Benefits of a gaming laptop (vs. a gaming box)?

[whistleclient]

For a long time I wrote off the idea of a gaming laptop for the obvious reasons: it's cheaper to build a gaming rig and easier to upgrade later. But I realized recently that I don't upgrade that often. I know a lot of people do but I guess I'm not one of them. I always think I will, but by the time I roll around to it, the processor, GPU, and memory are all out of date enough that it makes sense just to build a whole new rig.

So for the first time I'm considering a gaming laptop. Is this a bad idea?

If I'm only upgrading every 3-4 years, I'm obviously not living on the cutting edge of games already and a dual card SLI rig would be overkill for me. Seems like I could get a nice little dedicated gaming laptop like the Asus G73. Sure it's not exactly "lightweight" portable, but it would be easily movable from room to room and I'd imagine it would be nice to have it separate from my work computer.

Has anyone else made this move?

 

[DaveSimmons]

Ask yourself how often you'd really move from room to room for gaming.

You pay a lot more, for lower performance. Mobile GPU numbers are often much slower and less capable cards than the desktop cards with the same number. Laptop hard drives are also often slower, and you can't change the built-in display and keyboard.

If you want something really small, I'd build a mini-ITX system:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2115455

Otherwise, just build a standard system that will be cheaper and faster than the laptop, and give you a much better experience in years 3-4.

I have separate work and gaming systems, but I use a KVM switch to share my monitor, keyboard and mouse.

I built the gaming system in 2008 (re-using the case and DVD drive from my 2006 system), and since then have only upgraded the video card, from a Radeon 4870-512 to a Radeon 6850.

 

[EliteRetard]

I still dont see why the heck they cant make a FLAT mini PC. If they can put a 6 core desktop processor in a laptop, and two high end mobile GPUs eating over 300W of power, why cant they stick a cheaper more reasonable CPU in there as well as a more reasonable desktop GPU so it eats less power, is cooler, and costs less. I dont give a hoot if "its not designed for that". Neither are desktop CPUs, and if your custom designing an X58 MOBO to fit in a laptop why cant you just tilt a PCI-E off the edge of the board so a real GPU can lay flat next to it. Use a vapor chamber cooler and blower. The perfect option would be a Sandy Bridge CPU so you could switch off to the integrated GPU when you want to go mobile (yeah youd have to do a restart...but seriously whats so hard about that). Combined with an unlocked chip and custom turbo modes like Asus has you could choose when and how much it turbos to save power.

Instead of a huge ass power brick, why not build a PSU into a battery compartment that has a standard power cord plug into it. When your sitting in one spot you could swap in the PSU and plug it in for full speed/power and chuck the battery on a charger. When your done and want to go mobile you can shut down and swap in the battery which will automatically load power saving settings with a clocked down CPU/GPU if you didnt switch off the GPU totally.

As an even crazier idea, build the screen to detatch. You can use a (mini)DP/HDMI & power plug built into the swivel so when you snap on the monitor it plugs into the port and you wont even notice it. Take the screen off and you can turn the port flat and plug in an external monitor. This would also make it allot easier to offer a few screen options, el cheapo and a higher end gloss and matte option. Or perhaps even sell the unit with no screen for 100$ less.

By using cheap desktop parts (not even 800$ worth) youve got quite a lot of headroom for custom pricing. If they can sell one of those current beast laptops for 3000$, a mini desktop for 2000$ would be a fantastic value and should still make profit. If they can fit a 5870 in a mini cube thats 8x13" and only as tall as the video card, then laying it flat would give you a laptop size package using standard parts, so its doable. That mini was around 1000$, but more customizing (and custom low profile coolers to bolt on) still shouldnt double that.

With a built in keybaord/mouse pad and a screen you can attatch youve got a fully mobile computer that can also serve as a real desktop replacement. Its simply an even more portable PC. Even if it weighs 10 lbs its going to be a lot less hassle than any other PC setup without sacrificing power. And from what I see, desktop parts can use less power and put out less heat than some of the mobile parts, theyre more efficient (like the 5830 vs the 5850).

 

[vbuggy]

My primary use is not gaming, but my uses do make heavy demands of a computer in a similar way to gaming.

And I undertook a short-lived experiment at the start of this year to make my home setup all-laptop. I bought two Dell M6500 Covets in pretty much top spec trim (~$8K each) to act as my primary workstations at home in addition to more machines for work. I then retained my other notebooks, putting the Macbook Pro 17-inch in a more front & centre role as the OS X primary machine at home.

The major benefits:
- A nicer working environment. The M6500 in particular has a very deep fan tone for a notebook, and it's really unobtrusive even under pretty heavy load (unlike e.g. the Apple notebooks, but that's another story) - more so than even a relatively quiet desktop workstation.
- Less stuff under the desk, visually more appealing
- Any element of my work is theoretically luggable

What I realised after just a few weeks however is what a huge tradeoff I was making in terms of power. I usually buy into flagship desktop workstations and simply put, what I can buy for e.g. ~$8K for a desktop as opposed to a notebook as far as a professional workstation is concerned... well, the gulf is just enormous. And a few months later, I was being actively hampered in this respect.

