Jump to content

Going to college: Custom PC vs quasi-custom (XoticPC) laptop?


Guest Midwestraxx

Recommended Posts

Guest Midwestraxx

I'm getting a new computer for college, and I'm kinda stuck between two options: get a cheap laptop to carry around campus while having an awesome PC sitting in my dorm room. Or, I can buy a new laptop (I'm looking at GT60) that can game almost as good as a desktop.

 

Here's the GT60 specs:

 

http://www.xoticpc.com/laptop/GT60/GT60_7.jpg

15.6" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Anti-Glare Screen w/ 95% NTSC Color Gamut (1920x1080)

3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core™ i7-3610QM (2.3GHz - 3.3GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP

IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU

nVidia GeForce GTX 670M 3,072MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 w/ Optimus Technology

16GB DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (4x4GB SODIMMS)

120GB Intel 520 Series Solid State Drive (Up to Sequential Read 550MB/s - Write 500MB/s SSD2 Serial-ATA III)

750GB (w/ 8GB SSD Memory) Seagate XT 7200RPM NCQ Hybrid (Serial-ATA III 600 - 32MB Cache)

6X Blu-Ray Reader + 8X DVDRW/CDRW Super Multi Combo Drive

Bigfoot Networks Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 (3x3)

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit

 

Total price, including warranties, services, tune-ups, etc:

$2375.00

 

I'm also getting a like 27" monitor with a TV tuner so I don't take much space in the dorm room, so add like 300-400.

 

It's a lot, but I'm guessing that the PC+laptop combo will come out even to that price, so it's just whether or not I should trust keeping a super gaming pc in a dorm room while I'm gone... Or carry around a super gaming laptop... Haha I have no idea

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest EPiiKK

that laptop is by no means a bad opinion. But it wont perform as well as desktop.

I would build a gaming pc with 1000$ and then buy a 500$ laptop in that situation, you would save money and get better performance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Thompson

Well, I mean can you give us a bit more information. Like what would you need to use your laptop/desktop for?

 

Personally, I'm dropping gaming once I get to college - don't need that interfering with my life ...

 

On another note, I think I'd just go with the decked-up laptop, most college kids rely on laptops to get through college anyways - not too many people have desktops in their dorms ....

 

That's my two cents ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest M3ATSHI3LD

If you are looking at spending that kind of money on a laptop you should shop around a bit. Personally, I own an Alienware Mx11 R3 laptop and I love it. As a smaller laptop it doesn't quite have the specs of the one you listed, but for $2375 you can get an awesome Alienware laptop and I can personally attest to the quality of Alienware everything. I have owned 2 Alienware laptops and 2 Alienware desktops over the years and have never had a single issue.

 

Some say Alienware computers are more expensive than , but that is all dependent on what you are getting. If you are not getting the absolute bleeding edge technology I find Alienware to actually be less expensive than just about any other computer of similar hardware from other companies. In fact, my last desktop was about $750 less getting it from Alienware than if I would have built it myself and came with a warranty.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Midwestraxx

Well, seeing as it is possible to damage the laptop by dropping it and since it would be a distraction, I think I'm now leaning to the desktop/laptop combo.

 

What do you think for the desktop?

 

Radeon HD7970 (cheaper for better performance. Drivers may be an issue but meh.) ~$500

Intel Core i7 3770K ~$360

Corsair Vengeance 8GB 1600MHz ~$50

ASUS P8Z68-V LX Intel Motherboard ~$120

600W power supply ~$60

Antec Three Hundred ATX Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case ~$60

