Help needed with gaming PC for my son

[TheMightyQuinn]

Nope. I'm not taking it personally.
I just don't agree with you.
There's a reason why Alienware (Dell) and Asus, MSI etc. all manufacture high-end gaming laptops.
I doubt they would manufacture products that get returned a while later due to heating issues.
TBH, I've never heard this argument before (heating, long term damage).
The components are specifically designed for small form factor systems.

I'll admit that the heating issue was something that I experienced and it may have been an issue unique to myself, but see below other issues with gaming laptops.

There is simply no competition between a desktop and a laptop in terms of raw performance. Furthermore, the fact that a gaming laptop usually costs about twice as much as a gaming desktop with similar specifications is far from encouraging.

One of the most undeniable advantages of a gaming desktop over a laptop is the extent of customizability it offers. There’s quite literally no end to how much you can customize your gaming system when you are using a PC. It’s true that you need a fair bit of knowledge and understanding of computer systems, but anyone who knows their hardware basics can take apart a PC with some effort. After that, you can just about remove, replace and tweak any component, to suit your preferences.

"Gaming" laptops are NOT worth the extra money you pay for the same specs. Not just to only gain portability...

Also read here:

Laptop vs. Desktop

Gaming laptops have come a long way, but can they really replace desktop rigs?

www.pcgamer.com

 

[|tera|]

I'll admit that the heating issue was something that I experienced and it may have been an issue unique to myself, but see below other issues with gaming laptops.

There is simply no competition between a desktop and a laptop in terms of raw performance. Furthermore, the fact that a gaming laptop usually costs about twice as much as a gaming desktop with similar specifications is far from encouraging.

One of the most undeniable advantages of a gaming desktop over a laptop is the extent of customizability it offers. There’s quite literally no end to how much you can customize your gaming system when you are using a PC. It’s true that you need a fair bit of knowledge and understanding of computer systems, but anyone who knows their hardware basics can take apart a PC with some effort. After that, you can just about remove, replace and tweak any component, to suit your preferences.

"Gaming" laptops are NOT worth the extra money you pay for the same specs. Not just to only gain portability...

Also read here:

Laptop vs. Desktop

Gaming laptops have come a long way, but can they really replace desktop rigs?

www.pcgamer.com

On the price vs. specs I do agree with you. It's a hit you have to take if you prefer a laptop over a desktop.
I've got a fairly old gaming desktop. Not close to today's standards.
Irrespective, I find worth in both.

Laptops are my preference . If I gave my desktop any of the punishment I've given my laptop, the desktop would lose by default.
It depends from person to person.
If the OP's 13 year old boy would like to build his own Desktop, I would encourage that.
There's so much you learn and expand on if you choose to have an interest in IT.

That's how I also started. I'm not a techie anymore though.

 

[RedViking]

Overheating is not a problem on Gaming Notebooks. They can easily run at 90 deg. without heating issues. Throttling will kick in, but before you buy you should know what the notebook will be able to handle and what to get out of it. Will easily last you 5-10 years if you look after it.

At the same price however you can get a nice gaming PC with probably better specs and bigger monitor.

No need for a notebook if it is going to stay in one place 90% of the time.

 

[saor]

At the same price however you can get a nice gaming PC with probably better specs and bigger monitor.

I've never quite understood why someone would buy a laptop only to stick in in a permanent place on their desk & connect an external monitor. Like....that's what a desktop that costs less & is more configurable is for. Laptops only make sense if you need to move it regularly from A to B. Beyond that I don't see the point.

 

[Dan C]

Can look at that, there is also a 1tb hdd View attachment 898000 View attachment 898002 View attachment 898004

Mushkin will last maybe 1 year if you are lucky.

 

[Gravedigger]

I know that Evetech is not recommended to buy from...
Last week, my brother upgraded his PC.
Already had a PC case and PSU.
Het got some upgrade kit from Evetech, I think the "Intel 10th Gen Core i5 10400 16GB" Upgrade kit.
For 6.7k
And a second-hand 1050Ti. Also got a deal on a 250ish Klevv SSD, NMVe.

