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Desktop or Labtop?

2

Comments

  • KyntorKyntor Member Posts: 280

    Like others have said, desktop is much better unless you need portability.

    "Those who dislike things based only on the fact that they are popular are just as shallow and superficial as those who only like them for the same reason."

  • NightCloakNightCloak Member UncommonPosts: 452

    Better?

    Better is subjective. It doesnt describe what qualities you are looking for.

    In terms of raw power, Desktop hands down.

    Laptop GPUs are underclocked versions of thier desktop counterparts. Not to mention that the cutting edge stuff is made for desktops before laptops.

    For all practical use and for the vast majority of the population, its up to preference if price isnt an option.

     

    My dream setup is a desktop setup. - Multi-monitor solution with a good speaker system option and comfy chair.

    My goal setup is a laptop setup. - Better laptop than I currently have and better recliner. Maybe an option to connect to TV.

    My current setup is a laptop setup. I sit in a recliner and game relaxed with the TV on. I use a mouse and headset attached to it and game for hours.

    Ultimately an objective arguement will fail here because your question is based off of a word heavily influenced by personal preferences.

    If price was not an issue I'd be all over a desktop.

  • CatamountCatamount Member Posts: 773

    Originally posted by eycel

     This thread isnt about performance, gaming has nothing to do with performance.

    Thank you for finally saving me the trouble and putting the nail in your own coffin.

    As anyone who knows the first thing about computing is aware, games are very performance-intensive applications (with new games continuously pushing that envelope at a rapid pace). Fluidity is vital for good gameplay, and the only thing that differs from one computer to the next in terms of how well they run games is how fluidly they render a given game's graphics, and how much eyecandy you get in the process. Desktops beat laptops there because they have superior perfomance, and therefore are better in the capacity of gaming. A gaming laptop might have other advantages over a gaming desktop, but it does not run games better, and contrary to the claims in your latest idiotic prattle, you have made no argument that speaks to this point, of any kind.

     

    Like I said though, you just ended your own line of argument with the flat out mind-numbingly stupid statement that PC gaming has nothing to do with performance, made in a PC hardware forum, no less, so by robbing yourself of what shreds of credibility you once had, you've just saved me further work. Thank you.

  • ArckenArcken Member Posts: 2,431

    Originally posted by Catamount

    The best single laptop GPU out there (barring Crossfire/SLI setups), afaik, is the Mobility Radeon HD 5870. That card costs about $1500 to get in a notebook, and it's only as powerful as the desktop Radeon HD 5770, which you can get a desktop equipped with for about $700.

    At half the performance for the money, there's little reason why a laptop would be better than a desktop for gaming, unless you absolutely cannot live without the mobility. Desktops are upgradeable as well. A desktop 5770 might not be up to what one wants for performance a year or two down the line, but it's only $150 to get whatever replaces it when new cards come around. Replacing the GPU of a laptop with the same performance costs exactly $1500- the price of a new laptop.

     Sorry you can pick up this http://ezinearticles.com/?ASUS-Republic-of-Gamers-G73JH-17-Inch-Gaming-Laptop&id=3950063

    complete with a 5870 card for about 1500 bucks. This laptop really changed my opinion about laptop gaming. For the hardware and the price, you just cant beat it.

    What these guys arent telling you, is that desktops are slowing phasing out. mobility and ease of use will eventually win out.

  • CatamountCatamount Member Posts: 773

    Originally posted by NightCloak

    Better?

    Better is subjective. It doesnt describe what qualities you are looking for.

    Normally, this is true, but the OP was inquiring about what consituted a "better" machine in a narrowly defined capacity (namely, the ability to run games). In this case, "better" describes having the few qualities in computing that make a computer superior in this capacity.

    As the only thing the differs between one computer and the next as far as gaming goes is fluidity of rendering, the only thing that impacts gaming on the hardware side is the performance of the machine.

    Like I said earlier, laptops qua computers could be argued to be superior to desktops (but like you said, "better" is subjective in such a case, depending on what you're looking for), but laptops qua gaming computers are not as good as desktops, because desktops possess more of the only quality that affects how well a game will run (performance, especially in the GPU department).

     

    "If price was not an issue I'd be all over a desktop." <-location of the quote boxes on this forum's UI eludes me :(

    Actually, desktops are cheaper than laptops, especially when we're talking gaming. A $700 desktop can easily match what a $1500 laptop is capable of in gaming (Maybe $850-900 if you needed a monitor; could you use your TV?), and gaming desktops can be had for as little as about $600 with present hardware prices, I believe.

    If you'd like help planning out a machine, there are plenty of people here who'd be willing to help you get the best bang for your buck, myself included.

  • CatamountCatamount Member Posts: 773

    Originally posted by Arcken

    Originally posted by Catamount

    The best single laptop GPU out there (barring Crossfire/SLI setups), afaik, is the Mobility Radeon HD 5870. That card costs about $1500 to get in a notebook, and it's only as powerful as the desktop Radeon HD 5770, which you can get a desktop equipped with for about $700.

    At half the performance for the money, there's little reason why a laptop would be better than a desktop for gaming, unless you absolutely cannot live without the mobility. Desktops are upgradeable as well. A desktop 5770 might not be up to what one wants for performance a year or two down the line, but it's only $150 to get whatever replaces it when new cards come around. Replacing the GPU of a laptop with the same performance costs exactly $1500- the price of a new laptop.

     Sorry you can pick up this http://ezinearticles.com/?ASUS-Republic-of-Gamers-G73JH-17-Inch-Gaming-Laptop&id=3950063

    complete with a 5870 card for about 1500 bucks. This laptop really changed my opinion about laptop gaming. For the hardware and the price, you just cant beat it.

    What these guys arent telling you, is that desktops are slowing phasing out. mobility and ease of use will eventually win out.

    You misunderstood what I said (my fault for bad phrasing). I meant to say a laptop equipped with a 5870 is $1500, which does, in fact, match what a ~$700 desktop can do.