There's also the luggable aspect - is that a real benefit? Well, there are situations in where I have to do visualisation-based demos in the field: But in that case I wouldn't take a machine I use as my main. And apart from that, there is really no need to have my main workspace as a luggable prospect.

And a laptop is not necessarily more compact, especially if you decide to pair it with a decent monitor - I can't live with less than a 30" in a primary workstation, so one the Covets was hooked up to a 3008WFP and the MBP17" to a 30" Apple Cinema Display. So what you have is a great big monitor with a great big laptop next to it. With a desktop obviously there is nothing beside the monitor.

The more I tried working with this, the more I realised what I needed was a desktop as my primary workstation - at home or at work. So that's what I'm back to now. My laptops are strictly for mobile use - and I've since replaced the Covets with slightly more roadable HP Elitebook 8740's for use purely as mobile workstations.

I live with a slightly increased noise signature from the Z800 (ditto for the forthcoming Mac Pro, since I now need OS X as much as I need Windows - and I really don't want two great big workstations at my home office) as opposed to earlier this year, but I now realise it's the best compromise for me.

Personally, I think that for most people who game a lot and are based at home instead of dorms, etc, that they are better off with a combination of desktop and a truly mobile laptop for 'on the go' use.

 

[Zap]

I have owned four gaming notebooks (Gateway M series, some off brand BITD with 7600 GT and Athlon x2, currently two different Clevos) and I only use them if I'm forced to. Well, haven't really gamed on one of the Clevos but the other three I've gamed on and sometimes quite a bit. Gaming on a notebook has always made me look forward to gaming on my main rig or LAN rig. Given the choice, I would rather not use any notebook keyboard, plus the keyboard is centered under the screen and I like the screen to be centered with the keyboard/mouse. I don't like heat coming out from under the keyboard, plus I don't like having the keyboard an inch off the desk. That's before getting into the cost or performance. Additionally, I'd rather use a 20" or larger screen for gaming. One of my Clevo units has an 18.4" screen and that's pretty close, but the thing isn't very portable.

 

[Ninjahedge]

I wonder if there would be a market for a stripped laptop (sans monitor).

Say they take a larger laptop and simply make the top a flip-over to work as a base (and still allow portability?).

Apple has been doing things like this recently, with their computers being housed in the monitor itself, but this arrangement denies any interconnectability as you will most likely not lug around the huge screen....

If you wanted to, you could maybe equip it to have a screen attached, or choose what size/spec screen you want, but I do not know how successful that would be.....


The only other solution is finding a way to effectively house the machine in a KB that does not harken back to the old C64 clunkster......

 

[corkyg]

The only real advantage of a gaming notebook over a desktop is portability. Is that worth the higher cost? Your choice.

 

[Zap]

I wonder if there would be a market for a stripped laptop (sans monitor).

Nettop? I have one that is the size of a typical broadband router. It uses SODIMMs and 2.5" drives.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Pros:
- Portability
- Integrated battery for some boredom relief during a power outage
- Lack of cable clutter

Cons:
- Cost
- Difficult or non-existent upgrade options (often obsolete after 2-3 years)
- All-in-one nature (if one component dies, you have to tear it down to replace it or replace the entire thing)
- Heat and noise (with a desktop, you can position it away from you or swap out the fans)
- Fragile

 

[erikistired]

i have a somewhat "gaming" laptop that i use when traveling. i've tried using it at home, but just don't find the experience as good as when using my desktop. i dunno why, it just isn't the same.

 

[PingSpike]

Pros:
- Portability
- Integrated battery for some boredom relief during a power outage
- Lack of cable clutter

Cons:
- Cost
- Difficult or non-existent upgrade options (often obsolete after 2-3 years)
- All-in-one nature (if one component dies, you have to tear it down to replace it or replace the entire thing)
- Heat and noise (with a desktop, you can position it away from you or swap out the fans)
- Fragile

While this could fall under cost to some extent, performance is also a con in many cases. The top of the line notebook isn't par with the top of the line desktop...even if the desktop isn't using something crazy like quad sli. The names notebook parts are deceiving. You'd think they would be equal to their desktop counterparts but that generally isn't the case. Even the integrated stuff is worse than integrated desktop parts I've noticed.

 

[jihe]

For a long time I wrote off the idea of a gaming laptop for the obvious reasons: it's cheaper to build a gaming rig and easier to upgrade later. But I realized recently that I don't upgrade that often. I know a lot of people do but I guess I'm not one of them. I always think I will, but by the time I roll around to it, the processor, GPU, and memory are all out of date enough that it makes sense just to build a whole new rig.

So for the first time I'm considering a gaming laptop. Is this a bad idea?

If I'm only upgrading every 3-4 years, I'm obviously not living on the cutting edge of games already and a dual card SLI rig would be overkill for me. Seems like I could get a nice little dedicated gaming laptop like the Asus G73. Sure it's not exactly "lightweight" portable, but it would be easily movable from room to room and I'd imagine it would be nice to have it separate from my work computer.

