Would this be a decent gaming computer?

[ExaltedReign]

For games at medium settings like Batman Arkum Asylum, Bio-shock, Fallout 3, Mass Effect, and the new upcoming SWTOR (star wars the old republic).

Newegg.com - iBUYPOWER Gamer Extreme 947i Intel Core i7 860(2.80GHz) 4GB DDR3 500GB NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

or would this laptop be better?

Newegg.com - Recertified: ASUS G60VX-RBBX05 NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo P7450(2.13GHz) 16" 4GB Memory DDR2 800 320GB HDD 7200rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M

 

[NiobiumTragedy]

The i7 chip is far superior and laptops... if you're getting a good gaming laptop, it's gonna run you about $2000 or more for something that will keep up with modern games. Go with the desktop.

 

[7thKeeper]

For gaming, go with a desktop solution. Like Niobium said, laptops will cost much more.

The graphics card could be better IMO (I'm pretty sure you can get better cards for about the same price that a GTS 250 would cost you) and if there really is just a single fan in the case, it could use another one at least. Otherwise it's a good rig for what you seem to want.

 

[Aimiel]

It won't be long and laptops will come down in price and produce higher speed (both HDD speed and CPU) but today, as advised above, to do so is VERY expensive. You should be able to play most any of today's games on the desktop you described. I'd keep shopping, though, subscribe to a DIY magazine or two, and when you've read enough articles and have enough close friends who are nerdy, build you own for less than half the price. You can even buy damaged or discontinued boards / parts at computer stores for 75% or more off list. If you buy all the parts and spend an hour assembling the PC, you can easily save 25% to 50% right away, depending on what you buy.

 

[NiobiumTragedy]

We've been saying laptops would be coming down in price for 10 years now. The problem is that they really aren't. Especially in higher end machines, you're still shelling out major money because companies know there are very few solutions for home building them which means that they can mark them up as much as they want.

 

[Aimiel]

As components come down in price, manufacturers will have to lower prices just to compete.

 

[Kristin E]

Desktop, Laptops ain't worth it... TRUST ME!
Laptops aren't really meant for gaming...
They usually don't run games to well....

 

[NiobiumTragedy]

Desktop, Laptops ain't worth it... TRUST ME!
Laptops aren't really meant for gaming...
They usually don't run games to well....

There are some laptops that work very well because they were built for gaming, but they are expensive, heavy, and have horrible battery life.

My laptop is actually a gaming laptop by a company called Sager. They consider it a "desktop replacement" because of what I said above. It cost about $3100 when I bought it, weighs in at around 10 pounds, and has a batter life of about an hour and a half. but when I first got it and ran Crysis on it, I was able to play the game on full graphics thanks to the 8800 video card it has.

That being said, I would probably buy a custom Asus if I ever get another gaming laptop, but I don't see that happening because I prefer desktops.

 

[Kristin E]

There are some laptops that work very well because they were built for gaming, but they are expensive, heavy, and have horrible battery life.

My laptop is actually a gaming laptop by a company called Sager. They consider it a "desktop replacement" because of what I said above. It cost about $3100 when I bought it, weighs in at around 10 pounds, and has a batter life of about an hour and a half. but when I first got it and ran Crysis on it, I was able to play the game on full graphics thanks to the 8800 video card it has.

That being said, I would probably buy a custom Asus if I ever get another gaming laptop, but I don't see that happening because I prefer desktops.

True, I mean obviously it is possible to find a gaming laptop... but with the battery life being low it's really not worth it.

 

[NiobiumTragedy]

True, I mean obviously it is possible to find a gaming laptop... but with the battery life being low it's really not worth it.

Most people who use that kind of laptop aren't really looking for battery life and keep it plugged in all the time; that's why it's called a desktop replacement. It's more along the lines of making life easier for LAN parties because people use to take their whole desktops to them and it was such a pain in the butt. This just gives you the power of a desktop in a laptop... a big, heavy, loud, crappy battery lifed laptop.

 

[Gyasi]

In my honest opinion, if you want to get a good gaming computer, you're better off making it yourself. It's not hard to build a good gaming computer (or even a computer in general). There are also several text and video tutorials of how to do so online.

Depending on the parts you choose, you can literally end up saving yourself hundreds of dollars if you just build it yourself, and you can pick and choose good parts.

More often than not, companies who sell cheap desktop computers for like under $700 have most definitely cheaped out somewhere. Whether it be the PSU (power supply unit(Which you should NEVER cheap out on)) or motherboard or w/e.

If this approach genuinely interests you, there are several internet forums filled with communities of people who help others in choosing parts for their new systems. A quick google search of websites like "Tom's hardware" and "Hardware Canucks" will yield you results.

Good luck and have fun, no matter which path you choose!