     

    As for whether laptops or desktops will eventually win out, desktops are most certainly not being phased out, though laptop purchases are increasing with lower prices (and for general, non-gaming, usage I believe they actually out-pace desktops in the market). That said, I won't speculate on whether desktops will eventually stop being built in favor of notebooks, including in gaming. I heard claims that that would happen a decade ago, when the Mobility Radeon 7000 and 9000 chips were coming out (and they were fine GPUs) and it hasn't come true yet. If they manage to come up with a good GPU-swapping scheme, vastly improve prices, and design better cooling systems, then maybe laptops will supplant desktops for gaming altogether (and I won't complain; I like laptop gaming as much as the next guy), but like I said, I don't feel like speculating to that effect either way.

  • raistalin69raistalin69 Member Posts: 575

    depends on what your playing, for an older game thats not graphics intensive id love a laptop, but for most newer games id go with a desktop.

    IF THE ONLY DEFENCE FOR CRITICISM OF A GAME IS CALLING SOMEONE A TROLL OR HATER, THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE GAME

  • Loke666Loke666 Member EpicPosts: 21,441

    Originally posted by PVTPeterson

    So Gaming wise, is one better than the other? 

    Desktop. A high end laptop is about the same as a low end desktop at 3 times the price.

    The real problem is that a good gfx card is both too large and generates too much heat for a laptop.

    A laptop is fine if you play Wow and need to move it for school or if you travel a lot and want something for movies and games on the train. But if you plan to sit home and game you are getting a lot more out of your money with a desktop.

    On a plus side does laptops keep your energy bill lower but not enough to cost that much more.

    I own both a top notch laptop and desktop, there are however many games that the laptop can't even run while the desktop max them out. They cost me about the same amount of money.

    Here are my specs:

    Laptop: Sony Vaio F 16,1"

    2,66 ghz Intel duo processor. 6gb DDR3 ram. Nvidia 330 GTX. 

    Desktop, Custom built:

    AMD 3,2 ghz x6 (hexa core), 8gb DDR3 1600, Nvidia 480 GTX.

    You can yourself imagine which one of those that will run games best.

  • ArckenArcken Member Posts: 2,431

    Originally posted by Catamount

    Originally posted by Arcken

    Originally posted by Catamount

    The best single laptop GPU out there (barring Crossfire/SLI setups), afaik, is the Mobility Radeon HD 5870. That card costs about $1500 to get in a notebook, and it's only as powerful as the desktop Radeon HD 5770, which you can get a desktop equipped with for about $700.

    At half the performance for the money, there's little reason why a laptop would be better than a desktop for gaming, unless you absolutely cannot live without the mobility. Desktops are upgradeable as well. A desktop 5770 might not be up to what one wants for performance a year or two down the line, but it's only $150 to get whatever replaces it when new cards come around. Replacing the GPU of a laptop with the same performance costs exactly $1500- the price of a new laptop.

     Sorry you can pick up this http://ezinearticles.com/?ASUS-Republic-of-Gamers-G73JH-17-Inch-Gaming-Laptop&id=3950063

    complete with a 5870 card for about 1500 bucks. This laptop really changed my opinion about laptop gaming. For the hardware and the price, you just cant beat it.

    What these guys arent telling you, is that desktops are slowing phasing out. mobility and ease of use will eventually win out.

    You misunderstood what I said (my fault for bad phrasing). I meant to say a laptop equipped with a 5870 is $1500, which does, in fact, match what a ~$700 desktop can do.

     

    As for whether laptops or desktops will eventually win out, desktops are most certainly not being phased out, though laptop purchases are increasing with lower prices (and for general, non-gaming, usage I believe they actually out-pace desktops in the market). That said, I won't speculate on whether desktops will eventually stop being built in favor of notebooks, including in gaming. I heard claims that that would happen a decade ago, when the Mobility Radeon 7000 and 9000 chips were coming out (and they were fine GPUs) and it hasn't come true yet. If they manage to come up with a good GPU-swapping scheme, vastly improve prices, and design better cooling systems, then maybe laptops will supplant desktops for gaming altogether (and I won't complain; I like laptop gaming as much as the next guy), but like I said, I don't feel like speculating to that effect either way.

     Desktop sales have been slowing, lapt op sales have been climbing. That tells me theyre phasing out. Honestly gamers are a small minority of people that buy high end computers. A lot of people out there if not most will not spend that kinda cash for a system. Average Joe wants accessibility. Ive been seeing it happen with just about everyone I see here (I live in chicago, so I really see a lot of people). I see senior citizens busting out laptops at McDonalds for crying out loud!

    You may disagree with me, but desktops ARE slowly phasing out.

  • PoopyStuffPoopyStuff Member Posts: 297

    Why is this thread 4 pages long?

    the answer to his question was already given and accepted on the first few replies.

  • madazzmadazz Member RarePosts: 2,100

    Laptops now days, if chosen wisely, can last quite a long time. Mine for instance, allows me to upgrade both the processor and graphics cards (Currently crossfire). I currently have 4gb ram, but it can go up to 8gb. I also have to HardDrives in it as well.  I sometimes use both my 17inch laptop screen with a 24 inch for a dual display when doing graphics, or if I want another screen up while playing a game. I also have a very very nice surround sound system hooked up to it. When I am home I use a Logitech illuminated keyboard and a G5 mouse (I actually take the mouse with me too).

    Using a notebook for gaming and getting rid of my desktop just made sense to me. I leave home every weekend and also love taking it travelling. Another great this is if you purchase a decent notebook, the resale value will be decent as well. Sure it may go obsolete, but so will your desktop. And with the desktop, when you factor in replacing your MOBO, CPU and GPU (possibly ram and all that), the upgrade costs are usually equal after selling your notebook. For instance, I had a Studio 17 that I purchased, 1 year and a few months later I decided to sell it and purchase an Alienware. I got a slightly used Alienware that was leaps and bounds faster than my Studio, and also ran circles around my decent desktop that would of costs hundreds to upgrade. All for the cost of $140.00 out of my pocket. If I had wanted, I could of spent $500.00 and got another brand new notebook instead. That $500 was still cheaper than the desktop upgrades I would of wanted.

