best gaming desktop for 900 image
Don't knoc
In other words, can an $800 desktop outperform a $2000 laptop or is a $2000 laptop = $2000 desktop? If the previous is true, why don't I just by a cheap notebook and settle for a gaming desktop right?
Anyway, how BAD IS IT REALLY?
Answer
It's quite bad.... A $2000 laptop is about equal to a $1000 desktop, and a $900 laptop is about equal to a $500 desktop. You're losing more value because laptops aren't upgradeable other than RAM.... You can't install a newer, faster graphics card or CPU a year from now whereas on desktops you can. You can't install a better soundcard.
But no matter how much you spend, laptops cannot approach the performance of high-end desktops. Laptop components are weaker than their desktop counterparts, because they're engineered to be physically smaller, consume less power (to extend battery life) and generate less heat- absolute requirements if they're going to fit and work inside a laptop chassis.
If you look at the physical dimensions even $150ish desktop cards like the GTX 460 and Radeon HD 6850, most of the space those cards occupy is heatsink/cooling apparatus. That amount of cooling is required to run GPUs at such high clock speeds. And those cards need a spacious case with good airflow to run without overheating. Then of course you've got the power requirements- there's physically no room inside a laptop chassis for a 500W Corsair power supply. And as you progress to $250 and $350 cards, the need for power and cooling only increases.
On laptops, simple physics greatly reduces the performance of anything you can fit inside. There's no laptop you can buy which remotely approaches a $2000 desktop running dual GPUs in SLI or Crossfire. Even the highest-end laptops are fundamentally built for portability.
It's quite bad.... A $2000 laptop is about equal to a $1000 desktop, and a $900 laptop is about equal to a $500 desktop. You're losing more value because laptops aren't upgradeable other than RAM.... You can't install a newer, faster graphics card or CPU a year from now whereas on desktops you can. You can't install a better soundcard.
But no matter how much you spend, laptops cannot approach the performance of high-end desktops. Laptop components are weaker than their desktop counterparts, because they're engineered to be physically smaller, consume less power (to extend battery life) and generate less heat- absolute requirements if they're going to fit and work inside a laptop chassis.
If you look at the physical dimensions even $150ish desktop cards like the GTX 460 and Radeon HD 6850, most of the space those cards occupy is heatsink/cooling apparatus. That amount of cooling is required to run GPUs at such high clock speeds. And those cards need a spacious case with good airflow to run without overheating. Then of course you've got the power requirements- there's physically no room inside a laptop chassis for a 500W Corsair power supply. And as you progress to $250 and $350 cards, the need for power and cooling only increases.
On laptops, simple physics greatly reduces the performance of anything you can fit inside. There's no laptop you can buy which remotely approaches a $2000 desktop running dual GPUs in SLI or Crossfire. Even the highest-end laptops are fundamentally built for portability.
What Specs Should I Look For In a Gaming Desktop?
Zach Fossu
I'd like to get my first gaming desktop. I'm not completely adapt at computers, but I can understand most basic things. I'd just like a few questions, such as if I would need an i7 or I would be fine with an i5. What is the main difference between Intel and AMD? Most discussion boards I've visited about the topic usually have people saying Intel is better because it's "the next generation". I play quite a variety of games such as LoL, WoW, Counterstrike, Diablo, Starcraft, GTA, and hopefully more after I get my new computer which could run all of them at optimal settings. I'd be able to put around $900-$1000 into the computer and want one in which I wouldn't have to upgrade things very often, hopefully coming with a top of the line video card installed. Any tips or suggestions about what to check out or what to look for would be greatly appreciated.
Answer
First, you ask yourself some questions.
1) Build yourself, buy completed, or custom builder?
Building it yourself will take research of good from bad, and advice on your part list.
