Good spec Pc vs Good spec Laptop

[The Joker]

So after reading the review on that Lenovo "gaming" laptop I thought it was time to just put a couple of things straight. I decided to build a full spec rig and compare it to a MSI GT780R Laptop which costs between R17 000 and R18 000.

1st things 1st, lets check the laptop specs out:

http://www.msimobile.com/level3_productpage.aspx?id=311

• Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM Processor
• Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit
• 17.3" Full HD Anti-reflective Display (16:9; 1920 x 1080)
• NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 560M discrete graphics (DDR5 1.5GB VRAM)
• Accelerated performance with MSI TDE Technology
• Full-color programmable backlit keyboard by SteelSeries
• MSI Cooler Boost Technology
• Dynaudio Premium Sound Speakers
• 1TB hard drive with Raid 0
• 16GB DDR3 system memory
• USB 3.0 for high speed data transfer
• HDMI 1.4 (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) output
• Built-in 720p HD webcam
• 802.11 b/g/ n Wireless LAN with Bluetooth

All and all a pretty epic little machine.

Lets check out the LAN Rig I'm putting up against this little beast.

• Intel Core i7 2600k Processor ( OC'D 4.5GHZ )
• Asus P67 Sabretooth
• Antec Khuler 620
• G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600
• G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600
• OCZ 120GB Agility 3 SATA III 2.5" SSD
• Seagate 1TB-7200RPM 32MB SATA 3
• XFX 6950 2GIG (Unlocked to 6970)
• Corsair Gaming Series GS700 PSU
• CoolerMaster Storm Scout
• Acer S242HL 24" LED Wide
• Logitech G510 Gaming Keyboard
• R.A.T 7 Gaming Mouse
• ROCCAT KAVE 5.1 Gaming Headset

ToTal Spent: R16 100

Reason I took the Storm scout, The handle and its a really rugged and functional case, although the 6950 is a very tight fit, You would almost certainly have to cut into the drive bay. That said I wasted some cash on that rig, as you could get away with spending alot less than that to get yourself a sweet ass Lan rig.

My point:

Gaming laptops are only really for the really rich and really lazy, I do agree it is quite a mission to drag you're pc to a lan, but why settle for a gaming laptop that can't even come close to what a custom built gaming pc does and can do.

[will1023631]

Wow that laptop can pack a real punch O.o contends with the Alienware range quite well (same price bracket, though a bit cheaper if I'm not mistaken, but nevertheless, damn expensive .-.) BTW does the R17000 to R18000 include import taxes etc since the calculated price (1749.9 x 7.12 = R12460-ish). But you do bring across a good point. Gaming laptops do have their advantage, but until they become more modular I don't expect to see them too many at lan's (although quite a few are making an appearance nowadays (Or is that just me?)) but I like some of the gaming laptops out there since they have some epic shells, like Alienware's M17x although the equivalent setup is about 500 dollars more (about R21000 with taxes etc)

[MarcosCOB]

I agree with you Joker, but luckily for the milkers, there are numerous lazy and rich people which generate them sufficient profits. I myself would rather build an R8k rig, that alone would pack one hell of a punch!

R8k laptop.. uh.. no.

[The Joker]

Wow that laptop can pack a real punch O.o contends with the Alienware range quite well (same price bracket, though a bit cheaper if I'm not mistaken, but nevertheless, damn expensive .-.) BTW does the R17000 to R18000 include import taxes etc since the calculated price (1749.9 x 7.12 = R12460-ish). But you do bring across a good point. Gaming laptops do have their advantage, but until they become more modular I don't expect to see them too many at lan's (although quite a few are making an appearance nowadays (Or is that just me?)) but I like some of the gaming laptops out there since they have some epic shells, like Alienware's M17x although the equivalent setup is about 500 dollars more (about R21000 with taxes etc)

Importing would be fail and you can get the MSI locally for that price.

I agree with you Joker, but luckily for the milkers, there are numerous lazy and rich people which generate them sufficient profits. I myself would rather build an R8k rig, that alone would pack one hell of a punch!

R8k laptop.. uh.. no.

Yeah I could have spent alot less on that Rig and it would still eat any "gaming" laptop.