    For most, I'd still say a Desktop is most viable, but if you are willing to take the time and research before buying and sell wisely, then a Notebook is a great choice too. They will never be able to match the raw power of PC on equal pricing terms, but if you want to be portable, its the way to go. If not, spend less and get a desktop :)

  • CatamountCatamount Member Posts: 773

    Originally posted by Arcken

    Originally posted by Catamount


    Originally posted by Arcken


    Originally posted by Catamount

    The best single laptop GPU out there (barring Crossfire/SLI setups), afaik, is the Mobility Radeon HD 5870. That card costs about $1500 to get in a notebook, and it's only as powerful as the desktop Radeon HD 5770, which you can get a desktop equipped with for about $700.

    At half the performance for the money, there's little reason why a laptop would be better than a desktop for gaming, unless you absolutely cannot live without the mobility. Desktops are upgradeable as well. A desktop 5770 might not be up to what one wants for performance a year or two down the line, but it's only $150 to get whatever replaces it when new cards come around. Replacing the GPU of a laptop with the same performance costs exactly $1500- the price of a new laptop.

     Sorry you can pick up this http://ezinearticles.com/?ASUS-Republic-of-Gamers-G73JH-17-Inch-Gaming-Laptop&id=3950063

    complete with a 5870 card for about 1500 bucks. This laptop really changed my opinion about laptop gaming. For the hardware and the price, you just cant beat it.

    What these guys arent telling you, is that desktops are slowing phasing out. mobility and ease of use will eventually win out.

    You misunderstood what I said (my fault for bad phrasing). I meant to say a laptop equipped with a 5870 is $1500, which does, in fact, match what a ~$700 desktop can do.

     

    As for whether laptops or desktops will eventually win out, desktops are most certainly not being phased out, though laptop purchases are increasing with lower prices (and for general, non-gaming, usage I believe they actually out-pace desktops in the market). That said, I won't speculate on whether desktops will eventually stop being built in favor of notebooks, including in gaming. I heard claims that that would happen a decade ago, when the Mobility Radeon 7000 and 9000 chips were coming out (and they were fine GPUs) and it hasn't come true yet. If they manage to come up with a good GPU-swapping scheme, vastly improve prices, and design better cooling systems, then maybe laptops will supplant desktops for gaming altogether (and I won't complain; I like laptop gaming as much as the next guy), but like I said, I don't feel like speculating to that effect either way.

     Desktop sales have been slowing, lapt op sales have been climbing. That tells me theyre phasing out. Honestly gamers are a small minority of people that buy high end computers. A lot of people out there if not most will not spend that kinda cash for a system. Average Joe wants accessibility. Ive been seeing it happen with just about everyone I see here (I live in chicago, so I really see a lot of people). I see senior citizens busting out laptops at McDonalds for crying out loud!

    You may disagree with me, but desktops ARE slowly phasing out.

    "Phasing out" implies a progression towards a state where desktops are no longer produced.

    Given that gaming is an absolutely enormous industry, and given that there are, and likely always will be, demands for large amounts of computing power, not just for gaming, but for scientific research, engineering, medical research, general computer-modellig applications (some of which is covered in science, medicine and engineering) movie-making, serious video and image editing (especially with the advent of HD video), and software development (compiling something like the latest beta build for the next Windows isn't exactly a simple process), there is no reason whatsoever to believe that desktops are being "phased out".

    Desktops will likely continue to decline in sales in the sectors revolving around grandpa Joe checking his email, but that still leaves an absolutely enormous market of people in all sorts of capacities who still require the added power that can only be feasibly attained through a desktop computer. Nothign on present technological road maps are likely to change that.

    Claiming laptops will phase out desktops is kind of like claiming that Ipads/Iphones are going to phase out laptops. I have no doubt that smart phones and portable digital pads will grow, and even outpace laptops for much of the market before long, but laptops will always have a market niche more than large enough to justify continued development and production. On the same token, this remains true of desktops as well.

  • Loke666Loke666 Member EpicPosts: 21,441

    Originally posted by Arcken

     Desktop sales have been slowing, lapt op sales have been climbing. That tells me theyre phasing out. Honestly gamers are a small minority of people that buy high end computers. A lot of people out there if not most will not spend that kinda cash for a system. Average Joe wants accessibility. Ive been seeing it happen with just about everyone I see here (I live in chicago, so I really see a lot of people). I see senior citizens busting out laptops at McDonalds for crying out loud!

    You may disagree with me, but desktops ARE slowly phasing out.

    Phasing out? It is true that the trend has been in favor of laptops the last few years but the latest generation of GFX cards is going against that, they are getting larger and using more power. Most laptops have intergrated GFX card or the lowest performing versions.

    If the current trend with GFX cards continues, then will everyone who games be forced to buy desktops, most of the gamers already have.

    Also, Iphones and Ipads are competing with the laptop.

    Just because something is selling better at a given time doesn't mean that it will do so in the future too. Most gamers have desktop now and will continue having that.The big difference is that computers isn't just for gaming and working any more, regular people who want to access facebook and youtube from any location don't need a desktop, they will have more use of a laptop and it is them who buys laptops.

    Not a single one of my gamer friends have a laptop as main computer but many of my not gaming friends.

    And OPs question was about gaming, not facebook users.

    It is likely that somewhere in the future will nano technology make all computers so small that they are portable but we are a long way from that right now. Until that happens will most gamers have desktop and most regular users laptops.

  • ArckenArcken Member Posts: 2,431

    Originally posted by Loke666

    Originally posted by Arcken

     Desktop sales have been slowing, lapt op sales have been climbing. That tells me theyre phasing out. Honestly gamers are a small minority of people that buy high end computers. A lot of people out there if not most will not spend that kinda cash for a system. Average Joe wants accessibility. Ive been seeing it happen with just about everyone I see here (I live in chicago, so I really see a lot of people). I see senior citizens busting out laptops at McDonalds for crying out loud!