Has anyone else made this move?

Get a laptop if you need to be mobile. For no other reason should you get a laptop. I am baffled by the number of people not getting this.

 

[Zap]

Get a laptop if you need to be mobile. For no other reason should you get a laptop. I am baffled by the number of people not getting this.

I'm Zap and I approve of this message.

 

[Ninjahedge]

I am me and I approve of myself.

 

[jacktesterson]

You will miss your desktop.

My 2 cents.

Build a decent desktop plus get a 399 laptop if you want to be mobile

 

[Ninjahedge]

It would be great if networking gets to the point where you can just VPN to your main machine...


Kind of like old-school mainframes/workstations.

the only problem would be sync and lag, but if you can get 50ms lag or less on games today, ot would not kill you to tag a few more on... [/remembering 250ms+ days of 56K]

 

[Silenus]

Now don't forget that for most serious gaming laptops they actually HAVE to be plugged in to get best performance out of them, not to mention very minimal battery life if unplugged. That could put a crimp in it's mobility aspect so just be aware.

 

[CurseTheSky]

While this could fall under cost to some extent, performance is also a con in many cases. The top of the line notebook isn't par with the top of the line desktop...even if the desktop isn't using something crazy like quad sli. The names notebook parts are deceiving. You'd think they would be equal to their desktop counterparts but that generally isn't the case. Even the integrated stuff is worse than integrated desktop parts I've noticed.

Now don't forget that for most serious gaming laptops they actually HAVE to be plugged in to get best performance out of them, not to mention very minimal battery life if unplugged. That could put a crimp in it's mobility aspect so just be aware.

Both very good points. IMO, gaming laptops are only useful if you don't have a permanent location to setup a desktop, or if you're on the road more than you are at home. You're going to be tethered to the nearest outlet regardless, and true gaming laptops are large enough to not be practical for taking notes in class (trust me, I've tried) or bringing with you to Starbucks, the park, work, etc.

If you're planning on spending more than $1000 on a gaming laptop, I normally recommend taking your budget and splitting 60/40 or so. Spend about 60% building a decent gaming desktop (which should equal the more expensive gaming laptop), and spend the remaining 40% on a small, low-power notebook (not necessarily a netbook). Something like an i5-750, P55 motherboard, 4GB DDR3, HD 6850, 1TB F3, etc. and a UL20A or 11.6" Timeline/TimelineX will blow away an expensive Alienware, ASUS, Sager, Clevo, etc. in terms of usability in almost all aspects.

 

[Zebo]

My primary use is not gaming, but my uses do make heavy demands of a computer in a similar way to gaming.

And I undertook a short-lived experiment at the start of this year to make my home setup all-laptop. I bought two Dell M6500 Covets in pretty much top spec trim (~$8K each) to act as my primary workstations at home in addition to more machines for work. I then retained my other notebooks, putting the Macbook Pro 17-inch in a more front & centre role as the OS X primary machine at home.

The major benefits:
- A nicer working environment. The M6500 in particular has a very deep fan tone for a notebook, and it's really unobtrusive even under pretty heavy load (unlike e.g. the Apple notebooks, but that's another story) - more so than even a relatively quiet desktop workstation.
- Less stuff under the desk, visually more appealing
- Any element of my work is theoretically luggable

What I realised after just a few weeks however is what a huge tradeoff I was making in terms of power. I usually buy into flagship desktop workstations and simply put, what I can buy for e.g. ~$8K for a desktop as opposed to a notebook as far as a professional workstation is concerned... well, the gulf is just enormous. And a few months later, I was being actively hampered in this respect.

There's also the luggable aspect - is that a real benefit? Well, there are situations in where I have to do visualisation-based demos in the field: But in that case I wouldn't take a machine I use as my main. And apart from that, there is really no need to have my main workspace as a luggable prospect.

And a laptop is not necessarily more compact, especially if you decide to pair it with a decent monitor - I can't live with less than a 30" in a primary workstation, so one the Covets was hooked up to a 3008WFP and the MBP17" to a 30" Apple Cinema Display. So what you have is a great big monitor with a great big laptop next to it. With a desktop obviously there is nothing beside the monitor.

The more I tried working with this, the more I realised what I needed was a desktop as my primary workstation - at home or at work. So that's what I'm back to now. My laptops are strictly for mobile use - and I've since replaced the Covets with slightly more roadable HP Elitebook 8740's for use purely as mobile workstations.

I live with a slightly increased noise signature from the Z800 (ditto for the forthcoming Mac Pro, since I now need OS X as much as I need Windows - and I really don't want two great big workstations at my home office) as opposed to earlier this year, but I now realise it's the best compromise for me.

Personally, I think that for most people who game a lot and are based at home instead of dorms, etc, that they are better off with a combination of desktop and a truly mobile laptop for 'on the go' use.

Good taste Sir. Did you happen to get the dream screen IPS panel in the elitebook? Thoughts?