So if any gamers are reading this, Fallout 4 is coming in November and I am going to have a new PC built for myself to move back to PC gaming from consoles. However I don't know a lot about the different processors, graphics cards, etc. and need some opinions on which of the following computers I wish to build and tweak.

Here are the projected requirements for the game, I wish to do better than the minimum:
Fallout 4 System Requirements | Can I Run Fallout 4 PC requirements

And here are the two computers I am trying to choose from to have built:
OTV Gamer Premier Tier 1
http://otvtech.ca/catalogue?page=sho...oduct_id=22691

Which would be better suited to my gaming needs as they stand?
I also travel back and forth to a different city for school a couple months of the year so the portability of the laptop entices me, but would the tower be worth the sacrifice on portability?
Which could I squeeze the most life out of before the processor is too old to play newer games?
Is there much difference in cost and effort to upgrade a laptop vs. a tower?
Any opinions given in small words so I can understand them would be greatly appreciated!

 

I use an Asus ROG G74SX Laptop. Mine is about 3 years old, and still runs all the latest games without issue. The newest model is what I would recommend, especially if you are planning to be mobile with it alot. Yes, the upfront cost is usually a little higher, but the resale value when you decide to upgrade is also much higher than a desktop.

 

I'm not concerned with resale. If I can squeeze even 5 years out of it before I need a new one I'm happy. I just replace the hard drive on my old computers with a cheap new one and sell it for the cost of the drive.

 

I’m not a gamer and so Keith understands a lot more than me about this. But the first thing I thought about is upgrade possibilities; it seemed to me a desktop would have more upgrade potential than a laptop. But is it the case as I read Keith’s remarks that gamers normally go to a new rig to upgrade? That could be the norm. If so then I guess a desktop would have no advantage in that respect. I was just guessing that a gamer might want to try a new upgraded video card or something and leave everything else constant. But maybe that’s just not the way it’s done.

The link below has some information but I don’t know whether the guy is correct. I never thought about the heat problem limiting the gaming power of laptops vs. desktops but I guess that makes sense. Yet as the article points out unless you really want to push everything to the limit the laptop might be just fine. He points out you have to decide what games you might want to play in the future. How are you supposed to do that – lol?

What's The Real Difference Between A Gaming Laptop And Desktop?

 

I was in your situation 3 years ago when it was time for me to get a new gaming machine. The laptop I ended up buying (The Asus ROG G74SX) cost me about $1300. I ended up buying more ram (to 16GB) added a 160GB SSD (yes, the G74SX can hold two drives). I recently upgraded the WIFI cared to the latest standard. Total investment to date is about $1700. Current resale value is probably around $700. This means if I decided to upgarde today to the latest laptop, it would cost me about $600, plusd any future upgrades I might want to do.

Had I gone with the desktop, the price to build a comparable machine to the laptop was actually about the same amount of money. Upgrade options are easier in that you can upgrade the video card as new ones come out, but generally speaking, that is the only other thing you can upgrade on a desktop that cant be done on most laptops. Beyond that, you usually are upgrading your motherboard, CPU, Ram, etc when doing a major upgrade to a desktop. So in the end, you really are not saving any money. You do have the advantage of upgrading in small incriments more often, but htat usually means high proce tags for bleeding edge tech, which is adding more to the desktop pricetag.

Beyond the points above, you say you will be traveling with this machine. That would be the make or break factor for me. If you are traveling often, nothing beats the ease of a Laptop.

While there are concerns about heat with gaming laptops, this is the reason I am using the Asus ROG series, as they are designed specifically for gaming. Heat has never been a problem for me, even with the video card overclocked.

So I guess bottom line, if you are starting from scratch, you will likely be paying about the same for both a laptop or desktop of similar specs. The desktop will allow for a wider variety and more frequent upgrades, but that usually means a significat amount of finacial investment to keep up to bleeding edge tech. Also, you will find your older parts may be more difficult to sell than an older laptop. (laptops tend to go fast when priced reasonable).

I would buy a top of the line laptop, and upgrade when it starts having trouble running the latest games. As I say, mine is 3 years old and I have yet to come across one that I cant play yet. Mind you I cant run the latest games completely maxed out like I used to be able to do, but I am by no means running at minimum either.