    You may disagree with me, but desktops ARE slowly phasing out.

    Phasing out? It is true that the trend has been in favor of laptops the last few years but the latest generation of GFX cards is going against that, they are getting larger and using more power. Most laptops have intergrated GFX card or the lowest performing versions.

    If the current trend with GFX cards continues, then will everyone who games be forced to buy desktops, most of the gamers already have.

    Also, Iphones and Ipads are competing with the laptop.

    Just because something is selling better at a given time doesn't mean that it will do so in the future too. Most gamers have desktop now and will continue having that.The big difference is that computers isn't just for gaming and working any more, regular people who want to access facebook and youtube from any location don't need a desktop, they will have more use of a laptop and it is them who buys laptops.

    Not a single one of my gamer friends have a laptop as main computer but many of my not gaming friends.

    And OPs question was about gaming, not facebook users.

    It is likely that somewhere in the future will nano technology make all computers so small that they are portable but we are a long way from that right now. Until that happens will most gamers have desktop and most regular users laptops.

     Like land lines and cell phones, the moment that the technology behind laptops put them on par with desktops, desktops started losing sales. High end desktop users are a very small minority of the overall market. Heck, thats why MMO makers try to make games accessible by most systems. Its one of the reasons WoW has so many subs.

    Again, if I can go out and buy a quad core, 8g mem, 5870 laptop for 1500 bucks, id say the gap betweeen the two is closing in terms of price vs performance.

    Heres some literature for you in case I need to further illustrate my point.

    http://laptoplogic.com/news/laptop-sales-exceed-desktop-sales-globally--20319

    http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/104856/Decline_of_the_Desktop

    You can argue your point, but numbers dont lie.

  • DubhlaithDubhlaith Member Posts: 1,012


    Originally posted by Arcken

    Originally posted by Loke666

    Originally posted by Arcken
     Desktop sales have been slowing, lapt op sales have been climbing. That tells me theyre phasing out. Honestly gamers are a small minority of people that buy high end computers. A lot of people out there if not most will not spend that kinda cash for a system. Average Joe wants accessibility. Ive been seeing it happen with just about everyone I see here (I live in chicago, so I really see a lot of people). I see senior citizens busting out laptops at McDonalds for crying out loud!
    You may disagree with me, but desktops ARE slowly phasing out.
    Phasing out? It is true that the trend has been in favor of laptops the last few years but the latest generation of GFX cards is going against that, they are getting larger and using more power. Most laptops have intergrated GFX card or the lowest performing versions.
    If the current trend with GFX cards continues, then will everyone who games be forced to buy desktops, most of the gamers already have.
    Also, Iphones and Ipads are competing with the laptop.
    Just because something is selling better at a given time doesn't mean that it will do so in the future too. Most gamers have desktop now and will continue having that.The big difference is that computers isn't just for gaming and working any more, regular people who want to access facebook and youtube from any location don't need a desktop, they will have more use of a laptop and it is them who buys laptops.
    Not a single one of my gamer friends have a laptop as main computer but many of my not gaming friends.
    And OPs question was about gaming, not facebook users.
    It is likely that somewhere in the future will nano technology make all computers so small that they are portable but we are a long way from that right now. Until that happens will most gamers have desktop and most regular users laptops.


     Like land lines and cell phones, the moment that the technology behind laptops put them on par with desktops, desktops started losing sales. High end desktop users are a very small minority of the overall market. Heck, thats why MMO makers try to make games accessible by most systems. Its one of the reasons WoW has so many subs.
    Again, if I can go out and buy a quad core, 8g mem, 5870 laptop for 1500 bucks, id say the gap betweeen the two is closing in terms of price vs performance.
    Heres some literature for you in case I need to further illustrate my point.
    http://laptoplogic.com/news/laptop-sales-exceed-desktop-sales-globally--20319
    http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/104856/Decline_of_the_Desktop
    You can argue your point, but numbers dont lie.

    More people may be buying more laptops, but the vast majority of those people are not gamers, and if they are, they are probably not very serious about it. The simple truth is that laptops do not have the performance or the graphics capability of desktops. They do not have the space for powerful graphics cards, they do not have the space for adequate cooling for what they do have, and they do not have the space for parts of the same level of quality across the board. And perhaps most important, desktops are much easier to build to your specifications, and far and away cheaper to do so.

    I have a laptop. There are only a few rudimentary games on it. I take it with me certain places, but when I want to play a high-end game with serious graphics, I use my desktop. A laptop simply cannot compete with a custom-built desktop.

    "Gamers will no longer buy the argument that every MMO requires a subscription fee to offset server and bandwidth costs. It's not true — you know it, and they know it." —Jeff Strain, co-founder of ArenaNet, 2007

    WTF? No subscription fee?

  • CatamountCatamount Member Posts: 773

    Originally posted by Arcken

     Like land lines and cell phones, the moment that the technology behind laptops put them on par with desktops, desktops started losing sales. High end desktop users are a very small minority of the overall market. Heck, thats why MMO makers try to make games accessible by most systems. Its one of the reasons WoW has so many subs.

    Again, if I can go out and buy a quad core, 8g mem, 5870 laptop for 1500 bucks, id say the gap betweeen the two is closing in terms of price vs performance.

    Heres some literature for you in case I need to further illustrate my point.

    http://laptoplogic.com/news/laptop-sales-exceed-desktop-sales-globally--20319

    http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/104856/Decline_of_the_Desktop

    You can argue your point, but numbers dont lie.

    Numbers don't say untruthful things; people who use numbers say untruthful things, because they post numbers and then make assertions that those numbers don't actually support.

