If both systems have similar specs do they perform the same or is the desktop still superior?

I'm looking into getting an above average gaming system. Any idea what's a fair market price for these now that the GPU craziness is coming down?

In the past I used to build my systems but the GPUs are selling for over $1000 on ebay and it seems like it's better to buy a prebuilt gaming system via Dell or HP who doesn't gouge on the GPU. Also, the OS cost for self made systems makes a prebuilt system more price competitive.

I've had poor experiences with AMD so it would have to be an Intel processor system with NVIDIA graphics 3060 or better. Any suggestions?

My opinion is the desktop will do better because of thermal loading.

Laptops have limited heat dissipation compared to a desktop. eventually the laptop chassis will no longer be able to pull anymore heat from the chip efficiently and the GPU will start throttling.

quote:

Originally posted by eyrich:
My opinion is the desktop will do better because of thermal loading.

Laptops have limited heat dissipation compared to a desktop. eventually the laptop chassis will no longer be able to pull anymore heat from the chip efficiently and the GPU will start throttling.

Excellent point. Desktop it is.

Yes the Desktop will be superior because of the better cooling. Most laptops are slightly detuned for better thermal cooling. God Bless

quote:

s the desktop still superior?

Yes

After that the variables are endless.
Budget vs use = specifications goal
I've never had a pre-built better than what I could build but certainly many are quite capable if spec'd properly.
Intel is my only CPU but I am not a gamer just a computer guy.
Other than that those are some guidelines but you still have to do the research and shopping yourself.
No one cane say "buy this" or "I use XXX, never had a problem" as these are meaningless.
You need to plug in your requirements and make a decision accordingly.

However with what I said earlier above, there is a short supply of desktop GPU's and long waiting lines. The laptops are more available and the prices for some are actually very reasonable. Asus 15-inch gaming laptop with AMD Ryzen 9, RTX3070, 16GB Ram for $1800. God Bless !!! https://www.bestbuy.com/site/a...8848.p?skuId=6448848

Also note that the laptop GPUs are not actually the same as the desktop GPUs.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/...ppened.519743.0.html

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:
Also note that the laptop GPUs are not actually the same as the desktop GPUs.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/...ppened.519743.0.html

Back when I was into computers that rang true. I think it's impressive that they were able to close the gap but it looks like the latest generation of GPUs has widened the gap between laptop and desktop performance by a large margin.

Prices are kinda crazy. Dell outlet is offering $50-100 off $2000+ systems for dent/scratched/refurbished units and custom built systems are running 4-6 weeks until they ship.

Screen size.

Keyboard size.

Just two important items often not considered right away.

0-0

quote:

Originally posted by Hildur:

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:
Also note that the laptop GPUs are not actually the same as the desktop GPUs.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/...ppened.519743.0.html

Back when I was into computers that rang true. I think it's impressive that they were able to close the gap but it looks like the latest generation of GPUs has widened the gap between laptop and desktop performance by a large margin.

Prices are kinda crazy. Dell outlet is offering $50-100 off $2000+ systems for dent/scratched/refurbished units and custom built systems are running 4-6 weeks until they ship.

For practical reasons, it will probably always be true.

The faster a CPU/GPU is clocked, the more cores there are, the more computation it is doing, the more power is consumed. The faster RAM is clocked and the more times bits are flipped (approximately, data throughout), the more power is consumed.

A desktop RTX 3080 pulls 300+ watts working hard. You can do that in a desktop because a desktop has a power supply the size of a lunch box and big finned heat exchangers and a bunch of air space and big fans.

Put that in a laptop and after 10 minutes of gaming you'd burn your nuts off if you actually had the computer in your lap.

Not to mention it would be pretty useless on battery power. A big laptop battery is about 200 watt-hours, so ignoring the whole rest of the system, you'd get maybe 40 minutes of runtime.

I don't even know of any laptops that use a 300+ watt power supply in the first place - so they couldn't even keep up. Maybe some of the crazy huge gaming laptops.

I have a pretty serious 15" gaming laptop (a Razer Blade 15 with a 1080 GTX in it from before the 20XX and 30XX GPUs were widely available). It only has a 200 watt power supply. It is a great machine when you need performance, but even at sub-200-watts for the entire system (not just the GPU) it gets uncomfortably warm to actually sit on your lap and the battery life is terrible if you don't throttle the performance WAY down.

Desktop all the way and don’t look back. Unless you’re traveling all the time and really want something you can with you, there’s no comparison.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
Desktop all the way and don’t look back. Unless you’re traveling all the time and really want something you can with you, there’s no comparison.

Pretty much this. A desktop will out perform %99 of the time with right components.

Yeah I'm definitely going desktop. My head is spinning with all the different models, specs and discounts. Then there's the proprietary cases, power supplies and CPU coolers so if I ever wanted to upgrade certain things I could be facing some issues. I miss the simpler times when it was better to just build one myself.

Gaming laptops are loud! The fans are really loud.

quote:

Originally posted by 0-0:
Screen size.

Keyboard size.

Just two important items often not considered right away.

0-0

One can use a laptop as a CPU and attach peripherals in order to have larger monitors and full-size keyboards, so this isn't much of a detriment.

There are a few gaming laptops that are amazing. I wouldn't discount one out of hand. It really depends on the environment, as well as the amount of time actually spent in which you'd be using your system.

(Posting this from my $6000 gaming desktop.)

quote:

Originally posted by Hildur:
Yeah I'm definitely going desktop. My head is spinning with all the different models, specs and discounts. Then there's the proprietary cases, power supplies and CPU coolers so if I ever wanted to upgrade certain things I could be facing some issues. I miss the simpler times when it was better to just build one myself.

Building the computer yourself is still better, and REALLY simple....It's finding the Graphics Card that's HARD today! I built a Gaming PC for/with my son in early January....Here we are in JULY, and to this day, we're still unable to obtain the 30 Series NVIDIA Graphics Card he wants!

quote:

Originally posted by Orguss:

There are a few gaming laptops that are amazing. I wouldn't discount one out of hand. It really depends on the environment, as well as the amount of time actually spent in which you'd be using your system.

(Posting this from my $6000 gaming desktop.)

What are your specs for a 6k gaming system? I thought going high end would be in the $3-4k range. Just curious

I'm sure it's not worth that much, anymore. I bought an RTX 2080 TI Founder's Edition and watercooled the entire system.

Good graphics cards are sought after not just by gamers anymore, but by people building and running cryptocurrency mining rigs. The more graphics cards you add, the faster your computing power and the faster you make money.

So here's my update. I found a deal on newegg.com for their Gladiator series gaming PCs. $1750 shipped to me and here's the cost breakdown if I were to procure the parts myself:

i7-10700KF 3.8ghz - $320 on amazon.com
Gigabyte Z590 AORUS Elite AX - $229 on amazon.com
G.Skill Ripjaw 16 GB DDR4 3200mhz - $89 on amazon.com
Asus 3070 ROG Strix 8gb DDR6 - $1200 on eBay
T-Force 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD - $125 on amazon.com
750W 80 Plus Gold Power Supply - $75 on amazon.com
Gamdias ARGUS M1 Black ATX Mid Tower Case - $90 on amazon.com
EVGA CLC 280 RGB AIO Liquid Cooler - $90 amazon.com
Windows 10 Home - $130 amazon.com

Subtotal for parts: $2,348
Total after tax and S&H: $2,582

Savings over getting the parts and building it myself: $833


I got the computer yesterday and unfortunately the GPU/PCIe slot was damaged in transit. I called newegg and they are going to swap another computer via 2nd day air on their dime. Hopefully the 2nd time's the charm.