Weekly Poll #4: Laptops Vs. Desktop

[Jason Tandro]

So I want a Desktop PC for gaming. I would really like to sit down and learn how to create my own custom build. But laptops are cheaper, more convenient and if you go high end can be pretty powerful in their own right. So which do you prefer to use (not just for gaming but for whatever). Laptops or Desktops?

For me I gotta go Laptop because I need my computer to be with me wherever, prior statement notwithstanding.

[psychokind]

I had a gaming laptop once. If you play on a PC regularly, do not buy a laptop. it's just so inconvenient, the keyboard, the small monitor, the heating and the sound of ventilation.

I can only imagine very rich people going for gaming laptops. they cost about 3x of what a PC costs, and with regular use the graphics card should be burned out after 1.5-2 years max. I don't know the warranty in the US, but in germany that means you can throw the whole thing in the garbage. I strongly advise against a gaming laptop.

[Yet One More Idiot]

I go for desktops, always have probably always will. Simple really.

My reasons for this are:

1) Heating. Having a laptop warming your thighs in winter might be pretty good, but the rest of the year it's uncomfortably hot. Bring a blanket or 3 for insulation maybe?

2) No mouse. Most laptops don't have a mouse, they have that damn little mousepad. When I've borrowed my sister's laptop (while crashing at hers for a few days), I cannot count the times I would click on a weblink when I wanted to scroll, or accidentally scroll when I wanted to click on something instead. I can't even begin to imagine what gaming with it might be like, or other complex actions like drawing in imaging software. Yikes.

3) Small screen. Again, borrowing my sister's laptop I was forever squinting down at the tiny screen trying to work out where the hell the effing mouse cursor had gone, or trying to read tiny text. OK, I could make them a better size, but then it'd be like having a desktop with 320x240 resolution. Pointless.

4) Speakers? What speakers? And if your laptop does have them, they tend to be far quieter and tinnier than even the cheapest plug-n-play desktop speakers.

5) Battery life. Half the attraction of a laptop is being able to use it on the go...so long as the battery doesn't crap out again and force you to plug in for a recharge. No thanks.

As such, I prefer to do my computing - and gaming - from my home desktop PC, with a nice big screen, distinct mouse buttons, half-decent sounds, no chance of it crapping out partway through playing Carmageddon, and not burning a hole through my legs.

[Blade]

I'm definitely a Laptop guy. But to be more precise, a desktop laptop guy.

I got a quite bulky ASUS Gaming laptop, resolution handles 1080p on a 17" screen, and it's specs were DA SHIT 6 years ago. Lots of USB ports, and HDMI and Ethernet and cardreader and BluRay Disc, etc.

Edit: since Psycho mentioned the price: retail would've been 1.600,- €, but a friend of mines who's a salesman got like 8 of these babes for 900,- €
best deal ever!

It's not made for on the go use, it's too big and too heavy, but it's a perfect mobile desktop.

Home use is quite good due to the big screen and fullsize key board, and going to a LAN Party, or DJ gig, or anywhere where I'll use it for a couple of hours? It's perfect! I just bring a mouse with me.

But even if you don't want to game, and want to use it on the go, you can get a really small & versatile laptop, get an extra 21"-25" screen for home use, extra keyboard and mouse and speakers. Best of two worlds.

Years ago I was a big fan and I enjoyed building my own desktop..."What motherboard do I chose? What processor? GFX card?" etc., but it's just too limited for me nowadays.

[inferiare]

Desktop. Laptops are nice, yeah. But desktops are easier to swap in parts if something stops working. Laptops you can do the same, but finding laptop-sized parts makes it harder and more pricey.

[psychokind]

I have to admit nowadays it's way easier to run a gaming laptop. thanks to the consoles the graphics in games are stagnating and a desktop PC easily runs for years without the need to upgrade hardware. only new console generations sometimes make it necessary.

[tay120n64]

Why isn't "smart phone" a choice?

[Yet One More Idiot]

Why isn't "smart phone" a choice?

Because gaming on a smartphone would require reeeeeeeally good eyesight?

Or because "Angry Birds" doesn't count as "gaming"?