    You've posted nothing that supports the conclusion that desktop production is coming to any kind of end. Desktop sales are declining because alternatives now exist that better suit certain niches, and had you read my post, you'd see where I already said that laptop sales now out-pace desktops sales. What you also might have read is the part where I noted that the market segment that requires high-powered machines is enormous. "Small minority" means nothing with a market this size. Assuming even an ultra-conservative figure of a computer per four people worldwide (it's probably at least double that), and a market where 10% of the demand is for powerful machines, do you have any idea what even 10% of 1.5+ billion people is? That's still 150 million people who are going to be buying new high-performance computers up at a very regular pace.

    Also, your quad core is inferior to that of a desktop (and laptops with quad core CPUs don't tend to cool well anyways), and your "5870" isn't a real 5870, just a desktop 5770 that's been scaled down and called a "mobile 5870".

     

    Desktop computers are far better at high-performance computing than laptops (2-4 times better for a given amount of money, and they cap higher), and there is nothing in present technology that is about to change that. There is also no indication, whatsoever, that the demand for high-performance computing is going to go anywhere but up. Until either of those becomes untrue, desktop sales are only losing a sector of the market they never did well for to begin with, while still being left with a very solid, very large remaining base of customers. Please explain how a product with a solid and large base of customers gets "phased out".

    Edit: edited for a stupid math mistake on my part ^_^;

  • eyceleycel Member Posts: 1,334

    Originally posted by Dubhlaith

     




    Originally posted by Arcken





    Originally posted by Loke666






    Originally posted by Arcken

     Desktop sales have been slowing, lapt op sales have been climbing. That tells me theyre phasing out. Honestly gamers are a small minority of people that buy high end computers. A lot of people out there if not most will not spend that kinda cash for a system. Average Joe wants accessibility. Ive been seeing it happen with just about everyone I see here (I live in chicago, so I really see a lot of people). I see senior citizens busting out laptops at McDonalds for crying out loud!

    You may disagree with me, but desktops ARE slowly phasing out.






    Phasing out? It is true that the trend has been in favor of laptops the last few years but the latest generation of GFX cards is going against that, they are getting larger and using more power. Most laptops have intergrated GFX card or the lowest performing versions.

    If the current trend with GFX cards continues, then will everyone who games be forced to buy desktops, most of the gamers already have.

    Also, Iphones and Ipads are competing with the laptop.

    Just because something is selling better at a given time doesn't mean that it will do so in the future too. Most gamers have desktop now and will continue having that.The big difference is that computers isn't just for gaming and working any more, regular people who want to access facebook and youtube from any location don't need a desktop, they will have more use of a laptop and it is them who buys laptops.

    Not a single one of my gamer friends have a laptop as main computer but many of my not gaming friends.

    And OPs question was about gaming, not facebook users.

    It is likely that somewhere in the future will nano technology make all computers so small that they are portable but we are a long way from that right now. Until that happens will most gamers have desktop and most regular users laptops.






     Like land lines and cell phones, the moment that the technology behind laptops put them on par with desktops, desktops started losing sales. High end desktop users are a very small minority of the overall market. Heck, thats why MMO makers try to make games accessible by most systems. Its one of the reasons WoW has so many subs.

    Again, if I can go out and buy a quad core, 8g mem, 5870 laptop for 1500 bucks, id say the gap betweeen the two is closing in terms of price vs performance.

    Heres some literature for you in case I need to further illustrate my point.

    http://laptoplogic.com/news/laptop-sales-exceed-desktop-sales-globally--20319

    http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/104856/Decline_of_the_Desktop

    You can argue your point, but numbers dont lie.




    More people may be buying more laptops, but the vast majority of those people are not gamers, and if they are, they are probably not very serious about it. The simple truth is that laptops do not have the performance or the graphics capability of desktops. They do not have the space for powerful graphics cards, they do not have the space for adequate cooling for what they do have, and they do not have the space for parts of the same level of quality across the board. And perhaps most important, desktops are much easier to build to your specifications, and far and away cheaper to do so.

    I have a laptop. There are only a few rudimentary games on it. I take it with me certain places, but when I want to play a high-end game with serious graphics, I use my desktop. A laptop simply cannot compete with a custom-built desktop.

    Belive me we all know you have a laptop by your post.  It dosnt matter if you have one or not, dosnt make your post any more legit. 

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  • eyceleycel Member Posts: 1,334

    Originally posted by Catamount

    Originally posted by NightCloak

    Better?

    Better is subjective. It doesnt describe what qualities you are looking for.

    Normally, this is true, but the OP was inquiring about what consituted a "better" machine in a narrowly defined capacity (namely, the ability to run games). In this case, "better" describes having the few qualities in computing that make a computer superior in this capacity.

    As the only thing the differs between one computer and the next as far as gaming goes is fluidity of rendering, the only thing that impacts gaming on the hardware side is the performance of the machine.

    Like I said earlier, laptops qua computers could be argued to be superior to desktops (but like you said, "better" is subjective in such a case, depending on what you're looking for), but laptops qua gaming computers are not as good as desktops, because desktops possess more of the only quality that affects how well a game will run (performance, especially in the GPU department).

     

    "If price was not an issue I'd be all over a desktop." <-location of the quote boxes on this forum's UI eludes me :(

    Actually, desktops are cheaper than laptops, especially when we're talking gaming. A $700 desktop can easily match what a $1500 laptop is capable of in gaming (Maybe $850-900 if you needed a monitor; could you use your TV?), and gaming desktops can be had for as little as about $600 with present hardware prices, I believe.

    If you'd like help planning out a machine, there are plenty of people here who'd be willing to help you get the best bang for your buck, myself included.

    please stop using performance as your main argument in your replys, youve done it with me more then a dozen times, and now your doing it to the rest of this thread.  You dont need to argue with us that desktops have more performance. 

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  • eyceleycel Member Posts: 1,334

    Originally posted by Loke666

    Originally posted by PVTPeterson

    So Gaming wise, is one better than the other? 

    Desktop. A high end laptop is about the same as a low end desktop at 3 times the price.

    The real problem is that a good gfx card is both too large and generates too much heat for a laptop.

    A laptop is fine if you play Wow and need to move it for school or if you travel a lot and want something for movies and games on the train. But if you plan to sit home and game you are getting a lot more out of your money with a desktop.

