Poll: Gaming Laptop or Gaming Desktop PC ?

[Mallefunction]

Admittedly I'm a PS3 fangirl, but out of the choices here, gotta go for the desktop. More space (and more of everything else really), better connection, etc. Laptops are nice for some games because you can just lay on your bed and chill, but you'll get a better experience on a desktop.

 

[floobie]

None of the above:

- There are very few cases where someone needs a mega powerful laptop that sacrifices mobility and battery life to ridiculous extents (which gaming laptops tend to do). If you need a laptop, you're usually much better served by getting one that gets at LEAST 5 hours of battery life, is smaller than 15 inches, and weighs relatively little. I knew people at university who bought gaming laptops, with the intent of bringing them to school every day and playing games. Most of them stopped bringing the thing within a week because gaming laptops SUCK as laptops. So, they effectively overpaid for what is functionally a desktop that can't be upgraded.

- A 15" Macbook Pro would honestly be a pretty good option, as you get something quite light and thin, with 7-8 hours of battery life, quad core processors, and decent graphics that switch automatically between integrated and dedicated... and some of the best build quality around. But, I won't force the point, considering how much emotion it can create in a gaming forum... and there are of course solid Windows alternatives. The Alienware M11x is pretty decent, though it's really only a "gaming" laptop by name, because Alienware makes it.

- If you don't care about mobility and want to play games (ie. you want some power), a desktop is always the most cost effective route. But, I wouldn't suggest an Alienware desktop, because you can make the exact same thing yourself for significantly less money.

Summary: If you don't care about mobility, build yourself a desktop. If you do care about mobility, don't buy some stupid enormous laptop that's mega powerful but generally rather useless as a laptop... unless you're willing to spend hundreds of dollars extra for the ability to move your computer around the house easily, but still generally be tethered to a wall outlet.

 

[DementedSheep]

Desktop is cheaper/better and can be upgraded. A laptop has the advantage of being portable but they tend to overheat, are more expensive for less and are still pretty hefty. Unless you?re going to be carting you're computer around all the time get a desktop.

 

[Navvan]

Laptop is a better value for your money if you desire portability. What I mean by this is that you can easily build a desktop that is as good as an Alienware for half the cost. Its a lot harder to build a laptop.

So if you are strictly looking for performance then build your own desktop. However if you desire gaming and portability go with the Alienware laptop.

 

[targren]

Quite a simple question for those of you that are PC gamers, Which is better overall. Alienware Laptop or Alien ware Desktop Pc ?

Alienware laptops are prone to overheating (never mind that they're over priced).

Truth be told, you should just build your own one.

This. Alienware stopped being worthwhile when they were borged and just became shitty Dells with flashy cases.

 

[Ulkjen]

Gaming laptops are cool and all but you want power. Desktops are power. Get a desktop. End of story.

 

[LastHour1]

Okay, here's what I have to say about your question:

1.) Stay the FUCK away from ANYTHING that even looks like Alienware. They are terrible computers, and, aside from one, every person I know that has bought an Alienware computer (laptop or desktop) has regretted it, because it's vastly underpowered for more money than competitors. Seriously. ASUS makes decent gaming laptops though.

2.) Your question can really be answered by answering this question of mine: Do you move around a lot? Like, travelling? Or LAN parties? Then you should spend more money and get a gaming laptop. They're heavy, get very hot, and, while they can usually be upgraded (Look up MXM video cards...), you usually won't want to, because parts for gaming laptops are often the price of a regular laptop themselves. However, if you're going to be in one spot for a long period of time, like at home, or if you're staying in a dorm room at school, a desktop is the better way to go. They're MUCH cheaper, can be easily upgraded, and don't fall behind the tech curve as fast as laptops can.

3.) Gaming laptops are not underpowered, provided you're willing to spend the money to get an up to date one. They cost several thousand dollars, have TERRIBLE battery life (Like, less than an hour.) and they will fall behind in performance as time goes on.

4.) If all you care about is gaming on the go, you can get laptops for cheap that aren't meant for gaming, but still are capable little machines. A friend of mine has a 15" HP dv5, quad core Phenom II, Radeon HD 5650 graphics, 6GB RAM, and while games aren't played at the highest settings, it can hold its own.

 

[Claptrap]

Don't buy alienware, You'd be paying a ton more just for a little alien face on the side, Build your own or find someone to do it for you.

Also gaming laptops will have trouble running much unless you put allot of money into it, You could build a desktop for half the money.

 

[Kilroy17]

I've had two gaming laptops and despite good care they both eventually overheated and fried their hard drives. Since I've bought a desktop I have not had a single problem and it's cheaper. Also upgrading is an issue for laptops I found, with the choices being extremely limited.

