Can't make up my mind

roleplayer

Hi all,
I have a question that may annoy some of you, but I can assure you, even the worst of you won't be as annoyed or frustrated as I currently am.

I have a problem I have only dreamed of for many years. I am in the happy position to be looking for a new computer. I have managed to get together enough money for more or less anything I want.

I work on it, so I am thing 15" screen is big enough. not too big to carry around.

I also play games on it so I need something with some substance, good processor i7, enough memory looking at 16Gb, and a 512Gb SSD for the main disc. Dedicated graphics are also a must.

it is here that I get confused do I stick with windows? or go to Mac? The games I play at the moment and for the last while are World of warcraft and Diablo. Both run equally well on either platform.

Do I go for something like and alienware (i haven't been a fan since they were bought by Dell, even less so as dells build quality plumits), a custom built 3xs monster from scan with all the bells and whistles ( €3,300ish) ? Or perhaps out of left field a mac book pro (€2,500) ?

Is there anywhere in Ireland building, high quality, high spec (gamming) laptops? I have as yet only found places in the UK, naturally I would rather keep the business local.

My last deciding factor is I am quite impatient and would like not to be waiting weeks for delivery.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be great thanks.

VenomIreland

Why do you need it built by a third party?

vibe666

VenomIreland wrote: »

Why do you need it built by a third party?

Because it's a laptop?

VenomIreland

vibe666 wrote: »

Because it's a laptop?

Ah, missed the "laptop" in the op :cool:

I've used pcspecialist myself in the past, I am not aware of any Irish company that does something similar. They use Clevo models as the base for all of their laptops, build quality for Clevo stuff is generally pretty decent and pcspecialist's support seems fairly good also.

shruikan2553

Stay away from mac for gaming. Blizzard are fine, everyone else isn't.

Does it have to be a laptop? With laptops they will be inferior to a desktop and will require a full priced laptop every time you want to upgrade.

AlmightyCushion

I've done gaming laptops in the past and to be honest it really isn't worth it. Compared to a desktop, you pay way over the odds for inferior performance and they're big, hot and heavy. If I were you I'd get a good, powerful desktop with all the bells and whistles and a decent laptop with a decent (not high end) graphics card that can still handle some gaming for when you need the portability. It's a much better solution.

You could build a monster of a desktop that will easily last years for €2,000 (that includes monitors and all accessories you'd need) and a laptop with a good processor and mid range graphics for about €1,000. This way you get a very high performance machine that will kill a gaming laptop and out live it and you get a laptop that is actually a laptop and not just a slightly more portable desktop.

Bepolite

Gaming laptops aren't really 'there' yet IMO. There are some nice but all have their flaws. The form factor is set to get a lot better over the next 18 months as more and more components are being designed to run on low power and with low heat output. (E.G. Maxwell).

Steer clear of Mac, they're actually not bad machines no in a lot of respects but for gaming I'd avoid and they're over powered in most other uses.

BloodBath

For gaming laptops are crap, mac's are crap, stick with PC.

Low power consumption components only means they add more cores or execution units for higher performance in the desktop market. Laptops will always be inferior. Half the performance for twice the price.

A lot of games are DirectX only which means you need windows to play them so that rules mac's out.

How important is portability? You could go for a small form factor PC but anything with a lot of power will need a decent sized case. As others have said you could get a beast of a PC for about €1000-1500 and a good laptop as well for that money.

roleplayer

Wow,
Thank you all for the answers, if going for a desktop, any makers in mind. or Should I just buy the bits and build it myself?

satguy

Laptops are OK for work, but not for gaming,, most newer games would melt poor one and break a good one.

Buy yourself a €400 LT if you really need one. And then look at Done Deal in PC section for a nice i7 4770K gaming PC.. with the R9 280x or a GF 780ti ... Set aside about €1400 or so.

VenomIreland

roleplayer wrote: »

Wow,
Thank you all for the answers, if going for a desktop, any makers in mind. or Should I just buy the bits and build it myself?

I think most people in here would agree that building it yourself is the best option. There's many resources and people here willing to help you decide on parts and the building process.

This should get you started: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=74542374

BloodBath

Build your own PC, buy a laptop. You will get ripped off anywhere if going for a pre built really high end PC.

If you want to build your custom PC fill out the questions from the sticky and we can give some recommendations.