Loaded Win10 Pro, happy days.
Should be a fun build regarding assembly...
Just make sure to read the installation instructions carefully.

 

[Exaelea]

I've never quite understood why someone would buy a laptop only to stick in in a permanent place on their desk & connect an external monitor. Like....that's what a desktop that costs less & is more configurable is for. Laptops only make sense if you need to move it regularly from A to B. Beyond that I don't see the point.

Well in our lovely country the average user with a laptop can still use it and watch movies etc during loadshedding without having to spend a small fortune on an inverter for the 2-4 hours needed.. and they will probably think you are talking klingon when mentioning an inverter.

 

[Johnatan56]

Thanks all, those are some valuable inputs.

For gaming laptops, would this be a good option?

https://www.wootware.co.za/wootbook...e-rtx-2060-6gb-gddr6-black-gaming-laptop.html

The wootbooks are pretty good, but I suggest you rather go the desktop route. That way you can probably swap out the graphics card later and swap out pieces as the budget allows. This is coming from a wootbook owner (RTX 2060 + 9750H, last generation one), if I'd known COVID would have hit and I wouldn't need to drag my laptop to my final uni year, I would have rather saved the cash and gone the desktop route.
Lupus' build looks decent, but I suggest you wait about three weeks to see the price/performance of the RTX 3000 line, and you could probably pick up a decent second hand graphics card then instead.
New CPUs are also set to be released end of this year, should be a decent upgrade based on how the new Xbox and PS are performing, but current gen should be fine for quite a few years, only suggested the wait for new Nvidia cards as it's right around the corner.

In regards to laptops: over the last year or so, due to DLSS, I'd definitely pick an RTX card there if I could, so if you go the laptop route, I no longer recommend getting the non-RTX variant. This is marketing stuff: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/nvidia-dlss-2-0-a-big-leap-in-ai-rendering/ but it's more about DLSS 3.0, since that version is set to release with the 3000 series, and is supposed to be easy to support for any game that supports TAA, so I'd guess quite a few games will support it soon and it will increase the "playable lifespan" of the laptop by quite a bit.

Desktop doesn't matter as much, just swap out the card with a better one once you need to.

 

[Kashman]

Well if anyone interested.. I am looking to sell my gaming Laptop..

Looking for 20k, still working order and I game where I can but as I am beginning my masters in the new year, need something more light weight..

Link is below for current new pricing..

Buy ASUS ROG G752VY 17.3" Core i7 Gaming Laptop at Evetech.co.za

Buy ASUS ROG G752VY Core i7 Gaming Laptop at discounted price. Evetech.co.za is your one source for the best laptop deals anywhere, anytime

www.evetech.co.za

 

[Johnatan56]

Well if anyone interested.. I am looking to sell my gaming Laptop..

Looking for 20k, still working order and I game where I can but as I am beginning my masters in the new year, need something more light weight..

Link is below for current new pricing..

Buy ASUS ROG G752VY 17.3" Core i7 Gaming Laptop at Evetech.co.za

Buy ASUS ROG G752VY Core i7 Gaming Laptop at discounted price. Evetech.co.za is your one source for the best laptop deals anywhere, anytime

www.evetech.co.za

Wouldn't say that's worth R20k anymore due to the GTX 980M. An RTX 2060 (non Max-Q) for laptops is 1.5-2x as strong, and it's ~R22k for an RTX 2060 + 4800H + 500GB SSD: https://www.wootware.co.za/wootbook...e-rtx-2060-6gb-gddr6-black-gaming-laptop.html and the 4800H has double the cores at higher clocks while being more efficient clock for clock.
And then 144Hz screen, BT 5, WiFi 6, etc.

I'd peg your laptop at ~R12k max probably, depending on if you find a buyer.

 

[Lupus]

Well if anyone interested.. I am looking to sell my gaming Laptop..

Looking for 20k, still working order and I game where I can but as I am beginning my masters in the new year, need something more light weight..

Link is below for current new pricing..