The pcpartpicker web site, already mentioned in other answer(s) is a shopping and compatibility tool that helps you to also get all the parts you need. You save a variable amount of money, and can choose your own goals. Custom build is normally the highest price, selecting from their part list and they assemble, test, ship. Buying completed takes some shopping. In all three you should still learn good from bad, or take someone's word for it.
2) Your goals in the system?:
Best performance for the money spent, or quality-stability-reliability, or cosmetic features, or upgradability. Some of these overlap, but you get a different result based on your desires in each area.
3) Total cost including what part set?
Base computer, monitor, cables, speakers/headset, keyboard, mouse.
A different total cost yields different results, and even mentioning the $900-1000, what does it include?
Your current games are relatively low requirements. I do not see Battlefield-4, Crysis-3, or even Skyrim. There is a list here and laptop measures of graphics cards, and some Desktop if you select Desktop+Laptop GPU, select games, RESTRICT.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphic-Cards.13849.0.html
The general guidance of performance is that settings and frame rates will depend on the graphics card unless bottlenecked by the CPU or RAM or even display (60Hz=60fps).
Will you want to overclock the CPU (even if it gains little in performance?) ?
Digital Storm is a high quality custom builder and they also sell Vanquish as a pre-built in various levels:
http://www.digitalstormonline.com/vanquish.asp
About AMD vs Intel CPUs, the actual gaming performance for the price is very close, although in recording gaming or other applications of non-gaming and multitasking, AMD is often a better value. However, if your eventual goal is a tier 1 system, you can only get there with an Intel CPU.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html
You can get great price-performance using an AMD CPU, especially that motherboards are often better featured for the price when adding CPU+Motherboard. AMD CPUs do use more power and are generally less efficient.
i5 vs i7 and CPUs of over 4 cores: Only Crysis-3 with its Cry-3 engine fully utilizes the CPUs capabilities. Games you mention use only one or two cores, and newer games to 4 cores. Skyrim uses 2 cores fully and 2 cores weakly. Hyperthreading virtual cores of i7 are for Crysis-3 and multitasking (like game recording) and editing video. There is little difference in gaming performance starting with 3rd gen Intel i5 through all the i7's.
There is some disagreement about the FX series of AMD versus Intel i3, but once at i5, you have surpassed all AMD in gaming (exc Cry-3 engine). In a build of best value for the money, you start with an i3 or FX-6300. In a build of a future performance at top level, you can start with an i3 and upgrade or start with i5 and be done with it. Haswell Intel is about 6% better than its similar Ivy Brodge, and the motherboards of Haswell generally are better but cost more. Once choosing Intel, you need to decide Ivy Bridge or Haswell. The i5's of Ivy Bridge are adequate for ultra for every game. More CPU power does not increase gaming performance (except if recording). K version cpus are overclockable and must mate with Z motherboards to do the overclocking plus a good CPU cooler. You can still damage the CPU.
In that my answer is running out of space, GPU upgrade is similar to GPU selection:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=As3_bG9s1FBTBnMCpx0UZebty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20130816021720AAgXVjJ
There are good value pre-built by Avatar, CyberpowerPC and iBuypower at Newegg.com, but they will often use some lower grade components.
To Crossfire/SLI 2 graphics cards in the future, you need a dual slot board pcie x 16, and SLI needs x8/x8 capable and that runs better in crossfire.
A high quality power supply is very worthwhile. Bad supplies make mysterious issues and very bad ones can wipe out your system when they blow.
You would have to look through some Q+A in my history to learn more, or email me.
Are you near a Microcenter with discounted CPUs?
First pass Intel Ivy Bridge overclockable and SLI/CF capable build, now $940.90 after promos and rebates, some expire today:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1zg1V
and, a $970 Haswell i5 based:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1zg88
each of which can be edited and swizzled.
First, you ask yourself some questions.
1) Build yourself, buy completed, or custom builder?
Building it yourself will take research of good from bad, and advice on your part list.
