Should I get a gaming computer?

[BellGreen]

I have been thinking about it. I wanna play Minecraft, and my current laptop overheats a TON.

Should I get a gaming PC? Should I get a gaming laptop?

I don't travel much, only like 1-2 times every YEAR. I kinda want portable gaming along with me on occasional trips, to keep me occupied. I like using harder trackpads than the really-touch-sensitive-but-moves-really-slow trackpads.

In my opinion, I should get the Gaming PC. But I'm not sure :8 What should I get?

 

[Jake]

My answer is no, but that's because I don't like PC gaming

 

[Mino]

If the question you're asking is whether you should get a desktop or a laptop for gaming, get the desktop.

 

[Prof Gallows]

If you're planning on getting a gaming PC, don't get it just for Minecraft. You could easily just get a normal PC to play that.

Though if you plan on playing other games on the PC, then yeah, you'll probably want one that can run them. Get a desktop, it's a lot better than a laptop. My gaming laptop is nice and all, but for the price I payed for it I could have gotten a way better desktop one.

 

[Caius]

Things to take into consideration:
Price: Most desktops and laptops based on gaming run high in price. While a laptop will be more expensive in the long-run, they're also not very suitable for running the best of games very well. A desktop gives you the freedom to upgrade, while a laptop does not considering disassembly and graphics cards being soldered to the motherboard. To lower the price of a desktop, you can buy all of the pieces and assemble yourself, though without knowing what you're doing, you're 75% sure to break something. Sometimes building one may be cheaper, but you'll spend more in the long run on parts you'll have to replace because of your own misdeed. No you can't return them! For a gaming laptop look to spend 700-1500 as a median price. For a desktop, 500-1000 should suffice for mid needs. If you plan on upgrading do NOT buy a mini, or half tower kit that HP or Emachines releases.
Capabilities: How well do you want this thing to run certain things? For minecraft.. you can do a 400 dollar laptop easy and be good to go. If you're looking to play higher end games such as a few titles sold on steam, you'll need to get a desktop. A laptop WILL ABSOLUTELY NOT have the proper ventilation and you run the risk of destroying the system from overheating. I have a core i7 quad laptop with an Nvidia 330m and still run into lag and slow loading even on TF2. For gaming I seriously urge you to go the route of a desktop.
Need: You should never buy a computer based on gaming alone. What else will you need it for? Are you an artist? Do you go to school? do you want to do something that may warrant using a high CPU program? If the question is something you have to think about, go the route of the desktop. At least then you won't have to buy a whole new system

On those points, who's to say you can't get a desktop and potentially get a cheap laptop later? You can have your cake and eat it too when it comes to computers.
Edit: this topic keeps popping up. I'm gonna make a huge thread about this so that people can think on it without a bunch of new threads popping up.

 

[BellGreen]

Things to take into consideration:
Price: Most desktops and laptops based on gaming run high in price. While a laptop will be more expensive in the long-run, they're also not very suitable for running the best of games very well. A desktop gives you the freedom to upgrade, while a laptop does not considering disassembly and graphics cards being soldered to the motherboard. To lower the price of a desktop, you can buy all of the pieces and assemble yourself, though without knowing what you're doing, you're 75% sure to break something. Sometimes building one may be cheaper, but you'll spend more in the long run on parts you'll have to replace because of your own misdeed. No you can't return them! For a gaming laptop look to spend 700-1500 as a median price. For a desktop, 500-1000 should suffice for mid needs. If you plan on upgrading do NOT buy a mini, or half tower kit that HP or Emachines releases.
Capabilities: How well do you want this thing to run certain things? For minecraft.. you can do a 400 dollar laptop easy and be good to go. If you're looking to play higher end games such as a few titles sold on steam, you'll need to get a desktop. A laptop WILL ABSOLUTELY NOT have the proper ventilation and you run the risk of destroying the system from overheating. I have a core i7 quad laptop with an Nvidia 330m and still run into lag and slow loading even on TF2. For gaming I seriously urge you to go the route of a desktop.
Need: You should never buy a computer based on gaming alone. What else will you need it for? Are you an artist? Do you go to school? do you want to do something that may warrant using a high CPU program? If the question is something you have to think about, go the route of the desktop. At least then you won't have to buy a whole new system

On those points, who's to say you can't get a desktop and potentially get a cheap laptop later? You can have your cake and eat it too when it comes to computers.
Edit: this topic keeps popping up. I'm gonna make a huge thread about this so that people can think on it without a bunch of new threads popping up.

Thanks, I kinda wanted a computer based on gaming more, but also fast enough to run other important stuff.
Can a gaming PC run other stuff (besides gaming) normally?

 

[Garrett x50 cal]

If you only want it for minecraft save hundreds of dollars and get it on Xbox.

 

[BellGreen]

If you only want it for minecraft save hundreds of dollars and get it on Xbox.

I dont want it only for Minecraft. Are there any NORMAL laptops that ar good besides gaming?

 

[Caius]

Thanks, I kinda wanted a computer based on gaming more, but also fast enough to run other important stuff.
Can a gaming PC run other stuff (besides gaming) normally?

Usually. All Gaming Pc means is High CPU/GPU.

As for normal laptops. Toshiba, Lenovo. Stay away from HP.

 

[BellGreen]

Usually. All Gaming Pc means is High CPU/GPU.

As for normal laptops. Toshiba, Lenovo. Stay away from HP.

I had a Toshiba before, it was pretty smooth.

 

[Caius]

I made a whole thread on computers. Should help.

 

[XenoVII]

Getting a normal laptop is fine. Just if you want a higher CPU, just change it out. Also, I would consider downloading Linux (another good operating system, like Windows, but free). Ubuntu is the best version and also get the program Wine to emulate all the Windows programs if you get Linux.

 

[Caius]

Getting a normal laptop is fine. Just if you want a higher CPU, just change it out. Also, I would consider downloading Linux (another good operating system, like Windows, but free). Ubuntu is the best version and also get the program Wine to emulate all the Windows programs if you get Linux.

I would never recommend Linux to a beginner. It can cause more damage than good if you can't get everything set up properly.