Im going to uni in a few months and im a big gamer, should I buy a laptop or a desktop?
477132
Well, I've got a desktop for gaming, and a laptop for school work, portable stuff, misc small scale assignments.\nIt really depends.\n\nI think you should invest in a desktop with the highest performance you can afford. If you can, get a 2nd hand laptop for assignments, etc.\n\nAs for the Geforce 8 series, if you have a desktop upgrading the graphic cards shouldn't be a problem.\n\n\nJenova\n(d.yuffie@gmail.com)
34342
Buy the most that you can afford.  I would make sure that the computer has at least 512mb memory, 2ghz processor, 128mb video card and 160gb harddrive.
858976
it is up to you .. if you work on graphics or games.. or just for work like Excel or Word.. it depends on what you need.. if you need somthing for games or graphics then you will have to bring a good pc in good performance.. actually i can't tell you what is good and what is not.. you will have to tell us the parts so we can be useful more to you
365149
If it exceeds your needs it is a waste of money.  But if you think your needs will change it is usually better to get everything at once.  Especially if we are talking about a laptop.  They are almost impossible to upgrade after the purchace.\n\nI've been buying low end machines for years now.  I can't play the newest games at full speed but the machines are so much cheaper that I can replace them more often and still be ahead of the game.  So many people following the marketers and feel they need the best at whatever cost.  If your needs are met by a slower machine they are much more cost effective.
758065
Desk top computers are the way to go.  You will get a faster computer than a laptop at the same price.  Laptops are usually 1.5 times more expensive than the desktop conterpart in terms of specifications.  You are definiately paying for your portablity.  Laptops are good for home or office use.  They are not recommended for gaming.\n\nThe best overall desktop type of computer is an eMachine.  They are well built and are not expensive.  They even have a unique program that automatically fixes any erros that windows likes to give people that cannot be found on any other computer.  It is best used as a home, office, or internet computer.\n\nIf you are looking for a gaming computer, the best way is to build your own.  There are no "cheaper" brands that are really gamer friendly.  The best gaming computer would be Alienware.  They build computers specifically for gamers.  If you have the money, this is the way to go.\n\nHp is ok, and is usable.  Hp is more geared toward picture management, home video optimization, media, ect.\n\nDO NOT USE:\nCompaq\nDell\n\nThese computers are "cookie cutters."  They are produced en mass and are not well built.  The components that they use are not optimized for the computer.  Cheaper is not always better.  For example, the RAM is not fast enough to keep up the the CPU or vice versa.  And what I hear from other people, Dell's customer support sucks.\n\nVOTE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH!
162308
One of the most important things for playing games is the hard drive (big and very fast )and RAM (fast 2 Gigabyte)and of course the video card (the best you can get/can pay). After this you must have a very fast monitor 4 ms refresh no more. You can take AMD or Intel they both are dependable.
542775
It comes down to what you plan to use the system for.  If you are a mobile person and tend to use the system for email, web browsing, IMing and such, a laptop would probably be fine.  If you are into gaming, keeping databases, or developing websites, a desktop would be more suitable.  Keep in mind that a laptop with todays technology is not as powerful as a desktop.  The mobile CPUs used in laptops run slower and consume less power and that translates to lower performance.  This may be tolerable if your applications don't require a lot of power.  Laptops don't have the robustness of desktops, they are more expensive and have more problems that are more expensive to fix to name a few downsides to laptops.  Bottom line is you have to consider your lifestyle and what you are going to use the system to do.
842909
The best advice is to go to your local PC world or Curry's\nTell then axactly what you want and be guided by them.\nOr, buy a Which computer & laptop mag:
471639
Depends on your needs, if your a gamer and/or need high power graphics and processors while sacrificing mobility; your best choice is a desktop computer.  If on the other hand you are a very mobile/active person like me.  That needs access to files an be able to work on materials anywhere, while sacrificing some power for mobility, a laptop is for you.
790317
Notebooks are nice, but they are much harder to work on and upgrade.  Since you might be doing graphics work, you will need a decent video card.  In a notebook, that usually means an upper end computer, which it doesn't sound like you need.\n\nI would reccommend a cheap computer such as the Acer Power 380, and buy a new video card with at least 128 MB of memory.  That should get you up and running and in pretty good shape.
