so portable. But desktops allow for better upgradability and have more advanced tech overall.
Feelings? Advice?


~Wes
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 19
1/9/05 at 7:38pm
i have a desktop replacement lappy and its ok for school but the battery life is what kills the idea for me... therefore the best combo in my opinon is to get the smallest lappy with a long battery life and a killer desktop
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 19
1/9/05 at 8:07pm
Do you have a budget?
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 19
1/9/05 at 9:06pm
A laptop will fit best because its just easier but you might want to get an extra battery if your planning on getting anything other than a Pentium M!!
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 19
1/9/05 at 9:37pm
Thread Starter 
Budget is no issue, its an investment in college, so its worth it.

I agree with the battery life problem; a fully loaded new Sager 9860 gets like barely over an hour off the battery so even with 2 its vicous.

~Wes
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 19
1/9/05 at 10:44pm
A sweet gaming laptop with good battery life is the best choice on a budget, I would guess. Otherwise, an ultraportable and a gaming desktop, unless you go to a LOT of LAN parties or something.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 19
1/9/05 at 11:35pm
Alright, if you plan on moving about a lot on campus with a laptop strapped to your back or on your hands then the thin and light with desktop route should be the way to go.

And I agree on the LAN party bit, but then being in a dorm with Internet is kind of like being in a LAN party itself
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 19
1/10/05 at 12:58am
I'm in the IT business so I have a lot of computers at home, but I'd go normal laptop and new hotness for the desktop. Flat out you can't get the GPU power in a laptop. I have a ZD7000 which I love but its really too big and heavy to use as a laptop. Played games OK though with its Nvidia 5200 chip...dx8 only so its limited today. Very fast laptop.

It acts as a mobile desktop around the house. Quiet, smaller than a desktop, and powerful.

I have a CL56 as well, its actually a pretty good gamer box for the price and specs. Its 6.5 lbs, fast and quiet a great all around box. The 9700 CPU has worked OK for the games I play (WoW, DAoC, Warcraft III, etc). The Pentium-M is a lot faster than it gets credit for.

If I were going back to college, I'd go for a nice Pentium-m 1.8-2Ghz lappy with at least a 9700 class gpu and a 15-15.4 inch screen. It will be capable of just about anything. If you have the space, add a Pentium-M 2.1Ghz SFF PC with a x800 or 6800 GT video card. Its small, almost as fast (within 5%) as a top of the line Athlon64 FX-55 for gaming and general purpose computing with a lot less fan noise and heat. Otherwise go with a SFF AMD 64. Top if off with a 17-19" 12-16ms response time LCD.


All in all, I'd just take a CL56 or Twinhead NR15 to school.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 19
10/25/06 at 11:04am
go with a dell xps m1210 for school, its small and portable but is powerful, then buy an alienware gaming desktop, fully loaded.
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 19
10/25/06 at 11:21am
Kickass desktop. Upgradable, newer technology, if it breaks, YOU can fix it, you don't have to send it in for repairs, reliable, and i think a smarter choice. If you get a gaming laptop, you'll have no battery life, and it may overheat.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 19
10/25/06 at 1:02pm
cheap laptop like E1405 and desktop. with g80 coming nov8th at only 500USD (my estimate since i get mine wholesale price for 510CND) there is no point on getting a 3000dollar laptop that gets blown away. theres no such thing as ultimate gaming laptop since the they are all cpu limited and the best gpu it go its the 7950 which is going to be obslete with the new generation
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 19
4/15/07 at 7:49pm
CAN I INTEREST YOU IN A 200ARC gATEWAY SCREAMER MACHINE. NEW BATTERY,HD (40,60 GIGS) LIGHT WEIGHT WIRELESS BUILTIN. ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES. A VERY GOOD FAST MACHINE. 2.1 G PROC. LESS THAN 5 LBS BETTER HURRY. 400-500DOLLARS cheappppp
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 19
4/15/07 at 8:12pm
I Have Got Like New Ibm Tablet X41 $750 All The Bells And Whistles 3alike Moving Fast. Where U At
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 19
4/15/07 at 8:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by notebook guru
I Have Got Like New Ibm Tablet X41 $750 All The Bells And Whistles 3alike Moving Fast. Where U At
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 19
4/20/07 at 12:13am
One kick ass lappy is my opinion. I have no problems gaming on my xps. And with it set to max battery I get three hours of life.
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 19
4/20/07 at 2:07am
If you have the funds, get a small laptop you will be happy with, and a nice gaming desktop. The laptop will really come in handy when you want to study outside your room and/or take notes in class with it.

High-end gaming laptops are wonderful and amazing feats of technology, but they simply aren't as good as a gaming desktop. They are much less upgradeable, have a shorter lifespan, and are priced at a premium. Personally, cool factor aside, I think their best use is for someone who a) moves around/travels a lot/has multiple homes, and doesn't want to be without their main machine for too long, or b) goes to LAN parties and wants to make fun of the nerds with PC totes.
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 19
4/20/07 at 2:11am
trust me, the last thing you want is just another distraction. Keep the gaming to the dorms, plus gaming laptops are HEAVY.

Just my 2cents.
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 19
4/20/07 at 9:47pm
I voted with the majority ... a kickass desktop and portable notebook. If you want a laptop that can handle some gaming ... you might want to consider something like the smaller Asus models that have a dedicated graphics card.

I think you primary focus on the notebook should be battery life and mobility. You want it to be so easy to carry, you'll always have it with you.
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 19
4/21/07 at 2:12pm
...It depends...If you are in the dorm would suggest the ultimate laptop because room is going to be at a premium & as much as I hate to say it campus theft is a serious problem. You cannot carry your desktop with you and lock it in your trunk or under your seat. It would suck to come in and see your desktop missing , or boot it up & notice that you are missing your top of the line 8800GTS...

If you go all out on the Ultimate Laptop & go the Dell route you have options like a 3 year @ Home warranty (they will go wherever you are) as well as Accidental damage coverage & Computrace built into the BIOS.

If you are living off campus grap an ultra-portable laptop & just build yourself a desktop.

Info on Computrace for those that don't know about it
http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=120986



..You can see what I have running in my sig...

http://www.notebookforums.com/thread195202.html
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Notebook Forums - General
NotebookForums.com › Forums › General Notebook Discussions › Notebook Forums - General › Ultimate gaming laptop or normal-laptop and gaming desktop?