The pcpartpicker web site, already mentioned in other answer(s) is a shopping and compatibility tool that helps you to also get all the parts you need. You save a variable amount of money, and can choose your own goals. Custom build is normally the highest price, selecting from their part list and they assemble, test, ship. Buying completed takes some shopping. In all three you should still learn good from bad, or take someone's word for it.
2) Your goals in the system?:
Best performance for the money spent, or quality-stability-reliability, or cosmetic features, or upgradability. Some of these overlap, but you get a different result based on your desires in each area.
3) Total cost including what part set?
Base computer, monitor, cables, speakers/headset, keyboard, mouse.
A different total cost yields different results, and even mentioning the $900-1000, what does it include?
Your current games are relatively low requirements. I do not see Battlefield-4, Crysis-3, or even Skyrim. There is a list here and laptop measures of graphics cards, and some Desktop if you select Desktop+Laptop GPU, select games, RESTRICT.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphic-Cards.13849.0.html
The general guidance of performance is that settings and frame rates will depend on the graphics card unless bottlenecked by the CPU or RAM or even display (60Hz=60fps).
Will you want to overclock the CPU (even if it gains little in performance?) ?
Digital Storm is a high quality custom builder and they also sell Vanquish as a pre-built in various levels:
http://www.digitalstormonline.com/vanquish.asp
About AMD vs Intel CPUs, the actual gaming performance for the price is very close, although in recording gaming or other applications of non-gaming and multitasking, AMD is often a better value. However, if your eventual goal is a tier 1 system, you can only get there with an Intel CPU.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html
You can get great price-performance using an AMD CPU, especially that motherboards are often better featured for the price when adding CPU+Motherboard. AMD CPUs do use more power and are generally less efficient.
i5 vs i7 and CPUs of over 4 cores: Only Crysis-3 with its Cry-3 engine fully utilizes the CPUs capabilities. Games you mention use only one or two cores, and newer games to 4 cores. Skyrim uses 2 cores fully and 2 cores weakly. Hyperthreading virtual cores of i7 are for Crysis-3 and multitasking (like game recording) and editing video. There is little difference in gaming performance starting with 3rd gen Intel i5 through all the i7's.
There is some disagreement about the FX series of AMD versus Intel i3, but once at i5, you have surpassed all AMD in gaming (exc Cry-3 engine). In a build of best value for the money, you start with an i3 or FX-6300. In a build of a future performance at top level, you can start with an i3 and upgrade or start with i5 and be done with it. Haswell Intel is about 6% better than its similar Ivy Brodge, and the motherboards of Haswell generally are better but cost more. Once choosing Intel, you need to decide Ivy Bridge or Haswell. The i5's of Ivy Bridge are adequate for ultra for every game. More CPU power does not increase gaming performance (except if recording). K version cpus are overclockable and must mate with Z motherboards to do the overclocking plus a good CPU cooler. You can still damage the CPU.
In that my answer is running out of space, GPU upgrade is similar to GPU selection:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=As3_bG9s1FBTBnMCpx0UZebty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20130816021720AAgXVjJ
There are good value pre-built by Avatar, CyberpowerPC and iBuypower at Newegg.com, but they will often use some lower grade components.
To Crossfire/SLI 2 graphics cards in the future, you need a dual slot board pcie x 16, and SLI needs x8/x8 capable and that runs better in crossfire.
A high quality power supply is very worthwhile. Bad supplies make mysterious issues and very bad ones can wipe out your system when they blow.
You would have to look through some Q+A in my history to learn more, or email me.
Are you near a Microcenter with discounted CPUs?
First pass Intel Ivy Bridge overclockable and SLI/CF capable build, now $940.90 after promos and rebates, some expire today:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1zg1V
and, a $970 Haswell i5 based:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1zg88
each of which can be edited and swizzled.
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Title Post: How bad of an investment is a gaming laptop compared to a gaming desktop?
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Rating: 95% based on 99438 ratings. 4,5 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
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