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Prostego
looks solid, just don't forget an HD :P. coincidentally that's the exact same case I have. it comes with 2 fans (120mm rear & 140mm top) and expansion slots for 3 more which is awesome for airflow. it's not the biggest case though so working in it can be a little cramped. great for a budget build though.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Midwestraxx
Haha yeah, I'm planning to get a 120 GB Intel Solid State Drive as my main and a 2 TB Seagate XT Hybrid as my secondary. About 300-400 more :P How's the temperature in it?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Prostego
it's really good actually. I never run into problems using my stock heatsink, and I have my processor slightly overclocked (it's an AMD Black edition) and that's with my 140mm fan broken, I did it myself don't worry about defective fans :P, if you go all out and put in the additional fans in I'd assume it's capable of generating small tornados. As a side note the front pannel contains a case high fabric mesh that catches dust. it helps a fair bit with keeping the inside of the case clean.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Midwestraxx
Great! I may put the additional fans in since I have such a demanding card. Speaking of which do you think I'll have problems in terms of size when it comes to the video card or motherboard? Since it is a mid tower?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Prostego
Like I said before it's a tight squeeze. everything will fit but you should expect to be working in some pretty cramped space. as long as you get everything installed on the mobo before you drop it in then lining up all the mounting screws and the rear panel isn't tooo difficult.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Midwestraxx
So how many cramped hands and curse words occurred during your install? Sounds to me like it was kinda frustrating lol
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest xSubo
whatever you do dont get asus motherboards, their bios are horrible. gigabyte z77 UD series has been amazing for me, you should be able to find some power adapters for around 80 that do 700 silver edition, and for ram look into crucial ballistics tactical kit. the cpu as an i7 is good if you don't want to OC, but i run an i5 2500k OC to 4.2 and due to less threads im getting less heat with same graphics processing. ive got two 7870's and your right on the drivers, their scary as all hell so beware on that, but they run extremely cool and the gigabyte ones have a nice cooling system on theirs. kamikaze 120m fans are beasts and make the air stream runnin out the back of my tower feel like an ac unit on roids. so just look around theirs a ton of diff combos to go with, id go witih the ones that are on bundle sales
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Midwestraxx
What problems with drivers have you come across? And is i5 better for gaming? I'm just starting out with this certain area.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest EPiiKK
i5 is great for gaming, i7 is greater. If you want to save money go with i5. They are great for gaming and wont bottleneck any gpu on market atm.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Midwestraxx

Yeah, I'm going to save money by getting an i5-3570K and hooking it up to an nVidia gtx 680. I'm thinking a $529 Gigabyte 680 that has three fans (the more the merrier). But I'm stuck between these boards:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128544

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130622R

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Blacky

Hey, If my old buddies were here, they'd be agreeing with me. Most of us left =US= when we went to college. Christ that was in 07 when I left. Do yourself a favor...don't get distracted. Save the money for booze! Haha!

 

-Black

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest RET.MCPO.MasterOfPuppets=US=
Hey, If my old buddies were here, they'd be agreeing with me. Most of us left =US= when we went to college. Christ that was in 07 when I left. Do yourself a favor...don't get distracted. Save the money for booze! Haha!

 

-Black

 

+1

 

Get a crappy $300 laptop that can't play any games (that's what I did), and pay attention, makes a huge difference in your grades.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Ret.Maj.Xander=US=
Hey, If my old buddies were here, they'd be agreeing with me. Most of us left =US= when we went to college. Christ that was in 07 when I left. Do yourself a favor...don't get distracted. Save the money for booze! Haha!

 

-Black

 

I retired when I went, I still gamed but not to the extent I did before and I couldn't sign on TS in a dorm room. Re-joined at the end of college when I lived in a single and was mostly partied out lol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Leroyjenkins

I personally think you should go with a high end laptop. just remember to get cooling lap fan. and it may be a good idea to invest in a good backpack. I run on a laptop and i love it the mobility is great. here is what i use

 

sony vaio F series laptop

 

razer Orochi

 

Logitech G930 "great for on the go headset

 

sony Vaio notebook backpack " it holds a external keyboard and it is water proof trust me I walked through a thunderstorm with my laptop in it. didnt even get a drop inside it"

 

 

http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&partNumber=VPCF23JFX/BC

 

http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/OrderItemDisplay?orderId=.&quantity=1&catalogId=10551&mode=add&orderItemId=141485218&langId=-1&catEntryId=8198552921666354130&partNumber=VGPAMB1A17%2FB&storeId=10151

 

http://store.razerzone.com/store/razerusa/en_US/pd/productID.169419000/parentCategoryID.35208800/categoryId.35210700

 

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/gaming/headsets/wireless-gaming-headset-g930

 

 

but here is a great laptop for gaming check it out

 

http://store.razerzone.com/store/razerusa/en_US/pd/productID.243119900/categoryId.57876700

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Bonafide10
From my experience, laptops are horrible if you are getting it for gaming. they run hot and with time they become obsolete with newer technology. Better off getting a desktop and you can change its components to make it better.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...