1038255
I use my laptop primarily for gaming.  It's not as comfortable as a desktop, but I enjoy being able to take my games with me.  If you're playing anything more sophisticated than internet chess, a good graphics card isn't just important.  It's a neccessity.  Laptops generally have slower processors and less RAM than desktops, which means they need the extra boost even more.  Otherwise, graphics processing sucks up all of your system resources, making your games slow down, lag, freeze, or just not run at all.\n\nOn the other hand, if you don't intend to play high end games on your laptop, you probably have no need for a graphics card.  The integrated video processing on modern motherboards is sufficient for most applications.   Unless you're using it for rendering or engineering applications, you'll just be paying for a component that you'll never use.\n\nEDIT:\nYes, if you want to play Halo at anything resembling a decent framerate, you need some decent graphics equipment.  I'm not saying it wouldn't run on a machine without a vid card.  It might.  It would definitely look horrible and probably lag a good deal.  First person shooters have a notoriously high graphics demand.  My laptop has an ATI 200 card and high-midrange specs, but still lags sometimes when I play Battlefield 2 with all video settings set to minimum.  If you want serious gaming, you need serious gear.  Sorry to say, that comes at a price.
1124987
I'd go with a PC, only because I'm more familiar with PCs than I am with Macs.
472301
What you want actually is a desktop and a lcd monitor, get a set when you come across a good deal.\nhttp://www.dealone.com
716486
hmm...good question.... This depends on if you wanted a desktop or a laptop. \n\nIf you were going for something portable, that you could take to a friend's house to show off or have lan parties with, I'd probably agree with everyone and say an alienware. They are built for gamers like us. lol Make sure if you get a laptop it DOES NOT have the express graphic card in it - it isn't good enough for serious gaming! Most laptops (I'm not sure about alienware, so this doesn't pretain to them) have the express graphics cards in them. They're good for web surfing, or simple mundane tasks, but not for gaming.  You got to have a hefty processor also. Since laptops aren't as specifically built for one's individual needs, you'll have to do a LOT of research before you decide upon one.\n\nIf you wanted a mean machine for you and you alone, for sitting comfortably at your own home, at your own desk, in your own chair, I'd say get you a desktop built for you. Our's was specifically built (over and over, as the years go on!) for gaming and heavy graphic programs, like Lightwave. Make sure you have an awsome processor, maybe a 64. I know people will down me for this one, but I would not recommend intel.  Athlon does great. Athlon 64 would be the best. Max out the memory too, so you don't have annoying wait times on your games. Again, get the best graphics card you can afford too. We have a not-so-expensive sound card, (played through our surround sound) and it is just fine for seek and destroy games - so well, you can hear people coming up behind you! \n\nI hope this helps. Good luck, and remember, whatever you get will reflect in the price, most times. A walmart special will not work for gaming. The exception would be if you know someone willing to build you a desktop at a reasonable price!
1077781
Get a laptop or buy a tablet
521135
Okay.. there are a number of parameters when you want to buy a computer. Also one company may give you an excellent desktop but not a good laptop. Here's my low down..\n\nGraphics intensive, high end, extremely specialized work -> go for Apple, anything else -> use windows. Not that windows is better (Mac is any day better in terms of technology) but windows is a lot less headache when something goes down.\n\nHP/Compaq Desktop -> good value for money, decet looks\nHP/Compaq Laptop -> cheap but not that good a bet, decent looks\n\nZenith Desktop/Laptop -> Are you a techie?? If not, forget it. \n\nDell -> Best value for money looks good\n\nAcer -> cheapest, not sure about quality but definitely good to look at\n\nIBM(Now Lenovo) Laptop -> best performance, a bit pricey but looks very rugged and non - refined.
765852
Well it might have helped if you gave a more in depth description of the Apple, but anyway the answer is, it depends on what you wanna do with it.  For gaming there is no question, it is the Alienware without a doubt.  Other than that, the two are fairly similar, you have a faster processor and more RAM on the Apple, but more hard drive on the Alienware.  I would say that if gaming interests you at all, definately go with the Alienware, otherwise just pick which format (Mac vs. Windows) that you prefer and which one is cheaper.