    On a plus side does laptops keep your energy bill lower but not enough to cost that much more.

    I own both a top notch laptop and desktop, there are however many games that the laptop can't even run while the desktop max them out. They cost me about the same amount of money.

    Here are my specs:

    Laptop: Sony Vaio F 16,1"

    2,66 ghz Intel duo processor. 6gb DDR3 ram. Nvidia 330 GTX. 

    Desktop, Custom built:

    AMD 3,2 ghz x6 (hexa core), 8gb DDR3 1600, Nvidia 480 GTX.

    You can yourself imagine which one of those that will run games best.

    The 330 gtx is close to a netbook gpu and there are plenty of people that leave there laptops sit just on there desk. Desktop replacements are a big market. 

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  • eyceleycel Member Posts: 1,334

    Originally posted by Arcken

    Originally posted by Loke666


    Originally posted by Arcken

     Desktop sales have been slowing, lapt op sales have been climbing. That tells me theyre phasing out. Honestly gamers are a small minority of people that buy high end computers. A lot of people out there if not most will not spend that kinda cash for a system. Average Joe wants accessibility. Ive been seeing it happen with just about everyone I see here (I live in chicago, so I really see a lot of people). I see senior citizens busting out laptops at McDonalds for crying out loud!

    You may disagree with me, but desktops ARE slowly phasing out.

    Phasing out? It is true that the trend has been in favor of laptops the last few years but the latest generation of GFX cards is going against that, they are getting larger and using more power. Most laptops have intergrated GFX card or the lowest performing versions.

    If the current trend with GFX cards continues, then will everyone who games be forced to buy desktops, most of the gamers already have.

    Also, Iphones and Ipads are competing with the laptop.

    Just because something is selling better at a given time doesn't mean that it will do so in the future too. Most gamers have desktop now and will continue having that.The big difference is that computers isn't just for gaming and working any more, regular people who want to access facebook and youtube from any location don't need a desktop, they will have more use of a laptop and it is them who buys laptops.

    Not a single one of my gamer friends have a laptop as main computer but many of my not gaming friends.

    And OPs question was about gaming, not facebook users.

    It is likely that somewhere in the future will nano technology make all computers so small that they are portable but we are a long way from that right now. Until that happens will most gamers have desktop and most regular users laptops.

     Like land lines and cell phones, the moment that the technology behind laptops put them on par with desktops, desktops started losing sales. High end desktop users are a very small minority of the overall market. Heck, thats why MMO makers try to make games accessible by most systems. Its one of the reasons WoW has so many subs.

    Again, if I can go out and buy a quad core, 8g mem, 5870 laptop for 1500 bucks, id say the gap betweeen the two is closing in terms of price vs performance.

    Heres some literature for you in case I need to further illustrate my point.

    http://laptoplogic.com/news/laptop-sales-exceed-desktop-sales-globally--20319

    http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/104856/Decline_of_the_Desktop

    You can argue your point, but numbers dont lie.

    You can buy many top of the line laptops for a decent price point and still be able to sell them off a year down the road and get the newest tech without much trouble.  Thats one of the main reasons why gaming with laptops is so practical.  They have plenty of bang were it counts, even for the most power hungry frames per second critics. 

    It only goes to show, the more people I talk to in mmos (aion) the more laptops there are out there and they enjoy mmos on them.  People dont play mmorpg's on laptops cause there portable, they play them because they run good on them. 

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  • CatamountCatamount Member Posts: 773

    Originally posted by eycel

    please stop using performance as your main argument in your replys, youve done it with me more then a dozen times, and now your doing it to the rest of this thread.  You dont need to argue with us that desktops have more performance. 

    I have an idea; why don't I make you a simple deal.

    You cite one thing that affects how well a computer runs games beyond the performance of the machine, and I will stop arguing that performance dictates what makes a good gaming machine, or pointing it out as the reason why desktops continue to have a market.

    If you can't do that, then it makes your request stupid, and I see no reason to consider it.

  • eyceleycel Member Posts: 1,334

    Originally posted by Catamount

    Originally posted by eycel

    please stop using performance as your main argument in your replys, youve done it with me more then a dozen times, and now your doing it to the rest of this thread.  You dont need to argue with us that desktops have more performance. 

    I have an idea; why don't I make you a simple deal.

    You cite one thing that affects how well a computer runs games beyond the performance of the machine, and I will stop arguing that performance dictates what makes a good gaming machine, or pointing it out as the reason why desktops continue to have a market.

    If you can't do that, then it makes your request stupid, and I see no reason to consider it.

     IV already given you many views to take into consideration which I dont need to repost.  I guess I could start with age groups.  The op didnt specify in what fasion the gaming was to be done in. Alot of younger folk could make use of the flexibility of having something to be able to take with them, yet the first 5 replys insisted that weather or not this was the case a desktop is the only thing to buy bar none.  If people would be more resonable about not disregarding laptops then I wouldn't be posting this view.  I just get the feeling that alot of people that could make good use of laptops end up stuck because they were talked into geting a desktop.  I dont think this should be, and is bias towards laptops and hurts laptop sales, and I want more people to buy laptops cause I like buying peoples laptops.  There easy to ship, theres support for all of them and they game well. 

    I know you keep thinking the op asked what performs better in gaming, but  that isnt what the title of this thread is.  I personaly think gaming in coffe shops,airports,outside is more fun any way and so the op might as well.  Id be one pissed kid If i was stuck with some desktop knowing that I could have a sleek, vibrant laptop that I could be gaming on.  Not only that, if you buy a laptop for gaming and decide that its not your cup of tea after the warrenty, its not hard to sell.  You can do it without much hassel.  Buy a dektop and run out of warrenty, its just not going to be as easy since shipping cost so much for those monsters.  Not only that youl be stuck with an external monitor that you dont need, which adds to more shipping.  The boxes for desktops are as big as a babys cribb, and if its homemade which im sure a good portion of desktops are that will just make selling it all that much more difficult since there is gazillions of home made desktops. 

