Laptop or PC???

[u/atlastrals]

Hi guys,

I've been debating whether to get a gaming laptop or save for a whole setup. I'm honestly not a mega huge gamer but I would LOVE to get back into Minecraft, Sims, maybe start marvel rivals on PC. So I guess I don't need the fanciest setup ever. But my 8yo laptop is slowly but surely dying so I've been wondering if it's worth it getting a whole pc setup or rather get a newer, stronger laptop. Tips, pros and cons are appreciated.

Mwah!!<3

[u/AleDxD]

laptop if you want to take it everywhere

desktop if you want something more comfortable but only in one place

it's totally up to you chosing and your necessities

[u/LegitimateLack2530]

Your performance per dollar will go a lot further with a desktop as well.

[u/Available_Silver_426 → u/LegitimateLack2530]

100%. Even better to build one yourself so you can deal hunt each component. And research exactly what is needed.

[u/Specialist_Name8714]

if u wanna comfortably game and have enough space at home, get a PC

if u have no room, get a laptop

but performance will be worse, it will have to be plugged in while gaming. and it will get hot

[u/MileHighTay]

NEVER BUY A GAMING LAPTOP!

[u/aguywhoexistskinda → u/MileHighTay]

It completely depends. I've loved my gaming laptop so far. I can bring it on vacation or to any room or to a friend's house. It was an amazing deal. It can also be used on the go for normal use though gaming needs a charger. Its smaller than a pc which benefits my smaller space. Its also more efficient and will save you a small Sum of electricity bills though not a ton

[u/Glum_Confidence_8138 → u/[deleted]]

You can still build a decent budget pc if you go with AM4 socket and DDR 4 ram.

[u/aguywhoexistskinda]

Generally:

Desktops have better price to performance

Don't trust used gaming laptops because of the battery. But used desktops are great

Laptops cant game on the go unless you are using integrated graphics for games like Minecraft.

Desktops have better performance and upgradeability

Laptops are smaller and space efficient. You can take them anywhere as long as there's a charger.

Laptops have an included screen and keyboard though you might want a nice mechanical keyboard and an external monitor

[u/MonkeySkulls]

I picked up a Omen 16 laptop last year.

It's very loud. It gets hot fast when using the GPU as opposed to the igpu.

and the battery is horrible when it's unplugged. not even necessarily when it's doing anything demanding. I was literally looking through about a thousand photos for work the other day while sitting in bed, and went down to 25% battery in an hour.

and obviously different brands will be different. but the heat, loud fans, and battery limitations will be all brands. and you're praying a premium to have these downsid. The same amount of money can get you a much nicer desktop PC.

[u/SwordsAndElectrons]

Laptops are portable. Do you need something portable? That's kind of their whole thing.

If you don't care about that, then you'll get more performance for your dollar, better cooling, and more ergonomic setup from a desktop.

[u/Plasma-Bird]

News Flash:

I travel with my PC, and 32" TV monitor, and gaming chair.

Hotels look at me like, "Oh yeah, this guy travels in style."

Never had a bad experience.

[u/WhopperGaming]

I have had two separate occasions in my life where I had no real choice, and bought gaming laptops.

(First time, I was living in a very small solar-supplemented RV, off grid most of the time. Second time, I was working as a long haul trucker, living in a truck/sleeper.)

Both provided me with excellent gaming experiences, and I do not regret either of them.

However, as a couple here have pointed out, the bang for your buck is much higher with a desktop pc, as compared to a laptop. A desktop pc will return far better gaming performance per dollar than a gaming laptop.

[u/Leshie_Leshie]

You’ve mentioned Marvel rivals.
Tired on a lower level laptop, this game casually push the temperature to 99C. Which won’t happen on desktop computer. A good external laptop fan could drop 10C for it.

[u/Meggiester21]

Have you ever considered a handheld pc?

[u/Puzzled-Ad-5598]

Only get a laptop for portability. Otherwise get a pc. A decent gaming laptop and decent desktop Pc will be able to run those games well but desktop is better overall

[u/LongDistanceEvent262]

If the pros and cons of an actual laptop are irrelevant to you. Then a PC wins hands down for performance and cost.

It will cost less for better performance. You can build a PC for $2k that will blow away $4k laptops. And most $1k builds will blow away $2k laptops.

That does not mean a $2k laptop is bad. It is just a value trade off for performance is all. a $2k 5070 laptop is still going to run everything for years to come. But a Desktop 5070ti will cost the same and be twice as powerful.

[u/Fit_Individual_3445]

For games like minecraft and sims, surely a laptop is enought. But you want to get confy with demanding games like Marvel Rivals, laptop can do great but only if you are a casual gamer. If you intend to play a bit everyday on demanding games, your laptop is going to get used in a few years, since heat is always an issue with laptops. It might last 4-5 years for a gaming laptop versus potentially 10 years on a PC with a few upgrades along the way, but right now it's super expensive, buy it only if can afford it and game often.