Well, who better to ask, than the people who actualy use the computers not the silly sales peeps, i am looking to spend arround £600-£800 on a new desktop or laptop, i will be using it for mainly games (MINECRAFT!!!! and CSS) but would be playing more upto-date games such as Black ops, would anyone be able to help me on what to buy, im sooo confused :/ Thankyou-Deathlike.
Really its what you like more if you enjoy putting computers together then build one, I like doing that personally. And with buying one you can normally get the same parts in a pre built one that are just as good as buying them and putting it together and some times a little cheaper. I like to buy MSI (Micro Star International) parts (just a company I have got a lot of good parts from) and a lot of HP computers are made with MSI parts. I have been building computers for almost 20 years now.
If you want to play games you will definitely get much better value for money choosing a desktop over a laptop. Are you capable of building your own PC? if so we could recommend some parts.
These days, many people seem to be switched from desktops to having powerful laptops, as it allows them to move there PC around the house and use it whenever they want. But you will miss out on the fun of building it yourself. Plus, you gotta factor screen cost into the laptop, vs if you already own one for your pc or need one for that. Laptops can play games quite well these days, but will never beat the power of a desktop graphics card.
I would use a desktop, mainly because you have a external keyboard, mouse and display that is much larger. Although you can do that with a laptop, you can't really modify a laptop.
And modifying laptops when possible doesn't come cheap either. Just like the others have said, if you have the money and the know how build your own. Here's a good guide from GamesRadar:The 2008 PC Builder's Bible | GamesRadar. Bear in mind that it was written in 2008 and so technology has probably moved on since but it should still give you an idea of what's needed.
I would also say build your own. Built the one I am using now and its amazing. Desktop all the way. Had many laptops before and nothing matched this.
Building a good Desktop is easier than it sounds, its just a case of getting all the parts you want and plugging it all together in the right way, then loading on the Opertaing system. i have built loads of PC's and upgraded lots too. i taught myself how to install OS's and then re-install and update them . I'm no pro but i dont normally have a problem Go for the desktop ... just looking at the latest Motherboards and graphics cards makes me want to buy buy buy !!! And you could not ask for a better place to get help . lots of people will help on digiex Slim
I would be making (probs but not definatly buying) a desktop, not a laptop, i already have a laptop which i use for work (school) and collage..... i just wanted one which can support games well and smoothly thanks all, i am liking the look os msi parts so far, but any other sujjestions would be great, specific parts would be better rather than just brands
I'm not really up to date with all the latest and greatest hardware, however if i was going to be building a new PC for myself I would look at building an Intel Core i5 or i7 machine. Decide on a good motherboard then build your system around that depending on your budget, I personally go with Asus or Gigabyte for motherboards. A nice mid range motherboard such as the Gigabyte GA-P55-USB3 P55 Socket 1156 8 Channel Audio ATX might be a good place to start. This motherboard supports Core i5, Core i7 processors, memory from PC3-10600 down to PC3-8500, has 8 channel onboard sound, gigabit ethernet, USB3 and Raid. For the processor something like the Intel Core i5 650 3.20GHz Socket 1156 4MB would be more than enough. Hard drive wise i use Seagate or Western Digital, buy according to how much space you want. You can get a nice 1tb drive these days pretty cheaply, you can never have enough space if you ask me. For memory i don't think you will have any problems as long as you buy known brands, i get Corsair memory myself. Im not really sure whats the best graphics cards are at the moment, ive not really been in to PC gaming for a while now. I have always gone with the mid range cards at around £150ish and have never had any complaints. The PALIT GTX 460 SONIC 1024MB looks to get great reviews. Hopefully someone more in to PC hardware could advise you better, for £600-800 you could build a nice gaming system anyway. I usually just spend a bit of time reading reviews when im upgrading my PC, you will soon get a good idea of whats good and such.