    I think were about at the time when yeah desktops are ok for workstations, but cmon, geting a giant beast of a desktop for gaming is impractical at best and can only be best remedied by the ease of use and practicality of laptops.  MMOs are taking of in a big way and progressing well.  The laptop gaming market is roaring ahead, and can only make sence to invest in this great market.    

    image

  • CatamountCatamount Member Posts: 773

    Originally posted by eycel

    Originally posted by Catamount


    Originally posted by eycel



    please stop using performance as your main argument in your replys, youve done it with me more then a dozen times, and now your doing it to the rest of this thread.  You dont need to argue with us that desktops have more performance. 

    I have an idea; why don't I make you a simple deal.

    You cite one thing that affects how well a computer runs games beyond the performance of the machine, and I will stop arguing that performance dictates what makes a good gaming machine, or pointing it out as the reason why desktops continue to have a market.

    If you can't do that, then it makes your request stupid, and I see no reason to consider it.

     IV already given you many views to take into consideration which I dont need to repost.  I guess I could start with age groups.  The op didnt specify in what fasion the gaming was to be done in. Alot of younger folk could make use of the flexibility of having something to be able to take with them, yet the first 5 replys insisted that weather or not this was the case a desktop is the only thing to buy bar none.  If people would be more resonable about not disregarding laptops then I wouldn't be posting this view.  I just get the feeling that alot of people that could make good use of laptops end up stuck because they were talked into geting a desktop.  I dont think this should be, and is bias towards laptops and hurts laptop sales, and I want more people to buy laptops cause I like buying peoples laptops.  There easy to ship, theres support for all of them and they game well. 

    I know you keep thinking the op asked what performs better in gaming, but  that isnt what the title of this thread is.  I personaly think gaming in coffe shops,airports,outside is more fun any way and so the op might as well.  Id be one pissed kid If i was stuck with some desktop knowing that I could have a sleek, vibrant laptop that I could be gaming on.  Not only that, if you buy a laptop for gaming and decide that its not your cup of tea after the warrenty, its not hard to sell.  You can do it without much hassel.  Buy a dektop and run out of warrenty, its just not going to be as easy since shipping cost so much for those monsters.  Not only that youl be stuck with an external monitor that you dont need, which adds to more shipping.  The boxes for desktops are as big as a babys cribb, and if its homemade which im sure a good portion of desktops are that will just make selling it all that much more difficult since there is gazillions of home made desktops. 

    I think were about at the time when yeah desktops are ok for workstations, but cmon, geting a giant beast of a desktop for gaming is impractical at best and can only be best remedied by the ease of use and practicality of laptops.  MMOs are taking of in a big way and progressing well.  The laptop gaming market is roaring ahead, and can only make sence to invest in this great market.    


    Originally posted by PVTPeterson

    So Gaming wise, is one better than the other? 

    You see?

    The answer to the OP's question is desktop. Gaming-wise, as in judging a machine by its capability to game, as in judging how well it runs games, desktops are vastly superior because only performance dictates this.

    There are plenty of reasons why a laptop is superior, and plenty of reasons why even someone who games might opt for one, but the OP didn't ask for a rundown of all the things you could do with a laptop and a desktop. Instead, the OP asked a simple, pointed question, and the answer to his question is that desktops are superior in the capacity of gaming. What you're doing here is called a red herring; it's tangenting the conversation away from the focus of the conversation, which is what type of machine is better, gaming-wise. Nothing in your post even beings to address this. Instead, you just spout off large amounts of personal opinion statements, or assertions that are completely unbacked by any citations or specific examples, whatsoever. 

     

    Whereas performance is at the center of what's being discuss here, what you think is "shiny" or "sleek" is completely and 100% irrelevant personal opinion. Your assertions about the supposed fantastic resale value of laptops are not only something you've failed to actually demonstrate by showing an example of said laptops, but it's also irrelevant because you can't buy and sell your way out of inadequate computing power. You have to spend well over $1000 just to get a remotely capable gaming computer (mobile 5650s and below just don't cut it in most titles), and a year down the road, a $1000 laptop isn't going to cut it anyways, because demand for GPU grows exponentially. A $1000 laptop from a year ago would sport something along the lines of a Mobility Radeon 4650. There are many, many titles that that is not sufficiently powerful for fluid gameplay on when running at all but the bare minimum graphics settings. A $1000 desktop from a year ago could be sporting a Geforce GTX275 or a Radeon HD 4890, and either of those would still be able to play games. What's more, that one year old laptop isn't going to maintain its value. I'd guess that you'd get $700 for it if you're lucky. In fact, I can't even find a laptop on Ebay right now with a mobile Radeon HD 4650!

    If you want to demonstrate that gaming laptops retain their value so well for retail, then link a few. As it is, I say you just have no idea what you're talking about. If you have infinite money to spend, and can afford a new $1000 laptop every single year (or pay $300 minimum for the difference from a resell), then laptop gaming really is as good as desktop gaming for you. That said, desktops don't need to do this to stay up to date. Furthermore, as I keep saying, this isn't a battle of resale value anyways. Desktops game better than laptops; that's not an opinion, but a fact, one based on desktops performing better while running games.

  • eyceleycel Member Posts: 1,334

    Originally posted by Catamount

    Originally posted by eycel

    Originally posted by Catamount

    Originally posted by eycel

    please stop using performance as your main argument in your replys, youve done it with me more then a dozen times, and now your doing it to the rest of this thread.  You dont need to argue with us that desktops have more performance. 

    I have an idea; why don't I make you a simple deal.

    You cite one thing that affects how well a computer runs games beyond the performance of the machine, and I will stop arguing that performance dictates what makes a good gaming machine, or pointing it out as the reason why desktops continue to have a market.

    If you can't do that, then it makes your request stupid, and I see no reason to consider it.