[Xero]

I fall into the category Lazy, although I take offense to some of the assumptions made here
Gaming laptops have their uses, a custom built desktop does not carry a 3 year on site warranty does it?
The laptops do, well at least the Dell and Alienware machines we use

Yes, a desktop might be more powerful, but, if you travel as much as I do, they are not a realistic option
You cannot continually lug a Desktop + Screen + Peripherals around, checking through airport terminals etc
Laptops are desiged to be portable, go ahead, open one up and take a look at how they are built, Xero (Yes that's right) room for movement of components, buffered and protected HDD's, insulated motherboard and internals and a body that's built to withstand at least a fair amount of rough handling by the local airpirt security

All of that aside, I don't see the use in comparing one to the other, one is a laptop, the other isn't
You assumptions that automatically classify the users of these laptops as Rich and Lazy are incorrect, just because they cost more and signify a lot less work for people who use them to move around doesn't mean that their owners are any less hard working or middle class than you are

[The Joker]

I fall into the category Lazy, although I take offense to some of the assumptions made here
Gaming laptops have their uses, a custom built desktop does not carry a 3 year on site warranty does it?
The laptops do, well at least the Dell and Alienware machines we use

Yes, a desktop might be more powerful, but, if you travel as much as I do, they are not a realistic option
You cannot continually lug a Desktop + Screen + Peripherals around, checking through airport terminals etc
Laptops are desiged to be portable, go ahead, open one up and take a look at how they are built, Xero (Yes that's right) room for movement of components, buffered and protected HDD's, insulated motherboard and internals and a body that's built to withstand at least a fair amount of rough handling by the local airpirt security

All of that aside, I don't see the use in comparing one to the other, one is a laptop, the other isn't
You assumptions that automatically classify the users of these laptops as Rich and Lazy are incorrect, just because they cost more and signify a lot less work for people who use them to move around doesn't mean that their owners are any less hard working or middle class than you are

I'd agree with you on the 1 point, If you do travel alot and game while traveling then yes a gaming laptop is a viable option.

Most of the parts used on the rig I built there carry a 2 Year minimum warranty and if you end up buying from a proper dealer, when something does go wrong they will swop out the broken hardware without any fuss, also Laptops aren't upgradable, well some are but the upgrades come at insane prices. Also laptops don't keep their value, they lose money like crazy..I have seen R17 000 laptops sell for R10 000 after 10 Months of use.
Also Dell owns Alienware, Alienware laptops are gorgeous but I'm sorry, the top spec alienware, which is the M18X is almost 40k xD That is fcking rediculous.

The only viable option to get such sexy laptops would be to import and then you sit with warranty issues if something does go wrong.

[Fabio]

I see your point Joker.

But think about it, most games aren't developed today to fully utilize the monster pc's of today!
I'm pretty sure that the laptop will play all current games on high - max settings, what more do you need.

IMHO if I had the dough for an alienware gaming laptpop, I won't blink twice!

BUT, you're right you can get a much better pc than laptop for the same amount of cash!

It all comes down to personal preference!

Nice write up bro!

[Fabio]

I fall into the category Lazy, although I take offense to some of the assumptions made here
Gaming laptops have their uses, a custom built desktop does not carry a 3 year on site warranty does it?
The laptops do, well at least the Dell and Alienware machines we use

Yes, a desktop might be more powerful, but, if you travel as much as I do, they are not a realistic option
You cannot continually lug a Desktop + Screen + Peripherals around, checking through airport terminals etc
Laptops are desiged to be portable, go ahead, open one up and take a look at how they are built, Xero (Yes that's right) room for movement of components, buffered and protected HDD's, insulated motherboard and internals and a body that's built to withstand at least a fair amount of rough handling by the local airpirt security

All of that aside, I don't see the use in comparing one to the other, one is a laptop, the other isn't
You assumptions that automatically classify the users of these laptops as Rich and Lazy are incorrect, just because they cost more and signify a lot less work for people who use them to move around doesn't mean that their owners are any less hard working or middle class than you are

LOL n1 Xero.

I agree, I won't say that they are lazy, I would rather call them "smart"!

[Xero]

I'm not talking about a return warranty or swap outs, I'm talking about 3 year on site, which means a technician is sent out to you with a replacement part if something goes wrong and does the swapout for you OR gives you a loaner while your laptop is taken in

Yes, Dell own Alienware, but the two have seperate identities when it comes to the Alienware M Series and Dell XPS series of Laptops, which is why I listed them seperately
In regards to upgrading parts on a laptop, yes, parts are normally more expensive for Laptops, no argument there.
You mentioned that they devalue significantly over time, yes that's unfortunately true for most Components

Don't get me wrong, I do own Dekstop machines as well, but they simply do not allow the same freedom of movement that my Laptop does

[The Joker]

I see your point Joker.

But think about it, most games aren't developed today to fully utilize the monster pc's of today!
I'm pretty sure that the laptop will play all current games on high - max settings, what more do you need.

IMHO if I had the dough for an alienware gaming laptpop, I won't blink twice!

BUT, you're right you can get a much better pc than laptop for the same amount of cash!

It all comes down to personal preference!

Nice write up bro!

I have been looking at getting myself a Alienware M18X for quite some time, but it just doesn't make financial sense.
The only time a gaming laptop makes sense is in the case of Xero, where he travels alot and then games while traveling.

Also there are very few gaming laptops that can run games like Crysis 2 with the DX11 upgrade on max settings and resolutions, not to mention something like Witcher 2.