Desktop or Laptop what do you use for PC gaming?

xandros9

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Primarily laptop, I occasionally commandeer my sister's desktop for heavy stuff like Planetside 2, Lost Planet 2...

Lenovo ThinkPad T400:
- Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 (Montevina) - 2.26 GHz
- Intel GM45 Chipset Integrated Graphics - Intel GMA 4500MHD (fear it!)
- 4 GB DDR3 RAM (up from 2)
- 1280x800 LCD (thought about upgrading it to 1440x900 LED, but decided against it) - 16:10 woo. (I frequently hook it up to a 14" 1024x768 display left over from an old desktop)
- OCZ Agility 3 120 GB SSD (I don't know where I put the original hard drive...)
- Windows 8.1 Preview (thought about downgrading to 7, but 8's efficiency has got me hooked, despite some driver problems.)
- Ubuntu 13.04 (for when Windows borks, nice to have too)
- and I swapped out the CD drive for another battery after my main one went downhill quickly. (may or may not switch it for a 2nd HDD caddy)

My gaming options have been limited by the lack of killer graphics
- Half-Life 2 ran great at pretty high settings, Halo 2 was reasonable
- Starcraft II was solid at low settings.
- AssaultCube and Halo PC? a breeze (now for Custom Edition mods like SPv2 however, not so much)
- Minecraft is just playable, not too good fps, but lag and pvp don't jive well with it.
- Planetside 2? seconds per frame.
- Lost Planet 2? its not pretty

I'm not even going to think about newer games like BF3, oh man.
 

Keith Wallace

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The processors aren't fair to compare. The APU will come with a competent-enough GPU for some games on medium-ish settings, it depends on what you play. However, fi you want to play anything major and/or on high setting, you have to get a separate video card either way, making buying an APU completely silly.
 

BIGPADDY

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The processors aren't fair to compare. The APU will come with a competent-enough GPU for some games on medium-ish settings, it depends on what you play. However, fi you want to play anything major and/or on high setting, you have to get a separate video card either way, making buying an APU completely silly.

This is on a budget so no high end gaming that why I choice an APU so that I don't have to pay for a graphics card.
 

nessinhaw

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i currently have a desktop:

i5 2nd generation
4Gb RAM
1Tb HDD
HD 4870
AOC Led 20"

the graphic card is kinda outdated but it still runs most recent games at med-low with a decent fps...

unfortunately, i'll have to temporarily say goodbye to desktop world cause i'm REALLY gonna need a laptop for college...but here in Brazil, even the crapiest ones are too expensive for what they offer SO i decided to invest high: imma sell my desktop to my boyfriend (best deal ever, i know he gonna take good care of it and i can still use it whenever i want :D) and buy a gaming laptop!

but as soon as i graduate (in about 3-4 years) and get a job, i'll buy a desktop for gaming again AND keep the laptop for work :D

like i said, i'm doing this because i'm really gonna need this laptop for classes and investing on a cheap ****ty one ain't worth it...besides, buying even a cheap laptop won't allow me to upgrade my graphic card for at least another year (living in Brazil sux) BUT once i'm graduated and have my own monies, i can do w/a i want :D

so i'm cool with this temporary solution, it's for the sake of my future >.<
 

Keith Wallace

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This is on a budget so no high end gaming that why I choice an APU so that I don't have to pay for a graphics card.

How much are you wanting to spend? Also, what are you wanting to play? I mean, if you're just wanting to build a general-use computer, you might be better-off just getting some OK-ish parts and upgrading in a year or two, if you need, rather than overspending and never needing the parts you pay for.
 

martinmc78

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Personally I wouldn't go for an AMD 8 core. You would be better off going for a 6 core with a 16MB cache
 

martinmc78

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Is the RAT5 good?

Was thinking about the RAT9. . .

The RAT 7 is great - used it for work having all the buttons in varying customisations for the different packages I use is great. Precision aim is a great feature as well. Would also say that being able to change the size and weight of it is a massive plus. There is a extra bit you can bolt onto it to stop your little finger dragging on the desk or mouse mat - you wouldn't believe how much of a difference that makes for long use sessions.
 
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BIGPADDY

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How much are you wanting to spend? Also, what are you wanting to play? I mean, if you're just wanting to build a general-use computer, you might be better-off just getting some OK-ish parts and upgrading in a year or two, if you need, rather than overspending and never needing the parts you pay for.

Just a general idea of ?400 depending on how much a car will cost after my practical, insurance etc.

Main use multimedia, video editing and medium level gaming.
 
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Jaskys

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How much are you wanting to spend? Also, what are you wanting to play? I mean, if you're just wanting to build a general-use computer, you might be better-off just getting some OK-ish parts and upgrading in a year or two, if you need, rather than overspending and never needing the parts you pay for.
Well topic says "gaming" so im 100% his computer isn't for facebook games or 24/7 office work.
 

BIGPADDY

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Lets get back on track to the original purpose of this thread, since I led it off topic! :angel:

What rigs have you got, anyone took the leap of faith to liquid cooling?
 

gedzum

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I'm thinking of picking up a laptop for uni. Perhaps the Lenovo Yoga or Acer S7 refresh if it's released in time. Then when I'm done with uni, might use it to game a bit when I don't want to be in my room.
 

martinmc78

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Ok so heres what going in my rig. I cant call it a desktop as im putting it all into a custom coffee table build - so maybe a tabletop?
ASUS Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 Socket AM3+ 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard
AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz Socket AM3+ 14MB Cache
Crucial 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Ballistix Sport Memory

OCZ ZX Series 1000W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply
Sapphire HD 7870 GHZ OC Edition 2GB GDDR5 Dual DVI HDMI
Xbox 360
23" Acer touchscreen HDMI monitor

Seagate 2TB Barracuda Internal Hard Drive
LiteOn IHOS104 SATA Blu-Ray Optical Drive.

I have started building the coffee table so will be putting up a build thread soon so you can all see how it turns out.

PC1.png
 

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