 

I slightly disagree based on my experiences last time I built a computer. (5 years ago??) With laptop you are normally paying for size (smaller) and portability. Also the battery will add to the cost to the machine. While laptops can be DIY built, they are not as easily built as a desktop.

Biggest plus for me is the ability to have larger screens and two or three screens. Recently I have gone to two 20" and are never going back! 16" screen on a laptop? Phhsh. Although not good for portability.

If it was me I would build my own tower from parts bought at Newegg.

 

I would also choose a mid size tower over a laptop to be able to game with a larger screen and surround sound is 2 very important features.
being portable can also see the advantage of a laptop just not worth the trade off to me but suspect if you go with the newest technology you shouldn't have to upgrade very soon either way, the laptop you linked to doesn't seem to be adequate in graphics according to the fall out website so you will likely have to spend more if going with a laptop.

 

I am not a gamer myself but I have rebuilt one desktop and built two desktops from scratch. Both of my desktops I built from scratch are far better than any of my laptops. You might consider investing in both a laptop while on the road and a desktop while at home. I really prefer a desktop as it is more easily customized especially if you build it yourself. I really don't think I would ever want a desktop that was pre-built again. Cases matter though as far as desktops are concerned and I prefer Cooler Master for a case.

As to the insides of the desktop I am not up to date right now on the latest motherboards as I have no need to upgrade right now. If I did gaming I might but since I don't except for the occasional game of checkers I don't really have the need. When I did my two builds though I used AMD processors but Intel is good too and it is just a matter of preference.

 

It should be noted that it is as easy as plugging in an HDMI Cable to a laptop if you want a larger screen and surround sound. That certainly woulod not be a deciding factor for me.

 

Add to that a better keyboard and a gaming mouse. Pretty much impossible to play a FPS game with a touch pad.

 

I am a gamer and almost played farcry, assassins creed, GTA, Call of duty and many more with my laptop. It is good to play in laptop having those high specs (I have: 2gb VRAM, 8 gb RAM, 1TB SSD, 16" HD screen, and an i7 processor with turbo boost). Laptop also provides portability which you can bring anywhere.

BUT. . .

Being a gamer in a desktop is a different experience. You can play with those 2 or 3 monitors with a gaming keyboard and mouse + those surround sound system for better gaming experience. Hearing those sound effects(with good quality) makes you really focused on the game. No problem with heat issues because of better cooling system in the system unit (laptop peripherals are compact which contributes to heat of the system).

Just pick whichever suits your need. If you plan on having your gaming device with you, then choose the laptop which you can bring at ease. But if you are just staying at your house and play in your room, I suggest going for a desktop

 

for the money you show for those two computers, you can get better IMO...


Alienware X51 Gaming Desktop | Dell

 

Won't have several monitors. My tv is 5' away from my desk in my cave so thats where the gaming will happen.
Mike, I completely forgot about alienware computers. I will have to rethink this now!
Keith, thank you for the detailed response. Based on what I'm reading here I think I will make an attempt to grab a capable laptop on my budget, but if I can get a desktop for the same price with better parts I will go with the tower.

 

IMO never go with lap top for gaming. Laptops are throwaways IMO. a few years max and things happen... Heat is the killer and laptops cant dissipate it enough..

Desktop IMO.. 100%

 

Thats only true for Laptops not designed for gaming. Asus has solved the heat issues with gaming laptops in the ROG series. As I stated, mine is three + years old and still going strong, even with an overclocked GPU.

 

6K is worth a water cooled system....lol... I could play solitaire without my computer slowing down from with this baby...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=168&v=yOKkKyotZFQ

 

6K? I paid $1300 for my laptop...

 

Mike you know plumbing and you know computers – you would be uniquely qualified to maintain one of those babies, lol.


lol i can just see someone pouring Draino in there to make it go faster - lol (too much wine for dinner tonight - lol)

 

Basically on your builds I wouldn't go for anything less than an i5 and anything less than 3.5Ghz Dual Core.

The X51 posted here should do you just fine though