Buy ASUS ROG G752VY 17.3" Core i7 Gaming Laptop at Evetech.co.za

Buy ASUS ROG G752VY Core i7 Gaming Laptop at discounted price. Evetech.co.za is your one source for the best laptop deals anywhere, anytime

www.evetech.co.za

That's a 4+ year old laptop? You may, and I mean may get 10k for it

 

[Rocket-Boy]

Different strokes.
There's some kickass laptops in that budget range.

And all of them will result in immense regret.
I still have yet to meet anyone who felt the gaming laptop they bought was worth it after 6 months.

 

[|tera|]

And all of them will result in immense regret.
I still have yet to meet anyone who felt the gaming laptop they bought was worth it after 6 months.

You seem to know some weird people.
6 months is hardly a long time.
Tech doesn't change 360 degrees in the course of 6 months.
I'm able to play some of today's games with my 10+ years old Desktop. Not indie stuff either.
Edit: Even my laptop with an integrated GPU plays some new games as well.

 

[CPTBoy]

Had a long chat with him yesterday, and we will go the build our own desktop route.

I really appreciate all the inputs given here, you guys are great! Thanks

 

[Barbarian Conan]

IMO, a kid's PC is a project PC. Part of the fun for me was saving up and buying the next piece of hardware and seeing that incremental increase. That alone would have me choose a desktop over a laptop.

Ryzen 5 3600 is good enough, and you will be able to upgrade to the 4000 series CPUs, so get a decent B550 board.

1TB SSD is also a good idea. I see some people don't like Mushkin, but I have a Mushkin SATA SSD in my previous PC, and a Muskin NVMe SSD in my new PC, which is now a year old and no issues so far.

RTX 2070 should be good for future proofing to get you to 1440p, 60fps+ on max setting for now, and probably a couple of years more. Not sure if it will be in the budget, but the 2060 should easily get you 1440p 60fps on high settings
I would rather wait for the nVidia 3000 series, which will be announced 1 Sept I think, and then you will know what will be released when, as well as a ballpark price. Shipping to SA is slow and expensive at the moment, so I don't know when they will be available here.

 

[zolly]

@CPTBoy If I was buying right now, and had your budget, this is roughly what I would aim for. New stuff is hitting the market soon though, so might be wise to wait a couple of more months.

 

[CataclysmZA]

A laptop is not built for gaming, regardless of the amounts of RAM and GPU power crammed in there.

It really depends on the design. With higher heat tolerances for components, a lot of notebook hardware can compete with desktop components when they are capable of running at their thermal limits.

It is also less value for money...for e.g. R 20k you get less gaming power in a laptop than in a desktop.

I specced out a desktop that would have the same hardware as the Wootbook Pro II (that is, identical when it comes to the actual chips), and at R17.5k you're only able to cram in the motherboard, RAM, GPU, and CPU before you hit the budget limit. Aside from that, the panel in that notebook is better than most 1080p 144Hz monitors on the market right now and you get a pretty decent keyboard as well. The whole form factor argument is moot these days, and notebooks are serious value for money if you're spending R14k or more and have requirements that still suit that hardware.

 

[Barbarian Conan]

It really depends on the design. With higher heat tolerances for components, a lot of notebook hardware can compete with desktop components when they are capable of running at their thermal limits.

I specced out a desktop that would have the same hardware as the Wootbook Pro II (that is, identical when it comes to the actual chips), and at R17.5k you're only able to cram in the motherboard, RAM, GPU, and CPU before you hit the budget limit. Aside from that, the panel in that notebook is better than most 1080p 144Hz monitors on the market right now and you get a pretty decent keyboard as well. The whole form factor argument is moot these days, and notebooks are serious value for money if you're spending R14k or more and have requirements that still suit that hardware.

When you say "same hardware", do you mean hardware with the same performance, or just similar names?
Mobile RTX 2060 is about equivalent to desktop 1660Ti, and I doubt the 4800H will match the 3600 in gaming, especially in a laptop body, where CPUs throttle much sooner due to much worse cooling.

The better panel in the laptop is a bit of a moot point when compared to a desktop, a it's only 15" .