     IV already given you many views to take into consideration which I dont need to repost.  I guess I could start with age groups.  The op didnt specify in what fasion the gaming was to be done in. Alot of younger folk could make use of the flexibility of having something to be able to take with them, yet the first 5 replys insisted that weather or not this was the case a desktop is the only thing to buy bar none.  If people would be more resonable about not disregarding laptops then I wouldn't be posting this view.  I just get the feeling that alot of people that could make good use of laptops end up stuck because they were talked into geting a desktop.  I dont think this should be, and is bias towards laptops and hurts laptop sales, and I want more people to buy laptops cause I like buying peoples laptops.  There easy to ship, theres support for all of them and they game well. 

    I know you keep thinking the op asked what performs better in gaming, but  that isnt what the title of this thread is.  I personaly think gaming in coffe shops,airports,outside is more fun any way and so the op might as well.  Id be one pissed kid If i was stuck with some desktop knowing that I could have a sleek, vibrant laptop that I could be gaming on.  Not only that, if you buy a laptop for gaming and decide that its not your cup of tea after the warrenty, its not hard to sell.  You can do it without much hassel.  Buy a dektop and run out of warrenty, its just not going to be as easy since shipping cost so much for those monsters.  Not only that youl be stuck with an external monitor that you dont need, which adds to more shipping.  The boxes for desktops are as big as a babys cribb, and if its homemade which im sure a good portion of desktops are that will just make selling it all that much more difficult since there is gazillions of home made desktops. 

    I think were about at the time when yeah desktops are ok for workstations, but cmon, geting a giant beast of a desktop for gaming is impractical at best and can only be best remedied by the ease of use and practicality of laptops.  MMOs are taking of in a big way and progressing well.  The laptop gaming market is roaring ahead, and can only make sence to invest in this great market.    


    Originally posted by PVTPeterson

    So Gaming wise, is one better than the other? 

    You see?

    The answer to the OP's question is desktop. Gaming-wise, as in judging a machine by its capability to game, as in judging how well it runs games, desktops are vastly superior because only performance dictates this.

    There are plenty of reasons why a laptop is superior, and plenty of reasons why even someone who games might opt for one, but the OP didn't ask for a rundown of all the things you could do with a laptop and a desktop. Instead, the OP asked a simple, pointed question, and the answer to his question is that desktops are superior in the capacity of gaming. What you're doing here is called a red herring; it's tangenting the conversation away from the focus of the conversation, which is what type of machine is better, gaming-wise. Nothing in your post even beings to address this. Instead, you just spout off large amounts of personal opinion statements, or assertions that are completely unbacked by any citations or specific examples, whatsoever. 

     

    Whereas performance is at the center of what's being discuss here, what you think is "shiny" or "sleek" is completely and 100% irrelevant personal opinion. Your assertions about the supposed fantastic resale value of laptops are not only something you've failed to actually demonstrate by showing an example of said laptops, but it's also irrelevant because you can't buy and sell your way out of inadequate computing power. You have to spend well over $1000 just to get a remotely capable gaming computer (mobile 5650s and below just don't cut it in most titles), and a year down the road, a $1000 laptop isn't going to cut it anyways, because demand for GPU grows exponentially. A $1000 laptop from a year ago would sport something along the lines of a Mobility Radeon 4650. There are many, many titles that that is not sufficiently powerful for fluid gameplay on when running at all but the bare minimum graphics settings. A $1000 desktop from a year ago could be sporting a Geforce GTX275 or a Radeon HD 4890, and either of those would still be able to play games. What's more, that one year old laptop isn't going to maintain its value. I'd guess that you'd get $700 for it if you're lucky. In fact, I can't even find a laptop on Ebay right now with a mobile Radeon HD 4650!

    If you want to demonstrate that gaming laptops retain their value so well for retail, then link a few. As it is, I say you just have no idea what you're talking about. If you have infinite money to spend, and can afford a new $1000 laptop every single year (or pay $300 minimum for the difference from a resell), then laptop gaming really is as good as desktop gaming for you. That said, desktops don't need to do this to stay up to date. Furthermore, as I keep saying, this isn't a battle of resale value anyways. Desktops game better than laptops; that's not an opinion, but a fact, one based on desktops performing better while running games.I dont know but

     It just seems to me like your being unreasonable, and you have nothing more to say other then to critique my opionions.  I can care less about what you think of my opinions.  You need to come up with some of your own to make your replys justified. 

    image

  • CatamountCatamount Member Posts: 773

    Originally posted by eycel

     It just seems to me like your being unreasonable, and you have nothing more to say other then to critique my opionions.  I can care less about what you think of my opinions.  You need to come up with some of your own to make your replys justified. 

    Since when do you get to dictate what justifies a response? Are you the OP? Is this your thread? Your arrogance is astounding.

    What's even more astoundingly arrogant on your part is that you think this is about you and your opinions. If you could take three minutes and drop the "OMG, everything is about ME, and every little disagreement with what I say has to be taken as a personal insult" complex, you might realize that I'm not commenting on your opinions, just your facts and your propensity to offer opinions as if they were facts. You're entitled to whatever opinion you please, but I care about facts here, no opinions, and the factual answer to the OP's inquiry is simply that desktops perform the function of gaming better than laptops.

    If he wants to give more information about his situation and ask what kind of machine fits his lifestyle better, then we can talk about other issues, but he didn't; he just asked a pointed question about the capability of two types of computers in a certain capacity. Both are capable; desktops are more capable (whether or not it constitutes "overkill" in your personal opinion, because that's not what he asked either). It's really that simple.

    So What you call being unreasonable is nothing more than giving the factual answer to the OP's specific inquiry, and pointing out that your personal opinions, well-founded or not, do not address that inquiry. Beyond that, I'm simply asking you to back your supposed factual assertions with citations and examples, and it doesn't say much for you that you aren't willing to. None of this has anything to do with judging the validity of your personal opinions, and frankly, if you want to call this being unreasonable, then that, too, is a personal opinion, and I have no comment on it either way, because you're entitled to those. As I said before, I just care about facts.

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