 

[bobfish92]

There is no such thing as Gaming Laptop. There are lappies that can run games averagely. Desktop all the way for gaming.

so my 700 quid laptop that runs crysis on max isn't for gaming? ok... better throw it in the rubbish...

 

[phYnc]

lol Macs don't play games.

On topic though its gotta be a Desktop since they are just all round more suited to gaming unless you are very mobile and move around a lot.

 

[Sincendiary]

Okay, here's what I have to say about your question:
1.) Stay the FUCK away from ANYTHING that even looks like Alienware. They are terrible computers, and, aside from one, every person I know that has bought an Alienware computer (laptop or desktop) has regretted it, because it's vastly underpowered for more money than competitors. Seriously. ASUS makes decent gaming laptops though.

While quite true on desktops for sure...Alienware's gaming laptops in the mid-range prices are actually surprisingly competitive. I paid less for mine than the comparable ASUS model. Not knocking ASUS, it was frankly the first brand I checked when shopping for a reason. Sager is usually pretty reasonable too and not many folks know about them, most of the "custom" shops I've seen online basically use Sager shells for laptops

 

[6037084]

Desktop PC all the way.
never owned a laptop and never wished I had one.

 

[ph0b0s123]

There is no such thing as Gaming Laptop. There are lappies that can run games averagely. Desktop all the way for gaming.

so my 700 quid laptop that runs crysis on max isn't for gaming? ok... better throw it in the rubbish...

Can it play Crysis 2 with the DX 11 patch and high res texture pack, or Metro 2033 on full settings? Crysis is no longer the benchmark, things have moved on....

 

[Hoplon]

Having had both.

Desktop, quieter and vastly more powerful, better screens, keyboard and anything else you can think of.

Also less bloat-ware if you self build.

 

[CrystalShadow]

Ugh. Alienware? Seriously?

Anyway, In general you need to consider what you want.

Portability, or... Well, cost.

Now, I'm not just talking about how much it costs to buy initially.

The real cost is that you can't upgrade a laptop. So once it gets to be too slow, you'll probably need to replace the whole thing.


Also, if you buy a gaming laptop, think carefully about what exactly you'll do with it.

I've had a 15 inch laptop for a while, and honestly? For actual travelling, it's too big, and the battery life sucks.

Yet, try finding a gaming laptop with decent performance that's less than 17 inches...
(Forget battery life entirely. Performance and battery life are almost mutually exclusive.)

In any event, I'd love a high-performance 14 inch laptop, but I've never really found one.
At that size the performance just ends up being too heavily compromised, and at larger sizes, portability is lost pretty quickly.

So... Yeah, it rather depends on what's most important to you.

 

[Yopaz]

Why exactly do you want an Alienware?

Really, I'm very interested into why people want these things.

Edit: Anyone got any answers that don't start with "They used to be good"?

They are excellent at marketing, they give their computers designs that make them look "cool", dark and edgy and they have a price tag so high that they must be good.
So... the reason they want to buy it is just that they are good at marketing. Kinda like apple.

OT: Desktop will give you a lot more power for a lot less, if you can get it custom made that would be preferable when you buy premade they will always save money on some crappy parts that you will have to upgrade anyway.
Most gaming laptops will give you some pain. They will get really hot which will give all the components shorter life and especially the battery suffers from this.

 

[Fooz]

i like how 'Mac' is included lol

but yeah like most posts on here, if it is specifically for gaming then get a desktop, if you wanna play games like minecraft that arn't too intense whilst being able to sit on your couch watching TV, get a laptop

 

[Mafoobula]

Alienware, Shmalienware. I would be a pre-built Best Buy box before getting an Alienware.
Mac, steaming pile of glossy *&^%. I mean, Mac, Shmac. Look, I can understand the appeal, Macs generally have good software and build quality, but they simply aren't meant for gaming.
My two cents: Puget Systems is legendary for build quality and customer satisfaction. My brother got a Puget desktop in '07 and it's still running like a dream. OriginPC is awesome for the discerning PC gamer with a large wallet. My OriginPC laptop is just so damn cool, in addition to blazing anything I want to play on it.

Yes, desktops are almost certainly going to be overall cheaper than a laptop of equivalent muscle. On the other hand, laptops have portability, and that is never to be underestimated.
Besides, desktops have all kinds of peripherals you have to keep in mind. Want a sweet monitor? You'll have to shell out for that. Are you an audiophile? Those sound cards aren't too cheap, and neither are the top-notch speakers/earphones/headphones. Add it all up, and you might find the price difference between laptop and desktop aren't that far apart. And you still can't take your desktop into the bathroom, can you?

With all that said, however, if a part fails in a desktop, you can (usually) get that part replaced inside of a week. If a part fails in a laptop, you're a little jolly well screwed, ain't'cha?

Oh right, topic question: Alienware aside, my personal tastes tend towards the laptop.